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'The public needs to know' | Charlotte lawyer helps expose Pennsylvania church abuse

The grand jury report in Pennsylvania generated shockwaves across the United States and the world after the report exposed 300 "predator priests" and showed how church leaders protected them.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A local lawyer is having a major impact on Catholic churches across Pennsylvania.

Richard Serbin, a lawyer who splits time between Charlotte and Philadelphia, had helped over 100 Catholic priests be included in the Pennsylvania grand jury report that has people even angry at the Pope.

"This is a list of 109 child predators," he said as he showed the list to NBC Charlotte.

RELATED: More than 300 'predator priests' in Pennsylvania protected by Catholic Church

The grand jury report in Pennsylvania generated shockwaves across the United States and the world after the report exposed 300 "predator priests" and showed how church leaders protected them.

“The public needs to know what has gone on for decades within the church, specifically the cover-up of children being sexually violated by the people they’re taught to respect and trust, their priest," Serbin said.

While Serbin is disappointed in the cases, he said he's not surprised the church hasn't done much since the report came out.

“They do a great deal of talking about how sympathetic they are but actions show otherwise,” added the 70-year-old lawyer.

A spokesman for the Vatican issued a response to the grand jury report calling the priests' actions “criminally and morally reprehensible.”

“Do you think this is still going on?" asked NBC Charlotte Defender Michelle Boudin.

"I do," Serbin said. "But to a lesser extent and that’s due to the exposure of this issue.”

He said documents show for years, the church leadership was more concerned about protecting priests and their reputation and protecting church money rather than protecting kids.

“Rather than weeding out the bad apples, they continued to protect them,” Serbin said.

Serbin has also spent decades trying to change laws involving statutes of limitations so more survivors can get justice.

“Laws favor child predators and those that shield them rather than survivors of child abuse,” he said.

Serbin said of the 100-plus predator priests he helped name, almost none of them have faced any sort of consequences for their actions, civil or criminal.


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