Sex Abuse Survivors Group Seeks Accountability from Catholic Church

By Brix Fowler
KENS
February 26, 2013

http://www.kens5.com/news/Sex-abuse-survivors-group-seeks-accountability-from-Catholic-Church-193453011.html

[with video]

"It's been a very big loss. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about Eduardo," Barbara Boehland said.

Boehland's son, Eduardo Ramon, committed suicide back in 1997. She says he did it because of sexual abuse by a priest.

'I remember falling to my knees and crying because it didn't happen at my house. It happened at my grandparents' house where he hung himself," Boehland said.

Boehland says the Catholic Church needs to be held accountable. She's part of a nationwide group that supports survivors of religous sexual abuse.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate its 84-page legal complaint that the pope and several cardinals knowingly condoned sexual abuse and did very little, if anything, to stop it.

"I have a lot of faith in God that his trial will happen and the church will pay for all that they have been hiding... all this scandal," Boehland said.

The court has yet to take action on SNAP's complaint. It was originally filed back in 2011.

But to increase support for its cause, SNAP's leadership made its way to Vatican City to attempt to ask Pope Benedict, before he steps down Thursday, to provide police with any records that the Catholic Church might have involving sex crimes by its priests.

Boehland hopes this fresh push for accountability can help others avoid the pain she's endured for the past 15 years.

"Some of the days are harder. Holidays. He and I share the same month of birthday. Four days seperate us. He's January 4th. Mine is the 8th," she said. "It's really hard to celebrate a loss. Any parent who's lost a child knows exactly how I feel."