Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1940-2016 · 76 years · show in timeline

Altoona-Johnstown 1940 to 2016: Grand jury found at least 50 offenders and hundreds of victims; bishops returned offenders to ministry and kept a price chart for silence

The 37th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury of Pennsylvania published its report on the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown on 1 March 2016. It documented child sexual abuse by at least 50 priests or religious leaders; hundreds of children had been victimised. Bishops James Hogan and Joseph Adamec, it found, placed the avoidance of scandal over the wellbeing of children and returned priests to ministry knowing what they had done. In the bishop's office there was a "Secret Archive" in a safe to which only the bishop had the key. Bishop Adamec had a chart drawn up that set a range of payment for each kind of abuse, up to 175,000 dollars. The grand jury calls the acts of offenders and bishops criminal, but they are time-barred.

Period
1940-2016 (76 years)
Country
United States
Institutions
Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
Bishop James Hogan
Bishop Joseph Adamec
Category
Sexual abuse, Cover-up
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?
Persons
James Hogan (Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown 1966 to 1986, according to the grand jury protected offenders instead of children)
Joseph Adamec (Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown, according to the grand jury had a price chart for payments to victims drawn up)

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. The grand jury documented child sexual abuse by at least 50 different priests or religious leaders in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. Hundreds of children had been victimised and thousands endangered by the mere presence of the offenders. Predator after predator came before the grand jury; each said it was the first time any law enforcement official had questioned him. In the case of one priest the victims were eight to thirteen years old; he favoured a group of boys whom other children called "Benderites".
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 12
    „The Grand Jury was able to document child sexual abuse by at least 50 different priests or religious leaders within the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 12. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 12
    „The evidence also demonstrated that hundreds of children have been victimized by religious leaders operating within the Diocese“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 12. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 12
    „Predator after predator came before the Grand Jury. Each indicated that it was the first time any law enforcement official had questioned them.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 12. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 17
    „Bender paid particularly close attention to a group of boys he favored.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 17. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 17
    „Other children referred to these boys as "Benderites".“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 17. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 17
    „The age range of Bender's victims spanned from _8 to 13 ·years of age.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 17. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 12
    „the mere presence of these child predators endangered thousands of children“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 12. Original

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. In the search, investigators found filing cabinets marked "Confidential Litigation Files" and a "Secret Archive": a safe in the bishop's office to which only the bishop had the key. About 115,042 documents were seized, among them handwritten memoranda of Bishop Hogan. In a memo of 1979 Hogan recorded that a ten-year-old had reported that Father Coleman invited little boys to spend the night at the rectory; the parents spoke of a possible criminal offence. According to his memo, Hogan assured them the matter would be dealt with appropriately.
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 10
    „This safe was under lock in which only the Bishop had the key.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 10. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 11
    „Approximately 115,042 documents were removed from the Diocese.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 11. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 39
    „The boy recounted that Father Coleman practiced "hypnosis"“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 39. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 39
    „would invite little boys to spend the night at the rectory“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 39. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 39
    „Assured that they did the right thing in coming, and that the matter will be dealt with appropriately.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 39. Original
  2. The grand jury finds the acts of the predator priests and of the bishops who enabled them to be criminal. They cannot, however, be prosecuted at this time, because the statute of limitations for many acts has expired and some victims are too deeply traumatised to testify.
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 146
    „The Grand Jury finds the acts of the predator priests and their enabling Bishops detailed in this rep01i to be criminal. However, they cannot be prosecuted at this time.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 146. Original

What happened to those affected?

  1. Many victims, according to the grand jury, attempted or contemplated suicide; they reported feeling "black inside". The mother of a victim, a devout Catholic, said the abuse of her son "ruined our lives". A victim wrote in a statement that the report places at its head: "I only called him Father".
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 146
    „Many victims in this investigation did or contemplated committing suicide.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 146. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 146
    „The devout Catholic mother said the sexual abuse of her son "ruined our lives."“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 146. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 4
    „I only called him "Father"“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 4. Original

Background

Who received the assets, who profited?

  1. According to the grand jury, Bishop Adamec had a pay-out chart drawn up, used as a guide for the diocese in the payment of claims and in the purchase of silence. It graded the amounts by the kind of abuse: fondling above clothing 10,000 to 25,000 dollars, under clothing 15,000 to 40,000, oral sex 25,000 to 75,000, sodomy and intercourse 50,000 to 175,000 dollars. The grand jury calls this cold bureaucracy. A church official, according to the report, said that victims should settle for what they can get.
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 119
    „Adamec created a pay-out chart. A guide used to direct the“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 119. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 120
    „judgments of the Diocese in the payment of claims and in the purchase of silence.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 120. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 120
    „I. Above clothli1g, genital fondling $10,000. - $25,000“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 120. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 120
    „IV. Sodomy; Intercourse $50,000 - $175,000“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 120. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 120
    „The Grand Jury notes the cold bureaucracy of this chart.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 120. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 147
    „Victims deserve the opportunity to seek a full and fair settlement, not as one Church official stated, "settle for what they can get."“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 147. Original

Response of the Church

  1. According to the grand jury, Bishops James Hogan and Joseph Adamec failed to protect the children entrusted to them and further endangered them, because they placed the avoidance of public scandal over the wellbeing of children. Priests were returned to ministry with full knowledge that they were child predators. Monsignor Philip Saylor told the grand jury about the power of the diocese under Hogan that in Johnstown he would basically pick the mayor and the chief of police; police and civil authorities often deferred to the diocese in matters involving priests.
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 6
    „Worse yet, these men took actions that further endai1gered children as they placed their desire to avoid public scandal over the wellbeing of innocent children.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 6. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 6
    „Priests were returned to ministry with full knowledge they were child predators.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 6. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 103
    „For example, in Johnstown I would basically pick the mayor; I would pick the chief of police.“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 103. Original
    Evidence: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, S. 103
    „where priests were involved with misconduct the police and civil authorities would often defer to the Diocese“
    A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), S. 103. Original

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General: A Report of the Thirty-Seventh Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown), 1 March 2016. Original (retrieved 30 Oct 2026)
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