pennlive

The report determined that at times the cover-up of abuse stretched all the way to the Vatican. And how could it not. Only the pope can laicize priests, so previous reports delivered to the Vatican regarding credibly accused priests went unanswered, presumably. Pope Francis a few days ago, in responding to the report, noted that the conclusions of the grand jury report are consistent with studies showing that Catholic Church reforms in the United States have drastically reduced the culture of clergy child abuse. The majority of cases outlined in the report concern abuses before the early 2000s.

One more thing: Cardinals hold one of the most senior offices in the Catholic Church. They elect popes. Two former Pennsylvania bishops achieved that rank in recent times. Does it not seem fair to expect cardinals to ensure this topic is front and center of discourse in the private halls of the Vatican?

This was a grand jury investigation. Unlike trial juries, the grand jury does not decide guilt or innocence. Instead, it is asked by prosecutors to determine whether there is enough evidence in a case to recommend that charges be filed. PennLive's Charlie Thompson did a great primer on this: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/08/what_is_a_grand_jury.html

Clergy sex abuse has been uncovered just about everywhere there is a Catholic community - from Ireland, to Boston, Chile, Honduras.....you name it. Law enforcement can go after single officials - as is happening in Australia....but I argue that it's going to take a groundswell of outrage and massive action from the faithful to hold the church accountable for anything to change.

The investigation into the Archdiocese of Philadelphia wrapped up in 2011. In 2016, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General delivered the findings into an investigation into child sex crimes in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. At the time, the state launched this broader investigation into the six remaining dioceses. This latest one took almost two years to complete. I think the grand jury process can move only so fast. The jurors don't meet like other juries. They meet only a few times a month....it's a long process; not to mention the actual investigation. Investigators pored through millions of church documents.