300 PA Priests Sexually Abused 1,000 Children: Grand Jury

A long-awaited grand jury report on clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania was released Tuesday.

The 900-page document, which can be viewed in full by clicking here, details the alleged abuse of more than 1,000 child victims by 300 “predator” priests in six of Pennsylvania’s eight dioceses. The names of the priests are temporarily redacted.

The grand jury, in its introduction, said it subpoenaed and reviewed half a million pages of internal diocesan documents, which contained “credible allegations” against the more than 300 predator priests in the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton.

The victims were predominately boys, but there were female victims, too.

“Some were manipulated with alcohol or pornography. Some were made to masturbate their assailants, or were groped by them. Some were raped orally, some vaginally, some anally. But all of them were brushed aside, in every part of the state, by church leaders who preferred to protect the abusers and their institution above all,” the grand jury report states.

The bulk of the report covers events that occurred before the early 2000s. The grand jury is made up of “regular people,” who were “randomly selected” to undertake the investigation.

The investigation revealed many priests admitted to their actions, and were allowed to continue in the ministry for years despite having confessed to molesting children. In one case, after a priest confessed to anal and oral rape of at least 15 boys, a bishop who later met with him commended him as “a person of candor and sincerity,” and complimented him on “the progress he has made” in controlling his “addiction,” the report states.

One priest, who the report said was “grooming his middle school students for oral sex,” taught them how Mary had to “bite off the cord” and “lick” Jesus clean after he was born, the investigation revealed. That priest was accused by several victims before he was removed 15 years later, the report said.

A Harrisburg priest who allegedly abused five sisters in a single family was found to have collected samples of their urine and pubic hair. After his house was searched and his “collection” was located, the diocese continued to be unwilling to remove him. “At this point we are at impasse – allegations and no admission,” a high-ranking church official reportedly said. The priest did admit to his actions years later.

The investigation also found that a Greensburg priest who impregnated a 17-year-old and forged the head pastor’s signature on a marriage certificate before divorcing the teen months later was permitted to stay in the ministry.

According to the findings, almost every instance of alleged abuse found is too old to be prosecuted.

The grand jury said it has issued presentments against a priest in the Greensburg diocese and a priest in the Erie Diocese, who is accused of sexually assaulting children within the last decade. The grand jury learned of these alleged abusers from their dioceses, “which we hope is a sign that the church is finally changing its ways.”

There may be more indictments in the future as the investigation continues, the report states.

The grand jury has recommended four changes in response to its findings. First, eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for sexually abusing children. Next create a two-year “civil window” for child sex abuse victims who couldn’t file lawsuits before. Third, penalties for a continuing failure to report child abuse must be clarified. And lastly, prohibit “non-disclosure” agreements regarding cooperation with law enforcement.

“We want future victims to know they will always have the force of the criminal law behind them, no matter how long they live. And we want future child predators to know they should always be looking over their shoulder – no matter how long they live,” the grand jury said in the report.

The report has been described by the Associated Press as the “biggest and most exhaustive ever” investigation into priest sex abuse by an individual state.

The report was targeted for release earlier this summer, but The Pennsylvania Supreme Court blocked it from the public eye after legal challenges were filed.

While the names of 300 “predator priests” are temporarily redacted, two dioceses — Erie and Harrisburg — have released lists of names of clergy accused sexually abusing children, PennLive reported.

In 2016, a Pennsylvania grand jury investigated the Altoona-Johnstown diocese. A report released after that investigation revealed hundreds of children were subjected to abuse that was masked by two bishops who averted probes into the claims and created a “payout chart” to quietly compensate victims based on the level of abuse.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has established a clergy abuse hotline. That number is: 888-538-8541.

RELATED: Catholic Bishops Hid Sex Abuse Of Hundreds Of PA Children: Grand Jury

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