A recent case of ongoing priest molestation involving a victim who was 8 years old when the ongoing abuse began was recently settled in Pennsylvania. In addition, the perpetrator faces as much as 14 years in prison. The outcome brings some closure as well as compensation for the pain and suffering the victim experienced over the course of several years.

About the Case

The perpetrator, Father David Poulson, was accused of abusing the victim at two different parishes over an 8 year period from 2002 until 2010. The allegations also included attempted priest molestation of another boy, which took place at a hunting cabin located in a rural area of Jefferson County.

Last year, he resigned from his ministry after pleading guilty to criminal charges that included the corruption of minors and child endangerment. In March, Poulson was formally stripped of his priesthood by His Holiness Pope Francis.

Over 1,000 Cases of Priest Molestation

In August of 2018, a grand jury report was released detailing over 1,000 reports of priest molestation and assault of minor children over more than seven decades. The report identified more than 300 members of the clergy serving in six of Pennsylvania’s dioceses who had been “credibly accused” of the crimes.

The report said that all of the reports at the time had been “brushed aside…by church leaders who preferred to protect the abusers and their institution above all.”

A Global Problem

Priest molestation is not only a problem in the U.S. Cases have come up all over the world in countries that include Chile, Ireland and Australia. Nor is it limited to low-ranking clergy; the issue has even touched the Pope’s inner circle since one cardinal was found guilty of abusing two boys during the 1990s and a second cardinal has been under investigation for failure to report abuse by priests under his supervision.

Justice for Few

Unfortunately, only Poulson and one other clergyman have faced criminal charges; according to the jurors, the other accused perpetrators were either deceased, or the cases had passed the state’s statute of limitations.

The grand jury did make recommendations that could yet help victims to obtain some modicum of justice. These include:

• Elimination of the statute of limitations on sex crimes against children: Pennsylvania recently extended this to victims until their 50^th birthday.
• Creation of a 2-year window for victims to file civil complaints for those older than 30
• Enforcement and clarification of “mandatory reporter” laws
• Getting rid of confidentiality agreements in connection with lawsuits

Similar legislation has been passed by the legislature in New Jersey and New York, and are under considerations in the states of Washington and Montana. Over the past two decades, 29 states have expanded statutes of limitation on cases involving priest molestation and other sex crimes against children.

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