Our View : Grand Jury Report Echoes a Year Later

Editorial Board
August 11, 2019

https://observer-reporter.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-boy-scouts-must-be-held-to-account-for-abuse/article_3a142322-b85f-11e9-941f-bbeac18639cd.html

The fallout from the crimes, cover-ups and profound human toll exposed a year ago by a statewide investigative grand jury continue to ripple through the Catholic Diocese of Erie and others in Pennsylvania.

As Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico said earlier this month, coming to terms with the monstrous legacy of predator priests and the hierarchy that harbored and enabled them will continue to roil the church and the faithful in the years ahead. Persico, 68, told reporter Ed Palattella that he expects the sexual abuse crisis to remain at the forefront for the rest of his tenure.

“We just can’t say, ‘Well, OK, that was a year ago. We just move on and it’s business as usual,’” he told Palattella. “It isn’t. It can’t be.”

That’s reflected in the $3 million in claims paid to abuse survivors so far from the church compensation fund Persico established in February. He said the diocese would provide a full report on compensation fund payouts after the claims window closes this month and the remaining claims are processed.