In horrifying testimony in Pennsylvania, the grand jury heard from over 1,000 adults who had been sexually molested by their Catholic priests. The grand jury found that at least 301 ‘predator’ priests were guilty — but the statute of limitations for bringing criminal investigations has run out on all the cases.

In one case, a priest rinsed a boy’s mouth with holy water after abusing him while another priest allegedly told a boy he was fondling that it was OK because he was ‘an instrument of God.’

Another priest told a young boy that he ‘had to provide sex to get into Heaven.’

“When you have the priest touching you every day, you know, that’s a hard memory to have,” Sean Dougherty, 48, said. “You’re being groomed to get used to a grown man’s hands, you know, on you, regularly. This is not a vendetta against the church. We’re called survivors for a reason,” he added.

The church has a long history of covering up crimes committed by priests but isn’t about time some of these individuals were prosecuted?

 

Currently, the law in Pennsylvania allows child victims of sexual crimes to pursue criminal charges against their abusers until age 50, and they can file civil lawsuits until age 30, but a bill before the House would eliminate the time limit for prosecutions and move the lawsuit ceiling to age 50.
Though similar bills have died in the House before the outrage generated by this Grand Jury investigation may be the one to push it through.