AG Shapiro: We have evidence Vatican knew of widespread clergy sex abuse

By Ivey Dejesus
Penn Live
August 28, 2018

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/08/ag_shapiro_we_have_evidence_va.html

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Tuesday appeared on NBC's "Today" show and said his office has evidence that the Vatican knew about the widespread cover-up of clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania. Photo by Matt Rourke

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Tuesday reiterated on national TV that his office has evidence that the Vatican knew about the widespread and systemic cover-up of clergy sex abuse across the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

Appearing on NBC's "Today" show, Shapiro repeated the charge he made on Aug. 14 when he released the findings of a grand jury investigation into clergy sex abuse across six dioceses in Pennsylvania: that the trail of conspiracy at times led all the way to the Vatican.

"Church leaders would lie to parishioners on Sunday, they would lie to the public, they would shield these predators from the public but they would document all of it and place it in these secret archives, feet away from the bishops," Shapiro said.

Shapiro said they would at times document the abuse in hand-written notes.

He said he could not confirm whether Pope Francis had direct knowledge of the crimes.

"I think broader issues here with the Vatican knowing about this ..with church leaders knowing about it and the reaction you've seen not just from Catholics but from people from across the globe is a fundamental disappointment and anger in institutions," Shapiro said. "We're seeing institutions, whether it's Hollywood, universities, government centers and certainly the church, putting their institutional reputation above the welfare of children. We will not tolerate that in Pennsylvania and should not tolerate it anywhere."

Shapiro reasserted his charge amid an escalating crisis in the Vatican surrounding allegations that Francis had knowledge of sexual misconduct on the part of one of the church's most senior official.

On Sunday, a former Vatican ambassador to the U.S. released a statement charging that the pope knew about allegations against former Washington Archbishop (Cardinal) Theodore McCarrick, who has been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with seminarians and even minors.

Archbishop Carlo Vigano, a former papal nuncio, said that Francis had reinstated McCarrick to ministry in spite of his knowledge of the credible accusations and sanctions formerly imposed on the cardinal.

Francis has said he will not comment on the claims.

Appearing on "Today," Shapiro said that investigators had searched secret church archives and uncovered handwritten notes detailing the abuse stored.

The 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury found that more than 300 priests had over the course of seven decades sexually molested more than 1,000 children, most of them boys. Shapiro has predicted that the number of victims will continue to increase as more victims come forth in the wake of the report.

Shapiro told "Today" co-host Savannah Gutherie that since the release of the report, the clergy abuse hotline established by his office has received more than 700 calls. He said his office is tracking each and every claim made in these calls.

"It's horrifying to think what these men of God did to these children and then to have the cover-up that was quite literally purposeful to shield priests from law enforcement," Shapiro said.

As a result of the cover-up, Shapiro said, the statute of limitations have expired on the vast majority of the crimes, leaving the adult victims with little legal recourse.

To date, one priest has been convicted as a result of the investigation and another has been indicted and awaits trial.

"If we could bring a case on any of this, against any predator priest or anyone who covered it up we will do so," Shapiro said.

Vigano has called for Francis to resign. The Argentinian-born pope, who has been at the helm of the 1.2-billion strong church for five years, has in recent months been forced to address the spiraling worldwide clergy sex abuse scandal.

The latest chapter in the wake of Vigano's bombshell statement has churned a veritable crisis for the pontiff.

Vigano claims that Francis in 2013 learned of McCarrick's sexual misconduct but nevertheless reinstated back him into ministry despite sanctions imposed on the cardinal by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

Vigano also implicates  Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the current archbishop of Washington and a former Pittsburgh Diocese bishop. Vigano alleges that Wuerl, like Francis, failed to take action against McCarrick, in spite of their knowledge of the sanctions and the credible accusations.

Wuerl on Monday issued a statement refuting Vigano's claims "categorically denied" that Vigano told him that restrictions had been placed on his predecessor.

McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals in July.

U.S. cardinals have issued separate statements rejecting Vigano's allegations.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, said Vigano's letter is filled with "factual errors, innuendo and fearful ideology," according to a report by the National Catholic Reporter.

McCarrick served as bishop in Newark from 1986 to 2001. The diocese in the mid-2000s paid settlements to two men who charged McCarrick of  sexually assaulted when they were seminarians.

Some U.S. bishops, however, said they found Vigano's allegations "credible" and Vigano "a man of truthfulness, faith and integrity," according to NCR.

The Vatican two weeks ago issued a statement expressing sadness and sorrow over the findings of the grand jury investigation.

"The abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible," the Vatican said. "Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The Church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur."