DOJ probe of Catholic church abuse goes quiet 2 years later

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2013, file photo, a photo of Rev. Robert Brennan, right, is displayed during a news conference in Philadelphia. Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia charged Brennan, a former Roman Catholic priest with lying to the FBI about whether he knew the accuser and his family. Two years ago U.S. attorney William McSwain in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic church's handling of priest-abuse complaints. The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church. McSwain sent subpoenas to dioceses across Pennsylvania asking them to turn over their files and submit to grand jury testimony if asked. The dioceses pledged to comply. But as McSwain's tenure nears its end as President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month, there's no sign that any sweeping church indictment is afoot. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2013, file photo, a photo of Rev. Robert Brennan, right, is displayed during a news conference in Philadelphia. Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia charged Brennan, a former Roman Catholic priest with lying to the FBI about whether he knew the accuser and his family. Two years ago U.S. attorney William McSwain in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic church's handling of priest-abuse complaints. The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church. McSwain sent subpoenas to dioceses across Pennsylvania asking them to turn over their files and submit to grand jury testimony if asked. The dioceses pledged to comply. But as McSwain's tenure nears its end as President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month, there's no sign that any sweeping church indictment is afoot. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

By MARYCLAIRE DALE / Associated Press December 13, 2020 6 min read

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Two years ago, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of priest-abuse complaints.

The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church, despite exhaustive reports that showed its long history of burying abuse complaints in secret archives, transferring problem priests to new parishes, silencing accusers and fighting laws to benefit child sex assault victims.

U.S. Attorney William McSwain sent subpoenas to bishops across Pennsylvania asking them to turn over their files and submit to grand jury testimony if asked. The FBI interviewed at least six accused priests, court files show.

But as McSwain’s tenure likely nears its end with President-elect Joe Biden set to take office next month, there’s no sign that any sweeping church indictment is afoot. So far, the case has yielded a single arrest: an 82-year-old defrocked priest, Robert Brennan, charged with lying to FBI agents who showed up at his door.

The filings in that case, though, are revealing. They show the FBI had reached a dead end in the broader church probe five months after McSwain set his sights on it.