The Catholic church has been under scrutiny as scandals about sexual accusations with clergies and children have risen. Many followers of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland begin to wonder if some of the accusations could be true.
The Dioceses of Oakland, Calif. announced that they would release a list of clergy’s names who have been accused of being “credible accusers of child sexual abuse,” to the public.
“It’s the right thing to do. We have nothing to hide,” said Bishop Michael Barber, the dioceses’ head parishioner in their published letter.
The Dioceses believes it is the right thing to do and some followers of the church think more places should make names public and they should have done so before now.
“This should have never happened in the first place. God condemns those who do harm, especially to those who cannot fend for themselves like children. What were they thinking,” said Esther Gil, St. Buenaventure Catholic Church attendee.

The Oakland Dioceses intends to release this “clergy accused list” as a means to inform the public of what really is going on behind closed doors at the dioceses.
This was the latest step in an ongoing commitment to stop the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, according to the Oakland Dioceses’ Bishop Barber.
For many of the Catholic church followers, these accusations do not seem to be surprising.
“I don’t understand how the church has not done anything about this, it’s been going on for so long. I’ve been hearing about this since I can remember and the church is barely looking into it. What do they think will happen by releasing that list…. nothing,” said Maria Elena Ruiz, a St. Buenaventure Catholic Church attendee.
Twenty-six individuals have been accused of sexual abuse against children and vulnerable adults in the Oakland Dioceses according to Bishop Accountability, a database of the publicly accused priests in the United States.
The list is currently not up to date and many new accusers and accused have not been published but the Oakland Dioceses is said to release this list by Nov. 22, 2018.
For religious fanatics of the Catholic church, these accusations and revelations do not make a difference. Some followers of the church think it is a conspiracy to make those believers secular (non-religious).
“It’s all a lie, it’s the government wanting people to stop believing in god. It’s Trump, no… really,” said Moises G. St. Buenaventure, a Catholic Church attendee.
Admitting to this ongoing problem and committing to fix it might be a solution for the local dioceses.