With so much to disagree on in the news lately, something we can all agree on is that sexual predators are some of the worst, most horrific criminals around and should be punished swiftly and accordingly.
We like to believe that when allegations of that type arise, justice will be served to punish the guilty and protect potential victims. Recently, however, it was revealed in a Pennsylvania Grand Jury report that hundreds of “predator priests” have been accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children over several decades.
A Force to be Reckoned With
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination and is one of the wealthiest, largest, and most powerful religious institutions in the world. As of 2016, there were around 1.3 billion baptized Catholics around the globe.
The Beliefs
Today, there are more than 70 million Catholics in the United States alone. The monotheistic religion holds a belief in an omniscient, omnipresent supreme being described as, among other things, the Lord and Creator of heaven and earth. Catholicism focuses on living a life in accordance with the Holy Bible.
The Men And Women Of God
Some men and women even devote their entire lives to serving God by becoming deacons, nuns, priests, and bishops. As men and women of God, they are expected to not only uphold the Word of God in their own lives, but also to guide Catholics within their communities around the world.
A Sinful Secret
However, for years, rumors have swirled and accusations have been made that many members of the clergy have not only been living lives of sin, but have actually been breaking the law in the process. Yet seldom have these accusations been investigated or clergy members been held accountable for the behavior of the church.
The Narrative
For decades, there has been suspicion of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. Movies like Spotlight show how these crimes have been hidden from the public for years. The narrative within the Church and among its followers has been that the abuse was either made up, doesn’t happen anymore or happened so rarely as to not give the narrative credence.
The Investigation
Two years ago, however, the Grand Jury of Pennsylvania began an investigation to determine the extent of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, as well as the predators and the systematic cover-up that has been happening for decades. Cases of child abuse within the church reach as far back as 1947.
The Report
In early August of 2018, the results of that investigation were made public in an explosive and disturbing 884-page grand jury report that detailed the widespread sexual abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses. “Today, the most comprehensive report on child sexual abuse within the church ever produced in our country was released,” says Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
Shining Light on the Abuse
“Pennsylvanians can finally learn the extent of sexual abuse in these dioceses,” Shapiro explains. “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.”
It Needs to be Said
“We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this,” the grand jury report begins. “We know some of you have heard some of it before. There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale.”
“It Happened Everywhere”
“For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere.” According to the report, credible allegations of sexual abuse have been made against 301 priests, clergy, and lay teachers in six of the state’s eight dioceses.
The Predators and Their Victims
Those 301 predators have been exposed for sexually abusing and grooming more than 1,000 child victims. “We believe that the real number of children whose records were lost or who were afraid ever to come forward is in the thousands,” the grand jury report explains.
Decades Of Abuse
According to the investigation, there have been credible reports of sexual and child predators within the Catholic Church targeting innocent children since 1947. Unfortunately, almost every report is now too old to prosecute.
Giving a Voice to Victims
However, the grand jury felt compelled to release the findings to show the world just how widespread and brutal the abuse was and to put an end to the systematic cover-up once and for all. In addition, they wanted to convey just what the victims, many of whom never saw their persecutor brought to justice, were forced to endure.
Sickening Reports
“One boy was forced to stand on a bed in a rectory,” Shapiro explains, “strip naked and pose as Christ on the cross for the priests. They took photos of their victim, adding them to a collection of child pornography which they produced and shared on church grounds.”
Hidden from Justice
Shapiro details the technique used to keep the scandals a secret: “One priest, Fr. Raymond Lukac, impregnated a 17-year-old girl, forged another pastor’s signature on a marriage certificate then divorced the girl shortly after she gave birth. Despite having sex with a minor, fathering a child and being married and divorced, Fr. Lukac was allowed to stay in ministry while the diocese sought a benevolent bishop in another state willing to take the predator, hiding him from justice.”
Groomed for Abuse
According to the report, these predators also groomed their victims and “mark” them to make it easier for other priests to abuse them. “To make it easier to target their victims, the priests gave their favored boys gifts – gold crosses to wear as necklaces. The crosses were markings of which boys had been groomed for abuse,” Shapiro added.
Institution Above All
“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,” the report explains. “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…”
Defense Against Scandal
To protect the predators and the institution, leaders of the Catholic Church also pressured any victim brave enough to report the abuse as well as put pressure on law enforcement to bury the report and stop an investigation. “For decades,” the report continues, “Monsignors, auxiliary bishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals have mostly been protected; many, including some named in this report, have been promoted. Until that changes, we think it is too early to close the book on the Catholic Church sex scandal.”
Hope for Change
“We learned of these abusers directly from their dioceses — which we hope is a sign that the church is finally changing its ways,” the grand jury says. “And there may be more indictments in the future.” As a result of the investigation, the grand jury suggests four changes be made to Pennsylvania law including eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for sexually abusing children, creating a two-year civil window to allow child sex abuse victims to file lawsuits if they were unable to before, clarify penalties associated with failing to report child abuse, and stop non-disclosure agreements associated with the cooperation of law enforcement.
The Fight Continues
“I will continue to fight to ensure every single victim is heard and every priest, bishop and church official is held accountable for their abhorrent conduct,” Shapiro says. “No one victim’s truth is any less important than another and no one’s criminal conduct any less loathsome.”
Report Exposes Decades of Misconduct in Pennsylvania Catholic Church is an article from: LifeDaily