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	An Open Letter to Bishop Richard J. Malone about Child Sex Abuse in Haiti By Richard J. Malone Voice from the Desert December 27, 2011 http://reform-network.net/?p=14228 OPEN LETTER December 27, 2011 Most Rev. Richard J. Malone Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Portland, Maine Dear Bishop Malone, On November 1, 2011, it was announced that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will host the first national conference on solidarity with Haiti from June 1-3, 2012 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. http://onetable.crs.org "We invite those whose faith has led them to mission work in Haiti to join this learning experience," said Bishop Richard J. Malone, Bishop of Portland and CRS Board Member. "Haitians are at the forefront of the Church's reconstruction program in Haiti and we should all hear the Haitian perspective on what is working best for the country." I have traveled to Haiti 6 times in the past 8 years and have been closely involved in advocating for Haitian children who are being sexually abused by U.S. citizens. In each of the non-profit organizations where child sex abuse has been discovered, Bishop Malone, there is a link to the Catholic Church. Therefore I would like to meet with you to discuss ways and means by which the USCCB/CRS One Table Conference in June will effectively address the issues of child sexual abuse and child exploitation in Haiti. Thanks to recently enacted federal legislation, U.S. citizens will be arrested and prosecuted by the United States Justice Department for crimes committed against children anywhere in the world. In December 2010, U.S. citizen, Douglas Perlitz, former executive director of Project Pierre Toussaint in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, was sentenced to almost 20 years in prison in U.S. federal court for sexually abusing children in Haiti. Project Pierre Toussaint was funded and sponsored by Fairfield University, the New England Jesuits, the Order of Malta and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. In her remarks before final sentencing, Judge Janet Arterton explained that the defense arguments that Perlitz had provided positively to society is akin to digging a well to provide water for people who need water, then poisoning the well and still expecting to be praised for digging the well. I look forward to your response, Bishop Malone. Children in Haiti need our help. Sincerely, Paul Kendrick Freeport, Maine
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