PENNSYLVANIA
Bucks County Courier Times
By HARRY YANOSHAK
Bucks County Courier Times
BUCKS COUNTY - A Yardley resident and two other men claim in a lawsuit that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia "turned a blind eye'' to their claims that they were sexually abused as boys by the then-pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Lower Makefield.
Joseph E. Lehman Jr. 37, and the two others claim in the suit filed Tuesday in Philadelphia that the archdiocese allowed pedophile priests, including James J. Brzyski, who was recently defrocked for child abuse, to remain in their positions after allegations of sex abuse were made.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham released a scathing grand jury report that documented child sexual abuse by "at least" 63 priests. Abraham's office, however, decided not to prosecute the individuals because statutes of limitations have expired.
The lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the three men said the statute of limitations hasn't run out because the archdiocese had covered up the abuse.