February 12, 2005

Victims, Wife React To Ex-Priest Porter's Death

BOSTON (MA)
WCCO

Feb 12, 2005 8:08 pm US/Central
Boston (AP) Before hundreds of sexual abuse allegations shook the foundations of the Archdiocese of Boston, and lawsuits exposed a hierarchy that protected pedophile priests, there was James Porter.

The 1993 case of the former priest, who died on Friday at a Boston hospital at age 70, was an early bellwether of a broader scandal that would hit a decade later. His death evoked strong emotions among victims, his wife and others whose lives became intertwined with his.

Peter Calderone, 55, of Attleboro, Mass., a Porter victim, said he was glad that Porter's "not a menace to society any longer."

"It's going to take a long, long time for Porter's devastation to fade from history," he said.

David Clohessy, president of the Survivor's Network of Those Abused by Priests, said he hoped Porter's victims could now find some measure of peace.

Posted by kshaw at February 12, 2005 09:34 PM