PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat
By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com
After the passage of three decades – and the release of a scathing report by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General that provided details about an alleged cover-up of rampant child sexual abuse within its ranks – the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown changed positions as to whether information in a civil litigation against Msgr. Francis McCaa should be made public.
In 1986, counsel for the monsignor, diocese, former Bishop James Hogan, and Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg argued that pretrial documents – in a case brought by four plaintiffs – should be sealed in order to “prevent serious and irreparable harm to the defendants through the disclosure of information which may not be relevant or admissible at the trial of the case,” as described in the papers.
But, when The Tribune-Democrat sought to have the documents unsealed this year, the diocese did not resist, so long as the accusers’ names were redacted.
“Their policy now is to be as transparent as possible without hurting someone else,” Eric Anderson, an attorney for the diocese, said.
Michael Sahlaney, a lawyer who handled the action for the newspaper, complimented the diocese for not fighting the legal action.
“The diocese, I want to give them credit,” he said. “They were very open. They had no objection to the file being open at this time. It is what it is.”
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