INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
Indianapolis Star
August 15, 2018
By Crystal Hill
A Catholic bishop in northern Indiana was made aware of — and reported — sexual abuse allegations against two Roman Catholic priests, but warned in both cases that a “scandal” could arise if the information became public.
Rev. Kevin Rhoades, bishop of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Catholic Diocese, is named in a recently-released Grand Jury report that details sexual abuse allegations against more than 300 Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania.
The blistering Grand Jury report details how the church handled the reporting of the abuse allegations, and said officials were more interested in protecting abusers and their own reputations than caring for victims.
More than 1,000 young victims were identifiable from the church’s own records, the report says.
“The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid scandal,” the report says. “Priests were raping little boys and girls and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing: They hid it all.”
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