The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province have added additional names to their list of men with credible allegations of sexual abuse.
The group first issued a list in 2018, and then hired a consulting firm to review records going back to the 1950s. That firm has now completed their task, and added five more priests to the list:
• Br. Everard J. Booth, SJ – more than one allegation
• José Angel Borges, SJ – a single allegation
•James D. Loeffler, SJ – more than one allegation
• Vincent R. Malatesta, SJ – moved from the single allegation to the more than one allegation list
• Benjamin Smylie, SJ – more than one allegation
Two of those priests, Booth and Loeffler, have Acadiana ties.
To read about the Acadiana priests who were on the Jesuits' 2018 list,click here.
In today's announcement, the Jesuits asked that anyone who suffered abuse at the hands of their brothers - or anyone else - report it.
"The province urges anyone who experienced sexual abuse as a minor to report the offense to the law enforcement or child protective services in the locale where the abuse happened. Survivors are also encouraged to advise the Jesuits by calling Carol Zarinelli Brescia, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She can be reached confidentially by phone at 314-915-7168 or email at ucsoutreach@jesuits.org," the release states.
