Pennsylvania bishops mostly silent on prosecutor’s challenge

(Harrisburg) — Reeling from a landmark grand jury report on child sexual abuse, the leadership of Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic Church is under pressure to support a change in state law to give those victims a temporary opportunity to file lawsuits on decades-old abuse claims.

Bishops successfully fought such a change in recent years even as several other states opened such windows to let victims sue, raising the prospect of massive payouts.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro challenged the bishops to support the change immediately.

In the days since the report, the bishops have expressed sorrow about the horrific findings and said the church today deals swiftly with priests who abuse children.

But the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, which speaks for all the state’s dioceses, says the “time to discuss legislation will come later.”