Abusive Priests STILL In Our Midst.
WHERE ARE ALL OUR ABUSIVE PRIESTS?
SURVEY: Abusive priests still in our midst?
An investigation by a local TV station has revealed that at least 100 priests relieved of ministerial duties because of credible allegations of sexual abuse in the Boston archdiocese are now living in anonymity in cities and towns. (See the report online: http://wbztv.com/local/boston.priest.abuse.2.722373.html)
Many of these individuals have not been removed from the priesthood and still receive pensions from the diocese. Most never had to register as sex offenders because their cases never went to criminal court. As a result, there is no way for the rest of us to know who or where these people are – unless the Archdiocese provides a publicly accessible list, and offers accurate recommendations when these individuals apply for other jobs.
The problem uncovered by Boston media is not an isolated one. While a few dioceses such as Philadelphia have online lists of credibly accused priests, most do not.
The Pope and the Bishops say they are ashamed by the clergy sexual abuse scandal and are committed to protecting children. Yet if hundreds of pedophile priests are still unsupervised and in our midst – and we don’t know it – isn’t it likely that more children will be abused in the future?
What do you think the Pope should require each Archdiocese to do about this to protect children? Please fill out our online survey. Email a link to the survey to your friends and ask them to fill it out too. We will then present the results of the survey to the USCCB in early June.
Sincerely,
Dan Bartley, President
Voice of the Faithful
P.S. We can conduct surveys like this only through your continued support of VOTF -- which helps us keep the lights on and the computer server running. It's easy to do on our donation page. Also please consider committing to a monthly gift online by credit card. Your gift of $10, $20, or $50 per month will be greatly appreciated – and all you need to do is sign up once. You may then increase or decrease your monthly contribution at any time.
An investigation by a local TV station has revealed that at least 100 priests relieved of ministerial duties because of credible allegations of sexual abuse in the Boston archdiocese are now living in anonymity in cities and towns. (See the report online: http://wbztv.com/local/boston.priest.abuse.2.722373.html)
Many of these individuals have not been removed from the priesthood and still receive pensions from the diocese. Most never had to register as sex offenders because their cases never went to criminal court. As a result, there is no way for the rest of us to know who or where these people are – unless the Archdiocese provides a publicly accessible list, and offers accurate recommendations when these individuals apply for other jobs.
The problem uncovered by Boston media is not an isolated one. While a few dioceses such as Philadelphia have online lists of credibly accused priests, most do not.
The Pope and the Bishops say they are ashamed by the clergy sexual abuse scandal and are committed to protecting children. Yet if hundreds of pedophile priests are still unsupervised and in our midst – and we don’t know it – isn’t it likely that more children will be abused in the future?
What do you think the Pope should require each Archdiocese to do about this to protect children? Please fill out our online survey. Email a link to the survey to your friends and ask them to fill it out too. We will then present the results of the survey to the USCCB in early June.
Sincerely,
Dan Bartley, President
Voice of the Faithful
P.S. We can conduct surveys like this only through your continued support of VOTF -- which helps us keep the lights on and the computer server running. It's easy to do on our donation page. Also please consider committing to a monthly gift online by credit card. Your gift of $10, $20, or $50 per month will be greatly appreciated – and all you need to do is sign up once. You may then increase or decrease your monthly contribution at any time.
