CHURCH TO RELEASE NAMES OF VICTIMS

The Archdiocese of Boston agreed on Friday to turn over the names of people allegedly molested by priests and details of the incidents after being pressured by prosecutors.  The agreement, reached in the middle of the biggest child-molestation scandal to rock the nation's Roman Catholic Church, moves prosecutors a step closer to bringing criminal charges, at least in cases where the statute of limitations has not run out.  In the past month prosecutors were given the names of about 80 priests suspected of abusing children over the past four decades by the archdiocese.  The information does not include dates, places or victims' names, which prosecutors said they needed in order to investigate.  The church relented on Friday, reportedly after Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly threatened a grand jury investigation.  Reilly said the church has agreed to free victims from the confidentiality agreements and hand over dates and other details of alleged assaults.  In cases covered by confidentiality agreements, investigators will be given the names of the alleged victims' lawyers.  He said the state's statute of limitations could make it difficult to prosecute some of the cases.

(Boston, Massachusetts)