After a week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered the attorney general’s office to prepare the redacted version of the report. The court also ordered its release no later than 2 p.m. on August 14.
In the court’s decision, Chief Justice Thomas Saylor said the grand jury found that more than 300 Catholic clergy “committed criminal and/or morally reprehensible conduct.” The grand jury labeled them “predator priests.”
In response to the court’s decision, Shapiro said, “Our fear throughout this process has been that the entire grand jury report would be shelved and victims’ truth would be silenced.”
Shapiro said the court’s order “ensures the release of the redacted report on the widespread sexual abuse and coverup within the Catholic Church.”
Diocese of Harrisburg Apologized and Published Names of Predator Priests
On August 1, the Diocese of Harrisburg released the names of 71 priests, deacons and seminarians accused of sexual abuse over the past seven decades.
Rev. Ronald Gainer, the Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, apologized to the public. He said the conduct of the “men originally called to the service of God … turned to the pursuit of heinous personal ends. That conduct has left a legacy of pain and sorrow that is still being felt. On behalf of the Diocese of Harrisburg, I apologize for these actions.”
