The archdiocese is opening up its wallet.
Archbishop Charles Chaput yesterday announced the Philadelphia Archdiocese is among several across Pennsylvania that will set up compensation funds for the childhood victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests.
This is all part of the fallout from that damning grand jury report in August that detailed the acts of more than 300 priests who molested at least 1,000 children for decades in six dioceses.
The findings mimicked those done earlier that opened the book on priest abuse here in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
That grand jury, led by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, made several recommendations. Among them were suggestions that the statute of limitations for criminal charges in such cases be eliminated. It also extended the window for victims to file civil actions against their attackers. Both of those moves, however, would only pertain to future cases. That's why Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, himself a survivor of childhood abuse at the hands of his parish priest, added an amendment that would create a two-year window for victims of abuse from decades ago, to get their day in court, long after the statute of limitations has expired. That type of window also was recommended by the grand jury.
The measure passed the Pa. House with overwhelming support, but once again ground to a halt in the Senate.
Republican leaders, including Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, opposed the move, suggesting instead a fund set up by the church and operated by a third party. They at one point agreed to allow priests to be sued, but not the institutions. The bill never even made it out onto the floor for a vote.
And it has now lost one of its key Senate supporters from right here in Delco. The measure was backed by both Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, and Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-26 of Springfield. McGarrigle had promised to introduce another bill to allow the two-year window as his first measure of business in the news session in January.
That won't happen now, at least not by McGarrigle. He was defeated Tuesday at the polls by Democrat Tim Kearney.
Several people spoke yesterday against the move by the archdiocese.
You can get the details here.
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