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	Settlement Does Not Erase the Scars By Thomas Monnay Sun-Sentinel July 26, 2007 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-tmcol26nbjul26,0,5054524.story Florida — A Catholic who grew up around the altar, I'm always hurt and embarrassed each time I hear about alleged sex abuses by those entrusted to teach us against evil and to avoid temptation. A case in point is the $660 million sex-abuse settlement by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I'm concerned because my heart always has been close to the Catholic church. Back home in the Haitian town of Mirebalais, where I grew up, my parents donated land and used their own money to build a chapel. As a young man, I was actively involved with a youth Catholic group known as JTC — Jeune Temoins du Christ or Young Witnesses of Christ. I even considered becoming a priest, but that didn't work out because my parents couldn't afford to enroll me in the seminary. Maybe it wasn't my calling. Back in those days, I remember going to Sunday Masses clad in white shirt and pants, escorted to the small St. Louis cathedral by the principal at my all-boys public school. The nuns at the all-girls public school, which ran the KIRO, which is the equivalent of a girls scout group, would do the same with their children. The church gave us hope, and it was a proud moment for all of us. Fr. Robert Ternier, a lanky man and social justice advocate, taught us to love our community. At times, he would clean up streets and a river with us. He also would take us to picnics. Our parents trusted our priest, and he was our role model. I haven't met anyone who has something negative to say about Fr. Ternier. He was a positive influence and inspired many young men to become priests. I used to hear little gossips about a priest dating a nun, but nothing as crucial as what I am witnessing here in America, my new country. It's whole a different story. Sexual abuse allegations against some priests are undermining the integrity of the Roman Catholic Church and the faith of millions of followers. I don't know how to approach my brother-in-law, who dropped out of the seminary, about the controversy, for he still is devoted to his Catholic faith. I also do my best to keep the subject away from home. I can't imagine having to explain it to my eight-year-old daughter, who just received her First Holy Communion at All Saints Catholic Church in Sunrise. If she ever asks, I probably would tell her to talk to mom, the family therapist who has an answer to every question. It's really alarming what's happening, and it needs to stop. It's a deep-rooted problem that has claimed scores of victims. And it has gone on for so long because the Catholic hierarchy has engaged in cover-ups for pedophile priests, said David Clohessy, national director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests—SNAP. Had those abuses stopped, there wouldn't be the need today for such a support network, which claims more than 7,000 members, including men and women allegedly abused by priests. A big concern, however, is that there might be more victims than we will ever know because sex-abuse victims generally are shy to talk about it. And statutes of limitation laws in different states have made it difficult for many victims to have their day in court. The recent settlement, the largest by a Roman Catholic archdiocese, acknowledges something is wrong. But it also signals an urgency for Roman Catholic leaders to resolve the crisis. Financial settlements spare the Church more embarrassing headlines. But they further increase the burden on parishioners, who are being asked to contribute more money to keep churches open. While settlements give plaintiffs comfort knowing someone finally believed their stories, they can never forget the abuses they endured at the hands of their spiritual leaders. Cardinal Roger Mahony, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, rightly apologized to the 508 plaintiffs in the case, saying: "There really is no way to go back and give them that innocence that was taken away from them..." Very true. But we can work as a community to protect children from being abused at home, church, school and anywhere it's happening. Thomas Monnay can be reached at tmonnay@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7924
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