IOWA
Des Moines Register
By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR
December 20, 2005
For the second time in a week, representatives of victims' advocate organizations have approached Catholic hierarchy asking to be heard, only to be turned away.
On Monday, representatives of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, Catholics for Spiritual Healing of Grand Mound and Concerned Catholics of the Davenport Diocese demonstrated outside the Dubuque Archdiocese chancery. The group was asking that Archbishop Jerome Hanus take the lead on sanctioning former Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, who has been accused of molesting students at Iowa City Regina High School.
Last week, the group demonstrated outside St. Mary's Catholic Church in Riverside, where about 80 priests were receiving training. The Dec. 13 training event, sponsored by the Davenport Diocese, was scheduled after priests asked Bishop William Franklin for help in ministering to sex abuse victims.