BishopAccountability.org
	Group Says 9 Bishops Should Be Punished By Shirley Ragsdale Des Moines Register December 14, 2007 http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071214/NEWS/712140397/1045/LIFE05 Victims' advocates critical of the latest progress report on how U.S. Catholic bishops are handling the child sexual abuse scandal have asked the Vatican to sanction nine bishops who have been accused of sexual misconduct. "Hundreds of pedophile priests have been suspended, but virtually none of the U.S. bishops accused of child molestation in recent years are being defrocked or supervised. This is inexcusably reckless," said Barbara Dorris, outreach director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). This year's report shows that 98 percent of U.S. dioceses have complied with the bishops' efforts to protect children and respond to the abuses of the past. The review board urged expanded audits of parishes, greater understanding of victimization and its consequences and improved relationships with Catholic priests, a majority of whom were not involved in the scandal. "Bishops have taken a strong approach to dealing with the crisis," said Judge Michael Merz, review board chairman. "Bishops as moral leaders must stand in the forefront of protecting children." Retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens is one of those named Thursday by the survivor's network. Allegations against Soens surfaced in 2002. In 2004, then-Davenport Bishop William Franklin approved a $20,000 settlement and, in an unprecedented move, publicly named Soens as an alleged abuser. Franklin also sent information about Soens to the Vatican. Currently, there are 14 lawsuits pending against Soens, filed by students of Regina Catholic High School who allege they were abused in the 1960s by Soens, who was principal. Deacon David Montgomery, spokesman for the Davenport Diocese, said he could not comment on the cases.
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