Twenty-one priests have been placed on administrative leave following a review of suspected child sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church in Philadelphia, according to a statement from the city's archbishop.
The church investigated 37 priests identified in a grand jury report as remaining in "active ministry with credible allegations of child sexual abuse," according to Cardinal Justin Rigali.
In addition to the 21 announced Tuesday, three other priests have already been placed on administrative leave after the report was released in February, Rigali said.
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Last week, three Philadelphia priests and a parochial school teacher were charged with raping and assaulting boys in their care, while a former official with the Philadelphia Archdiocese was accused of allowing the abusive priests to have access to children, the city's district attorney's office said.
CNN Senior Vatican Analyst John Allen said the charges against the former church official appeared to be unprecedented and could have national implications.
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Monsignor William Lynn, who served as the secretary for clergy for the under then-Philadelphia Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the alleged assaults, Williams said.
The church investigated after the names of the priests were released in a grand jury report. And before the report from the grand jury, did the church know nothing of the allegations against the priests?
The grand jury believed that more than 30 priests have remained in ministry in Pennsylvania despite solid, credible allegations of abuse, Williams said.
Rigali had initially challenged that claim.
The charges against the three priests are sickening to read. And finally someone who participated in an alleged cover-up is charged. It's about time! It's way past time! I'd imagine that right about now, a number of people who participated in cover-ups around the country are running scared.
What led me to leave the Roman Catholic Church was not the crimes of abuse, horrific as they were and are, but the cover-up by presumably sane leaders who believed protecting the institution from scandal was more important than protecting innocent children and teenagers. And it seems the necessary lessons have not yet been learned even today, which nearly makes my head explode.
Lord, have mercy.
H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead for the link.
Just no end to it, is there? Does the RC New Testament include the bit about millstones and necks?
ReplyDeleteComes back to the matter of why they will not recognize Anglican orders. The stampede would be unbelievable.
What are they thinking? The loss of 20-something priests has to be painful, added to the already acute shortage of priests.
ReplyDeleteThe stampede would be unbelievable.
Do you think so? I'm not sure about that.
I guess you have your finger on that pulse far better than I do.
ReplyDeleteHello Grandmere--Everytime I see one of these stories I think that I should say something but I never do because I usually want to go on a never-ending rant against the RCC. So, I wont do that 'cause it won't solve anything.
ReplyDeleteAs parents we are always called to be advocates for our children (no matter how old they are) and I do have to wonder where the parents of these children were when all of this was going on.
And today--Ash Wednesday--called to repentance and amendment of our life and care for what God has made, a message that these men have supposedly preached for years, you have to wonder which part of that message they haven't gotten yet. Sigh.
I do have to wonder where the parents of these children were when all of this was going on.
ReplyDeleteBonnie, part of the answer is probably that the parents never believed that their children would be unsafe with the priests.
A friend of mine who was fondled by a RC priest went home and told his parents, and his father slapped him in the face and told him never to say such a thing about a priest again. He learned to take care of himself and not to give the priest another opportunity.
Grandmere Mimi--That is so heartbreaking. I am sure that you were a conduit for God's grace and love in your friend's life and hopefully the "tender mercies" of his abuser did not drive him off the path.
ReplyDeleteAdding to "For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice and oppression"--AND ABUSE--to my daily prayers.
Bonnie, that's not even the end of the story with the priest, and the rest may sound made-up, but my friend told me, and I believe him. His brother married into a family in which more than one of the children in the family were abused by the same priest, children of both sexes. The parents told the bishop, and the priest was transferred elsewhere but allowed to continue in ministry.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, my friend is disenchanted with the RCC and pretty much with all churches.