Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report on Clergy Sex Abuse Debunked

[Common]

Another case of liberal media distorting the news, by if you arent one of their favorites you are Guility until proven Innocent and hopefully in the meantime we can damage you anyway


Unlike most commentators and reporters, I have read most of the Pennsylvania grand jury report. The purpose of this statement is to debunk many of the myths, and indeed lies, that mar the report and/or interpretations of it.


Myth: Over 300 priests were found guilty of preying on youngsters in Pennsylvania.


Fact: No one was found guilty of anything. Yet that didn't stop CBS from saying "300 'predator priests' abused more than 1,000 children over a period of 70 years." These are all accusations, most of which were never verified by either the grand jury or the dioceses.


The report, and CBS, are also wrong to say that all of the accused are priests. In fact, some were brothers, some were deacons, and some were seminarians.


How many of the 300 were probably guilty? Maybe half. My reasoning? The 2004 report by the John Jay College for Criminal Justice found that 4 percent of priests nationwide had a credible accusation made against them between 1950-2002. That is the figure everyone quotes. But the report also notes that roughly half that number were substantiated. If that is a reliable measure, the 300 figure drops to around 150.


During the seven decades under investigation by the grand jury, there were over 5,000 priests serving in Pennsylvania(this includes two dioceses not covered in the report). Therefore, the percent of priests who


had an accusation made against them is quite small, offering a much different picture than what the media afford. And remember, most of these accusations were never substantiated.


Importantly, in almost all cases, the accused named in the report was never afforded the right to rebut the charges. That is because the report was investigative, not evidentiary, though the report's summary suggests that it is authoritative. It manifestly is not.


The report covers accusations extending back to World War II. Almost all the accused are either dead or have been thrown out of the priesthood. For example, in the Diocese of Harrisburg, 71 persons are named: 42 are dead and four are missing. Most of those who are still alive are no longer in ministry.


There are some cases that are so old that they are unbelievable. Consider the case of Father Joseph M. Ganter. Born in 1892, he was accused in 2008 by an 80-year-old man of abusing him in the 1930s.

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/b...ergy-sex-abuse

[Trish]

Common........I...........yeah, I have no response to your post. I'm a little shocked but..........

[donttread]

Point taken, no guilty verdicts or or admissions yet and some cases questionable.

[Captdon]

It is a widespread problem. No denial is gong to change that. It has been swept under the carpet and no denial is going to change that. Priests have not been turned over to the law but were simply transferred to another parish. Bishops have been let off with nothing done. One, count them, one Cardinal has been punished. No denial is going to change any of this.

The evidence is too overwhelming. There are victims out there who won't talk out of sheer embarrassment. They won't stay in the Church either.

The Church has to face up to the problem and do something about it or they will be destroyed. This is not a numbers game. It is not a game at all. If this Pope doesn't rip this out he will be the next-to-last Pope.

[DGUtley]

The Church is coming to terms with it. It is not hidden any longer. Since the 90’s the Church in the US has been much more transparent and Priest abuse cases are extremely rare.