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	Survivor Calling for Action; Abuse Victim Speaking at Parishes By Erica Bajer Daily News [Canada] May 26, 2007 http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=545005&catname=Local+News&classif= A survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of pedophile priest Charles Sylvestre is calling local Catholics to action. This weekend Kelly-Anne Appleton will take her message to St. Ursula's Catholic Church in Chatham - where many of Sylvestre's 47 victims were abused as children. She will speak at the masses being held Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. She will speak June 2 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Chatham at the masses held Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Appleton said she will be asking Catholics to use their voices and demand measures be taken in the church to protect children. "They seem to be years behind in protecting children," she said. "It's socially responsible to protect children, and morally responsible. The church should have been the leader in that." She pointed out that the Catholic Church is one of the only institutions that doesn't have policies in place to protect children - those policies exist in schools, organized sports and clubs for kids, she said. Appleton said there are immediate measures that can be taken to protect children in church, including having open confessionals and banning children from going to the rectory unsupervised. She applauded the efforts of two local priests, Father Dan Vere at St. Ursula's who has put a window in the confessional and Father Dennis Wilhelm at St. Joseph's, who no longer has closed confessions with children. She said efforts like that shouldn't be left up to individual priests to implement - they should be mandated by the Diocese of London. Appleton believes it is up to members of the Catholic faith to push for the changes. She said the church's hierarchy has displayed a reluctance to force priests to make changes. "They appear more concerned with the feelings of the priests, rather than the safety of children," Appleton said. The local woman said her presentation isn't anti-Catholic or church bashing - it's simply a "call to action" to members of the faith. "I know that many people don't want to hear about it anymore," Appleton said of sexual abuse at the hands of priests. "But, pedophiles are not going away."
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