Victims Skeptical about Catholic Church's Invitation to Healing Service for Past Abuse

By Brendaliss Gonzalez
KSHB
August 12, 2015

http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/victims-skeptical-about-catholic-churchs-invitation-to-healing-service-for-past-abuse

[with video]

Instead of offering an apology to all victims, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph offered a healing service on Wednesday for anyone who has been abused by someone in the church.

The diocese sent letters to victims of abuse who filed lawsuits against the church on Tuesday, inviting them to several services specifically aimed toward spiritual healing for victims of abuse.

Michael Sandridge received one of the letters.

“What is the purpose now?" he said. “This healing means it’s closed. It’s not closed. There are still so many people that have been damaged."

Sandridge says he was abused by his priest when he was 11.

He was among other plaintiffs that settled 32 sex abuse lawsuits in 2014.

Since 2008, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has spent more than $24 million defending and settling cases of abuse by priests.

Last April, Archbishop Robert Finn resigned from his position after he knew about and failed to report suspected child abuse.

Carrie Cooper is the director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection for the diocese and says the healing services are meant to reach out to victims and offer them help.

“This is our way of opening our doors,” she said. “[Our way] of welcoming people back and hoping that they can feel the comfort level to be able to come back and to embrace their faith."

Her department received around 109 reports of abuse last year and is encouraged by the fact that people are finally starting to come out and report what’s going on.

“We’re committed to our process and committed to law enforcement to allow them to have their case go through the justice system,” she said.

However, she understands why a victim may be skeptical about the services, which will last through November.

“Sexual abuse is about power and control,” she said. “And when that happens by someone that you trust and someone of leadership, it hurts even more. So I certainly understand the skepticism that goes with that."

Sandridge doesn’t think the services are the solution.

“I would like an apology personally from Finn and from the attorneys that that church hired that were so degrading during the depositions,” he said. "[They] knew we weren’t lying and put us all through hell.”

According to the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), there are more than a dozen priests who have been accused of abuse in the diocese who remain free.

They released the following statement regarding Wednesday's healing service:

"Archbishop Joseph Naumann’s 'job one' is NOT healing. It’s prevention. He is choosing the easy path: focusing on public relations, not the harder but more crucial path: ensuring kids’ safety.

His first priority should be warning parents, parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public about 15 predator priests from or in the KCMO diocese who are still walking free today."