Office of Attorney General Statement on Diocese of Harrisburg Press Conference on Child Sex Abuse Investigation

August 1, 2018 | Topic: Criminal

HARRISBURG — The Office of Attorney General issued the following statement in response to a news conference today by the Diocese of Harrisburg.

“It is long past due for the Diocese of Harrisburg to make public the names of predator priests within the Catholic Church,” said Joe Grace, spokesman for Attorney General Shapiro. “Their proclamations today only come after intense public pressure and in the face of the imminent release of the Grand Jury report exposing decades of child abuse and cover up.”

“Per last week’s Supreme Court Order, this month the Office of Attorney General will publish an honest and comprehensive accounting of widespread sexual abuse by more than 300 priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses.”

“To this point, the Diocese of Harrisburg has been adverse to transparency and has not been cooperative. A now public opinion by the judge supervising the Grand Jury last year made it clear they sought to end the investigation entirely.”

“The true test of the Diocese’s commitment to victims of abuse and reforms within the Church will be their actions following the release of the report. Attorney General Shapiro has consistently called for the elimination of the criminal statute of limitations and reforms to the civil statute to give all victims the opportunity to obtain justice in a court of law.”

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