After grand jury report, a flurry of new tips emerge on clergy sex abuse
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Aug. 19, 2018
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2018/08/19/Pennsylvania-catholic-church-diocese-clergy-priests-child-sex-abuse-grand-jury/stories/201808170163
HARRISBURG Almost as soon as the phone number flashed onscreen at a press conference about the blistering grand jury report examining Roman Catholic dioceses, calls began pouring into the clergy abuse hotline.
The staff of state Attorney General Josh Shapiro shuffled workers around, pulling in specially trained agents from its Child Predator unit to help sift through tips about misdeeds by religious officials.
By weeks end, 17 people were staffing the hotline and they had received more than 300 calls and emails and the number was still growing. It was the single largest surge in calls since the line was created two years ago, following a similarly scathing report.
Our agents will call and speak to every person who has called the hotline, hear the facts and investigate where appropriate, Joe Grace, a spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office, which staffs the line, said Friday.
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Current Pennsylvania law allows criminal charges in some cases, depending on how long ago the incident happened, to be filed up until the victims 50th birthday.
There is one bill in the state legislature that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations in most future cases in effect, adopting one of the grand jurys key recommendations. Such efforts have stalled in past, as they often get tied to controversial measures that would also offer windows for older survivors to sue a measure championed by victims advocates by staunchly opposed by the church and insurance industry, who have argued it could deliver a crushing financial blow.
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House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, has promised to bring the bill up for a vote when the House returns this fall, noting that it will likely be revised based on the grand jurys recommendations. Its too early to know exactly what the revised bill will look like.
In the meantime, the attorney generals office will continue to field calls and emails relating to clergy abuse. In addition to their normal hours, agents are scheduled to work in the evenings and through this weekend.
It is our plan to be responsive to every single call, Grace said.
Anyone with information can contact the Clergy Abuse Hotline by calling 888-538-8541 (a toll-free number) or sending an email to info@attorneygeneral.gov.
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