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Harrisburg Bishop Signals Potential Concern with Grand Jury Investigation

By Ivey DeJesus
PennLive
May 18, 2018

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/05/harrisburg_bishop_signals_pote.html

Harrisburg Bishop Ronald Gainer(PennLive File)

The head of the Diocese of Harrisburg on Friday signaled that he might have concerns with aspects of the grand jury investigation into six dioceses in Pennsylvania, including his.

Bishop Ronald Gainer stressed that the diocese was cooperating with the investigation, however, the diocese is "also concerned about due process rights," he said in a statement released to PennLive.

That marks the first time since the 18-month-long state investigation was launched into potential clergy sex abuse of children that any diocese has suggested that it may have concerns about the process.

Gainer's statement comes one day after three dioceses issued statements indicating they would not launch any legal challenges to the investigation by the state Office of Attorney General.

Generally, challenges to state grand jury investigations are based on constitutional law or matters of due process. For instance, an entity being investigated could challenge an investigation if it felt that the names of individuals should not be published because those individuals were denied due process.

A challenge would ostensibly be launched under the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Act. Such filings would be under seal and remain - as has the investigation - secret until otherwise ordered by a court.

In his statement, Gainer said:

"The Diocese of Harrisburg is, and has been, fully cooperating with the Office of the Attorney General. Each Dioceses is separate and faces a different situation. We continue to consider all of our options in law as we move forward.

"The Diocese of Harrisburg wants to be clear that we strongly support the release of the Grand Jury report. However, we are also concerned about due process rights.

"It's important that we get this report right."

On Wednesday, Bishop Lawrence Perisco of the Diocese of Erie became the first bishop whose diocese is a target of the investigation to announce he would not challenge the findings or stall the publication of the report.

Officials in the Diocese of Allentown followed almost immediately; and on Friday officials at the Diocese of Scranton did the same.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is wrapping up the report of the investigation, which started in 2016 and has looked into allegations of clergy sex abuse and potential cover-up across six Catholic dioceses: Allentown, Harrisburg, Scranton, Erie, Greensburg and Pittsburgh.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown have already been the subject of similar investigations.

Sources close to the investigation indicate that release of the report is imminent.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Thursday applauded the decision taken by the bishops.

"The position of Bishop Alfred Schlert of Allentown and Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie to not mount any legal challenge that would silence the voices of victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is the right decision," Shapiro said in the written statement.

Persico's decision comes just a week after Shapiro's office arrested an Erie priest on charges of child sexual abuse. Father David Poulson has been charged with at least three felonies related to the abuse of minors.

Contact: idejesus@pennlive.com

 

 

 

 

 




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