Harrisburg Diocese Identifies Over 70 Priests, Others In Church Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse
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HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS/AP) — The Roman Catholic diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has put out a list of 71 priests and others in the church accused of sexually abusing children in cases going back decades.
Bishop Ron Gainer issued a public apology Wednesday for the abuse and said the church's bishops shared the blame, having responded inadequately to all the allegations.
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As a result, the name of every bishop since 1947 will be removed from church facilities in the diocese.
The Harrisburg Diocese issued its findings just days after the state Supreme Court said a nearly 900-page grand jury report on sex abuse in six dioceses, including Harrisburg, can be made public later this month.
MORE: Harrisburg's Bishop William Gainer says any bishop who presided since 1947, the span of the Grand Jury investigation, will lose any public symbolism of honor; the bishop is also waiving any/all confidentiality stipulations with survivors, so they may now speak freely
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) August 1, 2018
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office called it "long past due" for the diocese to make the names public.
"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 Josh 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."
To put the Harrisburg Diocese announcement in perspective, the scope of alleged clergy child sex abuse is broken down into categories — those priests who are still living, and those who are dead.
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) August 1, 2018
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Harrisburg is now the second diocese to get ahead of the grand jury report. The Erie Diocese in April identified more than 50 priests and lay people accused of child sexual abuse.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)