Pa. bishops hid sex abuse of hundreds of children, grand jury finds

[Cider]

Link

Two Roman Catholic bishops who led a central Pennsylvania diocese helped cover up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by over 50 priests or religious leaders over a 40-year period, according to a grand jury report issued Tuesday.

The 147-page report on sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was based partly on evidence from a secret diocesan archive uncovered through a search warrant executed in August, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who announced the findings.

No criminal charges are being filed in the case because some abusers have died, the statute of limitations has expired and, in some cases, victims are too traumatized to testify, she said.

The report is especially critical of Bishops James Hogan and Joseph Adamec. Hogan, who headed the diocese from 1966 to 1986, died in 2005. Adamec, who succeeded him, retired in 2011.

 

[peter26]

No criminal charges are being filed in the case because some abusers have died, the statute of limitations has expired and, in some cases, victims are too traumatized to testify, she said

So let’s just dig up dirt on Catholics for the sake of it to make them all look bad. Typical.

 

[Cider]

If you don’t want to look bad, don’t behave badly. It’s that simple. And no I don’t think this investigation is about making Catholics look bad. You and I didn’t do this. Those that did need to be weeded out and forced into the light though.

Not wanting to look bad, justifies the cover up and allows this type of behavior to continue and doesn’t help anyone including the Church and certainly not the laity or the victims.

 

[Padres1969]

So let’s just dig up dirt on Catholics for the sake of it to make them all look bad. Typical.

Or it could be about holding those accountable who were involved with the abuse of children and the subsequent institutional cover up…

Just because the old statute of limitations has run and some of the abusers have died doesn’t get them off the hook entirely if it can be proven they did something, particularly those involved in covering it up. They should be held accountable.

 

[Jimbo]

We, as Catholics, have to do this for us. Because its the right thing to do. Statutes of limitations aside, we have to do whatever we can to lance this, expose it to the light, and make it right. We owe those victims and their families.

 

[Lou2U]

Or it could be about holding those accountable who were involved with the abuse of children and the subsequent institutional cover up…

Just because the old statute of limitations has run and some of the abusers have died doesn’t get them off the hook entirely if it can be proven they did something, particularly those involved in covering it up. They should be held accountable.

No-one’s trying to make all Catholics look bad. They’re acknowledging that some people were victims of crimes committed by those in a position of power in the Catholic Church.

Lou

 

[on_the_hill]

I’ll skip all the comments I could make about the atrociousness of it and say this instead:

I am increasingly frustrated when hearing phrases like, “Everyone is responsible for putting a stop to it,” or “We all share the responsibility,” etc,. which seems to be a theme in the child protection materials that CCD teachers and others have to watch.

We didn’t do it.

 

[Padres1969]

No-one’s trying to make all Catholics look bad. They’re acknowledging that some people were victims of crimes committed by those in a position of power in the Catholic Church.

Lou

Indeed. I know it seems like this has dragged on forever since it first broke into mainstream consciousness about 15 years ago. But when you consider that this level of abuse and cover up went on for at least 50 years, it may take that long before this all shakes out and all the perpetrators are brought to light, all the cover up artists exposed, and all the victims are at least partially recompensed, be it financially, mentally, or spiritually (those that are still able to be so recompensed). Yes not everyone was involved and it may suck to have it brought up again and again, but think of the victims as well. How must it feel to have no justice or peace. And think of the lay persons who still just want it to be swept under the rug.

 

[Modern_Revert]

Ugh, this is the diocese I grew up in. I know the new bishop is doing everything he can to connect with the youth and help restore faith in the church. Get rid of these devils once and for all!

However, I can’t help but notice the timing. These stories seem to emerge right before Easter every year…

 

[Micosil]

So let’s just dig up dirt on Catholics for the sake of it to make them all look bad. Typical.

Suppose you have an ugly tumor inside your body; when it’s taken out by the surgeon, people momentarily gawk at it, horrified at how disgusting it is, but it is discarded and your body soon heals and you are healthy again.

If you leave the tumor inside out of fear of people’s momentary reaction when they see it, your body is only going to get sicker and sicker …

Yes, some priests have been falsely accused. Yes, some were convicted while perhaps innocent. But in cases where there is little chance of innocence, the perpetrators must be exposed and they must be brought to justice, for the sake of a better Church, and for the sake of the people who suffered.

 

[Della]

Well, peter26 and Modern Revert makes good points too. All this happened years ago, witnessed by the deaths of many involved and the statute of limitations having run out. Since all this came to light 15 years ago, the Church has made great strides in combating such abuse. So, dredging up cases long past does have the taste of getting even more than seeing justice done–for those of us who had nothing to do with any of it.

Besides this, many non-Catholics, be they secularists or other Christians like to throw it up in our faces as if it’s still an ongoing problem and the Church has done nothing about it. It’s just another stick with which to beat the Church for many. They don’t care about the details as long as they can revile the Church and relish doing it.

Now, I’m not at all saying that these cases should have been ignored, but if the statutes of limitations has run out, why call a grand jury at all? This smacks of persecution even if there are legal niceties that allow it. And as Modern Revert points out, why do these seem to pop up in the press around major Church holidays? There are political motives here. Many politicians hate that the Church stands against moving society into even greater depths of depravity, so how better to pull the teeth of your opponent that to make sure all his past mistakes are rehashed again and again? Methinks I smell something bad, all right, but it isn’t in the current Church.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Well, peter26 and Modern Revert makes good points too. All this happened years ago, witnessed by the deaths of many involved and the statute of limitations having run out. Since all this came to light 15 years ago, the Church has made great strides in combating such abuse. So, dredging up cases long past does have the taste of getting even more than seeing justice done–for those of us who had nothing to do with any of it.

Besides this, many non-Catholics, be they secularists or other Christians like to throw it up in our faces as if it’s still an ongoing problem and the Church has done nothing about it. It’s just another stick with which to beat the Church for many. They don’t care about the details as long as they can revile the Church and relish doing it.

Now, I’m not at all saying that these cases should have been ignored, but if the statutes of limitations has run out, why call a grand jury at all? This smacks of persecution even if there are legal niceties that allow it. And as Modern Revert points out, why do these seem to pop up in the press around major Church holidays? There are political motives here. Many politicians hate that the Church stands against moving society into even greater depths of depravity, so how better to pull the teeth of your opponent that to make sure all his past mistakes are rehashed again and again? Methinks I smell something bad, all right, but it isn’t in the current Church.

So you want to ignore this so that outsiders can’t disparage the church? Since when is an abuser’s reputation, or the reputation of the institution they represent, more important than justice for those harmed?

These aren’t “legal niceties”. How on earth can a church that claims to have a monopoly on morality place their own reputation above something like this? Disgusting.

 

[phil19034]

So you want to ignore this so that outsiders can’t disparage the church? Since when is an abuser’s reputation, or the reputation of the institution they represent, more important than justice for those harmed?

These aren’t “legal niceties”. How on earth can a church that claims to have a monopoly on morality place their own reputation above something like this? Disgusting.

Hello BlueEyedLady,

It’s not about ignoring it. We must learn from the past. However, it just suspicious regarding timing (in general, not any one specific case). Also, why is it that only Catholic abuse makes national news? Where are the national press stories about abuse in the Episcopal Church? Or the Methodist Church? They have bishops too. What about Jewish Rabbis? What about pastors at large Baptist and/or non-denominational Churches? What about the abuse from Muslim clergy?

Also, why isn’t abuse from public school teachers and high school coaches national news?

But, if it happens in the Catholic Church, it’s national or world news.

It’s the hypocrisy that is the issue here. Let’s treat all child abuse the same, with the same level of disdain for such a horrid crime. Let’s not give a 50 year old case in the Catholic Church more attention than a high school incident from last month.

Again… let’s treat all sexual abuse the same.

God Bless

 

[Della]

So you want to ignore this so that outsiders can’t disparage the church? Since when is an abuser’s reputation, or the reputation of the institution they represent, more important than justice for those harmed?

I wrote nothing of the kind. In fact, I stated just the opposite.

These aren’t “legal niceties”. How on earth can a church that claims to have a monopoly on morality place their own reputation above something like this? Disgusting.

Thank you for making my point so nicely for me.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Hello BlueEyedLady,

It’s not about ignoring it. We must learn from the past. However, it just suspicious regarding timing (in general, not any one specific case). Also, why is it that only Catholic abuse makes national news? Where are the national press stories about abuse in the Episcopal Church? Or the Methodist Church? They have bishops too. What about Jewish Rabbis? What about pastors at large Baptist and/or non-denominational Churches? What about the abuse from Muslim clergy?

Also, why isn’t abuse from public school teachers and high school coaches national news?

But, if it happens in the Catholic Church, it’s national or world news.

It’s the hypocrisy that is the issue here. Let’s treat all child abuse the same, with the same level of disdain for such a horrid crime. Let’s not give a 50 year old case in the Catholic Church more attention than a high school incident from last month.

Again… let’s treat all sexual abuse the same.

God Bless

Because although teachers abuse, it’s much less of a deep, long-standing, systemic problem. It isn’t just that priests molest children, it’s the huge cover-up conspiracies that extend up the global hierarchy that’s the problem. I don’t think there is anything comparable to the Catholic abuse scandal. Not because of the abuse itself, but because of the sheer scope of how it was carried out, hidden, and enabled for decades.

 

[Della]

Because although teachers abuse, it’s much less of a deep, long-standing, systemic problem. It isn’t just that priests molest children, it’s the huge cover-up conspiracies that extend up the global hierarchy that’s the problem. I don’t think there is anything comparable to the Catholic abuse scandal. Not because of the abuse itself, but because of the sheer scope of how it was carried out, hidden, and enabled for decades.

But which is no longer the kind of problem it once was–which is the point here.

It’s because the Church is a universal organization that it was so wide-spread, not because the Church is any more prone to this kind of abuse than any other institution run by man.

 

[Padres1969]

Hello BlueEyedLady,

It’s not about ignoring it. We must learn from the past. However, it just suspicious regarding timing (in general, not any one specific case). Also, why is it that only Catholic abuse makes national news? Where are the national press stories about abuse in the Episcopal Church? Or the Methodist Church? They have bishops too. What about Jewish Rabbis? What about pastors at large Baptist and/or non-denominational Churches? What about the abuse from Muslim clergy?

Also, why isn’t abuse from public school teachers and high school coaches national news?

But, if it happens in the Catholic Church, it’s national or world news.

It’s the hypocrisy that is the issue here. Let’s treat all child abuse the same, with the same level of disdain for such a horrid crime. Let’s not give a 50 year old case in the Catholic Church more attention than a high school incident from last month.

Again… let’s treat all sexual abuse the same.

God Bless

It comes down to three things I think, size, institutionalized reaction, and duration.

The reasons the Catholic church gets singled out more than other churches is, first and foremost it’s size. Yes there are protestant faiths that have had abuse, but they’re no where near the size of the Catholic Church so as a total number it was by extension lower in other individual faiths.

The second is the institutionalized cover up that was uncovered very early in the abuse scandal. That it wasn’t just wayward priests abusing people, but that many in the church hierarchy (both lay and clergy) were sweeping it under the rug to protect the church. It’s this institutionalized reaction by the church I think that shocks people almost as much as the abuse itself. And to be fair this wasn’t unique to the RCC, but again this is where point one plays in both in terms of total numbers and total numbers being covered up, but also by virtue of the RCC’s hierarchical structure being far more formalized than most other churches. You just don’t see those structures that were utilized in the cover ups in say a teacher abusing a kid, or in most of the other denominations.

The third issue was how long it took the church hierarchy to act. Abuse and the extent of it, was known about for several decades within the church, but it took the extent of the scandal being brought into the light of day by outside sources before the church really acted on the issue. And that action came far later than in many other churches. Many of the member churches in the faith families you mention were publicly working to eliminate sex abuse back in mid-80’s to the mid-90’s.

 

[Lou2U]

It comes down to three things I think, size, institutionalized reaction, and duration.

The reasons the Catholic church gets singled out more than other churches is, first and foremost it’s size. Yes there are protestant faiths that have had abuse, but they’re no where near the size of the Catholic Church so as a total number it was by extension lower in other individual faiths.

The second is the institutionalized cover up that was uncovered very early in the abuse scandal. That it wasn’t just wayward priests abusing people, but that many in the church hierarchy (both lay and clergy) were sweeping it under the rug to protect the church. It’s this institutionalized reaction by the church I think that shocks people almost as much as the abuse itself. And to be fair this wasn’t unique to the RCC, but again this is where point one plays in both in terms of total numbers and total numbers being covered up, but also by virtue of the RCC’s hierarchical structure being far more formalized than most other churches.

The third issue was how long it took the church hierarchy to act. Abuse was known about for several decades within the church, but it took the extent of the scandal being brought into the light of day before the church really acted on the issue. And that action came far later than in many other churches. Many of the member churches in the faith families you mention were publicly working to eliminate sex abuse back in mid-80’s to the mid-90’s.

As well as this, it’s come to the point where many of the abusers have died before they could be brought to justice. That shows the length of time the abuse was hidden for, and it means so many victims can’t get the closure they need. I think if the cover up hadn’t been attempted, the Church would not have received as much criticism as it has.

Lou

 

[HB11]

:clapping:Thank you . I am at a point where I am tired of hearing abut it. I now ask folks do you pull your kids out of sports,Scouts, school, etc? There are scandals with Jews in NY do you keep hearing that bought up as often? The Church has us attend Virtus class and do background checks, do others do as much or more? I’m sorry if I am borderline nasty but I think of all the Holy hardworking Priests that have this always trying to stain them. I also think its not justice but the smell of money that is behind these cases too.

Well, peter26 and Modern Revert makes good points too. All this happened years ago, witnessed by the deaths of many involved and the statute of limitations having run out. Since all this came to light 15 years ago, the Church has made great strides in combating such abuse. So, dredging up cases long past does have the taste of getting even more than seeing justice done–for those of us who had nothing to do with any of it.

Besides this, many non-Catholics, be they secularists or other Christians like to throw it up in our faces as if it’s still an ongoing problem and the Church has done nothing about it. It’s just another stick with which to beat the Church for many. They don’t care about the details as long as they can revile the Church and relish doing it.

Now, I’m not at all saying that these cases should have been ignored, but if the statutes of limitations has run out, why call a grand jury at all? This smacks of persecution even if there are legal niceties that allow it. And as Modern Revert points out, why do these seem to pop up in the press around major Church holidays? There are political motives here. Many politicians hate that the Church stands against moving society into even greater depths of depravity, so how better to pull the teeth of your opponent that to make sure all his past mistakes are rehashed again and again? Methinks I smell something bad, all right, but it isn’t in the current Church.

 

[7_Sorrows]

We, as Catholics, have to do this for us. Because its the right thing to do. Statutes of limitations aside, we have to do whatever we can to lance this, expose it to the light, and make it right. We owe those victims and their families.

I agree.