Archdiocese of Louisville ACCUSED PRIESTS

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, covers 24 counties and serves around 200,000 Catholics. The Archdiocese has faced major scandals involving child sexual abuse by priests assigned to it. In particular, John Baptist Ormechea was assigned to the Kentucky parish even though he had previously abused boys while at the Immaculate Conception Church in Chicago, Illinois. In 2000, four men came forward alleging that in the late 1970s and 1980s, Ormechea fondled and kissed them while serving in the Immaculate Conception Church.

The Archdiocese of Louisville’s list of abusive clergy who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse includes Ormechea’s name. Ormechea is a member of a semi-autonomous religious order called the Passionists, and they moved him to Rome after the allegations proved credible. The Passionists and the Archdiocese of Chicago have settled numerous lawsuits brought by Ormechea’s victims.

Despite the credible accusations against Ormechea, he still works for the Passionists. Although they’ve removed him from working with children and have placed him on a so-called “safety plan,” they still list him as a priest in their directories and refer to him as a “Father.” He lives in Rome, where he’s currently assigned to work in the archives department of a Roman monastery.

In another disturbing connection between the Archdiocese of Louisville, the Passionists, and Chicago, Priest Deacon James Griffith pled guilty in 1988 to sexually abusing a minor while assigned to a parish in Louisville, Kentucky. Another victim accused Griffith in a lawsuit, alleging that he molested him as a boy in Louisville in the 1970s. Despite Griffith’s predatory past, in 2002, the Passionists transferred him to a monastery next to the Immaculate Conception Church to work in its “provincial office.” The Passionists didn’t initially disclose Griffith’s past to Immaculate Conception Church parishioners. When parishioners found out about Griffith’s history, they demanded his removal.

Although both Ormechea and Griffith have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse, the Chicago Archdiocese hasn’t placed them on its list of credibly accused clergy because the Chicago Archdiocese doesn’t include members of semi-autonomous orders on its list, whereas the Archdiocese of Louisville does.

In 2018, the Louisville Archdiocese’s Sexual Abuse Review Board hired former U.S. Attorney Mark Miller to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese and compile a list of priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. Miller presented his findings in 2019, and the Archdiocese posted the list on its website.

Priests were listed with the claims against them “being substantiated by either admission of the priest, a criminal investigation and prosecution, a Sexual Abuse Review Board finding, or by other corroboration.”

Child sex abuse is a horrifying reality in our society. The Archdiocese of Louisville protected abusers from exposure to safeguard its own reputation over its members. You don’t have to go through the process of seeking justice alone. We are here to help you hold your abuser and the Archdiocese of Louisville responsible for the pain and suffering they caused you.

If you or someone you love experienced sex abuse at the Archdiocese of Louisville, contact the knowledgeable and compassionate lawyers at Herman Law today for a free consultation.