The highly anticipated 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report was released Tuesday naming over 300 predator priests who were credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children over the course of 70 years across six Pennsylvania dioceses.
The information contained in this report substantiates what we have known for years: the Vatican and those in positions of power in the Catholic Church have continued to deceive the public and its parishioners through present day.
As explained in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, this problem is not happening “somewhere else,” but it’s happening everywhere. The Church’s “playbook for concealing the truth” is a dangerous and sobering assessment of how the leaders of the Catholic Church made a conscious decision to protect their power, reputation and stature over the safety of children.
Grand jury reports and large-scale investigations into abuse have revealed patterns of misconduct and institutional cover-ups in many organizations. These investigations often uncover internal documents, witness testimony, and long histories of abuse that may have remained hidden for decades. Reports like these have led to calls for legal reform, transparency, and stronger reporting laws to protect children and support survivors.