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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A key whistleblower in the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal in Boston has died. Phil Saviano played a big role in exposing the scandal, which led to major upheaval in the Boston and global Catholic Church.
Saviano entered hospice care at his brother's residence in Douglas in October, and died after a battle with gallbladder cancer, according to the AP.
Saviano first came forward with his story in 1992, settled with the Church in 1996, and spoke to the Boston Globe's Spotlight investigative team in 2001, according to his bio. He became a crucial source in the investigations, and helped get the stories off the ground.
He later became an activist dedicated to exposing the abuses of other priests within the church as part of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). The scandal led to the resignation of then-cardinal Bernard Law and hundreds of church settlements with victims of sexual abuse, the AP said.
He was 69 years old.
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