ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call
August 31, 2018
By Tim Darragh
The grand jury investigating child sex abuse in six Catholic dioceses around Pennsylvania concluded that abuse survivors who had long been prevented from seeking damages should be offered a legal window of opportunity to file suit.
None of Pennsylvania’s dioceses is supporting that recommendation, saying a retroactive statute of limitations is unconstitutional. Instead, the dioceses are looking at creating a compensation fund for survivors. And one, the Erie Diocese, has set in motion steps to create the fund.
Advocates for survivors, however, say a compensation fund is insufficient. They gained an ally Friday in Gov. Tom Wolf, who urged the Legislature to pass a bill adopting the grand jury’s four recommendations, including giving survivors two years to file lawsuits.
Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico this week ordered the diocese’s lawyers to work with state legislators in developing a fund, following a call to action Wednesday by Republican state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati.
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