The Podium | a Model Approach to Address Abuse

By Brittany Vessely
Colorado Politics
December 9, 2020

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/the-podium-a-model-approach-to-address-abuse/article_502b466c-3992-11eb-81fd-dfd2e09b6828.html

Sexual abuse of children is one of society’s most heinous crimes. The pain experienced by victims and their families is excruciating and is endured for decades. According to the CDC, one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before they turn 18.

Despite the widespread nature of this societal ill, no institution has been more highly scrutinized and criticized than the Catholic Church. Here in Colorado, the spotlight that has been put on the three Catholic dioceses can and should be used as an example of how to help protect all children, and how to compassionately care for survivors.

As Attorney General Phil Weiser said last week, the two-year review and reparations model cooperatively used by the state and the Church was not perfect, but it was a “unique Colorado solution that was collaborative, committed to transparency, and provided survivors with the support that they desperately needed.”

The strength of this approach was that it addressed both the past and the future.