Because the Archdiocesan Review Board Said So, That's Why!

I don't even understand what this is about. An archdiocesan review board said this was nonsense. You know how long those boards have been around? A looooong time brother. Long time. Better men than you have been caught by these boards. There's a diocese and an ARCHdiocese. You know what I mean?

You can't knock the Church. They recently let the Jews off the hook. I wrote about it here. They are compassionate people. How many priests ARE there in Philadelphia? What percentage of the priesthood does this represent there? It's hard for me to interpet this number without more information.

This kind of sounds like Wall Street. The priests are suspended without facing criminal charges. Guy steals $50 from a bakery and they put him UNDER the jail.

The Philadelphia District Attorney calls the suspension of 21 priests ‘unprecedented.’

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Tuesday the suspension from ministry of 21 priests cited by a Philadelphia Grand Jury report last month as ducking what the panel believed were credible accusations of abuse.

A statement issued by the Archdiocese says Cardinal Justin Rigali has suspended the priests from active ministry pending a further review of allegations of child sex abuse raised against the priests but dismissed by an archdiocesan review board which ruled those complaints not credible.

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams calls the move a good first step.

“Where those investigations go, and how they result will be more definitive of what the actions of the Archdiocese will be,” Williams said.

The announcement came on the eve of Ash Wednesday, the start of the Roman Catholic Church’s 40-day observance of Lent, a time of penance, prayer and sacrifice.

One Catholic journalist who is following the latest developments quotes one veteran priest as saying, “We are in the midst of an earthquake” as news of the removal of the priests began to circulate in the archdiocese Tuesday.

Also, due to the statute of limitations, none of the priests will face criminal charges.

[CBS Philadelphia]