MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Larry Oakes, Star Tribune
February 15, 2005
Minnesotans scarred by former priest James Porter's sexual abuse said Monday that his death gives them little consolation.
One of his victims, his ex-wife and an attorney who went after him say they're relieved no child will ever again be victimized by Porter, the convicted pedophile who died in a Boston hospital Friday.
But they add that Porter's death at age 70 does nothing to erase the pain he inflicted on as many as 100 children; nor does it lessen the anger they feel toward the Catholic Church for transferring Porter each time he was accused instead of defrocking and prosecuting him.
"You're never going to close a chapter like that," said Dan Dow, 47. He is still troubled by memories of being repeatedly abused by Porter when Dow was a 12-year-old altar boy at St. Philip's Catholic Church in Bemidji.
"You deal with the effects the rest of your life," Dow said. "But it's nice to know he'll never be able to abuse anyone else."
Posted by kshaw at February 15, 2005 04:07 AM