Bishop says he is not blocking priest abuse report

The Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown says he is not attempting to block the release of a grand jury report on alleged priest sexual abuse in Pennsylvania Dioceses.

Bishop Alfred A. Schlert said in a letter Friday that the Diocese of Allentown has done nothing to delay the report’s release or supported anyone who is trying to do so.

“The information it contains will be difficult to hear. However, this information does need to be heard, and it needs to be used by all of us to accomplish our shared goal: the elimination of child abuse in the Church and wherever it occurs in society.

The letter was issued as many have called for the state Supreme Court to lift its indefinite stay on a grand jury report on clergy abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including Allentown. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, several news organizations, and a man who accused a now-defrocked priest of molesting him as a 13-year-old have all filed legal actions to have the report unsealed.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was delaying publication as it accepted written arguments this week from current and former priests objecting to being named in the report.

The 900-page report contains the findings from a two-year investigation into abuse in six dioceses — Erie, Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown and Scranton. Victim advocates say it could be the most exhaustive examination by any state of clergy abuse.

Schlert said that the diocese has cooperated with the grand jury and Attorney General throughout the investigation which produced the report.

Schlert has served as bishop since Aug. 31, 2017, when he replaced Bishop John Barres.

The letter acknowledged shortcomings in the diocese’s past handling of abuse, but stated that most incidents of abuse in the Allentown Diocese “date back decades” and that the priests involved are no longer active in ministry or have died.

Schlert said today if an allegation emerges, the diocese takes immediate action to notify law enforcement and remove the priest from ministry and emphasize transparency in cooperation with law enforcement.

“Victims and survivors are heard and cared for, perpetrators are held accountable, and children are protected,” he wrote.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.