Franciscans

I am praying for the Franciscans:

In a first-of-its-kind case, prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced charges =
on Tuesday against three Franciscan friars who they say facilitated the abu=
se of dozens of children.

Prosecutors say that all three men knew about sexual abuse allegations agai=
nst Brother Stephen Baker dating back to the 1980s but that the three friar=
s continued to place Baker in jobs that gave him access to children, up unt=
il 2010.

Confronted with a lawsuit that made the accusations public, Baker killed hi=
mself in 2013, at age 62, in the monastery where he lived. On Monday, state=
 prosecutors announced that three men who supervised him =E2=80=94 Brothers=
 Anthony M. Criscitelli, 61, Robert J. D=E2=80=99Aversa, 69, and Giles A. S=
chinelli, 73 =E2=80=94 are each charged with one count of endangering the w=
elfare of children and one count of criminal conspiracy.

=E2=80=9CThese men knew there was a child predator in their organization. Y=
et they continued to put him in positions where he had countless opportunit=
ies to prey upon children,=E2=80=9D Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen =
Kane said in a statement. =E2=80=9CTheir silence resulted in immeasurable p=
ain and suffering for so many victims. These men turned a blind eye to the =
innocent children they were trusted to protect.=E2=80=9D

Kane=E2=80=99s office also conducted an investigation into the Altoona-John=
stown Diocese in Pennsylvania which produced a damning grand jury report ea=
rlier this month. That report chronicled alleged abuses committed by 35 pri=
ests, dating to the 1950s, in wrenching detail. But it did not recommend ch=
arges against anyone. Most of the priests named in the report have died, an=
d the statute of limitations has expired in some cases.

But when the grand jury turned its attention to friars based in Hollidaysbu=
rg, Pa. =E2=80=94 the Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regulars, Province of =
the Immaculate Conception =E2=80=94 it found cause to charge three men who =
served in the same job in the organization, that of minister provincial. Th=
e minister provincial controls which friar works where, prosecutors said. S=
o Criscitelli, D=E2=80=99Aversa and Schinelli were the ones who placed Bake=
r in the jobs which he allegedly used as opportunities to molest children, =
for years.