Catholic Church Challenges Priest Sex Abuse Laws

WTNH
March 24, 2014

http://wtnh.com/2014/03/18/catholic-church-challenges-priest-sex-abuse-laws/

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)– The Catholic Church in Connecticut is headed for a show-down in the State Supreme Court over when victims of priest sex abuse in the past can report their crimes.

At the center of this case is the church’s legal challenge to a state law, which allows victims to report the crimes up to 30 years after their 18th birthday.

Two women, who say they were child victims of sex abuse by priests, say Church resources should not be spent trying to overturn this law.

News 8 has learned that within the next six weeks, the State’s highest court will hear the appeal of the first civil case ever tried against the Archdiocese of Hartford for damages due to sexual abuse by a priest.

Two years ago in a civil case, a jury found the Archdiocese liable for negligence and recklessness and awarded over $1 million in damages to a 43-year-old man for being sexually abused as a child by the Reverend Ivan Ferguson, a priest in the Archdiocese, who is now deceased.


Several years ago, the General Assembly increased the statute of limitations for reporting child abuse in civil cases to 30 years. This judgement against the church was the first under that change.

“I don’t believe that any church officials should be fighting a law that protects children and I don’t believe that parishioners would agree to having their donations used in that way,” said Barbara Blaine, President, S.N.A.P.

Barbara Blaine says she was sexually abused by a priest in Archbishop Blair’s former diocese in Ohio. She says Blair has the power to stop the appeal of the case which is based on claiming that the change in the statute of limitations violates the Constitution.

She is also the founder of SNAP, the ‘Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests.”

“Archbishop Blair and Catholic Church officials are trying to overturn that law and that puts children, that would put children at risk across the State of Connecticut,” said Blaine.

“If Archbishop Blair is listening to what the Pope is saying, I don’t think that he would have initiated this lawsuit in the first place,” said Jayne O’Donnell, Voice of the Faithful.

A spokesperson for the church says; “the Archdiocese of Hartford has a long standing policy not to comment on matters that are pending in court.”

News 8 was told this case will come before the State Supreme Court in the two week period between April 21st and May 2nd.