Database Includes Individual Profiles (with Photos) on Dozens of Catholic Priests in Allentown
Unlike Other Dioceses in Pennsylvania, Allentown Has Announced It Will Arbitrarily Exclude Claims Against Lay Employees Accused of Abuse
ALLENTOWN, PA - Adam Horowitz, a nationally-recognized advocate for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, announces the launch of a new database of clergy and lay employees accused of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Allentown. The database includes 53 priests as of today, and is believed to be the most comprehensive list of accused offenders available. This is far more than were identified in the groundbreaking 2018 grand jury report of its investigation into the Diocese of Allentown.
For the benefit of survivors and journalists alike, Horowitz and his team have painstakingly prepared individual profiles on dozens of accused offenders to consolidate available information about their backgrounds, alleged crimes, and, in the case of offenders who are still alive, their current locations. Many of these profiles include photographs that are not available anywhere else. Horowitz's website contains similar databases for each Pennsylvania diocese.
The Allentown list was compiled using the names identified in the 2018 Grand Jury report, the Diocese of Allentown's lists of accused individuals, media reports, and court records.
The database also includes priests who belong to religious orders, such as the Carmelites. Unlike his counterparts in the Diocese of Scranton and the Diocese of Erie, the Bishop of Allentown has arbitrarily chosen to bar anyone abused by non-clergy lay employees, such as teachers, youth ministers, and coaches, from recovering from the fund. This prohibition applies even when the offender committed the abuse in a church or school run by the Diocese of Allentown.
The deadline to file claims with the Diocese of Allentown's voluntary compensation fund - which is the only legal recourse available to most survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Allentown - is September 30, 2019.
The database of accused priests is available at:
/pennsylvania/diocese-of-allentown/
Horowitz says the database will be continuously updated as the names of more accused individuals become public. You are encouraged to bookmark the link for easy access to the information.
For more information, contact us at (954) 641-2100 or at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com.