BishopAccountability.org
	O'Brien Defends the Indefensible By Frank Dingle Baltimore Examiner December 14, 2008 http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/opinion/121408dingle.html [For an example of the Examiner's reporting on the Cristancho case, see Carolyn Peirce's Priest Loses Custody of Triplets Fathered by Donating Sperm - Accused of Abusing Those Children. See also a court opinion in the case.] The Baltimore Examiner's ongoing reporting of sex abuse allegations within the Catholic Church is to be commended. Although the Catholic Church's ongoing defense of their actions regarding sex abuse allegations is disheartening and disgusting, it's not surprising to the survivors of the unspeakable abuse at the hands of priests and other church leaders. For decades, the Catholic Church has attempted to defend the indefensible by transferring pedophile priests to other parishes to conceal and cover up their sexual abuse crimes. These articles certainly help focus attention on the need for Archbishop Edwin O'Brien to take a leadership role in supporting efforts to protect children. Sadly, O'Brien is once again defending the church's actions by misleading the public regarding their handling of the Rev. Fernando Cristancho, a leader at St. Ignatius Church in Forest Hill. I authored this piece not to get drawn into the details of this particular case — there are more important issues at stake here, including how we move forward to protect innocent children, expose sexual predators and heal victims — but a quick review of the church's failed efforts to protect the public and conceal the facts surrounding this case warrant further examination. A Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore official stated in a recent article that Cristancho was successfully screened for transfer to the Harford County church in 1999. One legitimately wonders about this screening process when, two years earlier, he was fired for allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate disbursement of church funds from the Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria, Va. Unfortunately, Cristancho went on to father three children with a parishioner through in-vitro fertilization while at St. Ignatius Church and was later accused of sexual abuse against his two sons. Investigators, mental health professionals and child protection advocates performed a thorough examination of the allegations and found credible evidence the abuse occurred. Consequently, the court removed the children from Cristancho's custody. The devastation this has brought to these children and their family members could have been avoided had the Catholic Church dealt with the sexual misconduct charge in Virginia in an open, honest and transparent manner. Despite the court's findings of credible evidence that the abuse occurred, Cristancho has not been defrocked, and stated he hopes to return to the ministry when his children are older. This case highlights the sad fact that childhood sexual abuse continues to occur at staggering levels in this country, regardless of religion, race, culture, education and socioeconomic levels. The problem of childhood sex abuse is bigger than the Catholic Church. It's a societal problem, as the Catholic Church is responsible for less than 3 percent of abuse. The statistics are overwhelming: 22 percent of children — one out of three girls and one out of six boys — will be sexually abused by the age of 18. In most instances, the sexual abuser is known to the child, making reporting and disclosure for the victim extremely difficult. A single child abuser will abuse approximately 100 children in his/her lifetime. We need the resolve to protect children ahead of perpetrators. Laws to increase or eliminate the civil statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse, currently set in Maryland law at 25 years of age or younger, have proven extremely effective in protecting children, exposing predators and helping victims through the healing process. Recently, Delaware and California removed barriers to justice for those sexually victimized as children. As a result of the removal of the statute of limitations in California in 2003, more than 300 child molesters have been exposed, thereby protecting thousands of innocent children from these predators. It's about time that O'Brien stops defending the indefensible, and works with Maryland legislators to pass legislation to protect innocent children from abuse, and give victims of unspeakable sexual trauma the chance to speak up and hold their abusers accountable for their heinous actions. Cristancho's children deserve this opportunity for justice when they are mentally, emotionally and physically ready to do so, not before some archaic Maryland law tells them they must. The author lives in Catonsville and is an active member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. For more information, visit SNAP's Web site, and Dingle can be reached at snapmd@comcast.net
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