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	Women Abuse Survivors Challenge Rome, O'Malley In Newsweekly [Boston MA] December 7, 2005 Unconvinced the Vatican's new criteria banning gay seminarians address root causes of clerical abuse, women who were abused by priests demonstrated on Thurs., Dec. 1, outside chancery offices of the Boston Archdiocese. While taking aim at a new Vatican document released earlier last week, which says men "who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called 'gay culture'" are not suitable for priestly ordination, the female survivors also took issue with Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley's recent letter on homosexuality, which local media widely considered a positive outreach effort. "Perhaps the public ¦ would like to continue to think that priests abused altar boys and somehow their daughters are safe," said Ann Hagan Webb, New England coordinator for Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. "We are here to dispel that myth," she added. "We were not safe. And homosexual orientation in our abusers had nothing to do with it." Hagan Webb, a psychologist, who alleges her abuse by a monsignor from kindergarten through the seventh grade, took issue specifically with church officials and reports that suggest 80 percent to 90 percent of sex abuse victims were boys. "How does that account for the fact that half of the 6,000 plus members of SNAP are female?" she asked, adding, "This culture has a long history of blaming female victims whatever their age for the sexual abuse perpetrated on them. Is it any wonder that we are less apt to come forward publicly, or face legal actions that might put us on the witness stand defending our virtue?" Abuse of power, clerical culture, and bishops' lack of accountability, and non-celibacy among other causes, the women said, partly account for the crisis and its cover up. The "crisis in the church," said Hagan Webb, is in reality a "crime wave," explaining, "The sexual abuse of crimes of Catholic priests were perpetrated by adult, supposedly celibate men against minor children and vulnerable adults." One speaker identified a theological concern, which she suggested, explains hierarchical "inability" and "incapacity" to address priests sexual misconduct and the "urgent issue of abuse within Catholic families," said Bernadette Brooten, the Kraft-Hiatt Professor of Christian studies at Brandeis University. While the Vatican says 'deep-seated homosexual tendencies' allowed the abuse to exist," she said, "I want to talk about a deep-seated theological problem." Brooten went on to identify St. Thomas Aquinas' medieval idea that "sodomy, contraception, abortion, and masturbation are worse than rape and incest," she said. The former category, Brooten explained, "are contrary to nature whereas rape and incest are not only sinful, but also unnatural, contrary to nature." From Brooten's perspective, girls and women don't get much attention from church leadership because, she suggested, the Vatican is relieved that at least it's "natural" sex. For church officials, she said, "same-sex relations are unnatural, not abuse." Brooten, who also heads the feminist sexual ethics project at Brandeis, said "Any kind of abuse is the problem, consent is the problem, abuse of power is the problem and not some concept of what is in accordance with nature or contrary to nature or not discerned in nature." Another female survivor also spoke out. Kathleen M. Dwyer charged Vatican officials with scapegoating gay men for blame and to dodge responsibility for the abuse. "In order to protect themselves, their power, and their money," Dwyer said, "they are more focused on and have settled on blaming gays for all the abuse, even though countless studies indicate that most child molesters are heterosexual." Dwyer, who alleges abuse "sexually, ritually, and spiritually" between the ages of five and eight by a priest and two Knights of Columbus members, said the scapegoating of gays by the hierarchy should not surprise anyone." Blaming gays, Dwyer said, helps the local church increases O'Malley's chances of banning "same-gender marriage." The archbishop and local church advocacy groups continue to oppose same-sex marriage and encouraged Catholics statewide to sign a citizens-initiative petition for a ballot measure to ban gay marriage in Massachusetts by amending the constitution, but not before Nov., 2008. Dwyer also urged other survivors to speak out. "My silence had not protected me," she said, quoting from the black lesbian author Audre Lorde. "Your silence will not protect you." O'Malley's outreach to "homosexual" Catholics also came under fire outside the chancery. In a Nov., 23 letter the archbishop said, "The Church's position [against same-sex marriage] is not based on an animus against people with a homosexual orientation." Also, "We do not want Catholics who have a homosexual orientation to feel unwelcomed in the Catholic Church," O'Malley wrote. "It's laughable," said Hagan Webb, adding, "It's so much window dressing and damage control. I don't know anyone who believes him." Another survivor voiced her observations, "What a slap in the fact to the gay community," said Sheila Boyle. "It's appalling." Not all of those who demonstrated against the Vatican and the local church were women. Bill Gately, a regional SNAP coordinator, views the timing of O'Malley's letter at worse "exploitative," at least "disingenuous," he said. "He throws out this piece of bait: We want you," Gately explained. But "How can we feel comfortable when he leaves Mass to go talk against gay people." he added. As for the Vatican's new criteria banning gay seminarians: "It was those queer priests chasing the boys," he quipped, adding, but "girls and boys are not safe." •