PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review
BY BRAD BUMSTED AND DEBRA ERDLEY | Tuesday, March 1, 2016
ALTOONA – Hundreds of children were sexually abused over four decades by at least 50 priests or religious leaders of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, according to a statewide investigative grand jury report released Tuesday morning.
Clergy leaders allowed the abuse to continue by concealing it to protect the institution’s image, the grand jury alleged.
But none of the priests or supervisors were charged by the attorney general’s office, which supervised the two-year investigation. They could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations for the crimes expired, some of the priests died and some victims are too “deeply traumatized” to testify, the attorney general’s office said.
“As wolves disguised as the shepherds themselves – these men stole the innocence of children by sexually preying upon the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society and of the Catholic faith,” the grand jury report said.
Decrying “a cover up perpetrated by clergy leaders” Attorney General Kathleen Kane said the investigation is ongoing. “This is by no means the end of our investigation. We will continue to look at this matter and consider charges where appropriate, which is why it is important for those with information to come forward.”
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