BOSTON (AP) - Details about allegations of child sex abuse by priests, which the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is expected to disclose on Tuesday under an earlier agreement, will help prosecutors investigate past abuse cases.
"We’re expecting to receive information from the archdiocese that would pertain to victims and the underlying circumstances involved in the allegations," said Ann Donlan, spokeswoman for Attorney General Tom Reilly.
The disclosure of victims’ names and other details, delayed one day because of Evacuation Day in Suffolk County, follows a handover last month of the names of scores of priests but few other facts. Prosecutors said they needed more concrete information to investigate.
Under pressure from Reilly, the church agreed on March 1 to free victims from confidentiality agreements and hand over dates and other details of alleged assaults.
"We’ll also be looking for information on the time periods so that it will be easier to match up the names of priests and the circumstances," Donlan said.
The full disclosure agreement includes only the Boston Archdiocese, and does not include neighboring dioceses such as Worcester, which has a separate agreement with Worcester County District Attorney John Conte, Donlan said.
It also does not cover priests in Catholic religious orders who are independent of dioceses.