As the two-year anniversary of the release of a groundbreaking grand jury report regarding Pennsylvania priest abuse nears, more lawsuits are showing the extent of the damage done by pedophiles among the clergy.

The Associated Press reports at least 150 lawsuits were filed by plaintiffs who allege they were child victims of Pennsylvania priest abuse. Some of the allegations go back decades, and even though Pennsylvania has yet to establish a look-back window for old cases of sexual abuse, many now-adults are looking to stand on the shoulders of a June 2019 decision that they feel opened the doors for their own cases.

Back in 2016, Renee R. filed a lawsuit accusing Rev. Charles Bodziak of sexually abusing her when she was a child in the 1970s and until 1981. Her case was dismissed by a Blair County judge who based the decision on an expired statue of limitations.

In August 2018, the Pennsylvania grand jury report was released, and the report accused church leaders of conspiring to cover up charges of sexual abuse committed by many members of the clergy. The grand jury report shed light on the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal and the lengths the religious organization went to in order to hide the harm many children endured.

Last year, the Superior Court overruled the initial decision against Renee’s ability to pursue justice in her lawsuit against the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. In its decision, the Superior Court said Renee could continue with her claim that the Catholic church diocese used fraud and conspiracy to hide the sex abuse allegedly committed by many priests, including Rev. Charles Bodziak.

Even though the purported abuse took place decades ago, the allegations that the church conspired to help conceal the priests’ deviant behaviors basically amounted to new evidence. Despite the church purportedly being aware of Bodziak’s alleged sexual assaults on youth, he was active as a priest who worked with children until 2016.

Pennsylvania Priest Abuse List Released

In February of this year, ProPublica published a list of Catholic clergy members – many of whom were from Pennsylvania – who had been “credibly accused” of committing sexual abuse.

Not only were many of the priests accused of sexual abuse, but also had admitted to molesting children they were entrusted to guide and protect, according to the findings of Pennsylvania’s grand jury investigation.

According to Patch.com, a bishop referred to one such priest as “a person of candor and sincerity” even after the priest admitted to sexually assaulting a minimum of 15 boys.

Despite “grooming his middle school students for oral sex,” one priest kept his career on track for 15 additional years from the time he was originally accused by youth victims.

After discovering that dioceses helped provide a safe haven for pedophile priests, the public pushed for the publishing of alleged abusers who either presently or formerly worked at their congregations, says ProPublica, which has created a searchable database that includes the names, dioceses and parishes of nearly 6,000 accused priests.

ProPublica’s database indicates the following numbers of clergy accused of sexual abuse throughout Pennsylvania:

• 76 from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
• 108 from the Diocese of Pittsburgh
• 50 from the Diocese of Allentown
• 83 from the Diocese of Scranton
• 72 from the Diocese of Harrisburg
• 94 from the Diocese of Erie
• 21 from the Diocese of Greensburg
• 35 from the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, where Charles Bodziak’s status is listed as “Placed on leave from public ministry” and appears under a heading that says, “The list below identified Diocesan priests who have been placed on leave from public ministry by the Bishop of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown as a result of receipt of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. This measure remains in effect until a final decision is reached concerning the allegation.”

Changes in Pennsylvania Law

Last year, Pennsylvania’s governor signed a law that allows survivors of sexual abuse to file suit until they turn 55, up from age 30 in the previous law. Anyone ages 18 to 23 who has been a victim of sexual abuse may file a suit until age 30, which is up from the previous limit of two years from the date the abuse occurred.

Pennsylvania law also now allows criminal charges to be filed by authorities up to 20 years after the assault was committed in any case where the victim was 18 to 23 years old at the time.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.