Father James McGinnis III
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Ordained: 1978
Died: 2010
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father James McGinnis:
Father James McGinnis was ordained a priest in 1978 and served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He served in multiple parishes throughout his career. According to media reports, his name appeared on a February 1994 memo from William Lynn, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Secretary for the Clergy, to James Molloy, the Vicar for Administration for the Archdiocese. The purpose of the memo was to catalog the sexual abuse allegations kept in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Secret Archives, which are files traditionally accessible only by the archbishop and, sometimes, one of his designees. Under Canon Law, the Archdiocese is required to maintain any potentially scandalous information in the Secret Archives. Of the brief nature of his descriptions Lynn wrote, "only basic information is contained in this report so as not to have too much in writing on this matter."
McGinnis' name appears in the section labeled "Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with Minors with No Conclusive Evidence." All that is said of the allegations is that they relate to misconduct that occurred earlier than 1989. No other details are available.
McGinnis was not discussed in the 2005 grand jury report. His name does not appear on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's lists of credibly accused priests.
McGinnis died in 2010. At the time of his death he was a priest in good standing, albeit retired, and resided at a retirement home owned by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Darby, Pennsylvania.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia may have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so please do not delay in reaching out to us.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.