May 26, 2005

Catholics seek help sending abuse victims to conference

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

By Marie Szaniszlo
Thursday, May 26, 2005 - Updated: 04:51 AM EST

A group of Boston-area Catholics has started a unique scholarship fund to help pay for clergy sexual-abuse victims to attend a national survivors conference.

BishopAccountability.org, the largest online archive on the crisis in the Catholic Church, is soliciting donations for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

SNAP's third annual conference will be held June 10 to 12 in Chicago, but not all victims can afford the roughly $500 airfare, registration fee and hotel expense.

``What strikes me again and again is the nearly superhuman strength it takes for survivors to come forward and risk public humiliation,'' said Anne Barrett Doyle, one of the Web site's directors.

``Without their courage, the scandal would never have been exposed.''

Posted by kshaw at May 26, 2005 07:31 AM