Report: MontCo Coroner Probing Bevilacqua Death
The former Cardinal died last week, a day after a judge ruled he may have to testify in a child sex abuse trial involving three clergymen.
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Montgomery County Coroner Walter I. Hofman is probing the death of the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua at the request of Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman's office, according to a report published Thursday night by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bevilacqua died on Jan. 31 in Wynnewood at the age of 88, a day after Common Pleas Court Judge Teresa Sarmina ruled that he could be compelled to take the witness stand in the child sex abuse trial of three priests who served in the archdiocese during his 15-year leadership.
According to the Inquirer report, Hofman conducted a postmortem examination of Bevilacqua's body after it had already been embalmed by a funeral home in Upper Darby. Hofman's office returned Bevilacqua's body to the funeral home Tuesday, prior to its interment later that day in the crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.
Hofman told the Inquirer that county prosecutors "wanted to make sure there were no intervening events that could have speeded up [Bevilacqua's] demise."
Hofman would not comment on whether he saw signs of foul play and said it would be a few weeks before he officially declared the cause of death.
Ferman did not return a message seeking comment late Thursday night.
tom blair
11:16 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Catholic church is all but been driven out of Philadelphia. Now Walter Hofman and Risa Furman are trying to drive them out of Montgomery County - even after they are dead.
Patrick OMalley
11:39 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Catholic church was driven out because they (allegedly, for legal purposes) raped hundreds of children, hid child rapists, and lied about it, in organized crime fashion. They weren't driven out for practicing any Christianity.
Asyn
6:31 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Let the man rest in peace! This is ridiculous he had dementia and cancer!!
soccer girl
7:11 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Would you feel that way if someone you know was affected by their poor choices to cover it up? These peoples lives were destroyed, and they don't show much remorse when they offer money and counseling so the victims keep their mouths shut. This is going on in Montgomery county so sorry if I have little sympathy for the church being driven out.
Nick Matregrano
7:31 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Hey Asyn, will the victims of abuse have any peace?? Man you , like many others, are in denial. Quess what, nice guy, the catholic church isn't as lilly white as they proclaim. They rule by fear and always had. Oh, by the way, what ever happened to Pope John Paul I.
Liberty 1
4:41 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
He died.
Ed Mahan
11:05 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Notice that there were no female victims. The few deviants were not pedophiles, they were homosexuals that just happened to be Catholic. Homosexuals (see NAMBLA.ORG) are the problem, not the 99% of normal Catholic priests.
db
8:57 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
How addled does a person's brain have to be in order to equate pedophilia with homosexuality? If you can't see the difference between child rape and consensual sex between adults, you are the problem.
Patrick OMalley
11:24 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Ed Mahan, you're a liar.
There were lots of female victims, like Ruth, who was one of 17 children raped by Fr Cudemo. Cudemo got Ruth pregnant at 12 years old and took her for an abortion.
Also, the Catholic church's own John Jay report showed that 8.2-9.9% of Catholic priests were pedophiles in the 70s and 80s, and most of them are still alive today.
This isn't homosexuality. Its child rape.
You're lying, just like Lynn and Bevilacqua lied when covering up child rape. You must have seen a special Catholic amendment to the 9th commandment that said "don't lie unless you're covering up child rape by priests".
Liberty 1
4:39 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
The 1960's liberalizing of The Church created the cancer that is eating at it now. While there were some female victims the overwhelming number are young males and the perps were homosexual. The Church compounded the sin by covering it up. Satan has worked well in this case and the short sighted Church went right along. As far as the late Cardinal - this is only Catholic bashing as the man was suffering from dementia and could not be a reliable witness anyway.
Victor B. Krievins
7:05 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Risa Ferman DA has made a very wise decision under the circumstances! I have seen other legal matters be buried. It will not happen his time. Thanking we have a DA who cares and does not play political favorites. The former County Commissioner Jimmy Matthews case is another perfect example. The only way thinks change is by eliminating speculation and bringing the truth out for everyone to see. Sexual molesting is a serious crime which much cease. There is no way to look the other way because of who the predator may have been.?