PENNSYLVANIA
Gettysburg Times
March 4, 2020
Out of the eight Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, the Harrisburg diocese is the first to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 11.
They won’t be the last.
Due to widespread sex-abuse lawsuits, 20 other Catholic diocese have also filed, nationwide.
It has been less than two years since the Pennsylvania state attorney general’s office released a grand-jury report of over a 1,000 allegations of sex abuse against 300 clergy dating back decades that now includes a growing number of lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Some states have relaxed their statutes of limitations allowing additional litigations. Pennsylvania isn’t there – yet. However, in 2019, a state appeals court ruled that a case accusing the Altoona-Johnstown diocese of a conspiracy to cover up abuse could continue. Similar cases have been filed statewide.
In an effort to assuage the pain, if such a thing is possible, the diocese’s Survivor Compensation Program formed last year has dished out more than $12 million to 111 victims. Those who accepted settlements are excluded from suing the church.
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