Shapiro asks lawmakers to help abuse victims

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro is not going away. Neither are the victims of child sexual abuse.

Josh Shapiro is not going away.

Neither are the victims of child sexual abuse.

The man who led the grand jury report that blew the lid off another ugly pattern of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in six Pennsylvania archdioceses was back in front of the microphones Tuesday.

The grand jury’s damning findings – that more than 300 priests abused more than a thousand children – all while the church hierarchy adhered to a policy clearly geared to protecting problem priests, and more importantly, the church, have once again roiled the faithful.

But there was another aspect of the grand jury report that has not received as much attention.

The grand jury clearly recommended something many in the state have been pushing for years, opening a window for victims of decades-old sexual abuse to seek civil redress against their attackers.

Under current state law, victims seeking to file a civil action against their abusers must act by the time they are 30. The problem with that is most experts agree it often takes victims much longer than that to come forward, long after both the civil and criminal statute of limitations has expired.

The grand jury recommended creating a two-year window for victims of childhood abuse to file suit.

Legislation passed by the Senate would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal charges, which currently expires when a victim turns 50, as well as expanding the window to bring civil actions from the time a victim turns 30 to the age of 50 – but only for future cases.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, himself a victim of abuse by a priest as a child, is vowing to add an amendment when the bill is taken up by the House that would offer that two-year window to past victims.

The push is supported by Shapiro, Gov. Tom Wolf and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. It has been vehemently opposed by the church and the insurance industry.

Recently House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, has indicated he thinks his chamber will approve the two-year window when it returns to session next week. That would put it back in the hands of the Senate, where some members have wondered if it would pass constitutional muster, and instead are pushing for a victims’ fund set up by the church and administered by a third party.

Shapiro made clear where he stands.

“They can stand with the work done by the grand jury, or stand with the phony excuses created by institutions that Harrisburg has kowtowed to for so long,” the attorney general said at the Norristown press conference. “This is a real chance, where lawmakers have to choose between powerful lobbyists and the powerful people in their communities.”

The expanded window for civil actions was not the only recommendation made by the grand jury. They also urged strengthening the penalties for failing to report abuse, a clear shot across the bow of church leaders who for years covered up findings and even moved problem priests from one parish to another.

Legislators sponsoring measures that would adopt the grand jury findings also were at the press conference.

So was Mary McHale. A nurse from Reading, she was sexually abused by a priest as a student at Reading Central Catholic High School in the 1980s. When she saw news reports years later of her attacker being linked to another victim, she decided to take action. She testified before the grand jury.

She had a warning for legislators.

“If these people vote for this bill, they stand with the victims,” she said at the press conference. “And if they vote against it, they stand with pedophiles and those who hurt children.”

Shapiro said it is for victims like McHale and thousands of others that the Legislature needs to act.

He knows it will not happen without a fight.

“I fully expect that they will bring all their powerful lobbyists and all their tricks of the trade out next week to try to convince (legislators) to do the wrong thing and to stand against survivors, to stand with powerful institutions,” Shapiro said.

“I have confidence the Pennsylvania House will do the right thing and that the Senate will follow suit and will adopt all four of these grand jury recommendations.”

We’re about to find out.