It is as damning as everyone expected it to be. The long-awaited report on sexual abuse of children by clergy in the Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg and Scranton dioceses is a catalog of sins by priest-abusers and the bishop-conspirators who helped cover up their misdeeds.
The 884-page report documented more than 1,000 victims going back decades, but the grand jury said it believes “that the real number — of children whose records were lost, or who were afraid ever to come forward — is in the thousands.” It identified 99 abusers in the Pittsburgh diocese alone.
Did the abusers forget some of the church’s central teachings — about children as a gift from God, about kindness to the least of God’s people or about the day of judgment? Did their enablers forget the scriptural references to shepherds and unflinching holy men?
The report, two years in the making, is not the end of the road. Far from it. Those who suffered abuse forever will live with the scars, though some may feel relief at having their voices finally heard. Some Catholics will wrestle with their faith. The church must contend with a wounded reputation and remain vigilant; if it lets its guard down, abuse could crop up again.
The last point goes to the core of church policy. Will the church again be tempted to look the other way because of the chronic shortage of priests? Would lifting the celibacy requirement for priests or giving women a more prominent role in ministry help to prevent another abuse scandal? Should lay people have a role in selecting their bishops, a topic explored in the most recent edition of Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic publication?
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04.28.2025