Nine of the catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, including the Greensburg Catholic Diocese support an idea of an independent and voluntary “compensation program” for survivors of sexual abuse, but they also say they would not support allowing victims of sexual abuse by clergy to set aside the statute of limitations so they can sue the church on old claims of abuse.
According to a joint statement by the nine dioceses, their main concern is the financial health of the individual dioceses and churches, saying that giving people a two-year “retroactive window” to pursue lawsuits they can’t file under the current statute of limitations could mean massive payouts by the churches, and that could lead to bankruptcy. In the statement, they say that a bad financial position “would cripple the ability of a diocese to provide compensation and healing for survivors” and would also cut back on or get rid of some social service programs that benefit many others.
The statute of limitations exemption is being proposed by some in state government. Bishop Edward Malesic of the Greensburg Catholic Diocese, which serves parts of Indiana County, said that he wanted the joint statement made by the churches to stand as his own statement.
