Grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania

The August 2018 grand jury report includes all Pennsylvania dioceses except Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown, which had already issued earlier reports.

A grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania lasted from 2016 to 2018, and investigated the history of clerical sexual abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses.

This investigation focused on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in six of the eight Pennsylvania dioceses -- Allentown, Scranton, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Erie.[1] The dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown and Philadelphia were not included, as they had been the subjects of earlier investigations.[1]

The grand jury's report, released in August 2018, was the broadest examination by a government agency in the United States of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.[2]

Grand jury investigation begins

Beginning in early 2016, sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in six Pennsylvania dioceses -- Allentown, Scranton, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Erie -- were examined by a grand jury investigation, led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.[1]

Each of these six dioceses is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.[3][4]

According to officials in the Diocese of Harrisburg, the diocese had intended to release a list of accused priests in September 2016, but were ordered by the Attorney General Shapiro not to do so, lest it compromise his investigation.[5][6]

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, in 2017 the Diocese of Harrisburg and the Diocese of Greensburg attempted to shut down the grand jury investigation.[7][8]

On July 27, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that a redacted copy of the grand jury report be released to the public.[9][8] The list would name over 300 accused "predator priests"; two dozen others were allowed to keep their names off the list.[9]

Bishops' actions prior to release of report

In April 2018, the Diocese of Erie published a list of 34 priests and 17 laypeople who had been "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children.[10][5] By July, the list had grown to include 64 names.[11][12]

On July 31, 2018, John T. Sweeney, a former priest in the Diocese of Greensburg, pleaded guilty to molesting a 4th grade boy at some point between September 1991 and June 1992.[13] Immediately following Sweeney's plea, the Diocese of Greensburg made a statement pledging future cooperation.[14] In the statement, which was reported by Crux on August 4,[14] the Diocese of Greensburg agreed to continue educating “both children and adults in parishes and schools of the Diocese of Greensburg on how to spot and report suspected abuse.”[14] The Diocese also agreed to recommend reporting incidents of sexual abuse to the PA ChildLine and report any alleged incident of sexual abuse to "PA Childline and the appropriate district attorney."[14]

On August 1, 2018, the Diocese of Harrisburg released the names of 71 clergy members accused of engaging in sexual abuse of children.[15][16][17][18] The list included priests, deacons, and seminarians of the diocese, as well as clergy from other dioceses or from religious orders who had served in the Diocese of Harrisburg.[17][15] On this date, Bishop Ronald Gainer announced the name of every man who had served as a bishop in the Diocese of Harrisburg since 1947 would be removed from any building or room named in their honor, due to their failure to protect victims from abuse.[18]

On August 1, 2018, Matt Kerr, spokesman for the Diocese of Allentown, announced that the Diocese would cooperate with a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling and publish a list containing names of clergy suspected of taking part in sexual abuse of children.[19] Kerr stated that the Diocese would post the list of "credibly accused priests" on its website the day a grand jury report is released.[19]

On August 5, 2018, Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik sent letters confirming the Diocese of Pittsburgh would cooperate with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court order and release the list of clergy accused of sex abuse when the grand jury report is made public.[20][21] The letters were read during mass across the six-county diocese.[20][21] In his letter, Bishop Zubik noted that the diocese implemented policies to deal with sexual abuse 30 years ago. Clergy, church employees, and volunteers are all required to go through sexual abuse training programs and criminal background checks. Zubik also noted that 90 percent of all the allegations in the report related to the diocese of Pittsburgh occurred before 1990.[22]

On August 6, 2018, the Diocese of Scranton released a statement stating that Bishop Joseph Bambera would cooperate with the investigation and publish the list of "credibly accused clergy" when the grand jury report was published.[23]

Grand jury report released

The grand jury report was published on August 14, 2018.[24] It showed that 301 priests were accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children in the six dioceses and were routinely shuffled from parish to parish in order to avoid scrutiny.[25] The report said there are "likely thousands more victims whose records were lost or who were too afraid to come forward."[2] The majority of the victims were boys.[25]

The New York Times called the report "the broadest examination yet by a government agency in the United States of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church."[2]

The panel had examined a half-million pages of diocesan documents and interviewed dozens of witnesses. It found that bishops and diocesan leaders aimed to avoid bad publicity and financial liability. Hundreds of known offenders were returned to active ministry after being "laundered" in "treatment facilities".[26]

Report's statements regarding abusers

A total of 301 priests were accused of sexually abusing children: 99 from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, [27] 59 from the Diocese of Scranton, [28] 45 from the Diocese of Harrisburg,[28] 41 from the Diocese of Erie (two of whose names were redacted),[29] 37 from the Diocese of Allentown[28] and 20 from the Diocese of Greensburg.[30]

Of the more than 300 priests identified in the report, only two were involved in abuse since the year 2008, and both of these had been reported by their dioceses.[31] If the figures from this report are combined with those from the Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown dioceses, the results show that about 8% of the 5,000 priests who served in Pennsylvania during the 70-year period covered by the report were credibly accused of abuse.[31]

Among the incidents documented by the report were "a priest who raped a young girl in the hospital after she had her tonsils out; a victim tied up and whipped with leather straps by a priest; and another priest who was allowed to stay in ministry after impregnating a young girl and arranging for her to have an abortion."[2]

The report also stated that some priests in the Diocese of Pittsburgh ran a child porn ring in the 1970s and 1980s and also "used whips, violence and sadism in raping their victims."[32][33] The children who were sexually molested and had their pictures taken for the child porn ring were given gold crosses so they would be recognized by other abusive priests who sought to use them.[33]

The Diocese of Greensburg had a priest who impregnated a 17 year-old girl.[30] The report also revealed that the priest not only impregnated the minor, but also married her after forging a head pastor's name on a marriage certificate and then divorced her months later.[30]

Former Erie priest and current Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown Mark Bartchak was also criticized in the report for his handling of a 2005 investigation against former Erie priest William Presley.[34] Bartchak was assigned by the Vatican during this time to investigate claims against Presley, who served in the Erie Diocese between 1963 and 1986, and continuously re-interviewed a male victim who previously disclosed his alleged abuse to the diocese in 1982, 1987 and 2002.[34] Presley was transferred to the Diocese of Harrisburg in 1986.[34] On Aug. 25, 2005, Bartchak sent a secret memo to then-Erie Bishop Donald Walter Trautman.[34] Parts of the memo read “I was not surprised to learn from other witnesses from the Elk County area, that there are likely to be other victims” and that "it is likely that there may be others who were also of the age for the offenses to be considered delicts, but to what end is it necessary to follow every lead?”[34] Bartchak also stated in another secret memo following a meeting with Trautman on August 29, 2005 "Bishop Trautman decided that in order to preclude further scandal, these additional witnesses should not be contacted, especially given the fact that it is not likely that they will lead to information concerning delicts involving minors under 16 years of age.”[34]

Report's statements regarding bishops

The report named several bishops as having helped to protect abusive priests and cover up complaints.[26][2] Attorney General Shapiro stated: "Child rape is rape, whether it occurred in the 1980s, ‘90s, or 2018. It is never acceptable, and it is never okay to cover it up as Bishop Zubik did and as Cardinal Wuerl did."[35]

Cardinal Donald Wuerl (currently Archbishop of Washington), who was Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006, is named in the report over 200 times.[36] It states that Wuerl had allowed Fr. Ernest Paone to be transferred to another diocese, despite a history of accusations of child abuse dating back to the early 1960s.[26][37][38] Wuerl also allowed another accused child molester, Fr. William O'Malley to return to active ministry in 1998, despite the fact that O'Malley was facing allegations of sexual abuse and had also admitted that he sexually interested in adolescents.[39] On the other hand, the report also noted that Wuerl had written to the Vatican to warn them about the problem of abusive priests in 1989.[37] Moreover, after Wuerl removed accused child-abuser Fr. Anthony J. Cipolla from ministry, the Vatican countermanded this and insisted that Cipolla be returned to ministry; in response, Wuerl flew to Rome in 1993 and convinced the Vatican court to ban Cipolla from ministry.[37][31]

Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert was also named as an "enabler" during the time he was vicar general to Bishop Edward Cullen.[25]

The grand jury faulted former Erie Bishop Donald Trautman for praising Rev. Chester Gawronski for "many acts of kindness" and "deep faith" after Gawronsky had admitted fondling at least twelve boys.[24] In 2001, Trautman renewed Gawronski's five-year term as a chaplain for St. Mary's Home in Erie.[40] Trautman's predecessor Bishop Michael Murphy was also criticized in the report for allowing Gawronski to remain in the Diocese despite numerous allegations of sexual abuse.[40][41] Murphy and Trautman reassigned Gawronski multiple times between 1987 and 2002.[40]

The Diocese of Harrisburg was faulted for having secretly been settling cases with survivors of sex abuse in the Diocese since 2002.[42] Some of the agreements in the settlements also included confidentiality provisions.[42] The grand jury report also signaled out former Bishop William Keeler for committing criminal inaction during his time as Bishop of Harrisburg.[43] Keeler had been notified of accusations of sexual abuse against priest Arthur Long in 1987.[44] Long was later transferred from the Diocese of Harrisburg to the Archdiocese of Baltimore after Keeler was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore.[44] On August 15, 2018, one day after the report was published, it was announced that a Baltimore pre K-8 Catholic school that would open in 2020 and be named for Keeler would no longer bear his name due to his ties with Long.[45][43][46]

Responses by bishops and former bishops of these dioceses

After the report was released, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh stated, "There was no cover-up going on. I think that it’s important to be able to state that. We have over the course of the last 30 years, for sure, been transparent about everything that has in fact been transpiring."[2]

Cardinal Donald Wuerl stated that while Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006, he had "established strong policies that addressed the needs of abuse survivors, removed priests from ministry and protected the most vulnerable in the community," as well as travelling to Rome to make sure an abusive priest was removed from ministry.[47] He also launched a website, "The Wuerl Record," containing a defense of his actions during that era,[48] but after an outcry on social media, the website was deleted and replaced with a redirect.[37] A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington stated that Wuerl "has no intention of resigning.[37] On August 18, 2018, it was announced that Wuerl would not attend the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, where he had been scheduled to give a keynote address.[38] In response to Wuerl's defence of his actions following the release of the report, Attorney General Shapiro stated: "Cardinal Wuerl is not telling the truth. Many of his statements in response to the grand jury report are directly contradicted by the Church's own documents and records from their secret archives."[49][50] Wuerl later resigned as Archbishop of Washington D.C. on October 12, 2018 and had requested to do so in September.[51]

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin had been an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Pittsburgh between 1992 and 1996, and vicar general prior to that time. He stated that in those roles, he was not involved in "issues involving clergy". He also stated, "In my experience, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has been very responsible and transparent in responding to allegations of sexual abuse, and has been one of the leading dioceses of the country in that regard."[52]

Bishop Alfred A. Schlert of the Diocese of Allentown issued a video apology on behalf of the Allentown Diocese.[53] In his apology, Schlert stated that most of the incidents of sexual abuse date back decades and that the most of the accused priests in the Diocese were either dead or no longer active in the ministry and that the Diocese has had a zero tolerance policy for sex abuse since 2003.[53]

Bishop Lawrence T. Persico of the Diocese of Erie, who received praise from Shapiro, acknowledged there was a cover-up in the church.[40] Persico subsequently stated that he felt that the grand jury report should have included the names of accused laypeople who worked for the Erie Diocese as well.[12]

Former Erie Bishop Donald Trautman criticized Shapiro's portrayal of him and noted that he had established guidelines in 1993 concerning how to deal with sexual abuse and later established the Diocesan Office for the Protection of Children and Youth in 2003 to protect children from sex abuse.[54]

On August 9, 2018, Greensburg Bishop Edward Malesic issued an apology on behalf of the Diocese, acknowledged there were numerous reports of sex abuse of children between the 1950s and 1980s, and announced that the Diocese would release the names of the accused clergy when the grand jury report is published.[55][56][55]

Harrisburg Bishop Ronald Gainer apologized on behalf of the diocese, and set up a website titled http://www.youthprotectionhbg.com, which contains information on how to report sex abuse, contact information for the Victim Assistance Office, and how the Diocese confronted the issue of sex abuse.[42]

On August 31, 2018, Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera forbade former bishop James Timlin from representing the diocese in public, given Timlin's failure to protect children from abusers.[57] Bambera himself had served as the Vicar for Priests for the Diocese of Scranton from 1995 to 1998, and he admitted that during that time he had helped then-Bishop Timlin reassign a priest who had abused a minor, although the decision was made by Timlin.[57] Bambera emphasized that since becoming bishop in 2010, he has pursued a zero-tolerance policy toward clerical abuse.[57]

Responses by other Catholic Church officials not connected to Pennsylvania

Responses by other United States bishops

On August 16, 2018, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement promising that the bishops' conference would create "new and confidential channels for reporting complaints against bishops", and would strive for "more effective resolution of future complaints."[58]

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of the Archdiocese of St. Louis invited the Missouri attorney general's office to conduct an inspection of the archdiocesan files and to produce a report on clerical abuse in the state.[59]

Because seven of the priests in the Pennsylvania report had ties to Illinois, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked for all information regarding those priests. Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, stated that Madigan was welcome to examine all the archdiocesan files, and indeed that they had already released the files in 2014-2015.[60]

Responses by the pope and bishops outside the United States

On August 16, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke issued a statement regarding the Pennsylvania grand jury report. It stated, "The Holy See treats with great seriousness the work of the Investigating Grand Jury of Pennsylvania and the lengthy Interim Report it has produced. The Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors.... Victims should know that the Pope is on their side."[61] It also stated, "By finding almost no cases after 2002, the Grand Jury's conclusions are consistent with previous studies showing that Catholic Church reforms in the United States drastically reduced the incidence of clergy child abuse."[61]

On August 20, Pope Francis issued an ecclesiastical letter which discussed the grand jury report. It stated, "In recent days, a report was made public which detailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately seventy years. Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims."[62] The pope also wrote, "The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced. But their outcry was more powerful than all the measures meant to silence it." [62] Moreover, "With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them."[62]

However, La Stampa reported that the pope was not planning on issuing any new policies for abusers or for bishops who cover up abuse, deeming the current regulatory instruments and rules sufficient.[63] The article noted that canon law already provides for the possibility of removal from ecclesiastical office "for grave reasons", and in his motu proprio of June 4, 2016, Pope Francis stated that these grave reasons include "the negligence of a Bishop in the exercise of his office, and in particular in relation to cases of sexual abuse inflicted on minors and vulnerable adults".[63][64]

The new Mexican Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera stated that while some accusations made by victims of sexual abuse are valid, "sometimes those who accuse men of the Church should [be careful] because they have long tails that are easily stepped on."[65][66]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Angela Couloumbis (June 17, 2018). "Pa. report to document child sexual abuse, cover-ups in six Catholic dioceses". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Laurie Goodstein; Sharon Otterman (August 14, 2018). "'They Hid It All': Catholic Priests Abused 1,000 Children in Pennsylvania, Report Says". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Ecclesiastical Provinces in the United States - Brave Catholic". Bravecatholic.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Archdiocese of Philadelphia-Boundaries". Chrc-phil.org. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  5. 1 2 Ivey DeJesus (April 6, 2018). "Catholic bishop explains why he released names of predatory priests; confident none remain in ministry". PennLive.com. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  6. ↑ Catholic News Service (August 4, 2018). "Greensburg Diocese stands ready help to abuse survivors 'in their healing'". Crux. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ Peter Smith; Liz Navratil; Angela Couloumbis (June 29, 2018). "Two Pa. dioceses tried to block grand jury probe into clergy sex abuse, documents show". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Liz Navratil; Peter Smith (August 1, 2018). "Harrisburg Diocese releases names of accused priests, removes bishops' names from buildings". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Angela Couloumbis; Liz Navratil (July 27, 2018). "Pa. Supreme Court: Release redacted report that names more than 300 'predator priests'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ Teresa Bonner (April 6, 2018). "Diocese publishes list of priests, lay people accused of abuse". PennLive.com. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Erie Diocese Releases Names Of Accused Priests, Educators While Grand Jury Report Remains On Hold". KDKA-TV. July 19, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Palattella, Ed (August 17, 2018). "Persico: Grand jury should have named laypeople". Erie Times-News. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Retired Greensburg Diocese Priest Pleads Guilty In Child Sex Assault Case". Pittsburgh.cbslocal.com. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Greensburg Diocese stands ready help to abuse survivors 'in their healing'". Cruxnow.com. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  15. 1 2 "READ: Diocese of Harrisburg's list of clergy and seminarians accused of sexual abuse of minors". Fox43.com. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  16. ↑ Steve Esack (August 1, 2018). "Harrisburg Diocese releases names of priests accused of child sex abuse". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  17. 1 2 Brandie Kessler; Ed Mahon (August 1, 2018). "Harrisburg Catholic diocese names 71 priests, clergy accused of sexual abuse". York Daily Record. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Julie Zauzmer (August 1, 2018). "Pennsylvania diocese will remove every bishop's name since 1947 from buildings because they failed to root out child sexual abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  19. 1 2 "Allentown Diocese to release list of accused priests". Pennlive.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  20. 1 2
  21. 1 2 Kurutz, Daveen Rae. "Bishop Zubik Pittsburgh Diocese will name clergy accused of sex abuse". Timesonline.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  22. ↑ Kurutz, Daveen Rae. "Bishop Zubik Pittsburgh Diocese will name clergy accused of sex abuse". The Times. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  23. ↑ "Bambera will release names once Grand Jury report is made public". Timesleader.com. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  24. 1 2 Jeremy Roebuck; Angela Couloumbis; Liz Navratil (August 14, 2018). "Pa. Catholic Church sex abuse report names hundreds of priests, accuses leaders of cover-up: 'They hid it all.'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  25. 1 2 3 Christine Schiavo; Emily Opilo; Riley Yates; Peter Hall (August 14, 2018). "Scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report accuses hundreds of priests of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  26. 1 2 3 "Oral sex, then holy water: Report documents abuse by priests". AP. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  27. ↑ "FULL LIST: Names from Pittsburgh and Greensburg Catholic dioceses that appear in Pennsylvania grand jury report". Wtae.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  28. 1 2 3 "Attorney General Lists Dozens of Priests Accused of Sex Abuse in Grand Jury Report". Wnep.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  29. ↑ Palattella, Ed (August 14, 2018). "Catholic Diocese of Erie and grand jury report: the latest". Erie Times-News. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  30. 1 2 3 "20 offenders revealed in grand jury report in Greensburg Diocese". Pennlive.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  31. 1 2 3 Reese, Thomas (August 15, 2018). "Pennsylvania grand jury report is a new low for Catholic Church". Religion News Service. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Priests ran child porn ring in Pittsburgh diocese: state AG's grand jury report". Philly.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  33. 1 2 "Grand jury report describes a 'ring of predatory priests' in Pittsburgh in the 1970s". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.starbeacon.com/news/grand-jury-report-links-altoona-johnstown-bishop-to-abuse-case/article_0add87b9-f31e-5d56-be64-f45de8b20ef9.html
  35. ↑ "Cardinal Wuerl's Name Spray-Painted Over On North Catholic H.S. Sign". CBS. August 20, 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  36. ↑ "Washington Archbishop Cardinal Wuerl to hold meeting of priests, withdraws from speaking engagement". Fox. August 19, 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 Ian Lovett (August 15, 2018). "D.C. Archbishop Faces Scrutiny After Pennsylvania Report on Priest Abuse". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  38. 1 2 White, Christopher (August 18, 2018). "Wuerl pulls out of Dublin summit amid charges of mishandling abuse claims". Crux. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  39. ↑ David Crary (August 16, 2018). "Washington cardinal entangled in two sex-abuse scandals". Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  40. 1 2 3 4 Melissa Klaric (August 14, 2018). "'Put victims first': Erie bishop, praised by AG, denounces cover-ups in church". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Priest with local ties accused of sex abuse - News, Sports, Jobs - Observer Today". Observertoday.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  42. 1 2 3 "Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg issues statement on release of Grand Jury Report". Fox43.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  43. 1 2 https://www.wbaltv.com/article/new-catholic-school-in-baltimore-will-not-be-named-for-keeler/22729913
  44. 1 2 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-lori-keeler-20180814-story.html
  45. ↑ https://cumberlink.com/news/local/baltimore-catholic-school-to-drop-name-of-cardinal-accused-of/article_103fdbe3-50fa-5abf-9443-7a527c5c8699.html
  46. ↑ https://apnews.com/a8cb83dd3bac4f96947e21847f4724d9
  47. ↑ Julie Asher (August 14, 2018). "Wuerl: In Pittsburgh, he 'established strong policies' on abuse claims". Crux. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  48. ↑ Donald Wuerl (August 14, 2018). "The Wuerl Record". Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Pennsylvania AG: Cardinal isn't truthful". CNN. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  50. ↑ "Pennsylvania AG: Cardinal under scrutiny over report on priest abuse 'is not telling the truth'". CNN. August 19, 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  51. ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/12/world/cardinal-wuerl-resignation-letter/index.html
  52. ↑ Providence Journal staff (August 1, 2018). "Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin says abuse was outside his responsibility". The Providence Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  53. 1 2 DioceseofAllentown (14 August 2018). "A Message from Bishop Schlert". YouTube. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  54. ↑ "Former Bishop of Erie Donald Trautman releases statement". Yourerie.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  55. 1 2 "'It wasn't your fault': Greensburg Catholic diocese apologizes to child sex abuse victims and releases its own report". Wtae.com. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  56. ↑ "Greensburg diocese issues apology; to release names of accused clerics". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  57. 1 2 3 Michael Rubinkam (September 5, 2018). "As bishop looks on, abusive Father Ned gets a new assignment". Crux. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  58. ↑ "President of U.S. Bishops' Conference Announces Effort That Will Involve Laity, Experts, and the Vatican as U.S. Bishops Resolve to Address "Moral Catastrophe"". USCCB website. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  59. ↑ Catholic News Agency (August 23, 2018). "St. Louis archdiocese invites attorney general to review files". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  60. ↑ O'Connell, Patrick M. (August 2, 2018). "Cardinal Cupich defends his record, Pope Francis in response to former Vatican official". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  61. 1 2 "Vatican responds to Pennsylvania Grand Jury abuse report". Vatican News. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  62. 1 2 3 "Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the People of God". Holy See Press Office website. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  63. 1 2 Andrea Tornielli (August 24, 2018). "Abuses, no new papal document. The letter has to be applied". La Stampa. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  64. ↑ Pope Francis (June 4, 2016). "As a Loving Mother (Come una madre amorevole)". Vatican website. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  65. ↑ Inés San Martín (August 21, 2018). "Mexican cardinal says abuse victims should think about skeletons in their own closet". Crux. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  66. ↑ "El cardenal Obeso ridiculiza a las víctimas de abusos: "Tienen cola que les pisen"". Religion Digital. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018. [Those who accuse others] deberían tener tantita pena porque suelen tener una cola que les pisen, muy larga.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.