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	Some Victims Call on O'Malley to Act in Addition to Praying By Charles A. Radin Boston Globe June 4, 2006 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/ 2006/06/04/some_victims_call_on_omalley_to_act_in_addition_to_praying/ For the past 10 days, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley has prostrated himself before the altars of Catholic churches in parishes where priests abused children. Then he has pleaded for forgiveness for the priesthood and the church from victims and from God. A few thousand of the Boston archdiocese's nearly 2 million Catholics showed up for the unprecedented services of repentance and reconciliation. Some of the victims of sexual abuse by clergy have stayed away. Among them were soft-spoken Alexa MacPherson , 31, of Holbrook, and tough-talking Kathleen Dwyer , 61, of Dorchester, both of whom were abused by priests when they were young girls. Like many other victims of priest abuse, both say they could not bring themselves to go to the services. Also like many others, both say they had hopes that O'Malley would bring healing, but have been disappointed that his call for prayer has not been accompanied by support for the issues that survivors of abuse have made their priorities. "I can't bring myself to set foot in a church," said MacPherson, who grew up in a family where Catholicism was a central part of daily life and who was molested in her home from ages 3 to 9 by a priest who was a frequent visitor . "I had to miss my nephew's First Communion and I feel bad about it," MacPherson said. "It was all I could do to get my daughter baptized. . . . I am jealous of people who have their spirituality. They get such joy and satisfaction and I cannot get beyond what happened to me." Hundreds of people like MacPherson have received compensation for the abuse from the archdiocese -- in MacPherson's case, enough to help pay for the small, neat house in Holbrook where she lives with her young daughter. Many more, like Dwyer, get their therapy and related medications paid for by the church. But these are not cures for their wounds or for the church , victims and their advocates say. Early in O'Malley's stewardship, both women had hopes that he would change the values and approach of the church in looking at the issue of abuse. Both participated in survivors' groups offering suggestions to the archdiocese . But by this week, their hopes were dead. MacPherson's case illustrates the connection between the visceral emotions of survivors and their disappointment with O'Malley's leadership. The priest who molested MacPherson and two of her brothers was barred from functioning as a priest, but never defrocked or convicted of a crime. He still lives in the parish, in a neighborhood of many children, and is now a licensed practical nurse. MacPherson said that would not be possible if the O'Malley-led archdiocese would support survivors' calls to eliminate the statute of limitations for prosecution of sex crimes against children, and agree to establish a public registry of the names and locations of priests who have been barred from ministry because of sexual misconduct. "I talked to Cardinal O'Malley about it. He is fully aware" that the abuser is working with vulnerable people in Dorchester, MacPherson said in an interview at her home. "O'Malley said he would do whatever he could to look into the situation, help me, and see that the abused could not work with children again." But nothing was done, and her hope that O'Malley would make profound changes and that "I would get over this" died, she said. Officials of the archdiocese would not comment on MacPherson's two talks with the cardinal, citing the confidentiality of pastoral conversations. Dwyer said she was encouraged by the letter to survivors issued by the cardinal when the pilgrimage of repentance was announced. "The place I'm in, they've got to show me, not tell me," Dwyer said. "It is a beautiful letter. If they were actually going to do what the letter said, if they really got it, that would be good. But to do what the letter said needs action, not just prayer." Two events undermined her belief that action might be forthcoming. One was the case of Anthony Laurano, a suspended priest who was charged in late April with molesting a mentally retarded man in Hull. Laurano, former pastor of St. Mary Parish in Plymouth, was free awaiting trial for allegedly raping an 8-year-old boy. Then, "the way O'Malley handled that Caritas thing showed what the real story is," she said, referring to the cardinal's initial reluctance to fire the head of the Catholic health network after being informed of the man's unwanted kissing and hugging of women in the health system. "It's all about power and money," Dwyer said . Dwyer went to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross when the pilgrimage began May 25 and could not bear to stand outside the building with victims and activists, much less enter. "I was overwhelmed at how frightened I was," Dwyer said. "I was frightened of them -- O'Malley and the priests. I grew up in a very religious Catholic family. Church was everything. I was terrified that they would somehow hurt me." Dwyer said the proposed registry would list the names and locations of church employees who have been restricted from ministry or dismissed for sexual misconduct. She said that this has been done by bishops in 11 other dioceses, and is similar to registries maintained by national medical and mental health professionals' associations. The archdiocese said in a prepared statement that "we are very much aware" of the issue of disclosing information regarding accused clergy. "Cardinal Sean is giving this issue serious consideration and will address the concerns" as part of his overall response to a recent report on the archdiocese's response to the sexual abuse crisis. Barbara Thorp , director of the archdiocese's victims support office, said she could not comment on the experience of any victim out of consideration for the victim's privacy. She said church officials are aware that the cardinal's pilgrimage of penance and healing is not being embraced by all the victims . "People are at very different places regarding their healing processes," Thorp said.
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