Less than a week after news of the latest Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, leaders of the Baton Rouge Diocese addressed what they described as "a spiritual crisis in our church."

A Pennsylvania grand jury report released Tuesday — referencing more than 300 "predator priests" and more than 1,000 child victims within that state alone — found that church leaders covered up several decades of sexual abuse, often adhering to a series of common practices that reads "like a playbook for concealing the truth."

"Our shame is intensified by the sometimes failure of church leadership to hold abusers accountable," Bishop Emeritus Robert Muench said during Sunday morning Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Baton Rouge. "These recent news reports have revealed a mishandling of reported allegations (and) a covering up of sinful actions. … Understandably there are concerns about how prolific such abuses have been throughout the (Catholic) Church throughout the years."

Muench quoted Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who pointed to "the failure of episcopal leadership" that left "scores of beloved children of God … to face an abuse of power alone."

Congregants echoed that sense of dismay and said they hope the church can move past this tragic moment, which hasn't shaken their faith but has raised important questions about the church institution.

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The report shows that some priests in Pennsylvania were removed or transferred elsewhere after allegations surfaced, but their superiors — often the people choosing to keep the accusations secret — faced few repercussions for blatantly disregarding the seriousness of the crimes taking place under their watch.

One former priest named in the report was transferred to the Diocese of Lafayette in 1992, and was removed in 1996. It remains unclear whether church officials knew when he first arrived in Lafayette about the accusations against Father John Bostwick, which included sexually abusing two teenage boys multiple times during the 1980s.

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Bostwick's transfer to Louisiana also came on the heels of a child sex scandal that rocked the Lafayette diocese that same decade. The diocese in 2004 disclosed that 123 victims of 15 priests received $24.4 million in legal settlements.

Muench's comments about the Pennsylvania grand jury's findings came during his last Mass as bishop at the downtown cathedral — where he celebrated Mass every Sunday for the past several years. He is retiring later this week after almost two decades leading the Baton Rouge Diocese.

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"The responsibility of any diocese goes beyond expressions of sorrow and prayers for those affected," he told the estimated 450 congregants who gathered Sunday morning. "Our goal is to do everything in our power to protect children. This involves the need to hold every church leader to the highest standards of morality."

Deacon Gary Mooney also addressed the allegations later on during the service, praying that the victims of sexual abuse begin to find "lasting hope and true healing." He asked that church leaders gain enough humility and understanding to stop covering up accusations against their colleagues.

Muench referenced the existing policies and procedures of the Baton Rouge Diocese that deal with protecting children against abuse.

"As the local church of Baton Rouge, we are committed to accountability and transparency regarding our response to the accusations of sexual abuse by the clergy of our church," he said. "We have worked diligently to be transparent in reporting all criminal sexual behavior by diocesan clergy with minors in the Diocese of Baton Rouge."

Muench also said in an interview after the service that it's important to remember that the abuses detailed in the report happened in the past and significant efforts have already been made to prevent similar widespread abuse from happening again. In Baton Rouge those efforts include exercising more scrutiny when accepting seminarians and better educating church leaders on how to respond when questions arise.

Muench said such changes both here and in other dioceses across the country give him hope for the future despite the "deep sorrow and sadness" facing the church today.

"I think it's calling us to more self introspection (and) self review as a church," he said. "I felt it was important to address the issue, to share the concerns of people — not only thoughts but emotions and convictions."

Mary Durusau, a lifelong Catholic and longtime St. Joseph congregant, said she hopes "this is a real reset because it needs to be fixed."

"It was heartbreaking and shocking 25 years ago," she said. "It doesn't affect your faith, but it is a strong message and it's up to us as parishioners to show that this isn't acceptable."

Mary Ellen Davros, another longtime congregant, said that despite the horrific nature of the accusations, it's important to remember that sexual abuse isn't unique to the Catholic Church. And the vast majority of church leaders are not seeking to either commit or conceal abuse.

"Those abuses do not reflect Catholic tradition and don't change the spirituality of true Catholics," she said. "But we all mourn the abuse and wish to see it rectified. I'm grateful the church has acknowledged it's seeking resolve for the victims and help for the perpetrators — and I keep them all in my prayers."

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