“Attorney Gina Maisto Smith has taken on the task of performing an independent investigation into the twenty-one.
The 2005 & 2011 Grand Jury Reports, which provide the only unvarnished truth, were the result of ordinary citizens looking at the evidence presented by witnesses who had to swear to tell the truth.
It would have been best if the Archdiocese had cooperated fully with the District Attorney’s Office, instead of WITHOLDING files on many of the 37 still in ministry, as the 2011 Grand Jury Report states.
Here is where Smith is going to be hampered. She is being told, apparently, that all of the Archdiocese’s files are open to her.
Here are some questions she might want to ask Cardinal Rigali:
1.When you say files, do you mean ordinary files, or secret archive files, or super-secret archive files?
2.When you say all, do you mean all of the files I need to determine the truth or all of the files you think I need?
(We know for a fact that John Jay College was not permitted to see many secret archive files by bishops across the country when it conducted an investigation into abuse for the United States Conference of Bishops.)
3.How many files involving accused priests have Cardinal Krol, Bevilacqua, and you sent through diplomatic channels to the Vatican, as has been the practice in many dioceses? How do I get them back?
4.Will I have full access to all priests who have ever served in the Archdiocese to corroborate victims’ stories, or provide fresh evidence?
Will they be required to tell the full truth about theirs and their colleagues’ activities, including swimming naked with local school boys on a regular basis at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary?
Or does their silence to date prove that they understand they must observe the rule against scandal?
5.Am I limited in my investigation to only this twenty-one? What happens if I learn of other perpetrators?
6.Do I get to use the dictionary definition of credible or yours?
7.Will my report be made public or will it only be read by you and your attorneys?
8.What role will the statute of limitations play in your decision whether to follow my recommendations?
9.While I am investigating nearly two dozen credibly alleged child abusers in ministry on your watch, will your LOBBYISTS continue to spend parishioners’ donations on fighting child sex abuse STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS reform for all child sex abuse victims in the Pennsylvania legislature?
ouch......
Good questions and the only real way to weed out these sick perverts and those that cover for them.
Not only will this "investigation" by the church at Rome be hindered, thwarted and stymied by the Vatican, but it's prudent to wonder just how "independent" an investigation led by someone named "Gina Maisto" will be.
The fact this person was hired by the RCC tells us that her results should be considered only AFTER reading the two Grand Jury reports.