IOWA
Radio Iowa
by Stella Shaffer
A small group went to St. Josephs' Parish south of Dubuque this morning to stage a "sidewalk news conference" over the latest case involving accusations of priest abuse. A man who now lives in Texas has sued the diocese charging a priest molested him in the 1960s. The priest, William Roach, has since died. Steve Theisen with SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, says the diocese is trying to put blame on the victim instead. "They're trying to put the onus on the victim instead of the perp," Theisen says. He says the defense argued that the victim, who was 17 at the time, was not a child. "We think that's very wrong to say that basically fifteen, sixteen and 17-year-old kids are fair game." The lawyers for the Dubuque diocese are also using a novel tactic in trying to deflect the accusation. They're saying that Monsignor Roach was not an employee of the diocese -- that he was an independent contractor.
Posted by kshaw at July 29, 2005 09:52 PM