Sun Chronicle
June 25, 2010
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2010/06/25/news/7595740.txt
FALL RIVER - Concerned parishioners rallied at all four Catholic dioceses in Massachusetts Thursday, calling for the identities of sexual offenders in the church to be made public.
Anne Barrett Doyle, of bishopaccountability.org, led the group in Fall River, and delivered a letter to Bishop George Coleman asking for the release of the identities of clergy members accused of sexual misconduct.
Two Falmouth residents, Gerry and Anne Hart, said they hoped the rally would encourage Coleman to follow 24 other dioceses around the country in disclosing a full list of clergy members who are alleged predators.
Doyle said Coleman has promised to do everything in his power to prevent the abuse of any child, but added that disclosure is the key to begin healing the wounds inflicted by clergy members.
John Kearns, spokesman for the Fall River Diocese, said that whenever a credible report is received, a public letter is submitted to the parish involved suggesting that anyone with allegations should come forward, and that has been diocese policy since 1993 Kearns also pointed to former Bristol County District Attorney Paul Walsh Jr.'s release in 2002 of the names of 20 priests accused of sexual misconduct.
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| People protest outside of Roman Catholic Bishop George Coleman’s house in Fall River over clergy sexual abuse issues. Photo by Shef Reynolds |
Coleman became bishop in 2003, and a year later published statistics on misconduct claims in the Fall River diocese since 1954.
Some 216 claims were brought to the church, with 32 priests involved in the allegations, Kearns said. During that time, 1,353 priests had served in the diocese.
Names of all the priests involved were not released, however.
In a speech to those gathered in front of the Bishop's office, Doyle said: "It is cruel to withhold these names from the victims."
Hoisting signs with pictures of victims and written requests for compassion, many of the rally members nodded in agreement.
Doyle said the best way to protect children is by prosecuting the accused, but many accusations have exceeded the statute of limitations.
The only other way to protect youths is by public identification of accused predators.
The Springfield diocese has pledged to reveal a list of the offending church workers in the coming days, and Doyle said the Fall River Diocese should do the same.
The Harts said the church is simply avoiding the issue. "Their assumption is if they wait long enough we'll simply go away," Gerry Hart said.
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