Justice Department Launches Federal Probe Into Pennsylvania Church Sex-Abuse

In Pennsylvania at least six Roman Catholic DIE-O-SEES (dioceses) are under investigation over child sex abuse claims. These cases were apparently covered up by the church for decades. The statewide probe is believed to be the first of its kind opened by the US Justice Department. And it marks a new climate for the nation, one where the church is facing unprecedented scrutiny. The DIE-O-SEES (dioceses) that received SUH-PEE-NAS (subpoenas) are based in: Philadelphia, Erie, Harrisburg, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Greensburg and Allentown. The federal probe is a result of a bombshell grand jury report coming from Pennsylvania a few months ago. It accused over three hundred predator priests across the state for sexual abuse. The report identified at least one thousand child victims and revealed that Church officials were complicit in a decades-long cover-up. Some DIE-O-SEES (dioceses) were not surprised with the findings. One from Greensburg said in a statement, quote: “This subpoena is no surprise considering the horrific misconduct detailed in the statewide grand jury report.” Co-director of Bishop Accountability dot org, Anne Barret-Doyle, said “This is a first. Federal law enforcement has been awfully silent on the Catholic abuse problem, and it's about time.” Although the investigation gives hope to those affected, there are still major roadblocks. We have interviewed multiple lawyers dealing with child sex abuse cases. The number one legal barrier that blocks prosecutors from charging someone, is the number of years after a crime is committed. It’s termed as the statute of limitations, and its different in every state. Since two thousand and two, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests had asked the federal government three times for a nationwide investigation. They had amassed accusations of sexual predation on some fifteen thousand of active and retired Catholic clergymen. Yet many of the cases mentioned in the recent grand jury report took place around the seventies. That means they were too old to revisit under the criminal law. The current investigation was first reported by the Associated Press on Wednesday, but so far a department of justice spokeswoman told us that they cannot confirm, deny or comment on the existence or non-existence of such a probe. In total, about thirteen states have announced their own investigations into child sex abuse allegations within the Roman Catholic church.