BishopAccountability.org
	Abused Seek Support, Justice Meeting Examines Church's Action By Rob Daniel Iowa City Press-Citizen [Iowa] June 26, 2005 It was a matter of what the bishops of Catholic dioceses across the United States should do, the national director of a network of survivors of sex abuse by Catholic priests said. If David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, were the bishop of a diocese, and the 60 or so people sitting in front of him were priests, there would be a "zero tolerance" policy in terms of sexual abuse of children by priests. He said he would go after priests who do not report abuse by other priests and he would push for priests who were accused of molesting children to fight the accusations fairly, without resorting to intimidating their accuser. "If you're accused, you will act as Jesus would," Clohessy said Saturday. "You will defend yourself, but you will not attack your accuser." The remarks were part of "A Weekend of Hope and Understanding," a two-day conference held Friday and Saturday in Iowa City at Faith United Church of Christ and the Iowa City Public Library. The goal of the conference, according to event organizers Iowa City Call to Action and Concerned Catholics of the Davenport Diocese, was to encourage victims of sexual abuse by priests to come forward and to get support from other Catholics and fellow survivors. "It's just to listen," said John Whiston of Concerned Catholics. "You don't really understand what this means unless you hear it in person. The only way we can deal with (thoughts of fear and shame) is to tell them the truth." Steve Theisen, co-founder of the Northeast Iowa chapter of SNAP, said he wanted to garner support for victims. "We want people to know they're not alone," he said. One person who came forward to confront his abuse was John Wirchnianski of Lanark, Ill. Wirchnianski, 40, said a priest abused him as an adult in 1990. He said with the abuse and what he called a lack of action on the part of church leadership, he felt lost. He said he made the decision to attend the conference at the last minute. "I'm coming here to try to connect with other survivors," Wirchnianski said. "My attitude to the church is ... '15 years too late.' It's a long journey. It's extremely painful." Mike Hitch, 52, came from Broken Arrow, Okla., to meet other survivors. He said a priest in Fort Madison abused him for five years starting when he was 11. Another priest molested him when he moved to college at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Hitch said. "I'd like to see justice for people my age," Hitch said. "(I want) to make sure it never happens again." Hitch and other survivors now are pushing for states to change law-governing statutes of limitations, allowing victims to press charges against priests years after the abuse allegedly occurs. "I think it's only a matter of time before this spreads across the country," Hitch said. "Child abuse is a crime. The church should be offering support."