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Grand Jury Report: Pa. Catholic Church Leaders Pressured Victims, Cops Over Abuse

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A soon-to-be-released grand jury report on clergy sex abuse in six Pennsylvania Roman Catholic dioceses says that church leaders in every part of the state "brushed aside" victim complaints to prevent scandals.

That finding and others from the grand jury were disclosed in a court filing made public Friday resolving one of many legal disputes over the report.

According to the document, the grand jury found that several diocesan administrators, including bishops, dissuaded victims from reporting abuse and sometimes pressured law enforcement to end or avoid investigations.

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The details were disclosed in a filing involving retired Erie Bishop Donald Trautman.

He dropped his challenge to the report's publication in its current form, after prosecutors agreed some of the report's broad claims were not specifically directed at him.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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