E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA local District Attorney says the timing of a Cardinal's death was "peculiar." Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua died one day after a judge ruled he could be called in to testify in a priest abuse trial. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
There's a new twist in the child sex abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, with prosecutors asking a coroner to examine the body of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua to establish whether he died of natural causes on Jan. 31.
The local district attorney told NBC News that the timing of his death strikes her as "peculiar" and she wants to make sure nothing happened that was inappropriate. Bevilacqua, 88, died one day after a judge ruled the cardinal could be called to testify in the abuse trial of three priests, one of whom was a longtime aide.
Bevilacqua, spiritual leader of the archdiocese's 1.5 million Roman Catholics from 1988 to 2003, was laid to rest without an autopsy, but the coroner did take tissue and fluid samples. Officials are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
The archdiocese said he had been suffering from dementia and cancer.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
Leave a Comment:
Karma!
But it still doesn't come close to paying for all the raped children they are responsible for...
DMorgan, you think all priests should die because of the actions of other men? You celebrate the death of a man who was going to testify against those other men? You are an idiot.
I believe DMorgan includes the Bishops that covered for those pedophilic priests. The RC church has no moral credibility since the crimes to children have been outed and the pattern of cover up has been documented. The church heirarchy is culpable and an accessory to the crime, after the fact.
The lives that were destroyed can never be restored, and those children suffer a living death that is indescribable. In that regard, the crimes against the children are worse than murder.
Suffering from dementia but still ruled qualified to testify?
People suffering from dementia are still very functional. Volunteer at an assisted living facility or a nursing home and you'll be very surprised at the alertness of seniors diagnosed with dementia.
Ah.......but contraception is so much more important than murder and child abuse............
junganimus, You actually believe that the Catholic church considers contraception more important than murder and child abuse? The Church has spent years trying to rectify the misdeeds of all concerned as well as compensating millions of dollars for the atrocities of some of their priests (MEN). The Catholic Church considers contraception and aboration to be murder. Well, I consider all men to be duplitous, manipulating, immoral, sexual deviants. I say let's kill all the men off. The whole world would be a better place without them, not only because they are narcissitic and consider women to be beneath them, but because they might be involved in domestic volence against women and child abuse. That's karma.
srimbael, the church has spent more years trying to cover up the crimes and hide the pedophilic criminals it calls priests. The church has no moral credibility to speak. The heirarchy that was accessory to the crime, after the fact, should be doing time, in jail.
All things human are imperfect.It is a shame that our church failed so miserably.History will show that these events punctuated the beginning of a sea change in the church.Someday there will be married priests,maybe even females.Denied sexuality sure seems to create perversion.That being said,this guy couldn't have died at a better time.Suspect,maybe.If it makes you feel better,throw out the notion of church,christianity,whatever makes you feel better.If you DO believe,then you should know that he will get what he deserves
Are all men vilified for the pedifiles in the world? Are all women condemed when some kill their own children? The coach at Penn State was forced to retire because he may have covered up the actions of Sandusky. Others at Penn State are also accused of covering up. Should all of Penn State employees and students be punished? There are manu cases of members of other churches abusing children. Why are their congregations and other affilitated churches punished. The Catholic Church is not alone in this type of abberant behavior in their flock.
You shouldn't blame the entire Catholic Church and priests for the actions of other priests. However, we can blame the church and the priests who covered up the abuses, just as we should blame others at Penn State who knew and covered up Sandusky's actions because of the status of their f**king football.
The students and other teachers at Penn State supported and rallyied en masse for the coach even though he covered up the rapes and absues. Does that make sense? Those students are just as culpable in my eyes for encouraging child abuse at the least. and excusing the cover up at worst.
Nice try at redirecting the argument. The church, as an organization, covered up the crimes, hid the criminals, and has not served any time for being an accessory after the fact.
The priests, bishops, cardinals, pope, are pedophiles or harbor pedophiles. Nuff said.