St. Louis Diocese Provides Court With List of Accused Priests and Victims

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch yesterday, the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis has complied with a trial court's order to turn over to the court and plaintiff's attorney in a pending lawsuit the names of priests who have been accused of sexually abusing minors over a 20-year period, as well as contact information of the victims. The order comes in a suit filed in 2011 by a woman who says she was abused by a now-defrocked priest. Last week the Missouri Supreme Court rejected the Archdiocese's challenge to the trial court's order.  The list remains under seal. The trial court will appoint an attorney to make first contact with the victims, rather than having that contact come from plaintiff's lawyer.