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A Catholic crisis: A visual narrative of the grand jury report release
By Paula Reed Ward
[with video] A statewide grand jury that spent nearly two years investigating six Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania said it identified more than 1,000 child victims of more than 300 abusive priests across 54 of the state’s 67 counties. Still, the grand jury wrote in the report’s introduction that there are likely many more victims. “We believe that the real number of children whose records were lost, or who were afraid ever to come forward is in the thousands,” they wrote. The report provides detailed stories of abuse and cover-up, along with recommendations to change laws to allow victims to more easily report abuse. Reporting by Paula Reed Ward 99 priests accused in PittsburghThe report named 99 “predator priests” from the Pittsburgh Diocese. At a press conference held soon after the report’s release, Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik began with a prayer and an apology. “Ever since I first met victims of clergy child sexual abuse in 1988, I have seen the immense pain that this crime causes to its victims, to their loved ones and to the heart of Jesus. Their words break my heart,” Bishop Zubik said. Reporting by Adam Smeltz Survivors speak out Juliann Bortz, Jim Faluszczak and Jim VanSickle are three of the abuse survivors who testified before the grand jury. Jim VanSickle Mr. VanSickle recalled the “long walk” on his way to testify. “I was nervous, I was sweating, thinking, ‘Lord, give me the words that I need,’” said Mr. VanSickle, 55, of Coraopolis. Reporting by Peter Smith Jim Faluszczak Mr. Faluszczak, who testified that he was abused numerous times as a teenager in Erie, became a priest in the Diocese of Erie in 1996. But he was retraumatized when he visited the places of his abuse and learned of other stories. “I never intended to make a splash,” said Mr. Faluszczak, 49, who now lives in Buffalo, N.Y. “I don’t want to stand in front of the cameras, I don’t want to talk about how my first sexual experience was with a priest.” Reporting by Peter Smith ‘A playbook for concealing the truth’ Attorney General Josh Shapiro held a press conference in Harrisburg to discuss the grand jury’s findings. Flanked by victims and their families, he recounted detailed stories of abuse and cover-up. But dozens of pages in the report were blacked out from public view pending legal challenges by some clergy named by the grand jury. “Every redaction represents an incomplete story of abuse that deserves to be told,” Mr. Shapiro said. “You can be certain that we will fight vigorously to remove every redaction and tell every story of abuse and expose every cover-up.” Reporting by Liz Navratil and Angela Couloumbis ‘I just want them to admit they’re wrong’ Robert Mizic, 47, who says he was abused by a priest in suburban Philadelphia 35 years ago, watched the press conference from his home in Turtle Creek. Lawmaker pushes for change Rep. Mike Rozzi, D-Berks, was sexually abused by a priest at his Catholic church as a child. He has pushed for changing the state’s statute of limitation laws to allow victims to bring more cases against abusers. Past Erie bishops accused of cover up The grand jury found 41 priests accused of abuse in the Diocese of Erie. Attorney General Josh Shapiro commended Bishop Lawrence Persico for being the only current bishop to testify before the grand jury. But his predecessor, Bishop Donald W. Trautman, who led the diocese from 1990 to 2012, was accused of allowing priests to continue working after learning of abuse allegations. In addition to the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Erie the report also investigated allegations of abuse and coverup in the Greensburg, Harrisburg, Allentown and Scranton dioceses. Reporting by Shelly Bradbury Pittsburgh Diocese faces backlash At his press conference in Pittsburgh, Bishop Zubik defended his predecessor, Cardinal Donald Wuerl. According to the report, Cardinal Wuerl allowed a molesting priest, Ernest C. Paone, to remain in ministry for years despite being made aware of the priest’s long history of abuse. Since the release, a group of alumni from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School in Cranberry started an online petition to remove Cardinal Wuerl’s name from the school. A sign in front of the school was found vandalized Monday morning, with Cardinal Wuerl’s name covered in red spray paint. Two days later, Bishop Zubik announced that Cardinal Wuerl’s name will be removed from the school. Bishop Zubik’s own actions were also questioned. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called for his resignation Wednesday, saying he is denying a cover-up by the Diocese of Pittsburgh despite “overwhelming evidence to the contrary.” Reporting by Andrew Goldstein, Elizabeth Behrman, Liz Navratil and Shelly Bradbury. Priests question how to respond In the days since the release of the report, priests have been addressing it in person, in bulletins and even on Twitter. During the first week the report was public, The Rev. Lou Vallone, pastor of St. John of God Parish in McKees Rocks and St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Crescent, said he spent much of the week hearing from “devastated” members of his parishes. “To be honest, our people are moving beyond anger into rage over this,” he said. “We can and must deal with anger, especially when it’s justified. When people ask me and talk to me, if somebody is enraged and just going over the top, I just absorb it. When they’re enraged, I just stand and absorb it.” Reporting by Anya Sostek Accused priests react Two priests named in the report, the Rev. John Bauer and the Rev. John Geinzer, are currently serving in the Pittsburgh Diocese. Rev. Bauer is listed as having “wrestled with” multiple adolescents and is accused of providing alcohol to those children, which he denied during service on Sunday. Rev. Geinzer was accused of “inappropriately touching a 13-year-old boy in 1980.” Rev. Geinzer was not present at Sunday Mass at the Saints Peter and Paul Home, where he heads the chapel. Reporting by Dan Hopey and John Hayes Activists demand change SNAP members rallied outside the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s office Downtown to make demands of the diocese, including placing copies of the grand jury report in churches and publicly denouncing those who helped cover up abuse. The diocese is open to allowing legal action against predatory clergy even if a statute of limitations has expired, a diocesan spokesman said Monday, though the idea is legally questionable. Reporting by Adam Smeltz A terrible discovery In the wake of the report, two sisters, Mary Robb Jackson and Cynthia Carr Gardner, realized the had both been abused by the Rev. Lawrence O’Connell as young girls. “This can’t continue,” Ms. Jackson said. “There’s no more sliding anymore. There’s no more pretending this doesn’t exist — saying you’re sorry and you’re ashamed — that doesn’t cut it. It can’t be enough.” In the week since the report’s release, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has fielded about 50 new allegations of abuse by priests. Reporting by Paula Reed Ward and Adam Smeltz
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