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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The long-awaited state grand jury report into sexual abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including Pittsburgh and Greensburg, has finally been released. The 884-page document, two years in the making, shines a light into the dark corners of these dioceses going back seven decades, exposing the predators and the efforts of their bishops to protect them.
“Today, the most comprehensive report on child sexual abuse within the church ever produced in our country was released,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “Pennsylvanians can finally learn the extent of sexual abuse in these dioceses. For the first time, we can all begin to understand the systematic cover up by church leaders that followed. The abuse scarred every diocese. The cover up was sophisticated. The church protected the institution at all costs.”
The report begins with the following statement: “We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this. We know some of you have head some of it before. There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale. For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere.”
The report cites 301 priests, clergy and lay teachers with credible allegations against them. There are 99 in the Diocese of Pittsburgh alone.
Because of an on-going legal battle, more than a dozen names and identifying information have been redacted. But the report shows a consistent pattern of bishops having prior knowledge of the actions of these predatory priests, reassigning them and not alerting law enforcement. Shapiro said his office is not satisfied with the release of the redacted report. Shapiro said each one of those redactions represents a story of abuse that deserves to be told. He went on to say that he will fight to reveal the names currently redacted in the report. The report states: “All victims were brushed aside, in every part of the state, by church leaders who preferred to protect the abusers and their institution above all. The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid scandal.” “Priests were raping little boys and girls and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing: they hid it all.” “Diocesan administrators, including the Bishops, had knowledge of this conduct and yet priests were regularly placed in ministry after the Diocese was on notice that a complaint of child sexual abuse had been made. This conduct enabled offenders and endangered the welfare of children.” In addition, the report says administrators and Bishops “often dissuaded victims from reporting abuse to police, pressured law enforcement to terminate or avoid an investigation, or conducted their own deficient, biased investigations without reporting crimes against children to the proper authorities.” “Above all else, they protected their institution at all cost,” Shapiro said.
originally posted by: Grambler
No joke, one of the priests named is my neighbor
Obviously he should be entitled to a fair trial before judgement is cast
But it looks pretty bad
originally posted by: howtonhawky
Yes it is bad.
It is not 301 priest though...
The report cites 301 priests, clergy and lay teachers with credible allegations against them. There are 99 in the Diocese of Pittsburgh alone.
originally posted by: shooterbrody
originally posted by: Grambler
No joke, one of the priests named is my neighbor
Obviously he should be entitled to a fair trial before judgement is cast
But it looks pretty bad
Sorry to hear that.
Innocent until proven guilty, but why has no city,state or federal prosecutor charged the organization with RICO?
The first step is people speaking up about the abuse without fear or embarrassment
originally posted by: Grambler
No joke, one of the priests named is my neighbor
Obviously he should be entitled to a fair trial before judgement is cast
But it looks pretty bad
under his reign as head of the Pittsburgh Diocese. And as assistant, he had not heard of any cases.
Unaware of any sex abuse cases
originally posted by: howtonhawky
a reply to: Grambler
The first step is people speaking up about the abuse without fear or embarrassment
Good luck with that.
Just the presence of our comments on the issue can bring shame to victims.
The feeling comes over them that since the act is deemed so cruel and sick then they must be less than perfect themselves.
In my book that is not true but in many cultures such victims are not so much victims of some touching and such but the public shame can be greater that any sex act.