SAN ANTONIO (TX)
Express-News
February 13, 2019
There is much work to be done by the U.S. Catholic Church as it moves forward with restoring the public trust, shattered by decades of failing to properly address allegations of sexual abuse of children by clergy.
The release last month of the names of close to 300 Texas-based priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse, including 54 in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, will go a long way toward starting the healing process for many victims and their families. But it’s only a beginning.
The scars are deep.
The cases on the Bexar County list date back as far as 1941 and include 150 separate allegations of misconduct. Most of the allegations were under the radar of most Bexar County residents because only a few ever surfaced in court. A review of Express-News archives indicates the archdiocese had paid at least $6.63 million as of 2011 to victims of sexual abuse by priests in Bexar County.
As painful as these types of cases are, there needs to be continued honesty and transparency going forward. Needed: strong policies that ensure allegations of misconduct are reported to law enforcement in a timely manner and suspects are sidelined from their jobs while investigations are conducted.
Those who participate in cover-ups and allow suspected child molesters to be reassigned must also be held accountable. Pretending the problem does not exist won’t make it go away. Decades of trying to resolve the problem internally have proven futile.
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