Lawsuits: Sisters abused by same Pennsylvania priest as kids

(AP) — Two sisters have sued a Catholic priest, his central Pennsylvania diocese and two ex-bishops who supervised him, saying the cleric molested them repeatedly as girls — including one at her first Communion party.

Tony DeGol, a spokesman for the Altoona-Johnstown diocese, declined to comment on the allegations, but noted current Bishop Mark Bartchak placed Bodziak "on leave in January as a precautionary measure while the diocese re-examines an allegation of sexual misconduct involving minors against Father Bodziak dating back more than 30 years."

The lawsuits parrot the grand jury's findings that the bishops were either slow to respond or sought to cover-up allegations of child-sex abuse against Bodziak and dozens of other priests over the last 50 years.

The lawsuits quote the grand jury report, which said the board served as a "fact-finding" mechanism that forwarded information to lawyers to help the diocese protect itself from litigation, "not a victim service function."