PENNSYLVANIA
Church Militant
by Joseph Pelletier • ChurchMilitant.com • June 23, 2016
HARRISBURG, Pa. (ChurchMilitant.com) – A Pennsylvania senate committee is set to scrap a provision within proposed reforms to the current child sex abuse statute of limitations that would apply the amendments retroactively.
According to two sources in the legislative process, the Republican-controlled state senate Judiciary Committee is preparing to remove, potentially as soon as this week, the controversial clause in House Bill 1947 (HB 1947) that allows alleged child sex abuse victims to file lawsuits over decades-old molestations, amid criticism from the Pennsylvania Catholic Church and local businesses.
In a letter distributed to parishes earlier this month, Philadelphia archbishop Charles Chaput outlined the issues with the proposed legislation, which he described as posing “serious dangers” for local parishes and a “clear attack on the Church.”
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