JACKSON — Several priests who had at one time served at St. Mary in Natchez are included on a list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse, although none of the reported abuses have been specifically linked to their time in Natchez.

The Catholic Diocese of Jackson published the list of 37 names on its website Tuesday morning.

Click here for the complete list published by the diocese. 

Officials with the Diocese of Jackson said 30 of the clergy were accused of sexual abuse in Mississippi and the others worked in the Mississippi diocese but were accused of abuse in other states.

The list is part of the international reckoning of clergy sexual abuse allegations that have shaken the Catholic church.

This list contains the names of all clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of which the Diocese of Jackson is aware, the diocese said in its report.

“An accusation is considered credible when it has been investigated, presented to our Independent Fitness Review Board and deemed to be specific and believable. Civil authorities determine if an accusation is a crime. Not everyone on this list was charged or convicted of a crime,” the report said.

Priests on the list, who had served in Natchez at some point in their ministry, include:

• Paul Madden — Born in 1946 and ordained in 1970. Madden fled to Peru and is retired there. He served at Society of St. James, Peru; St. John, Crystal Springs; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Saltillo, Mexico; St. Mary, Natchez; Holy Family, Jackson; and St. Alphonsus, Ocean Springs. The alleged abuse(s) occurred in Ireland in 1973 and were reported in 1993.
• Nelius Downing — Born in 1883 and ordained in 1914. Downing is deceased. He served in Sacred Heart, Canton; St. Patrick, Meridian; St. Mary, Natchez; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis; St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale; and St. Michael, Biloxi. The alleged abuse(s) occurred in 1939 in Meridian and were reported in 2002.
• Bernard Haddican — Born in 1933, ordained in 1960 and died in 1996. Haddican served at Sacred Heart, Rosedale; Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland; St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale; St. Michael, Vicksburg; St. Mary, Shelby; St. John, Oxford; St. Joseph, Greenville; St. Richard, Jackson; Sacred Heart, Hattiesburg; Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis; and St. Mary, Natchez. The alleged abuse(s) occurred in multiple locations (none specifically identified in the list). Abuses were reported in 1998 and 2002.
• Kenneth Harris — Born in 1912, ordained in 1940 and died in 1964. Harris was assigned to St. Joseph, Greenville; St. James, Leland; St. Bernardine, San Berardino, CA; St. Mary, Natchez; Sacred Heart, Hattiesburg; St. Paul, Vicksburg; St. Teresa, Chatawa. The alleged abuse(s) occurred in 1951 in Steubenville, Ohio, and were reported in 1998 and 2003.
• Michael Irwin — Born in 1943, ordained in 1970 and died in 1993. Irwin served at St. Mary, Natchez and St. Paul, Vicksburg. The alleged abuse(s) occurred in 1975 in Vicksburg and were reported in 2005.
• Thomas Williams — Born in 1913,ordained in 1940 and died in 1983. Williams served at Our Lady of Fatima, Biloxi; St. John, Gulfport; St. Francis, Brookhaven; St. Paul, Pass Christian; St. Mary, Natchez; St. Paul, Vicksburg. The alleged abuse(s) occurred in 1958 in Gulfport and were reported in 2002 and 2012.

The victims in the Jackson Diocese were boys and girls ages 5 to 17, diocese chancellor Mary Woodward said. Woodward said the cases date from 1939 to 1998, and none of the accused clergy are still in active ministry.

The Rev. David O’Connor, pastor at St. Mary Basilica, said the priests on the list served the Natchez parish more than 25 years ago, although he did not have exact dates for when each priest served. Irwin and Madden were the priests who served the parish most recently. O’Connor said of alleged abuses reported, none were reported in Natchez.

O’Connor said he is thankful that in his time at St. Mary he has not heard any mention of sexual abuse in the parish.

“I have never heard anybody referring to that at the local level,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor said he hopes that publishing the list will bring healing and closure across the entire diocese.

“As a church we are committed to praying for the victims of child abuse,” O’Connor said. “We promise to protect and we pledge to heal.”

The Diocese of Jackson encompasses 65 of Mississippi’s 82 counties and has about 48,000 registered Catholics.

The bishop of the diocese, Joseph Kopacz, publicly apologized Tuesday during a news conference outside a cathedral in downtown Jackson.

“Every case of abuse represents shattered lives and damaged families and communities,” Kopacz said. “I hope that releasing this list will demonstrate a new level of transparency and a sincere desire to accompany victims of sexual abuse as our God of compassion and justice demands. I apologize to all the victims of abuse, to their families and to the faithful who have been hurt by this scandal.”

Woodward said two additional cases exist involving clergy whose names were not released Tuesday. One is on appeal. The other, still under investigation, involves abuse that allegedly happened in 1961 but was just reported recently.

Woodward, members of an independent fitness review board and retired bishops reviewed approximately 1,400 files from five bishops of the diocese from 1924 to this year, she said.

Any clergy member, employee or volunteer found to be abusing minors from now on will be permanently removed from ministry, the post said.

The diocese also said it provided information about the past abuse allegations to the Mississippi attorney general’s office in 2002, before the current attorney general was elected. The diocese said it gave the attorney general an updated list Monday.

Kopacz said he encourages anyone who has been sexually abused by a clergy member or church employee to come forward. He wrote that the diocese has a legal duty to report the cases to law enforcement, and “helping victims find healing and wholeness is our moral imperative.”

He also said the church is taking steps to prevent abuse, including screening and educating employees and volunteers.

The dioceses said all new credible reports of abuse will be added to this list. Those who have been abused by a member of the clergy or an employee of the church are encouraged to contact the diocese’s Victim’s Assistance Coordinator Valerie McClellan at 601-326-3728.