Rachel Evans
The current Attorney General of Pennsylvania is Republican Dave Sunday. His religion is not publicly known. However, his predecessor, Democrat Josh Shapiro, who was elected governor in 2022, is Jewish. In 2018, while serving as Pennsylvania's Attorney General, Shapiro called for legal reforms after a grand jury report revealed widespread sexual abuse by over 300 Catholic priests in the state.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current Pennsylvania Attorney General | Michelle Henry |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2018 | Josh Shapiro |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2016 | Kathleen Kane |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General's role | Chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General's office | An independent office headed by an elected attorney general |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General's staff | Several hundred prosecutors, attorneys, investigators, agents and support staff |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General's divisions | Criminal Law Division, Public Protection Division, Civil Division and Operations Division |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General's work | Preventing crime, teaching about drug addiction, safeguarding personal rights of citizens, protecting public interest, investigating drug trafficking, child predators, organized crime, public corruption, insurance fraud and other criminal violations |
| Pennsylvania Attorney General's boards and committees | Board of Pardons, joint Committee on Documents, Hazardous Substances Transportation Board, Board of Finance and Revenue, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Civil Disorder Commission, Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission |
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What You'll Learn
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday's religion is unknown
- The current Pennsylvania Attorney General is Michelle Henry, appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called for the elimination of the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse
- The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference opposed legislation against child abuse by Catholic priests
- The Pennsylvania Attorney General's report revealed sexual abuse by over 300 priests
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday's religion is unknown
There is no information available on Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday's religious beliefs. However, it is known that he is a lifelong Pennsylvanian, growing up in Cumberland and Dauphin counties. He attended Penn State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in Finance, and later graduated from Widener University Commonwealth Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. Sunday also served in the United States Navy, which he enlisted in after high school, and participated in Operation Desert Strike in the Persian Gulf.
Sunday has had a notable career as a lawyer and politician. He began his legal career as a law clerk for a judge in the York County Court of Common Pleas and later joined the district attorney's office in York County, Pennsylvania, in 2009. In 2013, he was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where he played a role in the prosecution of gang, illegal gun, and drug cases. He has successfully prosecuted a range of cases, including homicides, murder conspiracies, and felony narcotics deliveries.
In terms of his political career, Sunday is a member of the Republican Party. He served as district attorney of York County, Pennsylvania, from 2018 to 2025. In July 2023, he announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania Attorney General, a position he currently holds, having won the election in November 2024.
While the religious beliefs of Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday are unknown, there is information available on the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and its relationship with legal matters. The Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania have provided guidance and prepared forms related to living wills and healthcare power of attorney that reflect Catholic teachings and comply with Pennsylvania law. These documents are designed to help individuals make end-of-life decisions and appoint someone to make healthcare decisions on their behalf if they are unable to do so.
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The current Pennsylvania Attorney General is Michelle Henry, appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro
The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the state's top law enforcement official, with a broad range of responsibilities to protect and serve the citizens and agencies of the Commonwealth. The Attorney General's Office is divided into four sections: the Criminal Law Division, the Public Protection Division, the Civil Division, and the Operations Division.
On February 21, 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro nominated Michelle Henry, a lifelong public servant and veteran prosecutor, to serve as Pennsylvania's chief law enforcement officer. Henry has dedicated over 20 years of her career to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, taking on critical roles such as Chief of Major Crimes and Chief of Child Abuse. She was appointed as Bucks County District Attorney in 2008 with a bipartisan vote. Henry's colleagues admired her leadership and commitment to tackling tough cases. She also played a pivotal role in establishing the county's children's advocacy center and mentoring junior prosecutors.
As First Deputy Attorney General under former Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Michelle Henry oversaw all legal matters, including criminal cases, civil suits, and public protection cases. Her tireless work in safeguarding the rights of Pennsylvanians and pursuing justice for victims was recognized during her tenure as First Deputy. Governor Shapiro expressed his pride in nominating Henry, highlighting her decades of experience in public service, her talent as a leader, and her unwavering dedication to protecting the people of Pennsylvania.
With her nomination, Michelle Henry became Pennsylvania's Acting Attorney General, and her name was sent to the Senate for advice and consent. She expressed her gratitude for Governor Shapiro's trust and assured the people of Pennsylvania that the Office of Attorney General would remain steadfast in its commitment to groundbreaking work on their behalf. Henry's appointment as Pennsylvania's Attorney General took effect on January 21, 2025.
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called for the elimination of the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse
In 2018, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called for the elimination of the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. This came after the release of a grand jury report that detailed extensive sexual abuse by hundreds of Roman Catholic priests and a subsequent cover-up. The report, which was nearly 900 pages long, revealed the abuse of over 1,000 children by more than 300 priests.
Shapiro has been a strong advocate for justice for the victims of child sexual abuse and has supported reforms to strengthen mandatory reporting of such crimes. He has also pursued child sexual abuse charges against individuals in positions of power, including a western Pennsylvania police chief, a deputy coroner, and a pediatrician. In one notable case, his office secured convictions against the President of Penn State, Graham Spanier, and two other university officials for endangering the welfare of minors by covering up child sexual abuse by former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky.
Shapiro's efforts to combat child sexual abuse have been met with both support and criticism. Some lawmakers in the Pennsylvania House, such as Democratic Rep. Mark Rozzi and Republican Rep. Jim Gregory, have introduced bills aimed at eliminating the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. Rozzi's proposal includes extending the deadline for filing civil sexual abuse claims from 30 to 55 years of age. However, it does not include a "two-year look back" for older abuse victims. Gregory's bill, on the other hand, calls for a constitutional amendment to eliminate the "remedies clause," which is seen as an obstacle to the two-year look back.
Despite these legislative efforts, the path to justice for victims of child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania has been challenging. Statutes of limitations have prevented many victims from seeking legal recourse, and the Catholic Church's use of confidentiality agreements has silenced victims and hindered their cooperation with law enforcement. The grand jury report and Shapiro's efforts have brought widespread attention to these issues, and he continues to work towards ensuring that victims' stories are heard and that necessary reforms are implemented.
Shapiro's work as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2023 was marked by his commitment to combating child sexual abuse and holding powerful institutions accountable. He has since been elected as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania and continues to demonstrate his dedication to serving the people of his state.
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The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference opposed legislation against child abuse by Catholic priests
In 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report revealed that over 300 Catholic priests had abused more than 1,000 children in six dioceses over 70 years, with thousands more likely uncounted. The report also revealed alleged cover-ups by dioceses across the state. In the wake of the report, Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro challenged all Pennsylvania bishops to adopt and support the recommended reforms to Pennsylvania law. However, none of them did. Instead, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, along with the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania, has been one of the strongest opponents of legislation against child abuse by Catholic priests.
Former state Rep. Mark Rozzi, who was abused by a priest as a child, dedicated much of his time in office to giving victims recourse. He has spoken about how politicians refuse to act in the best interests of victims, instead prioritizing their relationships with the Catholic Church and the Insurance Federation. Rozzi has also highlighted the Conference's argument that a statutory window for civil lawsuits would be "definitely unfair to individual Catholics today whose parishes and schools would be the targets of decades-old lawsuits."
The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference has declined to comment on these allegations. However, their position is indicative of a broader trend within the Catholic Church to resist legislation that would require clergy to report child abuse. In Washington state, for example, Catholic lobbyists fought against a bill that would make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse, branding it as an attack on the sacred seal of confession. The Trump administration also intervened in this case, arguing that the law deprived Catholic priests of their First Amendment rights.
While the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference has not publicly stated its reasons for opposing legislation against child abuse by Catholic priests, it is likely that they share similar concerns about the potential infringement on religious freedom and the sanctity of confession. However, advocates for reform argue that it is crucial to level the playing field and ensure that all religious institutions are held accountable for protecting children.
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The Pennsylvania Attorney General's report revealed sexual abuse by over 300 priests
On August 14, 2018, a grand jury report was released, revealing sexual abuse by over 300 priests in Pennsylvania. The report detailed decades of misconduct and cover-up in six of the state's eight Roman Catholic dioceses. The investigation was led by the Pennsylvania Attorney General and revealed a pattern of abuse that occurred in hundreds of parishes in 54 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, going back at least 80 years.
The report described a "systematic cover-up" and a "failure of law enforcement", with clergy members conducting shoddy investigations into sexual abuse allegations and bishops often siding with abusive priests. The pattern was described as "abuse, deny and cover up" by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. The report also noted that the state was not immune from the global sex abuse scandal in the church, stating that "it happened everywhere".
In the wake of the report's release, several Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania were served with subpoenas by the DOJ, and attorneys general in other states, including Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, and New Mexico, pursued their own investigations. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office had previously prevented the Diocese of Harrisburg from releasing a list of accused priests in 2016 to avoid compromising the investigation.
The grand jury also issued presentments against two priests, John T. Sweeney of Greensburg and David Lee Poulson of Erie, as their reported abuse was within the statute of limitations. Sweeney pleaded guilty to molesting a 4th-grade boy between September 1991 and June 1992 and was given an 11-and-a-half-month to 5-year prison sentence. The report also led to the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl as Archbishop of Washington, D.C., in October 2018, despite his defense of his actions during his time as Bishop of Pittsburgh.
The Pennsylvania Catholic Church faced stiff opposition from groups such as the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, which hindered legislation aimed at raising the age for civil filings and abolishing limitations on criminal charges in sexual abuse cases. Despite this, the release of the report prompted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to announce a "third-party reporting system" for confidential complaints of sex abuse.
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Frequently asked questions
Sources do not reveal the religious beliefs of the current Pennsylvania Attorney General, Michelle Henry. However, her predecessor, Josh Shapiro, was Jewish.
In 2018, then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro released a grand jury report alleging decades of child abuse by hundreds of Catholic priests. The report also accused church leaders of covering up the abuse of more than 1,000 child victims.
The investigation led to calls for legal reform, specifically the elimination of the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases. However, the findings did not result in new criminal charges or civil suits due to the statute of limitations having expired in most cases.
