This editorial is from January 2008. Note: PA State Rep Lisa Bennington decided to serve only one term and is no longer in Harrisburg. Act 107 passed and has expanded the statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges, increases the likelihood of victims coming forward. The very first case was dismissed (last March) due to the District Attorney not "understanding" the law. The question stands, what exactly is going on in Pennsylvania? Or as Mike Ference has asked:
Is Pennsylvania a Pro-Pedophile State?
You be the judge
By Mike Ference
PA State Rep. Lisa Bennington, D-Allegheny County, held a press on
May 12 in Harrisburg, PA to discuss House Bill 1137, legislation known
as the Child Victim’s Act of Pennsylvania, which addresses statute of
limitations and identifying sex abusers.
If the bill passes, it would change the age at which a civil suit
could be filed from until the accuser is 30 to 50, bringing the civil
statute of limitations in line with the criminal statute. The bill
would also suspend the civil statute of limitations for two years in
child sex abuse cases in which the statute has expired so that people
over the age limit could file a suit. And it would allow the filing of
such actions against child sex abusers and their enablers in both
public and private institutions.
According to Bennington, it’s the private institutions where
offenders have been allowed to move on and continue with their lives.
“Their victims have been left behind to pick up the pieces, never
getting their day in court and or a chance to see justice carried out.
They live with this horrific crime for the rest of their lives,” she
points o
ut.
A 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury Report uncovered 63 priests in the
Philadelphia archdiocese who had abused hundreds of children over
several decades. In some cases, archdiocese leaders intentionally
concealed the abuse to protect the church.
And Bennington stresses, her bill does not target the Catholic
Church. Rather, “it pertains to all religious institutions, public
schools, youth groups and any organization where child sex abuse has
occurred. This bill would give all Pennsylvania victims their
fundamental right to hold those accountable that afflicted or allowed
the abuse to occur.”
Sounds reasonable and seems like a good thing. Similar legislation
has passed in California and Delaware in recent years. In California,
about 1,000 victims came forward and 300 predators were identified.
Yet, there’s one PA lawmaker who strongly opposes the legislation and
doesn’t even intend to give the bill a hearing.
State Rep. Thomas R.Caltagirone D., (Berks County), the House
Judiciary Committee chairman, says the proposed bill is driven by
victims’ desire to win large legal payouts. Caltagirone goes on to say
the bill is all about money, not about justice.
Ironically, Caltagirone was quick to vote with fellow legislators
for a 50 percent increase in their pensions in 2001 and the infamous
middle of the night pay raise in 2005. The state rep along with other
lawmakers chose to take the self-induced pay grab immediately in
unvouchered expenses. M
any PA residents felt this made the elected
officials look like money-hungry crooks, as it was eventually declared
unconstitutional.
As expected, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference deplores the bill.
Choosing to continue to protect perverted priests, rather than seek
justice. Likewise, the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania is also
against the bill. And while Caltagirone has officially declared HB1137
dead, his puppy-protection bill seems to be racing for the finish line.
Could the PA state rep be more concerned about protecting puppies
than innocent children abused as sex toys by grown men and women? His
recently unveiled, HB 2532 which would forbid dog owners from
performing surgery on their pups went before the Judiciary Committee on
May 14 and could be voted on as early as June 10.
As someone who has been investigating clergy abuse in Pennsylvania
for almost 20 years, this writer can’t help but thing that something is
amiss.
On the eastern side of the commonwealth of PA the Philadelphia
District Attorney’s office issued a scathing report on the Archdiocese
of Philadelphia for the high level of sexual abuse among Catholic
priests and the cover ups and the reassigning of credibly accused
Catholic priests by Cardinals Bevilacqua and Krol and their aides. It
should be noted that Bevilacqua first served as Bishop of the
Pittsburgh Diocese before his transfer to Philadelphia. Insiders claim
Bevilacqua left his successor, Donald Wuerl, quite a mess.
For example, while Bevilacqua was still assigned to the Pittsburgh
Diocese he agreed to place Fr. John P. Connor, an admitted child
molester first within the Pittsburgh Diocese and later, after
Bevilacqua took over in Philadelphia Fr. Connor was assigned there.
According to testimony in the Philadelphia Grand Jury the arrangement
was based on a “tradition of bishops helping bishops.” Sadly, Fr.
Connor went on to abuse others and Bevilacqua was found to be a liar
according to the grand jury report.
One has to wonder why the Pittsburgh Diocese voluntarily settled
with 32 alleged survivors of clergy abuse. $1.25 million for crimes the
Pittsburgh Diocese will never have to admit ever occurred. The
settlement would not tarnish the stellar reputation of Archbishop
Donald Wuerl who never had to pay a dime to any clergy abuse victims
during his tenure as bishop in the Pittsburgh Diocese.
Oddly enough, an underling – so to speak – Auxiliary Bishop Bradley
reconciled the situation, only weeks before Bishop David Zubik was to
be installed as the new leader of the diocese. So it seems everything
fell into place.
32 survivors received a few bucks, the diocese is off the hook for
any future civil or maybe even criminal suits based on the settlement.
Wuerl continues to do in Washington D.C. whatever it is that
Archbishops do and Zubik was allowed to get a fresh start in the
Pittsburgh Diocese without the interference of those civil suits that
were resting in20limbo for several years.
The settling of the civil suits certainly allowed for an impressive
and dignified installation of Bishop Zubik, no hecklers or
demonstrators from any groups with compassion for children sexually
abused by Catholic priests.
And, although I have no proof, nor anyway to calculate, I would be
willing to bet the farm that more money was spent on Zubik’s
festivities than was awarded to 32 survivors of alleged abuse by
Catholic priests from the Pittsburgh Diocese. No big deal, the worst is
over.
Unless of course, somewhere down the road – maybe a year, a few
months, a couple of weeks, or perhaps in the next few days –
information turns up that the cases of sexual abuse actually occurred
and that cover ups were the norm in the Pittsburgh Diocese just like
cover ups and shifting priests from parish to parish was the norm in
the archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Anyone with a little common sense would be concerned that a man of
the cloth might be tempted to hide crimes of clergy sexual abuse of
young children only on the eastern side of the commonwealth of PA and
not the western side as well.
That’s a lot of ifs ands or buts – only time will tell if
Pennsylvania is indeed a pro-pedophile state. For now it’s three cheers
for Rep Bennington and HB 1137 as for Rep. Caltagirone – one politician
who obviously cares more about dogs than children – maybe it9s time for
the law maker to rollover and play dead.
Mike Ference is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker and amateur
investigative reporter who has been probing clergy abuse in
Pennsylvania for almost 20 years. He’s currently sharing details about
his investigation with Pennsylvania State Trooper John Woodruff. Is a
formal investigation forthcoming? Only time will tell. Mike Ference may
be reached at 412-233-5491 or email him at Ference@icubed.
