The Vatican has called the sex abuse described in a grand jury report in Pennsylvania "criminal and morally reprehensible."
In a statement released late Thursday, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said "those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and faith."
He said that victims should know that Pope Francis is on their side.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse faults Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the former longtime bishop of Pittsburgh, over his handling of abusive priests. One of those accused priests was transferred to the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas and served at St. Anne's in Las Vegas.
The report, created after a two-year investigation, says Wuerl approved transfers for priests instead of removing them from ministry, oversaw inadequate church investigations and concealed information when priests were reported to law enforcement.
The report says Father Ernest Paone was ordained in 1957 and was assigned to five separate parishes within the first nine years of his ministry, including the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas.
On page 223, the report says:
“However, despite Wuerl's summary of the serious and criminal nature of the problem to the Vatican, Diocesan records revealed that Wuerl granted Paone' s request to be reassigned again on October 22, 1991. This time, Paone was permitted to transfer to the Diocese of Reno - Las Vegas to serve as the Parochial Vicar at a local parish.”
Paone retired from active ministry in February 2003.
The report adds, "Wuerl accepted Paone's resignation from ministry. Wuerl wrote a letter acknowledging Paone's request while providing assurance that 'sustenance needs and benefits will continue according to the norms of the law.' Approximately 41 years after the Diocese learned that Paone was sexually assaulting children, he was finally retired from active ministry. In spite of Wuerl's statements to the Vatican, the clear and present threat that Paone posed to children was hidden and kept secret from parishioners in three states. Wuerl's statements had been meaningless without any action." (page 229)
We've called the Diocese of Reno for a comment. They gave us this statement:
It was reported in the Grand Jury report in Pennsylvania of allegations towards Fr. Ernest Paone, and it was noted that he had served in the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas.
Fr. Ernest Paone, a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, requested to serve in the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas after serving a number of years in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Fr. Paone served at St. Anne’s in Las Vegas for one month, from February of 1992 to March of 1992. He then requested to return to Los Angeles for health issues.
Fr. Paone was never a priest of the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas. There was no prior information provided to Bishop Walsh of any past allegations until 1994, two years after Fr. Paone had left the diocese. We have no record of any allegations made during his one month of service in the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas. Fr. Paone died in 2012.
Bishop Randolph Calvo and the Diocese of Reno, with great pain, have heard of the Grand Jury Report from Pennsylvania and the terrible injury to so many innocent young people. The Diocese remains diligent in enforcing our Safe Environment protocols and the protection of our children and vulnerable adults
The grand jury report also says Wuerl advised parishes not to publicly announce or acknowledge complaints, and offered financial support to priests who were accused and later resigned.
The report states, "These examples are not meant to be exhaustive; rather, they provide a window into the conduct of past Pennsylvania Bishops and the crimes they permitted to occur on their watch. In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the acts of Ernest Paone, George Zirwas, and Richard Zula speak for themselves."
Wuerl, who leads the Washington archdiocese and is one of the highest-profile cardinals in the United States, disputes some of the allegations in the report.
He says in a statement Tuesday that he "acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse."
The grand jury says its investigation of clergy sexual abuse identified more than 1,000 child victims, over a span of about 70 years.
The grand jury report released Tuesday says that number comes from records in six Roman Catholic dioceses. The grand jury says it believes the "real number" of abused children might be "in the thousands" since some records were lost and victims were afraid to come forward. The report says more than 300 clergy committed the abuse, actually calling them "predator priests."
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says the probe found a systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania - and at the Vatican.
The grand jury scrutinized abuse allegations in dioceses that minister to more than half the state's 3.2 million Catholics.
Charges have been filed against two priests accused of abusing minors. But in most cases the statute of limitations have run out and are too old to be prosecuted.
(The Associated Press, CBS News contributed to this report.)
