ST. LOUIS, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The Archdiocese of St. Louis said it will comply with a Missouri Supreme Court order to release the names of priests accused of sexually abusing minors.
The archdiocese had previously fought all orders of disclosure, including deadlines set by St. Louis Circuit Judge Robert Dierker, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The ruling opens the way for lawyers for a woman who accused the since-defrocked Rev. Joseph Ross of sexually abusing her from 1997 to 2001.
The woman's lawyers are attempting to show church officials ignored warning signs and had a habit of shuffling allegedly abusive priests to other parishes rather than face allegations.
The archdiocese said it fought the disclosure "to protect the privacy rights of all involved, including victims who had no connection to current litigation and who had come forth confidentially regarding their reported allegation. The requested information includes not only names, but also addresses and phone numbers."
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