Abuse Survivor Expresses Disappointment in Diocese Agreement

By Matt Jarchow
TWC News
October 28, 2015

http://www.twcnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2015/10/28/survivors-express-disappointment-in-diocese-agreement-.html

It's meant to bring healing to victims and prevent future cases of abuse in the Syracuse Catholic Diocese, but one survivor said a new agreement between the Diocese and seven area counties does neither.

"Not at all," Charles Bailey Jr. said. "Why they didn't view themselves as mandated reporters is beyond me. Why we had to go to this step to have this happen? I just don't understand."

As a child, Bailey faced abuse from a priest. On Wednesday, he listened as Bishop Robert Cunningham called the memorandum of understanding a giant step forward. Bailey said that step won't come until the names of offenders gets released.

"Their names are forever hidden," he said. "Which to me does not protect children and protect the public, because if you don't know the names of the offenders you don't know who to avoid."

Bailey also listened as the bishop apologized for comments in a 2011 deposition where he said a child is culpable when abused by a priest.

"We're a human church and a human society who make mistakes, and it pains me to know that mistakes have caused harm to people," Cunningham said.

Cunningham also said he does not and has never believed that an abused child is responsible, but that's not enough for Bailey.

"Today, once again, he said 'well if the priest is wrong,'" Bailey said. "Wrong is getting off at a different exit than you should have. This is not wrong, this is a criminal act, and he never refers to it as a criminal act. He never says they're felons, never says this is a felony."