In Philadelphia, fear of predatory priests

Three weeks after a scathing grand jury report accused the Philadelphia Archdiocese of providing haven for as many as 37 priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors, most of those priests remain active in the ministry.

The possibility that even one predatory priest, not to mention three dozen, might still be serving in parishes — “on duty in the archdiocese today, with open access to new young prey,’’ as the grand jury put it — has unnerved many Roman Catholics and sent the church reeling in the latest episode in the church since it became engulfed in the abuse scandal nearly a decade ago.

The extent of the scandal here, including a coverup that the grand jury said stretched over many years, is so great that Philadelphia is “Boston reborn,’’ said David J. O’Brien, who teaches Catholic history at the University of Dayton in Ohio, referring to the archdiocese where a public spotlight was shined on widespread sexual abuse in 2002.

Some parishioners say they are caught in a wave of anxiety.

“It’s a tough day to be a faith-filled Catholic,’’ Maria Shultz, 43, said after Mass last weekend in suburban Downingtown.

The church has not explained directly why these priests, most of whom were not publicly identified, are still active, though it is under intense pressure to do so.

Cardinal Justin Rigali initially said there were no active priests with substantiated allegations against them, but six days later, he placed three of them, whose alleged activities had been described in detail by the grand jury, on administrative leave.

He also hired an outside lawyer, Gina Maisto Smith, a former assistant district attorney who had prosecuted child sexual assault cases for 15 years, to lead a reexamination of the cases.

The grand jury said 20 of the active priests were accused of sexual abuse and 17 others were accused of “inappropriate behavior with minors.’’

Source