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Church helped former priest accused of abuse get Disney job

Posted at 1:47 PM, Aug 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-15 15:43:23-04

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A grand jury report into child sexual abuse in Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania says church officials gave a former priest a positive reference to work at Disney World, even though they’d fielded at least one complaint about him sexually abusing a boy.

The ex-priest, Edward Ganster, went on to work at Disney World. He died in 2014.

Report details sexual abuse by more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania's Catholic Church

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The report cites a letter Allentown’s bishop wrote to Orlando’s bishop in the late 1980s while Ganster was on sick leave at a Catholic mental health hospital. He said Ganster’s problems were “partially sexual” and that he couldn’t reassign him.

The report says a monsignor separately told Ganster he was sure the diocese would give him a positive reference.

In 2002 and later, the diocese allegedly received complaints about Ganster abusing two more victims in 1977.