LANCASTER (PA)
LancasterOnline
January 6, 2019
An Associated Press review found that over “the past four months, Roman Catholic dioceses across the U.S. have released the names of more than 1,000 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children in an unprecedented public reckoning spurred at least in part by a shocking grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania.” Nearly 50 dioceses and religious orders “have publicly identified child-molesting priests in the wake of the Pennsylvania report issued in mid-August, and 55 more have announced plans to do the same over the next few months, the AP found.” That represents more than half of the nation’s 187 dioceses.
The grand jury report on child sexual abuse in Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania has had a powerful impact across the United States.
It’s a bit ironic then — and very sad — that we continue to wait for our own General Assembly to act in a meaningful way on the grand jury’s recommendations.
The report was seismic, revealing that 301 “predator priests” in six of the state’s eight Roman Catholic dioceses had abused more than 1,000 children over seven decades.
It triggered a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, and more than 1,450 calls to the state clergy abuse hotline.
And beyond Pennsylvania, as the AP found, “nearly 20 local, state or federal investigations, either criminal or civil, have been launched since the release of the grand jury findings. Those investigations could lead to more names and more damning accusations, as well as fines against dioceses and court-ordered safety measures.”
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