Ruling on Testimony Doesn't Help Victims

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 7, 2012

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/ruling-on-testimony-doesnt-help-victims-2n4rojo-146491675.html

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley may believe that she is protecting the victims of pedophiles, but in fact she's doing quite the opposite. Her ruling Thursday to keep under court seal the testimony of two retired Catholic bishops who handled child sex abuse cases in the Milwaukee Archdiocese helps maintain the shroud of secrecy that has been the shameful hallmark of the Catholic Church's darkest scandal.

Kelley said her fear is that the testimony could potentially identify victims who have sought anonymity in the case and that the testimony contained "scandalous material." Of course it's scandalous; this is a scandal that demands more light, not continued darkness. And victims groups who had sought the release of the testimony and other documents argued that the names of victims would be protected through redaction, as has been the case in other church bankruptcies around the country. The victims' names really aren't at risk.

An attorney for the victims groups called Thursday a "very sad day for survivors." It is. And it's a sad day for all those within and outside the church who seek the facts.