PENNSYLVANIA
Lehigh Valley Live
By Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com
The Diocese of Allentown this week affirmed its commitment to helping bring to justice those within its ranks who abuse minors.
Bishop John O. Barres issued a statement Sunday saying the division of the Roman Catholic church is cooperating in a new Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office inquiry into handling of allegations of abuse.
Diocese of Allentown spokesman Matt Kerr would not previously confirm the diocese’s involvement in the grand jury investigation, or say if the diocese was subpoenaed.
Six Pennsylvania dioceses are under investigation, Barres wrote in the letter to parishioners, posted on the diocesan website. The inquiry follows the Allentown Diocese’s cooperation in 2002 with district attorneys from the five counties that make up the diocese, during which records were shared of priests against whom allegations of abuse of minors had been leveled.
“Since then, we have notified the relevant district attorneys of claims of abuse,” Barres wrote. “The state attorney general’s office has subpoenaed our records on all possible abusers, and we are in the process of turning over that material. …
“The Diocese of Allentown is committed to the protection and safety of the children and young people entrusted to its care. To this end, it is the policy of the Diocese of Allentown to cooperate with law enforcement. We will cooperate with the attorney general’s office just as we have cooperated with the district attorneys.”
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