COLUMBUS (OH)
Cincinnati Inquirer
By Dan Horn
Enquirer staff writer
A Catholic bishop will testify before Ohio lawmakers this week against a bill that would allow victims to sue the church in decades-old sexual abuse cases.
The move suggests that the Catholic Church is ramping up its opposition to the bill as an Ohio House committee prepares to decide its fate, possibly within the next few months.
Bishop Frederick Campbell of the Diocese of Columbus is expected to explain why the church opposes a provision in a child-protection bill that would allow victims to sue over abuse that occurred as long ago as 35 years.
Church officials have lobbied against the provision for months and have complained that it is unconstitutional to allow such lawsuits, which today are barred because of the statute of limitations. Abuse victims and their advocates support the bill as a way to hold abusive priests accountable.