Archdiocese of Santa Fe releases names of accused priests

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has released the names of 74 priests and religious leaders who were accused or later found guilty of sexually abusing children by state or church authorities.

Archbishop John Wester made the list public Tuesday after years of pressure from victims and their family members.

Some names had been known for years while others had been secret.

The Catholic Church keeps much of its Canon law proceedings secret.

Wester in a letter cited a need to publicly acknowledge and identify clergy and religious leaders accused of perpetrating child sexual abuse within the one of the nation’s oldest archdiocese.

The list does not provide details of alleged crimes or convictions.

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This version corrects that the list has names of people convicted and accused, not just convicted.