300 New Orleans priests were reported for sexual abuse - only 25% are on archdiocese’s ‘credibly accused’ list

The number of abuse claims - 310, spanning several decades - have been kept from public as archdiocese undergoes bankruptcy proceedings

• Read the full story: how the New Orleans archbishop hid credibly accused' abusers

More than 300 people employed by Roman Catholic institutions in the south-eastern US city of New Orleans have been accused of sexually abusing children or other vulnerable people whom they met through their work over the last several decades, secret documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.

Though New Orleans's 230-year-old archdiocese has spent a significant portion of its recent history managing the fallout from its association with the worldwide Catholic church's clerical molestation scandal, the organization has generally sought to keep hidden the exact number of priests, deacons, nuns, religious brothers and lay staffers - such as parochial school teachers - under its supervision who have been named in abuse claims.