Mass. Group Says Abusive Priest List Falls Short

A coalition of church watchdog groups and clergy abuse victims protested Thursday what they said is Cardinal Sean O'Malley's refusal to disclose the names of members of religious orders accused of abuse while working in the Roman Catholic Boston Archdiocese.

Members of BishopAccountability.org, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and other groups said in a demonstration in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross that failure to disclose the names endangers children and misleads the public.

Anne Barrett-Doyle of BishopAccountability.org says the archdiocese's list will not include the names of Jesuits, Franciscans and members of other Roman Catholic orders accused of abuse while working within the archdiocese.

"[O'Malley's] focus should be on bringing as many victims forward as possible," Barrett-Doyle said. "He does that by listing all the credibly accused predators, not just those whose paychecks are signed by the archdiocese.

"He's deliberately allowing the public to remain in the dark about dozens and dozens of accused child molesters that live here in Boston."

At the protest Thursday, the coalition released a list of 82 religious order members who have previously been publicly accused of abuse.

The archdiocese says it is close to releasing the list of priests accused of molesting children. The exact date has not been announced. The archdiocese said Thursday compiling the list is "complex" and ongoing.

With reporting from by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom