PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By Craig R. McCoy, Nancy Phillips and Mark Fazlollah
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
The sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church surfaced in 2002 with revelations of rampant victimization in Boston and quickly enveloped the church nationwide.
Since then, the Philadelphia Archdiocese has said that at least 44 diocesan priests had been credibly accused of abusing minors over the previous half-century.
Several other priests from religious orders who either served in the archdiocese or lived there have also been accused of abuses.
The church has declined to publicly name all of the accused.
A grand jury that has spent three years investigating abuse within the Philadelphia Archdiocese has identified more than 50 abusers and is expected to release a comprehensive report soon.