Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Abuse Victims Will Press Pope For More Accountability

In an article posted yesterday, the New York Times reports that when Pope Francis visits the United States later this month, survivors of clergy sexual abuse will be pressing him to do more to deal with abusers:
Advocates and victims say that while the church has improved in preventing abuse, it is still resisting full accountability. It blocks efforts to overhaul statute of limitations laws that protect many priests from prosecution and the church from lawsuits that could lead to more payouts to victims, they say. Outside the United States, the church still does not require those who face accusations of abuse to be removed from active ministry. And the Vatican has never explicitly punished a bishop for shielding accused priests, instead quietly accepting a few resignations....
He could also direct archdioceses to release the names of credibly accused American priests, at least 2,400 of whom have never been identified, said Terence McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org,