Ripples from Tuesday’s devastating grand jury report about the predatory sexual practices of Roman Catholic priests in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania have spread to Canada.
The Roman Catholic Church covered up its priests’ abuse of children in Pennsylvania for decades, according to a grand jury report released this week. It delves into seven decades of sexual abuse and coverups in six Catholic dioceses in the state. (cbc.ca)
CBC News says the report shows that at least seven priests were sent for treatment at the Southdown Institute in Ontario.
The facility, which specializes in rehab for priests, was located in the town Aurora until 2013 when it moved to the village of Holland Landing
Reporter Mark Gollam writes that the grand jury report also reveals cases where abuses are said to have occurred in Canada.
Gollam reports that one priest is alleged to have assaulted two boys in a Toronto hotel room while on a retreat and “another priest is alleged to taken a trip with a boy to Canada, slept in the same bed with him and served him alcohol.”
The Southdown Institute (above) was located in the town Aurora until 2013 when it moved to the village of Holland Landing. (southdown.on.ca)
The CBC story says the grand jury also cites investigations into unnamed priests conducting sado-macochistic rituals in a number of places, including Canada and investigations into abuse in other locations that include Canada.
The report released in the Pennsylvania capital of Harrisburg by state Attorney General John Shapiro, says hundreds of priests molested more than 1,000 children and very possibly more, beginning in the 1940s an that church officials covered up the abuse.
The Vatican is calling the abuse “criminal and morally reprehensible.”
With files from CBC, CTV, AP, BBC, New York Times, Esquire
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