Credibly Accused

Search lists of U.S. Catholic clergy that have been deemed credibly accused of sexual abuse or misconduct.

Published Jan. 28, 2020

This database was last updated in January 2020 and should only be used as a historical snapshot of the lists published by dioceses and religious orders. There may be changes to those records that are not reflected here.

If you find an error in the data or would like to suggest changes, contact us.

Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee

Anthony J. O’Connell

Status: Deceased (2012)

Appeared under the heading: “The following three names and the accusations associated with them have been published in previous statements by the Diocese of Knoxville or in media reports that have received extensive coverage.”

Birth Year: 1938

Ordination year: 1963

Reported assignment history:

O’Connell served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville from 1988-1998 and the third bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach from 1998-2002

If you find an error in the data or would like to suggest changes, contact us.

Sources: U.S Catholic dioceses and religious orders, ProPublica reporting, Pontifical Yearbook (2019)

Data entry by: Tatyana Bellamy-Walker, Grace Haley, Samantha Maldonado, Spencer Norris, Anna Pouza, Lilia Saul

You can download this complete dataset at the ProPublica Data Store.