Elk County Catholic schools release statement amid Catholic Church sexual abuse case

By Sierra Darville
WJAC TV
August 14, 2018

https://wjactv.com/news/local/elk-county-catholic-schools-release-statement-amid-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-case

The Elk County Catholic School System issued a statement following the release of a grand jury's report on a two-year sexual abuse investigation.

ECCSS President Sam MacDonald released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that schools are working to create a safe environment for all of its students.

"Full transparency is the only path to healing for the victims," MacDonald said.

According to the statement, the Diocese of Erie was the first diocese involved in the grand jury investigation to release a list of all "credibly accused priests, religious and lay employees."

MacDonald states the some of the stories mentioned in the report apply directly to people assigned to churches and schools in Elk County.

"I am personally reviewing the report as quickly as I can to discern how our local church community is impacted," MacDonald said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro stated in a news conference that over 1,000 sexual abuse victims were identified during the course of the statewide investigation, but believes there are more.

The ECCSS cannot release any information on any individual cases because they were not responsible for the inquiry or writing the report, according to MacDonald.

"We [are committing] ourselves to cooperating with any ongoing investigation, and to working tirelessly to ensure that we do everything in our power to make sure our schools are the safest anywhere," MacDonald said.

The Attorney General's office and the ECCSS urge any and all victims of past and current sexual abuse to come forward by calling the OAG Clergy Abuse Hotline or the diocese directly.