Newspaper: Report Documents Church Abuse

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania --

A grand jury documented assaults on children by more than 50 Philadelphia-area priests and harshly criticized Roman Catholic Church leaders for shielding abusers, but brought no criminal charges, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The decision reflected legal and factual hurdles facing prosecutors, including the expiration of the statute of limitations in virtually every case, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The report, drafted by prosecutors in District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's office, is expected to be made public next month. People named in the report will have until Aug. 31 to write a rebuttal.

A spokeswoman for Abraham would not comment Tuesday, citing grand jury secrecy. Nor would an attorney for the Philadelphia Archdiocese, C. Clark Hodgson Jr.

The report said archdiocese officials often made only a cursory inquiry into complaints by children or parents. It said church officials did not contact police and rarely, if ever, advised victims to do so.

Read the article at washingtonpost.com Dated August 3, 2005

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