PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholic News Agency
Philadelphia, Pa., May 4, 2012 / 12:38 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has announced a resolution in the cases of eight priests placed on leave after a grand jury report last year, removing five of them from ministry permanently.
“The decisions announced today reflect our commitment to protect children, assist victims, restore the integrity of the priesthood and provide evidence to the broader community that it can have confidence in these outcomes,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput told reporters at a May 4 press conference.
A total of 26 priests were suspended from ministry by Archbishop Chaput’s predecessor, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, in response to allegations of sex abuse or inappropriate behavior in a 2011 grand jury report.
On Friday, Archbishop Chaput announced that three of these priests had been “found suitable for ministry,” after a review by an archdiocesan board that was reformed in response to the grand jury findings.
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