PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
'A continuous, concerted campaign of cover-up'
Many of us are Catholic. We have the greatest respect for the faith, and for the good works of the Church. But the moral principles on which it is based, as well as the rules of civil law under which we operate, demanded the truth be told.
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Some may be tempted to describe these events as tragic. Tragedies such as tidal waves, however, are outside human control. What we have found were not acts of God, but of men who acted in His name and defiled it.
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Grand jurors heard evidence proving that Cardinals Bevilacqua and Krol, and their aides, were aware that priests in the diocese were perpetrating massive amount of child molestations and sexual assaults. The Archdiocese's own files reveal a steady stream of reports and allegations... . In many cases, the same priests were reported again and again.
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fter reviewing thousands of documents from Archdiocese files and hearing... from over a hundred witnesses, we, the Grand Jurors, were taken aback by the extent of sexual exploitation within the Philadelphia Archdiocese.