SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican
Monday, November 28, 2005
By BILL ZAJAC
wzajac@repub.com
A local priest who was abused by his parish priest as a minor and a local clergy abuse activist have embarked on a campaign to support legislation to remove the statute of limitations on sex crimes against children.
The Rev. Bruce N. Teague, a Springfield Diocesan priest who has worked as a chaplain in Boston the past few years, and Peter C. Pollard, the head of the Greater Springfield chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said they hope the state Legislature will act on the issue within the next year or so.
They said a combination of the current law in which criminal charges of child sex abuse have to be filed within 15 years of the crime and the fact that most victims of child sexual abuse are not ready to initiate accusations until their mid-40s allows for many abusers to escape accountability and to continue to abuse.