(York Daily Record) Found within the depths of the Pennsylvania grand jury report on priest sex abuse is a letter written by a former Diocese of Scranton bishop.
A priest raped a girl, got her pregnant, and arranged an abortion, according to the grand jury report. And then-Bishop James C. Timlin wrote a letter expressing his feelings: "This is a very difficult time in your life, and I realize how upset you are. I too share your grief."
But the letter was not for the girl. It was addressed to the rapist.
Father Thomas D. Skotek was ordained on June 8, 1963, in the Diocese of Scranton. He sexually assaulted a girl over the span of five years while serving as pastor of St. Casimir in Freeland, according to the report.
The girl became pregnant, and Skotek aided her in obtaining an abortion, the grand jury report states.