CINCINNATI (OH)
Cincinnati Enquirer / cincinnati.com
May 2, 2022
By Gerard Ahrens
As a survivor of sexual abuse by a Jesuit priest at age 11, I continue to write and work, apparently in vain, for REAL reform, feeling like a voice crying in the wilderness as my Catholic Church multiplies meaningless meetings, mandates, and commissions, and now proposes “welcome centers” for sexual abuse victims (“Pope issues mandate for sex abuse commission,” April 30). Since mental health professionals often refer to child sexual abuse as soul murder, by way of analogy who would not be outraged if the Russians were to open “welcome centers” to the Ukrainian victims of their atrocities?
It seems clear that the church will never police itself, and there will be no real reform or deterrence, until all states, including Ohio, follow the example of states like New York and New Jersey in extending statutes of limitations and passing anti-grooming laws. Until then, voices of victims will continue to cry in the wilderness.
Gerard Ahrens, Westwood