After the passage of three decades – and
the release of a scathing report by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney
General that provided details about an alleged cover-up of rampant child
sexual abuse within its ranks – the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Altoona–Johnstown changed positions as to whether information in a civil
litigation against Msgr. Francis McCaa should be made public.
In
1986, counsel for the monsignor, diocese, former Bishop James Hogan,
and Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg argued that pretrial
documents – in a case brought by four plaintiffs – should be sealed in
order to “prevent serious and irreparable harm to the defendants through
the disclosure of information which may not be relevant or admissible
at the trial of the case,” as described in the papers.