BishopAccountability.org

Erie Diocese bishop emeritus will no longer challenge release of grand jury report into allegations of sexual abuse by clergy

By Melissa Klaric
SharHerald
August 4, 2018

https://bit.ly/2vkrg2C

A 2012 photograph of then-Bishop Donald Trautman.

[with pdf]

Bishop Emeritus Donald Trautman has withdrawn his petition to the state Supreme Court redacting his name from the grand jury report chronicling alleged sexual misconduct within six Pennsylvania Roman Catholic dioceses.

Trautman said in a statement released Friday evening that he made the decision to retract his petition for the sake of the victims.

"Bishop Trautman has always endeavored to put the needs and concerns of victims of abuse first and his complete record while in office proves this," the statement reads. "(Friday) he did that again, even though doing so required him to sacrifice his own personal rights."

The bishop emeritus stated that the grand jury report did not present a fair, accurate and complete portrayal of his conduct and actions during his 22-year tenure as bishop of the Erie Diocese.

"He was one of the 14," Trautman's attorney, David J. Berardinelli of Pittsburgh, said. "We reached a stipulation with the (state) attorney general that allowed us to withdraw the appeal. The way the Supreme Court's order was structured, it meant that most of the Erie report would be blacked out."

Two days before the 884-page grand jury report was to be made public, the state Supreme Court ordered a stay on the report based on petitions filed by 14 people claiming that the report's release would tarnish their reputations, thus violating their constitutional rights.

That resulted in both sides stipulating to certain statements outlined in the dismissal of appeal.

Trautman refuses to concede that the report is accurate or complete, according to the joint stipulation.

On the other hand, Shapiro's office, by entering into the agreement to allow Trautman to pull his petition, will not admit that the report is improper.

The attorney general's office lists parts of the grand jury report, and stipulates that they "are not specifically directed at Bishop Trautman."

“Bishop Donald Trautman withdrew his appeal, paving the way for the voices of victims from the Erie Diocese to be heard and not subject to redaction," Shapiro said in a statement to The Herald. "This was the right decision and should serve as a model for others who continue to fight the release of the report.”

Trautman stated that he shares the grand jury and Shapiro's disgust with accusations of sexual abuse by members of the clergy and extends a sincere apology to all who have been harmed by the abuse.

"We still disagree with the accuracy of some of the things that are in the Erie Diocese section," Berardinelli said Friday evening. "(Trautman) still disputes those."

Berardinelli did not get into specifics.

When asked if Trautman is worried that his reputation will be tarnished when the report is brought to light, his attorney said, "You would have to ask the bishop (Trautman). I can't speak for him on that."

In his response to the grand jury report, Trautman has already disputed many of the allegations levied against him and has documented in detail his actions during his tenure in the Erie Diocese. That response is included as one of the appendices to the grand jury report. All of the 300 people named in the report were given the option of including such a statement.

Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico released a statement Friday regarding his predecessor's decision to withdraw his petition.

"I was pleased to hear that Bishop Emeritus Donald Trautman withdrew his appeal to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and has now aligned himself with the position of the Diocese of Erie," Persico said in the statement. "His action will provide a clear voice for the victims and allow the people of the diocese to have a greater understanding of our history."

When Trautman realized that his appeal might result in the public not being able to see large portions of the Erie Diocese report, he quickly instructed his attorney to try to reach a resolution with state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the bishop emeritus said in his statement.




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