BishopAccountability.org
	Vigil Spotlights Abuse by Clergy Group Turns up Heat on Church By Mike Miller Capital Times [Madison WI] January 6, 2007 http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/index.php?ntid=113887&ntpid=1 Victims of sexual abuse by priests will hold a vigil today at 5:30 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in downtown Madison, protesting what they call a continued coverup by the Catholic Church of sexual abuse by its clergy. Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) will hold similar vigils in more than 50 cities across the nation, including Green Bay and Milwaukee, in recognition of the fifth anniversary of a series of stories in the Boston Globe about sexual abuse by priests, often of children. The group said it will highlight two "particularly egregious cases," including that of the Rev. Ryan Erickson, who reportedly killed two men in Hudson after one of them apparently found out that Erickson was sexually abusing someone. The second case is that of the Rev. Robert Larsen, whose sexual abuse of children led five of his victims to commit suicide, SNAP said. Those in the vigil at St. Patrick church, 404 E. Main St., will be holding candles, signs and childhood photos, the group said, and will ask that bishops in the Catholic Church disclose all the names of priests accused of sexual abuse and to stop what SNAP calls "hardball legal tactics" by the church. They will also implore churches to display photos of several victims in churches across the nation. "Innocent kids and vulnerable adults are still at risk, and church officials are still reckless and secretive," said Barbara Blaine, the group's president and founder. "Bishops are working harder than ever at public relations," Blaine said, "but fundamentally, they still protect their secrets more than they protect their flocks." Erickson, 31, committed suicide in 2004 in Hurley after being questioned by police about the 2002 murders of Daniel O'Connell, 39, and James Ellison, 22, in the O'Connell family funeral home in Hudson in St. Croix County. Police and family members think that O'Connell had uncovered evidence of Erickson's sexual abuse of someone and that Erickson provided alcohol to teens and that Erickson shot him because of it. Ellison was an employee in the funeral home. Today's vigils will be held in 23 states, the group said. E-mail: mmiller@madison.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.