PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
September 2, 2018
By Peter Smith
As advocates for victims of sexual abuse call for a chance to file lawsuits over long-ago abuse, some Catholic bishops and their legislative allies are promoting an alternative that’s been used in other states — setting up a victim’s compensation fund, with payments determined by a neutral third party.
Pennsylvania’s Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati proposed the fund as an alternative to the idea of creating a window in the statute of limitations, which he contended would violate the state constitution.
Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico said he backs the idea of a fund, and the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Greensburg and Harrisburg all issued statements saying they were open to it.
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