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	Letter Chastises Cardinal on Abuse Case By Manya A. Brachear mbrachear@tribune.com Chicago Tribune March 2, 2006 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/ chi-0603020290mar02,1,7247972.story?coll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed A psychologist chosen by America's Roman Catholic bishops to address them about the clergy sex-abuse crisis when it erupted four years ago sent a scathing letter to Cardinal Francis George this week, suggesting he might be considered "an accessory to soul murder" for letting Rev. Daniel McCormack remain in ministry after being accused of abuse. Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, who spoke at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Dallas in June 2002, suggested in a letter that George remove his pectoral cross for Lent, which began Wednesday, and replace it with a faux millstone. "Jesus was so clear--anyone who harmed a child should tie a millstone around his neck and drown himself in the sea," she wrote. "Lake Michigan is rather chilly at this time of year. Surely, however, you could choose symbolically to embrace the Gospel instructions." "The revelations of the past week ... appear to signal a return to the pre-Dallas pattern of protecting an alleged priest-perpetrator and the institution while endangering children," the letter said. "Only complete openness and transparency can restore your credibility and our confidence." Colleen Dolan, communications director for the Chicago archdiocese, said Chancellor Jimmy Lago had described the letter as "vile" and "horrible." Dolan said Frawley-O'Dea "hid venom behind her credentials" and did not expect the archdiocese to draft a response. The letter comes amid harsh criticism of George from those who believe he mishandled abuse allegations against McCormack, the former pastor of St. Agatha parish on Chicago's West Side. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests called on George to resign last week. On Wednesday, Chicago-area members of the Catholic activist group Voice of the Faithful asked the cardinal to post guidelines for monitoring an accused priest and the criteria used in deciding whether to remove one on the archdiocese's Web site. The group's members questioned the independence of two outside consultants hired to audit the archdiocese's handling of abuse cases and also requested that recommendations from those audits be published, along with the names of all priests believed to have abused minors. They also asked the cardinal to support legislation that would extend the statute of limitations in all cases of sexual abuse of minors. In La Grange, about 60 people leaving Wednesday mass at St. Francis Xavier Church joined a candlelight vigil calling for reform. On the front steps of the church, the parishioners signed a petition, aimed at George and the Conference of Catholic Bishops, asking that the church use a council of laypeople to oversee the protection of children and young people and that the council be in charge of approving the transfer or replacement of priests. It also called for penalties for any supervisor who fails to act in removing a priest who is credibly accused of sexual abuse. "I think he [George] is a good man," said Mike Fenske, 61, of Oak Park. "But I don't think he is capable of dealing with this issue. We want to see this abuse problem end."
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