In an unprecedented and stunning move, the head of the Diocese of Harrisburg on Wednesday ordered the removal from diocesan property the names of all former diocesan bishops who over the decades failed to protect children from sexually predatory priests.

Just weeks ahead of a bombshell report into clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, Bishop Ronald Gainer on Wednesday said that all names of bishops dating back to 1947 will be removed from buildings, halls and rooms.

Gainer said "anyone accused of sexual misconduct will have his name removed from any place of honor" throughout the diocese.

"The decision to remove names of bishops and clerics may prove to be controversial, but as bishops, I strongly believe that leaders of the diocese must hold themselves to a higher standard and must yield honorary symbols in the interest of healing."

Gainer said that the decision would not impact the name of the Bishop McDevitt High School. He explained that because no records on clergy sex abuse existed dating back to McDevitt's tenure, the late bishop's name would not be included in the list of legacy names scrapped from diocesan buildings.

Gainer also released the names of 71 people who have been accused of allegations of child sex crimes. He said the list did not represent an assessment of guilt, but historic accusation.

Of the 71 names, 37 were priests of Diocese of Harrisburg, three were deacons of the diocese, six were seminarians, nine were priests from other dioceses, and 16 were from religious communities.

None of the individuals on the list are currently in ministry or in service in the diocese.

Gainer's revelations comes one day after state authorities leveled their first conviction of a priest as a result of the 40th Statewide Grand Jury investigation.

Gainer, president of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the legislative arm of the church, repeatedly apologized for the historic failure of diocesan leadership.

"In my own name and in the name of the Diocesan Church of Harrisburg, I express profound sorrow and apologize to the survivors of child sex abuse, the Catholic faithful and the general public for the abuses that took place and for those church officials who failed to protect children," he said.

The news delivered by Gainer on Wednesday comes amid escalating developments in the grand jury investigation report.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Tuesday confirmed the conviction of Father John Sweeney just hours after the Greensburg Diocese priest pleaded guilty to sexually molesting a 10-year-old boy.

The 900-page report is slated to be released no later than Aug. 14 by court order.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has authorized the Commonwealth to release a redacted version of the report. The court also has appointed a special judge to consider the redactions in the report and their legality.

The report, which remains under seal, is expected to be the most comprehensive look at clergy sex abuse in the world. The report identifies by name more than 300 priests who face credible accusations of child sex crimes. Dozens of priests have challenged the release of the report and said it would violate their rights to due process. The court conceded sufficient measures should be taken to protect their identities and called for a redacted version of the report.





Reverand John T. Sweeney, of Greensburg, on Tuesday became the first priest convicted as a result of the grand jury investigation. Sweeney pleaded guilty to with involuntary sexual intercourse, a first-degree felony, for a sexual assault committed against a 10-year-old boy. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Harrisburg Diocese last year attempted to shut down the grand jury investigation, arguing that the probe lacked legal justification and should have been handled by local district attorneys. The Greensburg Diocese did the same.

Like other dioceses, Harrisburg has in recent years had to publicly deal with allegations of sexual crimes against priests.

In 2004 diocesan officials said the diocese had spent nearly $2 million to address 35 credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors against 22 priests over a half century. An additional $327,000 from insurance payments also was spent to handle the claims.



Then-Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo released the figures in advance of the release of a national survey of priest sexual abuse claims from 1950 to 2002.

At the time, diocesan officials said that just under 2.5 percent of the 891 priests who had served in the diocese during the period under scrutiny were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. None were in active ministry.

Three years later, the diocese acknowledged that, since 1950, it had received allegations against 24 priests. The diocese was widely criticized by victims, advocates and the mental health community for not been transparent about the accused priests and failing to name them.

In 2011, PennLive published a report on a Lancaster County man who alleged having been sexually abused by former priest Guy Marsico during his time at St. Rose of Lima Church in York. Todd Frey, who provided to PennLive letters from the diocese with regards to its handling of his allegations, testified before the latest grand jury. Frey was 13 when he said he was molested by Marsico.

PennLive made numerous attempts to reach Marsico. At least twice he declined to be interviewed. No records could be found to show whether Marsico was ever charged.

In 2016, in the wake of the grand jury report into clergy sex abuse in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, the Harrisburg Diocese confirmed the names of 15 priests who had served in the diocese and had been accused of child sexual molestation.

The list of 15 had been compiled by The York Daily Record and turned over to the diocese for confirmation. The diocese eventually acknowledged that the priests on the list had been credibly accused. At at least one priest who faced credible allegations had been in ministry in recent time.

Although Gainer said he had cooperated with the investigation, he acknowledged being concerned about due process rights of clergy named in the report.

Gainer in 2014 came under criticism from victims and their advocates when Pope Francis appointed him to lead the Harrisburg Diocese. At the time, Gainer, then-Bishop of the Lexington, Ky. diocese, had come under scathing criticism for failing to protect children in the diocese from predator priests.

Gainer also announced the creation of a website dedicated to the protection of youth.

The Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades was ordained as Bishop of Harrisburg in December 2004 and stayed almost five years before he accepted the same role wit the Diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend. He issued a statement Friday that said he wanted to offer his heartfelt sympathy and support to all of those victims of abusive priests.

"During my time in Harrisburg and now in Fort Wayne-South Bend, I have upheld an unwavering commitment to child safety, closely following all policies and procedures put in place to punish those responsible for abuse," he said. "I followed all child protection policies and procedures, notified law enforcement and punished each individual as appropriate. The Grand Jury report and my letter in response, when released, will eliminate any speculation regarding the decisions made during my tenure as Bishop of the Harrisburg Diocese."

Matt Haverstick, the attorney for the diocese, reiterated that none of the individuals named in the list of 71 names is in active ministry or working in any capacity in the diocese. All names have been turned over to local district attorneys office, he said.

The Diocese of Harrisburg serves more than a quarter-of-a-million parishioners and encompasses 15 counties, including Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York.

Gainer's decision to scrap the legacy of the diocesan leadership comes amid a spiraling scandal in the worldwide church. On Saturday, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishops Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals, and suspended him from the exercise of any public ministry.

McCarrick faces credible allegations of sexually abusing, assaulting, or coercing seminarians and young priests during his time as a bishop; as well as sexually molesting a teenager in the Archdiocese of New York.

Francis is also dealing with a debacle in the church in Chile, and has accepted the resignations of several Chilean bishops there for their role in clerical sexual abuse.

Editor's note: A comment from former Diocese of Harrisburg Bishop Kevin Rhoades was added late in the afternoon of Aug. 3.