Sickening: Catholic Church In PA Protected ‘Hundreds’ Of Predator Priests

This makes me physically ill.

According to a damning grand jury report, “church leaders protected more than 300 ‘predator priests’ in six Roman Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania” for YEARS on end. We’re talking about at least 1,000 victims over the course of 60 years.

More than 300 "predator priests" in Pennsylvania were protected by Catholic church leaders, a scathing grand jury report claims. https://t.co/vrx2kcNPcc pic.twitter.com/z9tsW6aCIW

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 14, 2018

“The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid scandal,” the report says. “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.”

There is a special place in HELL for them. That’s all I have to say about that.

According to the report, “Several diocesan administrators, including the bishops, often dissuaded victims from reporting abuse to police, pressured law enforcement to terminate or avoid an investigation or conducted their own deficient, biased investigation without reporting crimes against children to the proper authorities.”

They wanted victims to keep quiet and were largely successful.

“The longer they covered it up, the less chance that law enforcement could prosecute these predators because the statute of limitations would run,” State Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “Almost every instance of child abuse (the grand jury) found was too old to be prosecuted.”

The grand jury did issue presentments against two priests. One pleaded guilty last month to charges that he sexually abused a 10-year-old boy more than 20 years ago. Another has been charged with felony child sex crimes.

The grand jury compiled the information during a two-year investigation. Shapiro called the report an “honest and comprehensive accounting of widespread sexual abuse” in the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton that minister to more than 1.7 million Catholics.

This grand jury document from the PA Catholic Church abuse case is soul-crushing. I grew up somewhat affiliated with the Church and I cannot fathom how painful this is for Catholics. These stories are maddening and just… moved to tears a few times.

— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) August 15, 2018

As a practicing Catholic, this is why I don't give any donations to the Church. My faith has nothing to do with the institution. How disappointing, disgusting, yet unsurprising this news is. https://t.co/55CVPZ2Z0J

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 14, 2018

So so so sickening. And just to be clear, this OBVIOUSLY isn’t reflective of the Catholic faith or Catholics in general. Those actions are not consistent with the Catholic faith WHATSOEVER. This is about corruption of the leaders within the organization. This is exactly why people need to spend more time investing in their RELATIONSHIP with Jesus and less obsessing over the religious organization itself. Just my two cents.

h/t USA Today