BISHOP Apologizes Ahead of Grand Jury Report

By Jon O'Connell
Times-Tribune
June 18, 2018

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/bishop-apologizes-ahead-of-grand-jury-report-1.2351245


Bishop Joseph C. Bambera apologized Sunday to victims ahead of a grand jury report expected to detail child sexual abuse by Catholic priests and attempts to conceal it.

In a written message published in church bulletins, the bishop offered his “deepest apologies to the victims of such abuse, to their families, to the faithful of our Church and to everyone impacted by the behaviors described in this report.”

Diocesan officials provided the insert to all of its parishes to keep members informed of the impending release, spokesman Dan Gallagher said in an email.

“This will be a difficult time for them. If we are to restore trust and promote healing within the Diocese of Scranton, it’s important that we continue to communicate openly on this issue,” he said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is expected to release the report later this month. In an order published June 5, Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III, who presides over the grand jury, threw out an attempt by unnamed individuals or organizations to postpone it.

All six dioceses have agreed not to block publication.

Until Sunday, diocesan officials had only acknowledged receiving the 884-page document, which sums up a two-year investigation into six Roman Catholic dioceses, including Scranton, but said that it would be inappropriate to comment ahead of its public release, and that they were unable to comment by court order.

“While difficult to face, this is the only way for us to move forward in a more positive way as we learn from the past,” Bambera wrote in his message.

He promised to keep parishioners abreast of new developments when more information is released.

“I will continue to do all that I can to ensure the safety and well-being of our children,” he said.

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A message from Bishop Bambera

As you may already know from media reports, the Diocese of Scranton has been the subject of a statewide Grand Jury investigating child sexual abuse in six of the eight dioceses in Pennsylvania. Public release of the report is expected in the coming weeks.

I want to take this opportunity to offer my deepest apologies to the victims of such abuse, to their families, to the faithful of our Church and to everyone impacted by the behaviors described in this report. While difficult to face, this is the only way for us to move forward in a more positive way as we learn from the past.

You will be kept apprised of new developments through various channels of communication as more information is released. Once again, I am deeply sorry for these past actions and the pain caused by the behaviors described in the report, and I will continue to do all that I can to ensure the safety and well-being of our children.