23 Priests Added To Child Sex Abuse List: Baltimore Archdiocese

BALTIMORE, MD — The Archdiocese of Baltimore released the names this week of 23 priests accused of sexual abuse, all of whom are deceased. The newly shared names are in addition to 103 clergy members whose names were already made public.

"Here in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, there is absolutely zero tolerance for any bishop, priest, lay employee or volunteer credibly accused of the sexual abuse of a minor or the sexual harassment of an adult," Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said in a statement.

Lori and an Independent Review Board made the decision to release the names, according to a statement from the archdiocese.

The allegations made public Wednesday, April 24, had already been reported to law enforcement, the statement said, and releasing the names was not connected to an investigation underway by the Maryland Attorney General's Office that began in late 2018.

"...There are a lot of people who are looking at the church and saying, ‘Have you told us everything you know? Is there more to this story?’ And we want to increase that transparency," Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker told the Catholic Review, saying it was "the right thing to do" to release the names.

In 2002, the Archdiocese of Baltimore published a list of 57 men who had been credibly accused of child sex abuse. Others were added in 2018 after a grand jury report released by the Pennsylvania Attorney General in August 2018 named priests who had an assignment in Maryland.

RELATED: List Of Maryland Priests Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse

To qualify for the list released this week, the Independent Review Board determined a priest must have met one of these criteria:

• A single allegation was substantiated.
• Allegations were made by more than one victim.
• The clergyman's name was published elsewhere connected to a child sex abuse allegation.

An accused person’s name was not added if an allegation of child sexual abuse came from a third party, and the archdiocese could not speak with the victim; or if it could not be substantiated, according to the archdiocese.

"...Not publishing a name does not mean we don’t believe the victim who came forward. It simply means we could not substantiate it," Parker told the Catholic Review.

In releasing the 23 names this week, Parker said the goal was to be more transparent and help victims to come forward, stating: "This is about repentance for things that we have done wrong."

How To Report Abuse

Victims of child sex abusers linked to schools or places of worship or those with knowledge of such abuse may contact the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's hotline at 410-576-6312 or file a report online to report@oag.state.md.us.

People may also report suspected abuse by clergy, employees, or volunteers of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection at 410-547-5348 or the Victims Assistance Line at 1-866-417-7469. People may also file a report online through the secure EthicsPoint site.

Below are the 23 names added to the complete list of priests accused of child sex abuse on the Archdiocese of Baltimore's website.

W. Vincent Bechtel – In 2018, the Diocese of Harrisburg informed the Archdiocese of Baltimore of a claim of sexual abuse against Father W. Vincent Bechtel during the time he served at Mount St. Joseph High School. Since then, the Archdiocese learned of more allegations from the time he served at Mount St. Joseph, which was from 1979 until his retirement in 1989. Previously, he served at St. Agnes (Catonsville) from 1950 to 1963, St. Paul Latin High School from 1962 to 1969, Cardinal Gibbons High School from 1969 to 1973, and St. Lawrence (Baltimore) from 1973 to 1979. Bechtel died in 1994.

William A. Braun (Sulpician, Archdiocese of Baltimore) – In 2002, an individual alleged that he was sexually abused by Father William A. Braun in the mid-1940s. Braun was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1942 and served at St. Dominic (Baltimore) until 1949, when he became a candidate for the Sulpician religious order and joined the faculty of St. Charles College (Catonsville). He served at St. Charles College from 1949 to 1959; the Solitude (novitiate) at St. Mary’s Seminary on Paca Street from 1951-1952; and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Middle River) from 1959 to 1960. Braun died in 1964.

John J. Corbett – Two individuals alleged in 1993 that they had been abused by Monsignor John J. Corbett in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Additional reports of abuse in the mid to late 1940s were received by the Archdiocese in 2002 and 2010. He served at St. Brigid (Baltimore) from 1909 to 1922, St. Peter (Washington, DC) from 1922 to 1924, St. Margaret (Washington, DC) from 1924 to 1943, and St. Mary Star of the Sea (Baltimore) from 1943 to 1957. Corbett died in 1957.

Robert W. Duerr – The Archdiocese received a report in 2002 that Father Robert W. Duerr had been a perpetrator of child sex abuse in the early 1950s and got another report of sexual abuse from the early 1950s to the early 1960s in 2012. He served at St. Rita (Dundalk) from 1948 to 1959, Mount de Sales Academy from 1959 to 1980, and St. Louis Church (Clarksville) from 1975 to 1980. Duerr died in 1982.

Alfred Ewanowski (Conventual Franciscan) – The Archdiocese learned of an allegation in 2003 that Father Alfred Ewanowski had abused a student at Archbishop Curley High School in 1967. Since then, the Archdiocese learned of additional allegations of abuse against Ewanowski from his time on the faculty at Archbishop Curley High School, from 1968 to 1976. He died in 1990.

Carl A. Fisher (Josephite, Archdiocese of Los Angeles) – Multiple people accused Father Carl Fisher of sexual abuse that occurred in the 1970s in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He was ordained a priest in 1973 and served at St. Veronica (Baltimore) from 1975 to 1982 and St. Francis Xavier (Baltimore) from 1982 to 1986. In 1987, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Fisher died in Los Angeles in 1993.

Sylvan Fondriest (Capuchin) – In 2007, an individual alleged sexual abuse by Father Sylvan Fondriest during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 2008, the Archdiocese learned of an allegation by a second individual of sexual abuse by Fondriest in the late 1950s. He served at Ss. Peter and Paul (Cumberland) from 1956 until his death in 1976. Fondriest died in 1976.

Daniel Free (Passionist) – The Archdiocese received allegations of sexual abuse by Father Daniel Free in 1998 and 2012. The allegations were reported to law enforcement and to the Passionists. He served at St. Joseph Monastery (Baltimore) from 1955 to 1971 and 1974 to 1976 and St. Agnes Hospital from 1984 to 2000. Free died in 2016.

George L. Hopkins – In 2002, an individual alleged sexual abuse by Monsignor George L. Hopkins in the early 1950s. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles informed the Archdiocese of an allegation that Hopkins sexually assaulted an adult in the early 1950s. He served at St. Brigid (Baltimore) from 1939 to 1943, the Basilica of the Assumption from 1943 to 1965, and St. Patrick (Cumberland) from 1965 to 1969. Hopkins left the priesthood in 1969 and later died.

Joseph H. Hopkins (Archdiocese of Baltimore/Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston) – In 1995, an individual alleged sexual abuse by Father Joseph H. Hopkins in 1948. Hopkins served at St. Ambrose (Baltimore) from 1936 to 1943 and St. Cecilia (Baltimore) from 1943 to 1949. Hopkins went to Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1949 and was later incardinated into and served in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. He died in 1961.

Simon E. Kenny — In 2017, the Archdiocese received an allegation that there had been sex abuse by Monsignor Simon E. Kenny in the early 1980s. He served at St. Mary (Hagerstown) from 1938 to 1941 and 1946 to 1950, Holy Family (Randallstown) from 1967 to 1968, and St. Mary (Pylesville) from 1968 to 1985. Kenny retired in 1985 and died in 1999.

Xavier Langan (Christian Brother) – In 2002, an individual alleged that he was sexually abused by Brother Xavier Langan when he was a student at Calvert Hall College High School in the late 1960s. Since then, the Archdiocese has received allegations from others that they were sexually abused by Langan while they were students Calvert Hall. He served at Calvert Hall from 1942 to 1952 and 1960 to 1985. Langan died in 1985.

James V. Lannon (Sulpician, Archdiocese of Washington) — In 2002, a woman alleged that she was sexually abused by Father James V. Lannon in the mid-1930s. He served at St. Rose of Lima (Baltimore) from 1933 to 1939 and All Saints (Baltimore) from 1940 to 1943. Lannon became a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington after it was established as a separate diocese from the Archdiocese of Baltimore in the 1940s. The Archdiocese of Washington has reported that it received an allegation in 1953 and removed Lannon from parish ministry in 1958. Lannon died in 1984.

Regis F. Larkin – In 1992, an individual alleged sexual abuse by Father Regis F. Larkin in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 2002, another individual contacted the Archdiocese and alleged sexual abuse by Larkin in the mid-1950s. He served at St. Michael (Frostburg) from 1945 to 1964, St. Ursula (Parkville) from 1964 to 1965, St. Peter (Oakland) from 1965 to 1974 and St. Patrick (Cumberland) from 1974 to 1980. Larkin died in 1981.

Robert J. Lochner – Starting in 1993, the Archdiocese received multiple allegations of sexual abuse by Father Robert Lochner in the 1950s and 1960s. He served at Sacred Heart (Glyndon) from 1956 to 1958, Our Lady of Good Counsel (Baltimore) from 1958 to 1964, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (Rosedale) from 1964 to 1967, and Immaculate Heart of Mary (Baynesville) in 1967. He died in 1967.

Benedict Mawn (Passionist) – An individual in 2002 alleged sexual abuse by Father Benedict Mawn in the mid-1950s. He was at St. Joseph Passionist Monastery (Baltimore) from 1955 to 1957 and 1960 to 1962. Mawn died in 1998.

Eugene Ambrose McGuire, (Passionist) – In 1993, the Archdiocese received allegations of sexual abuse by Father Eugene Ambrose McGuire dating to the 1960s. In 2002, another person contacted the Archdiocese and alleged sexual abuse by McGuire in the late 1940s. He served at St. Joseph Monastery Church (Baltimore) from 1972 to 1977 and possibly in earlier years. He died in 1984.

Jerome A. Moody (Redemptorist) – The Baltimore Police Department informed the Archdiocese in 2002 that it received allegations of sexual abuse from several unnamed individuals against Father Jerome A. Moody, and the Archdiocese informed the Redemptorists. Then in 2005, an individual alleged he was sexually abused by Moody in the 1970s. He served at Saints James and John (Baltimore) from 1975 to 1984. Moody died in 2006.

Adrian Poletti (Passionist) – Father Adrian Poletti was accused of sex abuse in the 1950s, and the Archdiocese received the allegation in 2006. In 2007, a second individual alleged abuse by Poletti in the mid-1940s. He served at St. Joseph Monastery Church from 1937 to 1942 and from 1951 to 1959. Poletti died in 1980.

John B. Peacock – The Archdiocese received an allegation of sexual abuse in 2005 by Monsignor John B. Peacock in the mid-1960s. A second individual contacted the Archdiocese in 2015 and alleged sexual abuse by Peacock in the late 1950s. He served at Our Lady of Good Counsel (Baltimore) from 1934 to 1938, St. Andrew (Baltimore) from 1938 to 1952, and Our Lady of Victory (Arbutus) from 1952 to 1973. Peacock retired in 1973 and died in 1995.

Francis Roscetti (Capuchin) – A couple alleged that their child had been sexually abused by Father Francis Roscetti in the mid-1980s. They made the report in 2013. Then, in 2015, an individual contacted the Archdiocese and alleged sexual abuse by Roscetti at St. Anthony Ridgely in West Virginia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He served at Saints Peter and Paul Church (Cumberland) from 1966 to 1972 and St. Ambrose (Cresaptown) from 1978 to 1988. Roscetti died in 1991.

Alcuin W. Tasch (Benedictine) – An individual alleged sexual abuse by Father Alcuin W. Tasch during the late 1950s at Fourteen Holy Martyrs Church in Baltimore. The allegation was made in 1994; in 2003, the Archdiocese received a report from another individual, who alleged he was sexually abused by Tasch from 1955 to 1956. He was at Fourteen Holy Martyrs Church (Baltimore) from 1954 to 1964. Tasch died in 1982.

Howard F. Yeakle – The Archdiocese received two allegations in 2002 of sexual abuse of minors by Father Howard F. Yeakle in the 1960s and an additional allegation in 2018. He was at St. Augustine (Elkridge) from 1951 to 1954, St. Patrick (Baltimore) from 1955 to 1956, All Saints (Baltimore) from 1957 to 1958, St. Adrian (Inverness) and St. Mildred (Gray Manor) from 1959 to 1961, St. Brigid (Baltimore) from 1962 to 1969, and St. Augustine (Williamsport) and St. Michael (Clear Spring) from 1970 to 1971. Yeakle left the priesthood in 1972. He died in 1988.

The following three names were added in late April/early March, according to Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Communications for of the Baltimore Archdiocese Sean Caine, who said this was because their religious orders recently released their names:

John J. McCarthy (Jesuit) – There were multiple allegations of sexual abuse by Father John J. McCarthy that had occurred in the 1970s, which the Jesuits reported in 2018. He served at Loyola Blakefield High School from 1946 to 1949. McCarthy died in 1997.

Edward A. Sheehy (Paulist) – Father Edward A. Sheehy was accused of sex abuse from 1955 to 1957. The allegation was made in 2003, and the Paulist Fathers reported it in 2019. He served at St. Peter’s Minor Seminary (Baltimore) from 1968 to 1969. Sheehy died in 1988.

Rudolph T. Vorisek (Paulist) – The Archdiocese of Los Angeles received an allegation of sexual abuse by Father Rudolph T. Vorisek in 2013; the alleged abuse had occurred in 1970. The Paulist Fathers reported the allegation in 2019. Vorisek was at St. Peter’s Minor Seminary (Baltimore) from 1957 to 1968. He died in 2011.

All information above was provided by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Editor's note: We have updated the article to add the three names that were put on the list in the past month.