Catholic Church accused of 'mob boss approach' in lobby against sex abuse law change in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania lawmakers accuse the Catholic clergy in the state of employing mafia-like strategies as it lobbies against a retroactive sex abuse bill.

Catholic state representatives who voted for a state bill that allows sexual abuse victims an extended period of filing civil claims up to 50 years old find themselves the target of the Catholic Church in the state led by Archbishop Charles Caput.

State representative Jamie Santora reportedly received an email from the archbishop who accused him of betraying the church and warned him of the consequences for supporting the bill.

"I don't feel I did betray my church," Santora told The Guardian. "Growing up Catholic gave me the ability to vote the way I did. To me that was the morally correct vote, by choosing victims over abusers."

Similarly, Catholic lawmakers Nick Miccarelli, Thomas Murt and Martina White, who accuse parishes of speaking at Mass or in church bulletin against them or subjecting them to cold treatment, argued that they voted for the bill according to their conscience.

Democratic head of Senate in Colorado, Joan Fitz-Gerald, describe the archbishop as "the most vehement supporter of the secrecy of the Catholic church over pedophiles."

She accuses Caput, a previous archbishop in Colorado, of employing the same strategy he used to prevent a similar bill from taking shape in her state.

Chair of the public law at Cardoza School of Law, Marci Hamilton, believes that Caput's relocation to Pennsylvania is part of the Church's plan to quell the legislation.

The church's lobbying arm contends that the retroactive bill which does not apply to public institutions is unfair to private institutions. The church also warned that this could bankrupt dioceses and affect innocent church members.

Hamilton said the church's argument is a strategy that paints the church as the victim while the victims are undermined as only after the money.

A spokesman for Chaput, Ken Gavin, rejected the allegations against the archbishop.

"I am not aware of any situations involving a pastor lambasting an elected official and they weren't directed to do so. I do know of many instances where pastors shared with parishioners how representatives voted on [the bill]. They shared knowledge that is already public," he said.

On Monday, June 13, Solicitor General Bruce L. Castor Jr. announced during the Senate hearing that the bill is unconstitutional.

The bill is currently on a standstill.

Mark Rozzi, proponent of the bill who claimed to be molested by a priest 13 years ago, told Philly, "This makes me feel sick to the stomach. We see justice ahead, and all of a sudden the door is closing in on us. And you know there's forces at work behind the scenes that are derailing this."