DALLAS — A group of church sex abuse survivors was quick to question the Dallas Diocese's investigation into 31 accused priests, the names of which were released by the diocese on Thursday.
'It's not enough," the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) announced in a news release Thursday afternoon.
SNAP called for an independent investigation into the allegations of sexual abuse.
The accused priests released Thursday were investigated by a six-member team of retired FBI agents and former state troopers and law enforcement officers, but Diocese officials did not make the investigators' names public.
"The only way to ensure that the bishops here in Texas are truly sincere about rebuilding their sacred trust is to allow for independent, properly trained experts in law enforcement to review all the files," SNAP said in the news release Thursday. "We call upon prosecuting attorneys and the Texas attorney general to launch an independent investigation into clergy sex abuse crimes and cover-ups."
In a news conference after the release of the names Thursday, Dallas Bishop Edward Burns acknowledged "an outcry for the need for transparency in the church" and said he was "pleased that we are doing this."
Burns said all of the names released Thursday were given to local law enforcement.
"While we have gone to great lengths to ensure that this list is exhaustive, we know that there could be more victims that have not reported their abuse," Burns said. "If we receive any further credible allegations, this list, which is not closed, will be updated to reflect the latest information."
Watch Burns' full news conference here: