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If you were sexually abused as a child by a priest, deacon or any other member of the Catholic Church, you are not alone. We are here to help you. Please fill out our confidential online contact form or call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 and an Arkansas Sexual Abuse Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your possible case. Help is available nationwide. There is no cost to investigate and there are no legal fees unless you receive financial compensation. Making the call is sometimes the hardest step, but it is often a necessary step on the road to healing. Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer Arkansas
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Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case. Arkansas Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Arkansas Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Pennsylvania child sex abuse report grand jury
To the public, it’s shocking enough when people in positions of authority know or suspect child abuse is taking place and do nothing to stop it. But recent revelations have shown that the truth is more extreme: in many cases, authority figures are involved in actively covering up the truth. This was the conclusion of a new grand jury report based on private documents in the Pennsylvania catholic church. The report details events in six Catholic dioceses, Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton. It details events going back 70 years and includes allegations against over 300 predator clergy. The document is the most comprehensive report on child sexual abuse to have been produced anywhere in the US.
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The report alleges that “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. For decades. Monsignors, auxiliary bishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals have mostly been protected; many, including some named in this report, have been promoted.”
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The report gives graphic details of many incidents as recounted by victims, and sometimes as confessed by priests to colleagues or counselors. Some victims were teenagers at the time, while others were very young—in one case the abuse started when the victim was only 18 months old.
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Many of the cases include egregious details that make the bare fact of molestation even more shocking. In one case, a priest impregnated a 17-year-old; in another, the abuse victim was a 7-year-old girl who was in the hospital having her tonsils removed. In many cases the abuse was known by other members of the church hierarchy, but because the perpetrator had allies in high places, they were allowed to continue in their position.
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In fact, the report alleges that officials followed a “playbook for concealing the truth”; the people assigned to investigate accusations were untrained in doing so, and when pedophile priests were removed from office, officials never told the public the reason. Abusers were moved from one parish to another instead of being exposed.
To find this information, the grand jury worked for two years and reviewed half a million documents as well as hearing testimony from dozens of victims."
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Because the report goes back so far in time, in most cases, it is too late to prosecute. In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations kicks in when an accuser turns 30. The grand jury and attorney general have recommended opening up a 2-year retroactive window to bring cases, so that those who have finally found the courage to go public can get justice. Hopefully without enough public support, the Pennsylvania legislature will act and do the right thing to make sure that justice is served.
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