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	Peaceful Protest Greets Cardinal O'Malley at St. Paul's Hingham Journal [Hingham MA] June 8, 2006 http://www2.townonline.com/hingham/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=513226 Abuse survivors and their supporters want steps taken Survivors and supporters were outside each church along Cardinal O'Malley's Novena tour to send the message that prayer,without actions to prevent the further sexual abuse of children, is meaningless. On Thursday night (June 1) about 15-18 protesters peacefully gathered outside St Paul's with signs asking the Cardinal to take the following two steps: • Publicly support pending legislation to repeal the criminal and civil Statute of Limitations on sex abuse crimes against children, and ask Catholics to do the same. • Publish a list of all credibly accused priests who have been removed from ministry. This would include names, current locations, status of complaint and list of all assignment locations and dates. "We also wanted to make the point that many survivors cannot go inside a church comfortably and are emotionally triggered by religious rituals," said Ann Hagan Webb, Ed.D. New England Coordinator, SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "Many survivors were abused in churches or on church grounds. "I personally had a very hard time with all the priests lying prostrate on the alters. (And I have been outside many churches protesting over the last 4 years - never did it upset me as much). Thus the venue to apologize to survivors was ill conceived. He was essentially asking us to return to the scene of our abuse so he could apologize in a Catholic ritual." Webb explained protesters had pictures of the bishops who were guilty of passing these priests from parish to parish but the rain forced them to put them in the car. She said protesters handed out leaflets to churchgoers with the above two requests of the Cardinal and a list of names of the credibly accused priests who served at St Paul's including: Patrick J. Tague, 1965-67; William H. Morgan, 1967-68; John J. Geoghan, 1967-74; John Hanlon, Pastor, 1984-93; and Victor C. Lavoie, 1985-89. They also provided the numbers of SNAP and the Massachusetts Office of Victims Assistance should "still silent" victims of abuse be going to the service. "We were a little hindered by the sudden down pour and thunder storm that began around 7:30 as people were entering the church, but were able to stand just inside and continue to distribute leaflets," Webb said. "As has happened at each church along the way, many parishioners left the church more amenable to us than when they went in. We can only conclude (from the many conversations members of our group had with them) that they found the service heavy on the symbolism, with a need for more action from the hierarchy."
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