Poland's Clergy Sex Abuse Victims Form Foundation to Seek Damages

U.S. Catholic
May 15, 2013

http://www.uscatholic.org/news/201305/polands-clergy-sex-abuse-victims-form-foundation-seek-damages-27319

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Polish victims of alleged sexual abuse by Catholic priests have formed a foundation to seek damages from the church.

"This is to be our forum for cooperating with the church -- we want the people who harmed us to be penalized, barred from working with children and even dismissed from pastoral service," the foundation founder, identified only as Marek, told the Gazeta Wyborcza daily May 12.

"Most importantly, our aim is to convince society we aren't the guilty ones, but the ones who were harmed. In our small communities, we are often treated as black sheep, and many of us have had to move," he said.

Organizers of the Poznan-based foundation, "Be Not Afraid," said they hoped to obtain compensation and psychological help for victims and persuade Polish legislators to change a law establishing a 15-year limit for abuse prosecutions.

They added that they expected "a large mass of people who were harmed in the 1970s and 1980s" to join the association.

The bishops' conference spokesman, Father Jozef Kloch, told Gazeta Wyborcza all citizens had "a right to create foundations and associations," adding that the church would not comment on the initiative until the foundation was fully registered and operational.

In March, a Polish clergy abuse victim backed by the Helsinki Foundation launched the first compensation case against the Polish church.

Poland's Catholic Church has faced accusations of ignoring or covering up abuse by priests, at least 50 of whom have been convicted in the last decade; most received suspended sentences.

In March 2012, the bishops' conference said it had adopted guidelines for handling accusations in line with 2011 Vatican instructions.

However, the conference president, Archbishop Jozef Michalik, said the church would not offer material damages to victims, respond to anonymous allegations or "cooperate with the judicial process" when confessional secrets were involved.