The lists published on Thursday were prepared separately by each diocese, and each one takes a slightly different form. Many of the names dated to the middle of the 20th century — some dioceses began their reviews at 1940 and others at 1950 — and many, but not all, of the clerics listed have died. Some have resulted in prosecution. Some lists contain limited detail about alleged abuse but many consist of little more than the names of clergymen and scant biographical information. The lists focus primarily on the alleged abuse of minors, although some contain references to allegations of sexual harassment or abuse of adults. Advocates for abuse survivors said they were disappointed by those shortcomings. Paul Petersen, a spokesman in Dallas for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the overall lack of detailed information pointed to the need for state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the history of clerical sex abuse in Texas. “All of this is the fox guarding the henhouse,” he said. “Most of this has not been corroborated by the police department, so you have to scratch your head and say, ‘Where is the actual transparency?’” Mr. Petersen also said he thought it was probable that there were more than 300 priests who had committed sexual abuse in Texas since 1950. He pointed to a report in December by the Illinois attorney general that said the Catholic Church there had withheld the names of at least 500 priests accused of sexually abusing minors. There are 3.4 million Catholics in Illinois, according to the Catholic Conference of Illinois, or less than half as many as in Texas. “I am skeptical,” he said. “I am not trying to make it bigger than it is, but I think the number 300 is crazy low.”<doc-sep>Catholic dioceses throughout Texas on Thursday identified 286 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors as far back as 1941. Altogether, 14 state dioceses, including Dallas and Austin, released one of the largest collection of names since the Pennsylvania grand jury report last July. The diocese in Fort Worth began listing credibly accused clergy online in 2007, but the other 14 Texas bishops promised to release names after a meeting last September. Texas bishops listed the names to help victims heal and rebuild trust, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese said. He apologized in a statement and urged people to report any abuse. "The crime of sexual abuse of minors is a grave crisis in the Church," DiNardo said. These sins have done great harm to the victims of the abuse and have deeply wounded the body of Christ, the Church. Those victimized by the clergy over the years need and deserve our prayers, outreach, and support." More:Illinois Catholic church allegedly failed to investigate 500 priest sex abuse allegations More:Catholic Church: Jesuits name priests with 'established accusations' of child sex abuse The names of credibly accused Texas Catholic priests can be read on the diocese websites below: The lists follow waves of clerical abuse scandals and cover-up allegations, as about 50 dioceses and religious provinces have released names of nearly 1,250 credibly accused priests. Another 30 dioceses are investigating allegations or have promised to release names. Contributing: The Associated Press<doc-sep>DALLAS — Catholic leaders in Texas on Thursday identified 286 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children, a number that represents one of the largest collections of names to be released since an explosive grand jury report last year in Pennsylvania. Fourteen dioceses in Texas named those credibly accused of abuse. The only diocese not to provide names, Fort Worth, did so more than a decade ago and then provided an updated accounting in October. There are only a handful of states where every diocese has released names and most of them have only one or two Catholic districts. Arkansas, for instance, is covered by the Diocese of Little Rock, which in September provided a preliminary list of 12 former priests, deacons and others. Oklahoma has two districts: The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is scheduled to publicly identify accused priests on Feb. 28 and the Diocese of Tulsa previously named two former priests accused of predatory behavior. The move by Texas church leaders follows a shocking Pennsylvania report in August detailing seven decades of child sexual abuse by more than 300 predator priests. Furthermore, the Illinois attorney general reported last month that at least 500 Catholic clergy in that state had sexually abused children. In the months after that report, about 50 dioceses and religious provinces have released the names of nearly 1,250 priests and others accused of abuse. Approximately 60 percent of them have died. About 30 other dioceses are investigating or have promised to release names of credibly accused priests in the coming months. In Texas, the Diocese of Dallas and some others relied on retired police and federal investigators to review church files and other material to substantiate claims of abuse. It's not clear whether any of the names released Thursday could result in local prosecutors bringing criminal charges. The majority of those identified have since died. Some investigations dated back to 1950 while other reviews, as in the case of the Diocese of Laredo, only went to 2000 because that's when that diocese was established. Of the 286 men named in Texas, 172 have died, a percentage comparable with the national tally. "Our office stands ready to assist local law enforcement and any district attorney's office that asks for our help in dismantling this form of evil and removing the threat of those who threaten Texas children," said Marc Rylander, spokesman for the Texas attorney general's office. "To date, we have not received any such requests, but we are ready to provide assistance to local prosecutors in accordance with state law and original criminal jurisdiction." The head of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and is expected to attend a February summit called by Pope Francis to sensitize church leaders around the globe to the pain of victims, instruct them how to investigate cases and develop general protocols for church hierarchy to use. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks at a news conference in Baltimore on Nov. 13, 2017. Patrick Semansky / AP file DiNardo said in a statement Thursday that, "The Bishops of Texas have decided to release the names of these priests at this time because it is right and just and to offer healing and hope to those who have suffered. On behalf of all who have failed in this regard, I offer my sincerest apology. Our church has been lacerated by this wound and we must take action to heal it." In a statement released with the report of the San Antonio archdiocese, which had the longest list of names among Texas dioceses with 56 dating to 1940, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller said the abuse allegations and the mishandling of some by bishops "are tearing the church apart Although the release of the report "brings tension and pain," the archbishop said he was "filled with serenity and peace" by the disclosures. Victim advocates and those who have been tracking clergy abuse for decades have said the church has a bad record of policing itself and law enforcement investigations into church records of allegations are the only way to ensure real transparency. They argue that there is no uniform definition of credibly accused priests and dioceses use different standards when deciding what names to release. For example, the San Antonio archdiocese examined decades of allegations made against clergy and religious order priests dating back decades. The Diocese of Laredo released no names after its bishop said staff had examined its records for the 19 years since it was created, shortly before new stricter standards for handling abuse allegations were instituted across the church, and found no credible allegations.<doc-sep>
At least three priests with ties to the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio have been accused of abuse, religious leaders say. (CNN) — Every Catholic diocese in Texas has released the names of all priests, deacons and other clergy members accused of sexually abusing children in the past decades. At least 298 clergy members across the state have faced “credible abuse” allegations going back to the 1940s, the lists compiled by the 15 Texas dioceses show. The dioceses publicly identified the clergy members on Thursday. Texas leaders and the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter agreed to identify those accused in October as part of an effort “to promote healing and a restoration of trust in the Catholic Church.” “We wanted to act as a united conference to show the faithful and all people of goodwill that we are hearing their concerns,” the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said. The lists, published on each diocese’s website, include the names of the clergy members, details about when and where they were ordained and which parishes they were assigned to. Each diocese compiled its own list and the details about those accused and the allegations vary. While some dioceses noted that some of the accused are linked to ongoing investigations, it’s unclear whether the release of the names could result in criminal charges. Many of the clergy accused are dead. Leading the number of clergy members accused is the Archdiocese of San Antonio – the largest one in the state – with 56 priests and other clergy listed. Next is the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the dioceses of Dallas, El Paso and Amarillo. “The publication of the list is not the end of a process but rather is a step along the way to what I hope will be a full and complete accounting of all those members of the clergy who served in the diocese and who sexually abused minors,” El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz said in his report. Meanwhile, the Diocese of Laredo, which was founded in 2000, said officials did not find any credible allegations. “The abuse of minors – physical, emotional, and above all, sexual – should NEVER happen in churches, in homes, in schools, or anywhere,” said Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler after releasing the name of one priest. “All of us are called to holiness and to serve as examples of virtue, but our priests and deacons are to be held to a high standard – and rightly so.” There are 8.5 million Catholics and 1,320 Catholic parishes in Texas, according to the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. CNN’s Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report.