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Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua

February 11, 2012 by · Comments Off on Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua 

Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, District Attorney Ferman Says Timing of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua’s Death “Peculiar”

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said yesterday that she asked the county coroner to examine the body of Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua last week because the timing of the 88-year-old former Cardinal’s death struck her as “peculiar.”

Ferman acknowledged that she ordered county Coroner Walter I. Hofman to perform the examination, because the cardinal died one day after a Philadelphia judge said Bevilacqua could be called to testify at the child sex-abuse and endangerment trial of three current and former priests.

At a news conference in Norristown Ferman told reporters, “I had the same reaction that many people had and that many people communicated with me. It struck many of us as odd, as peculiar, that the cardinal passed away so suddenly after the court ruling. . . . I just thought that someone should make sure that nothing happened that was inappropriate.”

Cardinal Bevilacqua has been accused in the past of ignoring alleged child sexual abuse incidents by hundreds of priests.

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