PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By L. Stuart Ditzen
Inquirer Staff Writer
In chilling detail, the report of the Philadelphia Investigating Grand Jury made public yesterday spells out "how dozens of priests sexually abused hundreds of children" and were "excused and enabled" by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its leaders.
"Sexually abusive priests were either left quietly in place or 'recycled' to unsuspecting new parishes - vastly expanding the number of children who were abused," the report said.
The grand jury documented cases of child sexual abuse by 63 priests going back decades. Its report includes 28 case studies, with names of victims changed to protect their privacy, in which priests allegedly raped, sodomized, fondled and masturbated their child victims. Here, from summaries in the report, are details of some of those cases:
Father Gana. "Father Stanley Gana, ordained in 1970, sexually abused countless boys in a succession of Philadelphia Archdiocese parishes. He was known to kiss, fondle, anally sodomize and impose oral sex on his victims. He took advantage of altar boys, their trusting families, and vulnerable teenagers with emotional problems... .
"Archdiocese officials were aware of the priest's criminality. At least two victims came forward in the 1990s..