Abuse Victims' Attorney Wants Pope to Discipline Cardinal George

By Robert H. Jordan Jr Anchor
WGN
January 22, 2014

http://wgntv.com/2014/01/22/abuse-victims-attorney-wants-pope-to-discipline-cardinal-george/

[with video]

A day after the release of documents offering new details on Chicago priests accused of sexual abuse, one of the attorneys who represents dozens of abuse victims is calling on Pope Francis to discipline Francis Cardinal George.

Six thousand documents were released Tuesday as part of a court settlement involving 30 accused priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

They include cases in which accused priests were moved to different parishes even if they were facing multiple accusations.

“These documents reveal clearly that all the top officials, both current and past, are involved in the concealment of the truth and crimes — and that includes Cardinal George,” victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson said during an interview on the WGN Morning News today.

“I don’t think Cardinal George or any of the other persons mentioned at yesterday’s conference have any intent to harm children at all,” Jan Slattery, Director of the Archdiocese of Chicago Office for the Protection of Children and Youth, told WGN.

“I believe in consequences,” she continued.  “I believe in accountability.  I think the way this has all occurred and over the period of time it’s occurred has been difficult.  We receive an allegation by a victim on average 27 years after it occurred.”

Anderson believes castigation should now come from the Vatican.  “What needs to happen to Cardinal George is to have Pope Francis, who has promised a new day and a new way, discipline Cardinal George for his role, and every other top official in this,” Anderson said.  “He has the power and he has the obligation now that the truth is known.”