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	McCormack Expected to Plead Guilty Priest Accused in Church Sex Abuse By Dan Ponce ABC 7 [Chicago, IL] July 2, 2007 http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5441494 July 2, 2007 - Chicago Priest Daniel McCormack, who is accused of sexually assaulting five boys, will appear in court Monday. He is expected to plead guilty to felony sexual abuse charges. According to published reports and legal sources, the plea agreement would send McCormack to prion for five years, which some people said is not enough. McCormack's high-profile case opened the door for a great deal of criticism of Francis Cardinal George, who allowed the accused priest to continue being around children even after the archdiocese was made aware of the abuse allegations. The scandal forever changed the Archdiocese of Chicago. Many Catholics have moved on, but others wants to make sure people do not forget about the McCormack case. Barbara Blaine and her group called SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests passed out flyers calling on parishioners to urge Cardinal George to make sure McCormack is kept far away from children when he is released from prison. McCormack is expected plead guilty to five counts of criminal sexual assault. "We know Fr. McCormack is still young. He's still under age 40. We also know that sexual offenders continue to abuse their entire lives. So, we thing that it's the only appropriate and responsible thing to do," said Blaine. Father McCormack was charged with sexually abusing five boys at his West Side church, St. Agatha parish. While some parishioners have been forgiving, others were not when it came to hearing about a possible guilty plea. "Churches are made up of people and people make mistakes," said Dave Lazare, also a parishioner. "I think anything you find in the secular world, you'll find in religious life." "I happy that he gets what he deserves. If he's guilty, he gets what he deserves," said another parishioner, Jeannette Farley. According to reports, under the terms of a plea deal, McCormack could get five years in prison, which could mean out in two and one-half years for good behavior. An attorney who represents one of the victims said that sentence is not enough. "In my opinion, it is not sufficient," said Steve Dicker, an attorney representing one of the victims. "I understand that he has abused several other boys, besides my client. And, he has abused my client, we know, probably a couple hundred times. So, I don't think a five-year sentence is sufficient." On the other hand, Dicker said his client's parents are relieved their son will not have to go through the pain of testifying in a trial. ABC7 Chicago also talked with Jeff Anderson, who represents two of the victims. Anderson said it's about time a priest is prosecuted and goes to jail for abusing children rather than being protected by the Catholic church.
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