Philadelphia, USA - Leaders of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, including two cardinals, concealed sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests for four decades, a grand jury has found, but no criminal charges can be brought against the church or its clergy because of the limits of state law.
The grand jury, convened more than three years ago, issued a scathing report Wednesday that documents assaults by more than 60 priests. It alleges a coverup by the late Cardinal John Krol, archbishop of Philadelphia from 1961-88, and his successor, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who retired in 2003.
'To protect themselves from negative publicity or expensive lawsuits -- while keeping abusive priests active -- the cardinals and their aides hid the priests' crimes from parishioners, police and the general public,'' the report said.
The grand jury explored the possibility of charges against the archdiocese, but said the organization can't be prosecuted because it is an unincorporated association rather than a corporation.
'Archdiocese leaders have endangered and harmed children in parishes and schools by keeping known abusers in ministry and transferring discovered abusers to assignments where parents and potential victims are unaware of the priests' sexual'' behavior, the report said.
The report names 63 priests ''whose abusive behavior was well-documented in archdiocese files and by witnesses who testified'' before the grand jury.
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham convened the grand jury investigation in April 2002 amid a nationwide scandal. In the Philadelphia area, church officials have said that 44 priests had been ''credibly'' accused of sexual assaults since the 1950s, but only one priest in the archdiocese has been indicted.
''The evidence is clear. This reaches the top -- the very top of our archdiocese,'' Abraham said at a news conference.
A call to the archdiocese's offices was not immediately returned.
At least 11 grand juries nationwide have completed investigations of dioceses in the past three years. No criminal charges have been filed against bishops concerning their failures to rein in sexually abusive priests.