PENNSYLVANIA
NEPA News
The Associated Press August 03, 2005
A grand jury documented assaults on children by more than 50 priests, but, hampered by legal issues, called for no new criminal charges, a published report said.
The more than 500-page report, now in the hands of a Common Pleas judge overseeing the secret probe, harshly criticized church leaders for shielding abusers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.
The decision not to recommend criminal charges reflected legal and factual hurdles facing prosecutors, including the expiration of the statute of limitations in virtually every case, the newspaper said.
The report, drafted by prosecutors in District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's office, is expected to be made public next month. People named in the report will have until Aug. 31 to write a rebuttal, and the archdiocese also has been given a chance to respond before the report becomes public.
A spokeswoman for Abraham declined to comment Tuesday, citing grand jury secrecy. An attorney for the Philadelphia Archdiocese, C. Clark Hodgson Jr., also declined to comment.