father giella was arrested and charged with child pornography and sexual assault. he died awaiting trial. ed, you weren't there today was talking with your daughters, hearing some of these details for the first time. what was that like as a father in. >> i got to contemplate on it probably for the next ten years to figure out where the hell i went wrong, you know? >> how did you not know? >> we were on the inside. we didn't know. i mean can you honestly think that if we knew, we would let something like that happen to our babies? >> reporter: the fortney family did settle two civil lawsuits with the harrisburg diocese. the sisters say they never discussed their abuse as children because they didn't understand what was happening. >> for a long time, we just -- it's not that we weren't close. we just didn't know each other. >> right. >> so there was always this big elephant in the room whenouow there was so much going on that we didn't want to talk about it. >> reporter: today the each other with the support of their entire family. why did you decide to share your st

. >> reporter: father augustine giella was a trusted family friend, a grandfatherly figure, a regular at meals, where he often said grace. >> he would give us candy. he would take us out and just g-nstantly giving, giving-- gave us stuff, bought us clothes, bought us toys, anything we wanted. >> reporter: the fortneys believe giella was grooming the girls. 13-year-old patty was molested as her little sisters looked on. >> he was constantly hugging me in front of them, kissing me in tont of them, trying to put his tongue in your mouth. he needed to know my cup size. i would continually remind myself, "he's my priest. he's the mediator between god and man. this is okay." >> i mean, even at our kitchen table things happened, in front of my parents' face that they couldn't see. >> reporter: father giella retired in 1989, but the family still saw him. >> my niece actually found a box that had some pornography in it and nude photos of carolyn. >> reporter: their parents, ed and patty fortney, immediately reported the photos to the harrisburg dioceses in 1992. another sister called child ser

carolyn was not even 2 years old when she says father augustine giella began abusing her. >> every day of my life, i think about running my car into a pole or off of a bridge. >> reporter: what was the extend of your abuse? >> for me, it's the fear of what i haven't discovered yet because i have vivid memories so i know there's some time where i can't remember. >> my niece actually found a box that had some pornography in it and nude photos of carolyn. >> reporter: their parents reported the photos which were found in giella's resident to the diocese in 1992. at the time, its former bishop who knew about giella's predatory behavior, according to the grand jury report, was in line to become cardinal. the families say their were pressured to accept settlements from the church. >> we all felt like we were alone because we couldn't talk about this. >> because of the settlement? >> because of the gag order. >> reporter: new york attorney general barbara underwood just announced she would investigate the alleged church cover-up. the new jersey attorney general opened up a new task force to l