DENVER (CO)
Rocky Mountain News
By April M. Washington And Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News
April 20, 2006
Thomas Gumbleton, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, is scheduled to be in Denver today to urge support for sex-abuse legislation pending in Colorado.
Earlier this year, Gumbleton became the first U.S. Catholic bishop to admit he was sexually abused by a priest 60 years ago, and said he favored tough laws even if they opened the floodgates for lawsuits to be filed against the Catholic Church.
He is a longtime church critic and activist for such causes as gay rights, and is founder of the peace organization, Pax Christi USA.
His visit was arranged through the office of Sen. Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Coal Creek Canyon. She and Rep. Gwyn Green, D-Golden, each authored controversial bills that would remove the statute of limitations so that adult victims of childhood sexual abuse could bring civil lawsuits against their predators, even if the incidents occurred many years ago.