Why is Pennsylvania concealing the identities of 11 accused priests?

ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call

December 5, 2018

By Christine Schiavo

On Monday, the state Supreme Court ruled that the names of the 11 priests who challenged their inclusion in a statewide grand jury report on sexual abuse by 301 priests in the Catholic Church may be kept secret. The report, which was released in August, named accused priests in the six dioceses that the grand jury investigation covered, including Allentown, though nearly all the cases exceeded the statute of limitations for prosecution. The 11 priests argued that disclosing their names would damage their reputations and violate their constitutional right to due process. And the court agreed.

Is the ruling a surprise?
Not really. The court ordered the 11 names temporarily redacted before the report came out in August. During a hearing in September, the judges’ questions provided a glimpse into how they might rule. For example, Justice David Wecht asked why the state didn’t just accept the redacted report as the final version; and Justice Christine Donohue asked why it was necessary to name

Why does the attorney general want to name names?
Attorney General Josh Shapiro said concealing the names would be like ignoring some victims’ accounts. He also has said that the church – sometimes with the help of law enforcement – protected priests and covered up the crimes. Redacting the names, he said, enables those priests to remain in the shadows.

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