Diocese releases names of accused priests; 13 of 17 are dead

The Diocese of Duluth released a list of 17 of its former priests who have been determined to be credibly accused of sexually abusing children, the Duluth News Tribune reported Tuesday.

In what some might call interesting timing for the revelation, 13 of the 17 named priests are dead; only four are still alive. All of the priests had been removed from the church or were under investigation before the accusations surfaced.

Duluth Bishop Paul Sirba called the history of abuse in the church "a sad truth that must be acknowledged."

Within the past few weeks the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona released lists of credibly accused priests, complying with a court order.