Erie Diocese Reviewing Copy of Grand Jury Report

By Ed Palattella
GoErie
May 24, 2018

http://www.goerie.com/news/20180524/erie-diocese-reviewing-copy-of-grand-jury-report

The 884-page document covers investigation of Erie, five other Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania. Public release is set for late June.

The Catholic Diocese of Erie on Thursday received a copy of a statewide grand jury’s investigative report on clergy sexual abuse, giving Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico an opportunity to review and respond to the 884-page document before its expected public release in late June.

The court order authorizing the advanced release of the report to the Erie diocese and others allows for general comments but prohibits the recipients from commenting on the contents of the report until it is made public, said Mark Rush, a lawyer for the diocese, who said he received the report on behalf of the diocese.

With a judge’s authorization, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Thursday also provided copies of the report to the other five Roman Catholic dioceses that the office has been investigating since mid-2016 by presenting evidence and testimony to the grand jury, Rush said.

The report covers all six dioceses, Rush said. The other dioceses are those for Allentown, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton. The 40th Statewide Investigative Grand Jury, which met in Pittsburgh, ended its term on April 30, signaling the release of its report would come soon.