Spoiler: Archdiocese Still Fails to Protect Children
The questions below come up again and again in parish parking lots, comment sections, and at kitchen tables. Here are the answers, along with three things you can do in five minutes or less to protect children.
Why single out the Catholic Church?
Child sexual abuse can persist in any institution that puts its reputation ahead of children. What makes the Archdiocese of Philadelphia different is that three grand juries exposed how it happened here. And, Archdiocesan leadership consists of priests, anointed representatives of Christ. An institution with this horrific record, run by men in this spiritual role, should strive to set the highest bar for prevention. It does not. The Archdiocese operates in secrecy and refuses to publicly name all accused priests, unlike other dioceses.
Rather than do the hard work of cleaning up the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s reputation through meaningful change, Archbishop Perez hides behind a new name: the Catholic Church of Philadelphia. His shortcut-and-subterfuge strategy builds on the tragic past and promises a devastating future.
Has the Archdiocese followed the 2011 Grand Jury recommendations?
No. The Archdiocesan leadership, under both Archbishop Charles Chaput and Archbishop Nelson Perez, has not followed the recommendations laid out in the 2011 Philadelphia Grand Jury Report. And, new allegations and settlements continue to surface.
In October 2023, Father Armand Garcia was charged with the rape of an altar server at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the Andorra section of Philadelphia. In a non-negotiated plea deal, Garcia pleaded guilty to the corruption of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor. In her impact statement, the survivor expressed that her family had cut all ties with both the parish and the Catholic Church because, as she stated, “no one thought to intervene.”
In that same year, the Archdiocese paid a $3.5 million settlement concerning the 2006 rape of a 14-year-old altar boy at St. Katherine of Siena Parish in Wayne. This incident involved a priest whom the Archdiocese had investigated twice and subsequently cleared. Unfortunately, there are more instances of such cases, including some that have not received public attention.
Why does the Archdiocese investigate priests?
Pennsylvania law requires specific professionals, including clergy, to report suspected child abuse immediately to law enforcement. However, civil authorities are often handcuffed by the statute of limitations (SOL). Police don’t investigate allegations that fall outside the SOL, as such cases can’t be prosecuted.
The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, created by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002 and revised in 2018, provides a framework for dioceses to investigate any allegations of clergy sex abuse and boundary violations.
A bishop-appointed investigator collects information regarding the allegation and shares it with a bishop-appointed independent review board, ideally composed of professionals in related fields. The board advises the bishop, who ultimately decides a course of action.
During investigations, many dioceses place alleged clergy abusers on restricted status and provide public notice to protect the community. This notice may also prompt other victims to come forward with more information.
In the Philadelphia Archdiocese, some investigations still occur in secrecy, with the accused priest remaining in ministry without notification, public or otherwise. This leaves parents in the dark and kids at risk. It’s important to note that a layperson would not be granted the same “grace.”
Why does this keep happening?
Grand juries, survivor advocates, and even Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI have pointed to the following overlapping root causes.
Clericalism – the belief that priests occupy a higher spiritual status that places them above ordinary accountability.
Structural secrecy – Canon law requires every diocese to keep a “secret archive” of clerical misconduct accessible only to the bishop. This predates modern child-protection norms and remains in force. (Code of Canon Law, Canon 489)
Lack of democratic accountability – Bishops answer upward to Rome, not downward to the laity they serve. The laity cannot remove a bishop or priest.
Loopholes – Archdiocesan priests take a vow of obedience to their bishop. This gives a bishop near-total authority and puts any priest who wants to sound an alarm in conflict with his vow. Contrary to common belief, diocesan priests do not take a vow of celibacy. (Code of Canon Law, Canon 273)
The three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience bind only religious-order priests (Jesuits, Oblates, Salesians, and others), who answer to their order rather than the diocesan bishop. This is why victims abused by religious order priests were not included in the Archdiocesan Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program (IRRP).
Institutional self-protection – the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury documented an institutional “playbook” used across dioceses to conceal abuse.
Settlements that silence. Survivors who accepted IRRP compensation had to waive their right to sue, even if laws change, thereby closing off a discovery process that would allow the public to learn the evidence.
The Archdiocese paid settlements. Isn’t that enough?
Between 2018 and 2022, the Archdiocesan IRRP paid about $78.5 million to 438 survivors. But critics, including survivor advocates and legal scholar Marci Hamilton, point out that at the same time, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference was lobbying Harrisburg to make sure survivors could never take their claims to open court. Survivors who accepted reparations payments signed away their right to ever sue.
The criminal statute of limitations in Pennsylvania was eliminated in 2019 for future child sex abuse cases. Civilly, the deadline is now age 55. But if the abuse happened before roughly 1990 and the survivor is now over 55, current Pennsylvania law still bars a civil suit. That is exactly what the proposed two-year lookback window (HB 462 / HB 464) would fix.
A lookback window is a short period, usually two years, during which survivors whose old deadlines have passed can file civil lawsuits. More than 20 states have passed one. PA has not. An earlier effort was derailed in 2021 by a clerical error inside the State Department. As of 2026, HB 462 and HB 464 have passed the Pennsylvania House but remain stalled in the state Senate.
It is never too late for survivors to seek support or speak out. Report to law enforcement or ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
Is it safe to send my kid to Catholic school?
Since 2002, every diocese in the U.S. has been required to run safe-environment training, background checks, and mandatory-reporter protocols. While these are good policies, they don’t address the root causes of clergy child sex abuse outlined above. Nor do they fulfill the recommendations of the Grand Jury Report.
What happens to credibly accused priests who aren’t charged?
In 2022, an alumnus of Radnor Middle School filed a recently settled civil suit against the Archdiocese, the Radnor Township School District, and the estate of his abuser, Father Raymond Leneweaver. For decades, Archdiocesan leadership documented the priest’s abuse of boys as young as 11, while moving him around. When his abuses became unmanageable, the Archdiocese sent Leneweaver on his way with a letter of recommendation. They paved the way for the sadistic pedophile to go on and teach in NJ and PA public schools, where he abused at least one more child, and God only knows how many more.
Credibly accused priests are often quietly moved out of parish ministry. Some may undergo inpatient treatment at St. John Vianney in Downingtown (across from Bishop Shanahan High School). Others are encouraged to voluntarily leave the priesthood to avoid a lengthy, formal public canonical trial that could result in laicization (defrocking). These men live and work out in our communities with no warnings, oversight, and sometimes with letters of recommendation.
How do I find out the status of a priest?
Visit archphila.org for the Archdiocese’s list of clergy with substantiated allegations. But don’t stop there because names are missing. Cross-check at BishopAccountability.org, an independent archive. The lists won’t match. In 2019, the Associated Press found that 45 accused Philadelphia clergy were missing from the Archdiocese’s public list. The Archdiocese continues to exclude names for “a variety of reasons.”
When I put money in the collection basket, am I paying for Church lobbyists and lawyers?
Yes. Money is fungible (interchangeable) inside any large organization.
I’m not Catholic. Why is this important to me?
Clergy child sex abuse and its cover-up impact everyone, not just Catholics.
1. The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania have spent more than a decade killing SOL reform in Harrisburg. The reforms their lobbyists block would protect every PA child and allow every survivor of abuse in PA their day in court, not just those who are Catholic.
2. Abusive priests who evade accountability are a threat to any child near them, Catholic or not.
3. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia runs schools, hospitals, and social-service agencies serving all kinds of people across five counties.
What will it take to get Archbishop Perez and the Catholic Church of Philadelphia to protect children?
How many damning Grand Jury Reports? Three weren’t enough. How many more Philly Catholics have to leave the Church? Over 50% wasn’t enough. How much money has to be spent on lawsuits and lobbying? Hundreds of millions weren’t enough. How many more abused children? Over a thousand wasn’t enough. There isn’t a hopeful answer to this question.
Three Five-Minute Ways to Protect Kids
Call or email your Pennsylvania state senator with one question: “Will you vote to pass a two-year civil lookback window, HB 462 or HB 464, for child sex abuse survivors?” Find yours at legis.state.pa.us. Senators count calls.
Share this Q&A via email and on social media. Print and pin it to a bulletin board. Hand it out at a PTO meeting.
If you suspect a child is being abused, call Pennsylvania ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 or law enforcement. Any adult can report. Callers can remain anonymous. You do not need proof; only reasonable suspicion is required.
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