San Jose’s Catholic diocese will release names of priests accused of sex abuse

Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, walks with others during the entrace processional at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption at the funeral mass of Archbishop John Quinn on Monday, July 10, 2017 in San Francisco, Calif. less Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, walks with others during the entrace processional at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption at the funeral mass of Archbishop John Quinn on Monday, July ... more Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close San Jose’s Catholic diocese will release names of priests accused of sex abuse 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Catholic Diocese of San Jose will release names of priests accused of abusing minors and investigate its own response to such allegations, church officials said this week, a move that the Archdiocese of San Francisco also is considering.

The announcement followed shocking report last month from a Pennsylvania grand jury that found the Catholic Church there guilty of covering up abuse by more than 300 priests over 70 years. The report said more than 1,000 victims had been identified, and there were likely many more cases involving people who never came forward.

“Recent revelations of the horrific and heartbreaking crime of the sexual abuse of minors by priests — and the systematic cover-up by bishops — have fueled a crisis, unprecedented in modern times, in the Catholic Church,” Bishop Patrick J. McGrath of the Diocese of San Jose said in an open letter released Thursday.

“There is a need for reform; there is a need for transparency in the way the Church responds to allegations of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults,” he wrote.

McGrath outlined his plan to examine sexual abuse in the letter, including releasing the names of priests who had been “credibly accused of abusing minors within the Diocese of San Jose.” The list will be released by mid-October.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco has been discussing throughout the summer whether to open an investigation into clergy abuse — similar to the probe announced by the San Jose diocese — a spokesman said Friday.

“We’re very openly discussing internally what or how to do this,” said Mike Brown, director of communications for the San Francisco archdiocese.

At the Diocese of Oakland, officials are reviewing their files, a spokeswoman said. “No decision has been made regarding a release of names, although discussions are occurring,” Helen Osman, the interim director of communications, wrote in an email.

In September and October, McGrath will hold three listening sessions requesting comments from churchgoers and abuse survivors on how to improve the church.

To determine if allegations have been mishandled, a consulting firm led by Kathleen McChesney, a former FBI assistant director, will conduct an independent review of all documents from the diocese related to clergy sexual abuse. McChesney also will make recommendations for how the church can improve its response to complaints and to survivors’ needs and how to prevent future abuse.

Longtime critics of the church and its handling of abuse allegations said Friday that though they approved of plans to make some names public, they still expect more transparency, especially in regard to the investigation.

That the San Jose investigation will be conducted by the diocese itself — in comparison with the grand jury action in Pennsylvania — means it will inevitably fall short, said Melanie Sakoda, a Bay Area leader with the national Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

“It does help for him to release a list of names,” Sakoda said. “It will help survivors who may not realize they weren’t the only person abused by this person. And identifying them will help make sure they’re either not in the ministry or doing a job that puts them in contact with children. I wish that the other dioceses would do that.

“But truthfully, what I would rather have is a grand jury report in California like they did in Pennsylvania,” she added. “They have spent so many years covering up and hiding. They created the problem — how are we supposed to trust them to clean it up?”

The Catholic Church has been under pressure to face up to pervasive, deeply embedded problems with sexual abuse since the first widespread allegations were made public about 15 years ago, emerging from investigations in Boston. Since then, accusations have blown up around the world and involved high-ranking men in the church.

In the Bay Area, the San Francisco Archdiocese quietly removed dozens of priests. In 2002, about 40 names of current and former priests in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties were given to authorities for investigation, though that list was never made public.

In 2005, John Salberg, 53, was awarded $1.58 million as part of a nearly $6 million verdict to three men and one woman who had been abused as children by a San Jose priest. Salberg said Friday that he was conflicted about the letter from the San Jose diocese.

On the one hand, he wondered why it has taken so long for the church to commit to an investigation. But he’s still a practicing Catholic and is committed to improving the church. “Any action is good action,” he said. “I do believe that our diocese has taken steps and rewritten its policies to protect children.”

Ashley McBride and Erin Allday are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ashley.mcbride@sfchronicle.com and eallday@sfchronicle.com