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	Coalition Asks O'Malley to Help Change Sex Crime Laws Groups Want More Public Disclosure By Mark Pratt Boston.com May 25, 2006 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/25/ coalition_asks_omalley_to_help_change_sex_crime_laws/ A coalition of clergy sexual abuse survivors groups and their supporters have written to Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, asking him to develop a public list of archdiocesan priests and employees dismissed for sexual misconduct and to publicly support changes in sex-crime laws. The coalition also announced yesterday that it will hand out leaflets at each stop on the cardinal's pilgrimage, scheduled to start today, to parishes around the Archdiocese of Boston with particularly painful histories of clergy sex abuse. The leaflets are intended for victims of abuse who have not come forward but who may attend the services and will include the names of "credibly accused perpetrator priests" who served in the parish and phone numbers to call for information and support. O'Malley announced earlier this month that he will begin a Novena to the Holy Spirit by visiting nine churches to offer special prayers for victims and to apologize for the priests and church officials who hurt children. "The cardinal is going on this nine-day journey, but there isn't any substance to what he's doing," said Ann Hagan Webb, New England coordinator for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, one of the groups releasing the letter, dated May 19. "He's simply saying he's sorry." Other Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States have established publicly accessible lists of priests and employees who have been restricted from ministry or dismissed because of sexual misconduct, Webb said. She pointed out that a retired priest from Hull, who was already awaiting trial on child rape charges, was accused earlier this year of molesting a mentally retarded person who lived near him. The coalition is also asking O'Malley to publicly support eliminating statutes of limitations on sex crimes. The groups said they had received no acknowledgment that the archdiocese has received the letter by last night. Kelly Lynch, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said that while she was unable to address the points brought up in the letter specifically, O'Malley "remains committed to doing everything possible to ensure that no child is ever harmed again." O'Malley is assessing recommendations of the "Children First" report, put together by an archdiocesan review board that analyzed the response to the sexual abuse crisis. "Cardinal Sean [O'Malley] will give this finding serious consideration and will address the concerns raised when he responds to the report," Lynch said. O'Malley is expected to either celebrate Mass or offer a prayer service during his visits. "Our hope is that these services will bring together survivors, their families, and friends, as well as clergy, parishioners, and members of the broader community," O'Malley said when the novena was announced.
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