More than 1,000 calls have been made to the recently launched clergy sexual abuse hotline launched by Attorney General Josh Shapiro. In the aftermath of Pennsylvania’s groundbreaking grand jury investigation into sexual abuse by priests in numerous Catholic dioceses throughout the state that made international headlines in August, a groundswell of popular support and outrage has potentially changed the landscape for sexual abuse in the United States forever.
Thousand Victims Named in Grand Jury Report Followed by Thousand Calls to Victim Hotline
According to the report, more than 1,000 people report having been molested or abused by Catholic priests over a period of several decades, while the report also named more than 300 so-called “predatory priests” who were guilty of serial abuses.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro created the clergy sexual abuse hotline to manage the outpouring of reports from all over the state. He rolled out the line on August 14th, and within a few weeks has received more than a thousand calls. This will come as no surprise to those following the story, as the grand jury report ominously suggested that in addition to the 1,000 incidents named in the reports, several thousand more victims may have been overlooked or would come forward.
The hotline number is 1-888-538-8541.
