August 26, 2005

Ex-altar boy struggles to cope

DENVER (CO)
Rocky Mountain News

By Felix Doligosa Jr., Rocky Mountain News
August 26, 2005

As a former altar boy walked up the steps of a Denver home Thursday to pass out fliers about clergy abuse, he also took the first strides to accepting his past.

"This is a start," said Frank, who says he was a victim of Harold Robert White and who asked that his last name not be used. "You don't know where to go until you find people who have been in your shoes."

Frank, with the help of a group that supports victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, took to the streets of White's former Catholic church's neighborhood to encourage people to speak out about sexual assaults by priests.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) handed out fliers near Good Shepherd Catholic Church, telling potential victims how to find help and report abuse.

Five lawsuits have been filed recently against the Archdiocese of Denver for covering up White's alleged actions while he was a priest at several Colorado parishes.

The lawsuits accuse White, 72, of molesting more than a dozen boys over a 20-year period.

Posted by kshaw at August 26, 2005 07:00 AM