Several priests accused of sexual abuse in US received treatment in Canada
TORONTO — Several priests accused in an American grand jury report of preying on children for years were treated or assessed at a facility north of Toronto that specializes in services for members of the clergy, the recently released document reveals.
The report, which said it found more than 1,000 children were molested or raped by over 300 so-called “predator priests” in six Pennsylvania Roman Catholic dioceses since the 1940s, also indicated a few allegedly committed assaults while on trips to Canada.
The document released last week said a succession of bishops and other diocesan leaders shuffled abusive priests around parishes rather than reporting them to police in an effort to shield the church from bad publicity and financial liability.
At least seven priests named in the report were sent at some point to what was previously called the Southdown Treatment Centre, or Southdown Institute, located in Aurora, Ont., the document said.