Posted on 10/18/2018 7:57:39 PM PDT by marshmallow
WASHINGTON (ChurchMilitant.com) - The federal government has issued subpoenas to multiple Pennsylvania dioceses in a criminal probe into sex abuse cover-up. The subpoenas were served last week, but news of the investigation only broke Thursday.
So far, all eight Pennsylvania dioceses — Erie, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Allentown, Scranton, Buffalo Pittsburgh and Greensburgh — have confirmed they have received subpoenas, some stating they will cooperate with the investigation. Two Eastern Catholic dioceses are also being investigated: the Byzantine Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparhcy of Philadelphia.
The investigation is being spearheaded by U.S. Attorney General William McSwain, who is asking clergy to testify before a grand jury in Philadelphia with regard to possible federal crimes. Bishops are being asked to turn over documents stored in their secret archives, which contain information about clergy misconduct including sex abuse. Bishops are also being asked to hand over evidence of: priests transporting children across state lines for illegal purposes, priests sending or receiving sexual imagery on their phones or computers, clergy being told not to contact law enforcement, predator priests being reassigned; or money being used for illegal purposes.
Mitchell Garabedian, the famous Boston lawyer who helped expose the sex abuse scandal in 2002, expressed surprise by the subpoeans.
"This is the first time I have ever heard of a federal investigation into child sexual abuse in a Catholic diocese or church," he said. "This is a monumental moment for clergy sexual victims everywhere."
After Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro published the bombshell grand jury report in mid-August, Shapiro explained that he had received phone calls from the Department of Justice.
(Excerpt) Read more at churchmilitant.com ...
Not surprised. This way months in coming.
Look at the destruction wrought by homosexuals in the church.
Now is the time to clean house.
why isn’t this a local or state issue?
Maybe because they have a practice of moving problem priests across state lines. And sometimes across national borders.
looks like the arrests are in PA
However Im not opposed to arrests in Rome
Glad to see they’re not leaving the report just laying out there.....this is good news!....The Hound of Heaven is going after the bad guys!
Glad to see they’re not leaving the report just laying out there.....this is good news!....The Hound of Heaven is going after the bad guys!
Tip of the iceberg.
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