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	Lawmaker under Fire for Voting No on Church Sex Abuse Bill Wtaq May 6, 2010 http://www.wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/may/06/lawmaker-under-fire-voting-no-church-sex-abuse-bil/ Victims of sex abuse by Catholic priests want state Senate Democrat Jim Sullivan to explain why he voted against a bill to protect those victims. In an e-mail, a lobbyist for trial lawyers said Sullivan told him he opposed the bill because he wants to keep getting Communion every Sunday. But the Milwaukee Archdiocese said it never spoke to Sullivan about denying him Communion over the issue. And the Wisconsin Catholic Conference never made such a comment, either. Sullivan is a Democrat from Wauwatosa. He has not elaborated on the e-mail, which came from trial lawyers' lobbyist Joe Strohl. Catholic leaders actively opposed the bill, which would have eliminated the statute of limitations on civil suits involving all sex abuse against childhood victims. The church said it could bankrupt them. The bill died when the session ended last month, but supporters vow to bring it back in 2011. A number of years ago, former La Crosse Bishop Raymond Burke talked about denying Communion to politicians who voted against Catholic doctrine. But it never happened, and the new Milwaukee archbishop – Jerome Listecki – said he would consider it only in extreme cases. The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests have asked Listecki to promise in writing that he'd never threaten a loss of Communion to block bills that would help abuse victims.
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