Biloxi Diocese responds to sexual abuse crisis

The Catholic Diocese of Biloxi released a statement today in response to the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis.

The statement lists the names of clergy accused of sexual misconduct.

The names listed are Jose Vazquez Morales,  Jerome J. Axton, and Vincent the Quang Nguyen. All three priests have been accused of sexual misconduct with adolescents. Allegations against Nguyen and Axton were first received in 1989. Axton was last assigned to St. Alphonsus in Ocean Springs while Nguyen was last assigned to St. Michael in Biloxi in 1989.

Morales was accused in September 2015 of sexually assaulting an adolescent male. He was later indicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Bishop Louis Kihneman of Biloxi released a statement with the release today stating, “As Bishop of Biloxi, I assure you the clergy, religious, and laity who serve in the ministries of our diocese are firmly committed to making church ministries safe for all people.”