Shielding Predators: Church Leaders Oppose Measures to Benefit Sexual Abuse Victims

Watertown Daily Times
May 17, 2018

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/opinion/shielding-predators-church-leaders-oppose-measures-to-benefit-sexual-abuse-victims-20180517

In opposing various measures that would benefit victims of child sexual abuse, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church are once again circling the wagons.

And Republican members of the state Senate have helped them. They have for years blocked legislation that would eliminate “the statutes of limitation for prosecuting child sexual abuse crimes and filing civil lawsuits for damages against individuals, public institutions, and private institutions related to child sexual abuse. This act also creates a one-year revival period for previously time-barred civil actions which alleged conduct representing the commission of certain sexual offenses committed against a child less than 18 years of age,” according to language in S809, also known as the Child Victims Act.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, who oversees the archdiocese in much of New York City, described the one-year lookback as “toxic” for the Catholic Church, according to an article published March 20 by the New York Daily News. He urged legislative leaders to reject the bill.

And he got his wish. Before the state budget was approved earlier this year, the Child Victims Act was removed from the overall spending plan. While members of the Assembly and Senate could still act on the bill as an individual piece of legislation, it’s obvious that far too many officials lack the will to push it through.

Bishop Terry R. LaValley, who leads the Diocese of Ogdensburg, also spoke out against the Child Victims Act. In a May 10 interview on North Country Public Radio, he said that allowing old cases to be brought into court would be “unfair.”

“Fundamentally, there’s a reason why there’s a statute of limitations,” he said. “People’s memories fade. They don’t remember. A person dies. Witnesses can’t be located. If we’re worried about justice, it’s a real problem looking back especially in our case, the church’s case; where we’re talking decades.”

Bishop LaValley wants to protect the diocese from cases resulting from the past actions of sexual predators. In so doing, he’s also shielding these predators from answering for their atrocious behavior.

This appalling mindset is further reflected in the fact that Bishop LaValley refuses to provide the names of all priests associated with the diocese accused of sexual abuse. In the NCPR interview, he claimed that several victims asked him to keep their names confidential as well as conceal the identity of their abusers.

It makes perfect sense that victims would want their identities kept from public view. But it’s clear that church officials are fighting tooth and nail to keep the names of all predators under wraps for their own purposes.

Other organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America also oppose the Child Victims Act. It seems like the people with the most to lose by these victims finally receiving justice are pushing back against it the hardest.

These groups need to be more transparent by divulging the names of abusers and allowing this bill to move forward. It would compel them to enact procedural changes to ensure children are protected, and the lookback window would have a one-time impact on them. These institutions have not been destroyed by this provision in similar laws passed by other states.

Let’s remind Bishop LaValley of what’s truly unfair: A child being sexually molested by a trusted authority figure is unfair. That child being shamed into years of silence over this crime is unfair. Having this individual forever live with the horrific consequences is unfair.

And if Cardinal Dolan wants to consider what’s toxic, here goes: Not allowing the Catholic Church to be held fully accountable for the abuse scandal that it tolerated for decades is toxic. Claiming the moral high ground on sexual matters while still protecting child molesters is toxic. Professing concern for victims while denying them justice is toxic.

Sexual predators must be publicly identified, and their victims deserve to have their day in court. The Catholic Church and other groups need to finally stand with the people they supposedly serve, not protect those who victimized them.