Maryclaire Dale

Twenty years after city prosecutors convened a grand jury to investigate the handling of priest-abuse complaints within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the tortuous legal case came to an end with a cleric's misdemeanor no contest plea in a near-empty City Hall courtroom.

As the U.S. Attorney's tenure likely nears its end with President-elect Joe Biden set to take office next month, there's no sign that any sweeping church indictment is afoot after two years of investigation. 

The retrial of the only church official who has ever gone to prison in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal was delayed March 16 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

An aging monsignor who was the first U.S. church official ever tried and sent to prison over his handling of priest-abuse complaints could soon be retried in the 2011 case with one thing missing — the victim.