Conn Diocese Releases Documents on Priest Sex Abuse, NECN, December 1, 2009

Conn. Diocese Releases Documents on Priest Sex Abuse

NECN
December 1, 2009

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/12/01/Conn-diocese-releases/1259713567.html

[with video]

(NECN: Brian Burnell) - More than 12,000 pages of documents were released today by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They detail decades of sexual abuse by priests and steps taken by the church.

The documents were released computer files and came from 23 lawsuits filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, lawsuits settled in 2001. They shed light on what the diocese knew and when it knew it going back to the 50's.

Beth McCabe, SNAP Connecticut: My abuse happened in the early sixties.

Beth McCabe is co-leader of the Connecticut chapter of SNAP... The Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests.

Beth McCabe, SNAP Connecticut: The church has been, has maintained silence for so many years and maintained silence for the victims in a lot of ways. You know, silenced them.

She says the documents could go a long way toward helping people like her heal and, hopefully, give those who have not come forward the courage to do so.

The diocese has argued from the beginning that the release of these documents in unnecessary because the information in them, most of it, is well known... reported in dozens if not hundreds of news stories over the years. If that's true, though, why fight the release at all?

Beth McCabe, SNAP Connecticut: They wouldn't be putting up such a fight if there wasn't anything there. That there are probably things that will scar someone's reputation about not only the priests thatwere accused of victimizing children but also the people that covered it up.

People like former Bridgeport Bishop and later New York Cardinal Edward Eagan. He released a statement through attorneys saying abuse allegations made while he was Bishop rarely proved true. The diocese issues a statement that reads, in part, "The Diocese has worked and will continue to work diligently and transparently to address the issue of sexual abuse in order to prevent this tragedy from happening again. The Diocese remains committed to reaching out to support those who have been harmed."

Beth McCabe, SNAP Connecticut: If they're doing a better job its only because of the pressure that survivors and the law have placed on them.

McCabe says she has little faith in the church doing the right thing.

Beth McCabe, SNAP Connecticut: They will use their power to abuse, to destroy documents, to destroy people's lives and to do whatever they can do to cover up what they did.