Those of us who’ve been active in the Catholic Church priest abuse scandal are aware of the ramifications of the Irish abuse report due to be made public in the next few weeks. Undoubtedly, some of the priests involved in the abuse of children in Ireland also abused minors here in the United States. The connection between Irish priest abusers and so-called “mission” dioceses is particularly troubling. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, many Irish clergy came to places like Florida to serve the burgeoning Catholic population. Some of these Irish clergy had a history of abuse in Ireland and continued their criminal behavior in Florida.
Presently, victim advocacy groups like Bishop Accountability are actively researching the connection. Bishop Accountability is seeking the names of those priests. As they’ve done so well, the organization is compiling a database on these priests. It’s a tremendous public service that is certain to shed light on this tragedy.