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Our Opinion: Former juvenile detention center in Luzerne County might attract unconventional buyer

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Feds spent $3.9 million on wiretaps in Pennsylvania for just 30 convictions

<p>EBENSBURG, Pa. &#8212; A Pennsylvania man who spoke out against clergy abuse after publicly identifying himself as a victim of a predator priest has killed himself, authorities said.</p><p>Brian Gergely, 46, was found hanged in his home in Ebensburg on Friday, Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees told The Associated Press on Tuesday.</p><p>Gergely went public in 2003 while suing Monsignor Francis McCaa and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, saying he was abused as a 10-year-old altar boy.</p><p>&#8220;It takes a great deal of courage to step forward, and even more courage to go public and give your identity instead of a pseudonym. Brian overcame that because he felt so strongly about the sexual abuse of children,&#8221; said Richard Serbin, the Altoona attorney who represented Gergely said Tuesday. &#8220;Tragically, the demons he&#8217;s been dealing with since he was molested by Monsignor McCaa finally won out.&#8221;</p><p>Gergely and other plaintiffs settled their lawsuit against McCaa, other priests and the diocese in 2005. McCaa died in 2007.</p><p>McCaa was described as a &#8220;monster&#8221; in a state grand jury report released in March that criticized the diocese&#8217;s handling of clergy abuse claims. He fondled altar boys whom he had told to go without pants under their cassocks, molesting them in a church sacristy, a rectory and even while taking their confession, the grand jury found.</p><p>Gergely gave numerous interviews in hopes of encouraging other abuse victims to come forward.</p><p>&#8220;I was standing in the sacristy and he pinned me to the desk. I was just a little guy,&#8221; Gergely told The Guardian after the grand jury report&#8217;s release. &#8220;My parents were patrons. They were going door to door raising money for the church. The community put Monsignor McCaa on a pedestal.&#8221;</p><p>Gergely&#8217;s funeral is Wednesday at Holy Name Catholic Church, the parish where he had been molested.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">In this Feb. 6, 2003, photo, Brian Gergely holds up an old photograph of himself while discussing a lawsuit against a priest who sexually abused him when he was a 10-year-old altar boy. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_16187666702875-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>In this Feb. 6, 2003, photo, Brian Gergely holds up an old photograph of himself while discussing a lawsuit against a priest who sexually abused him when he was a 10-year-old altar boy. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Outspoken clergy abuse advocate found hanged at home