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CHARLESTON -- The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston should publicly announce updates of its lists of priests who are credibly accused of abuse, according to the attorney general of West Virginia.
The diocese added nine priests to the list, first reported on Saturday by the Catholic Committee of Appalachia, which said the diocese added the priests without an announcement, the committee said. The story broke in The Wheeling Intelligencer.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who earlier this year sued the diocese, asserting it violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act in advertising failing to disclose it employed accused priests and did inadequate background investigations, cited the story in The Intelligencer.
"The diocese does not rely upon the news media and its parishioners to stumble upon its responses to our lawsuit – they shout it from the roof tops, and in the same manner, the diocese has an obligation to make robust announcements to potential victims anytime they update their list of credibly accused priests," Morrisey said in a statement. "Instead, the diocese appears fixated upon its goal of minimizing this scandal with limited publicity about wrong doing and maximum publicity of its public relations campaign to protect the church."
The Catholic Committee, which calls itself a social justice network, said the diocese added to the list of priests who served in the diocese but were accused of abuse outside of the diocese, and to the list of priests accused of abuse while in the diocese.
"We are seriously disappointed that the (diocese) updated these lists quietly without issuing a press release to go with them," said Jeannie Kirkhope, a Catholic Committee co-coordinator. "It is quite possible that there are additional victims of Waldruff and Lukas from West Virginia, and if so, it is important that they see that these names have been added."
The lists were updated on May 21.
Tim Bishop, director of marketing and communications for the diocese, issued a statement on Tuesday on the releases from the attorney general and the Catholic Committee. Forty priests are now on the two lists.
"At the time of the initial publication of the names of credibly accused priests, the Diocese pledged to provide future updates to the list as new information becomes available and as reported by authorities in other locations. These updates show the diocese's commitment to transparency and accountability. The individuals added to the list are not currently in active ministry and have not been for many years," Bishop said. "Moreover, the allegations found to be credible relate to situations that occurred decades ago and in several instances in dioceses in other parts of the country, though the allegations were only brought to our attention recently. In many cases, the accused are deceased. The entire list, including any updates, is readily available on its web site dwc.org."
In the update, two priests were accused of abuse while serving in the diocese, Raymond Waldruff and Andrew Lukas.
Waldruff originally was on the list of priests who were accused of incidents occurring outside the diocese and was moved to the list of those credibly accused while serving in the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese. Lukas' listing was new with the accusation reported to the diocese in January.
Allegations against both priests date from the 1960s-70s.
Lukas served at St. John's in Benwood from November 1958-June 1959 and at the St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary in Vienna from June 12, 1964, to Aug. 1, 1966, among other assignments. He died in 2012.
The incidents allegedly occurred 1964-1965. The allegation was abuse of a minor.
Waldruff was assigned at St. Boniface's, St. Clare's and the Holy Name of Mary in the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese from February 1972 to July 1976. In addition to accusations in 1964 and 1968 in Pennsylvania, accusations of abuse of a minor were reported to the West Virginia diocese on March 28.
He left the diocese in July 1976 and was removed from the order in 1983. Waldruff died in 1985.
The priests added to the list of those credibly accused of incidents occurring outside the diocese were:
• Francis Bourbon, who served at Wheeling Jesuit University from 1992-1993 and 1996-2003, St. Paul's in Weirton 1993-1994 and the Nativity of Our Lord in Wayne 1994-1996. Accused in Virginia and reported in 2018. He died in 2007.
• John R. Butler, who served in Keyser, Petersburg and Romney from1968-1969. Accused in Richmond. He is in the Diocese of Metuchen.
• Robert B. Cullen, who served at Wheeling Central High School from 1982-1983 and Wheeling Jesuit from 1983-1990. Multiple allegations of abuse of a minor in Maryland from the 1960s to 1980s, reported to the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese in Dec. 17. He died in 2005.
• Harris M. Findlay, who served at St. Joseph's in Martinsburg from 1949-1953 and was a pastor in the Richmond (Va.) Diocese. Accused of abuse of a minor in the Richmond Diocese. He died in 1980.
• James H. Hopkins, who served at St. Joseph Cathedral in Wheeling from 1949-1950 and St. Francis Xavier in Moundsville from 1950-1961. Accused of abuse of a minor in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Incident occurred in 1948 and reported to the Baltimore Diocese in 1995. He died in 1961.
• Edward J. Horan, who served the Vineyard in Purgitsville from 1992-1993. Accused of abuse of a minor in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. He left the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese in 1993.
• James H. McConnell, who served at St. Vincent DePaul in Berkeley Springs from 1932-1937 under the Richmond Diocese. Accused of abuse of a minor in the Richmond Diocese. He died in 1969.
• John W. Rea, who served at St. Joseph's in Martinsburg from 1973-1974. He was accused of abuse of a minor in the Richmond Diocese. He died in 2002.
"It is no doubt difficult for (diocese) officials to draw attention to their knowledge of new allegations while the diocese is in the process of responding to multiple lawsuits related to alleged sexual abuse," Michael Iafrate, Catholic Committee co-coordinator, said. "Nevertheless, we believe that if the (diocese) wants to show that it cares about victim-survivors, they cannot add names to these lists quietly. Transparency is the only way toward truth and healing."
The diocese did not release the first list of credibly accused priests until after the state issued a subpoena last fall, Morrisey said. Morrisey also said it's time for the diocese to disclose what it knows about those working in schools and camps, and to release the report on Michael Bransfield, the former bishop of the diocese, and his part "in the cover up and concealment of pedophiles.
"If the diocese truly sought closure and healing for victims, it would make good on its obligation to announce updates to its findings so those victimized would feel empowered to seek counseling and know they are not alone," Morrisey said.