PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call
Bill White
Around here, many of us have been following the trial of Philadelphia Monsignor William Lynn (left), accused of transferring pedophile priests to unwitting parishes to cover up their crimes, and Rev. William Brennan, accused of raping a 14-year-old boy in 1996.
It truly is a landmark case, since Lynn is the first U.S. church official ever charged with child endangerment for allegedly leaving predators in jobs around children despite prior complaints. The testimony has been horrifying.
Still, these allegations in many cases just further dramatize what already has been reported in two Philadelphia grand jury reports about the way the Philadelphia Diocese covered up child sex abuse. In the long run, you could argue that dragging all this out into the sunlight will be a positive thing for us as a society, including the church if it leads to genuine reform and changed attitudes.
So I think I’ve been even more disturbed by the news from the Midwest, where Catholic officials have gone on the offensive in what appears to be an attempt to stifle one of their most outspoken critics and to intimidate victims, whistle blowers and others.
As I’ve written about child sex abuse over the years, I’ve come to very much admire the organization Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, its local representatives and its executive director, David Clohessy. I’ve seen firsthand the way they’ve provided a desperately needed voice for the victims of clergy abuse, many of whom just needed someone who would listen to them, and have applied pressure to change the disastrous church policies of the past.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.