NEW YORK (NY)
New York Times
August 27, 2018
By Elizabeth Dias
As attorney general of Pennsylvania, Mr. Shapiro rooted out sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, prompting international calls for reform. Now, he talks about the anti-Semitism he faced, how the report shaped his own spirituality, and the possibility of a federal investigation.
Josh Shapiro had no idea about the secret grand jury investigation that was waiting on his desk when he was sworn in as attorney general of Pennsylvania last year.
But he pushed the nascent inquiry forward with the “full force” of his office, and this month that investigation — into the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children over decades — was finally revealed in a bombshell report, prompting outrage, anger and international calls for legal and spiritual reform.
“It just was the most purposeful thing, short of giving life to our four children, I’ve ever done in my life,” Mr. Shapiro said in a phone interview.
His investigation into Catholic clergy sexual abuse has certainly garnered the most public attention, but even before it Mr. Shapiro’s broader national profile had been rising. Just two weeks after he was sworn into office, he and other attorneys general fought President Trump’s first travel ban. In December, he got an injunction to halt Mr. Trump’s birth control rollback. Last month, he sued to stop Pennsylvanians from being able to download plans to print 3D guns.
Mr. Shapiro talked with The New York Times about the blockbuster report, the possibility of a federal grand jury investigation, how this case has influenced his own spirituality, and his political ambitions.
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