PENNSYLVANIA
PhillyVoice
BY DANIEL CRAIG
PhillyVoice Staff
A Pennsylvania bishop has acknowledged a statewide investigation into six Catholic dioceses for their handling of sexual abuse claims.
Allentown Bishop John O. Barres said in a letter to parishioners Sunday the diocese has cooperated fully with the state attorney general’s office during the probe.
“The Diocese of Allentown is committed to the protection and safety of the children and young people entrusted to its care,” Barres said in the letter.
“Abuse of minors is a grave sin and crime. The Diocese of Allentown has zero tolerance for offenders and, as noted above, reports allegations of abuse to the appropriate authorities.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that six Pennsylvania dioceses were under investigation: Erie, Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Harrisburg and Allentown. Barres is the last bishop out of those heading the six dioceses to publicly confirm the investigation, according to the Morning Call.
State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he testified before a grand jury in August and claimed people would be “shocked” by the results of the probe into the Diocese of Allentown.
Rozzi was sexually abused by a priest in the Diocese of Allentown as a child and is in the midst of a legislative battle to push a bill that would extend the statute of limitations for sex abuse victims. Several Catholic organizations, including the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, have fought against that legislation, saying it treats public and private institutions with different standards.
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