By Armando Trull
WAMU
May 19, 2011
http://wamu.org/news/11/05/19/catholic_priest_abuse_study_angers_dc_area_abuse_victims.php
 |
| David Lorenz, an abuse survivor, says bishops need to do more, including publish the names of abusers. |
May 19, 2011 - Victims of Catholic clergy sex abuse in the Washington metro area are blasting a recent study of clergy sexual abuse in America that concludes, in part, that the permissiveness of the 1960's and '70's contributed to the crisis.
The report, which was conducted by the U.S. Catholic Church, found that a combination of social factors, deficiencies in seminary education and inconsistent responses by church leaders contributed to the crisis.
Father Jim Moran -- no relations to the Congressman -- who's from Arlington, Virginia, is a chunky fellow in his sixties, ruddy faced, with a ready smile and a twinkle in his eye. Both fade when he recalls being abused as a young deacon.
"A priest took me on a conference and, to make a long story short, on the first night of the conference, he raped me," says Moran.
Moran was among the half dozen abuse survivors who staged a silent protest outside offices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offices in downtown D.C. Wednesday.
The report says the clergy sexual abuse had no single cause, but a variety of factors such as a permissive society, inadequate seminary training and vulnerable priests brought about the behavior.
"The bishops are not taking responsibility for their own actions," says David Lorenz of Bowie, Md., another abuse survivor. "They blame it on the '60's; they blame it on the culture; they blame everybody else."
Lorenz says a first step would be for the Washington archdiocese to stop refusing to release the names of all priests who have been accused of sexual abuse. There are only a few dioceses in the country that release the lists.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.