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	Leaders in Calling Attention to Clergy Abuse to Speak in Valley By Michael Clancy The Arizona Republic March 4, 2006 http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0304snap04.html Two of the key leaders in drawing attention to the clergy abuse scandal will be in town Sunday to speak. Their topic is "Clergy Sex Abuse: Crimes and Cover-ups." Speaking will be the Rev. Thomas Doyle, who in 1985 warned of the scope of the scandal, and David Clohessy, one of the founders of the abuse-victims' group SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Doyle is a Dominican priest and canon lawyer who has championed the cause of clergy sex-abuse victims since the 1980s. In 1985, he warned the Catholic bishops of the potential scope of the sex-abuse scandal, saying its costs could exceed $1 billion. His prediction came true. Doyle describes abuse as "killing the soul of the victim" and in many cases as "killing their faith in God." He challenges lay Catholics to reject clericalism, a policy of supporting the clergy to the exclusion of the laity, which he says is a major factor contributing to the abuse issue. Clohessy has served for 12 years as the national director of SNAP, the nation's largest and oldest self-help group for clergy molestation victims. In that role, he has traveled and spoken extensively, helping to set up local support groups in more than 50 cities, including Phoenix. He said the scandal again is capturing public attention after a lull that followed the release of the bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2000. He pointed to document releases in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which detailed the actions of abusive priests, and a recent case in Chicago, where Cardinal Francis George apparently declined to suspend a priest accused of abuse. SNAP has called for George to resign. The Phoenix Diocese has identified and suspended at least 20 Catholic priests after they were accused of sexual abuse of children or teens, including Monsignor Dale Fushek, a former diocese official. Others were suspended for violating child-protection policies or for misconduct that did not become abuse. A grand-jury investigation resulted in oversight by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office that was terminated last year. No documents ever were released to the public. Since then, the diocese has reached lawsuit settlements with five victims. Still outstanding are 17 lawsuits, 10 here and seven in California, against the diocese. Barbara Blaine, president of SNAP, was originally scheduled to speak but had to cancel because of health issues. This event is sponsored by Call to Action, an organization of lay Catholics. Admission is $25.
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