Eight Pennsylvania Catholic Church dioceses and their bishops are the target of a class action lawsuit filed by child sexual abuse survivors and their families.
Six of the Catholic dioceses including Allentown, Erie, Greensberg, Harrisburg, Scranton, and Pittsburgh are the center of the grand jury report on the widespread child sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
The report identified 301 predator priests who sexually abused more than 1,000 children un Pennsylvania over the past seven decades. It It also described the systemic cover-up commited by the leaders of the dioceses to avoid scandal.
The class action lawsuit also named the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Both dioceses were under investigation in the past. Investigators found almost similar patterns of child sexual abuse by priests and cover-up by church leaders.
Plaintiffs want accountability and transparency from Catholic dioceses
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged that the Catholic dioceses and its senior leaders failed to comply with the state law mandating the reporting of any known or suspected child abuse and child predators.
