DJ wrote on Mar 24, 2007 9:06 PM:This situation is insidious. Gabrielle, even if you get no justice now, they will be held accountable in the end by God himself. God bless you and peace be with you as much as possible, my heart is in your court.

Georgina wrote on Mar 25, 2007 3:09 AM:Oh, Gabrielle. Thank you for your courage and your strength. The Faithful in the pews need to hear the truth about these terrible crimes committed by those perverted priests and nuns who sexually butcherd the children of our church. And Catholics need to hear it from the Victims themselves in all it*s horrible vernacular. GOD Bless You Dear, And All Those Who Stand Bravely With You!!!!!

Joseph wrote on Mar 25, 2007 3:15 AM:Prove it's not about the money. Then tell me it's not about the money.

mikee wrote on Mar 25, 2007 3:26 AM:Please get over this so that everyone can move on,

Karen wrote on Mar 25, 2007 5:56 AM:Gabrielle,my son is a victim and I pray that one day he, and all victims, will be filled with righteous anger and work together to rid our beloved church of the filth and evil that has been allowed to enter it for so many years. I pray that you will all find healing and peace and not allow this filth to drive you from your faith. God bless you

Tom B. wrote on Mar 25, 2007 6:19 AM:Very interesting article. I agree. I am a 54 year old grandfather, a victim of physical and sexual abuse and sexual harrasment at the hands of nuns (while in high school and a seminarian) and priests (later, after seminary and in college). I am a retired Coast Guard CWO, I have taught public high school and I am retired from the Smithsonian Institution in D.C. Now...why all the bio information? Just to let you all know that I have a lot of life under my belt. And the sexual and physical abuse ran through my life as a child and into my young manhood like a poison river running through my past...it is still in my head. It is not hatred that I hold..I am more like a broken Christmas Toy than I am a waiting dagger of resentment. But I must say this: in a very real sense, pain cannot be shared. My own family does not feel what I feel on the subject of clerical and nunnish sex abuse. Some simply dismiss me and tell me, "Get over it". I don't engage them anymore on the issue. They simply WILL NOT understand. It is not that they do not understand, they WILL NOT understand. That is how life works. I see that now.

John wrote on Mar 25, 2007 8:12 AM:Dear Gabriella, As a childhood victim of sexual abuse by a priest, I applaud and praise you for your courage and right thinking. While all the Bishops and Clergy want this to go away----it will not disappear until all victims demand and receive justice from the individuals who abuse---and their organizations that sanctioned it!!! May God Bless and strengthen all victims!!!

Mary wrote on Mar 25, 2007 8:17 AM:Karen writes "I pray that....all victims will be filled with righteous anger and work together to rid our beloved church of filth and evil...." Karen places all the work on the victims. I think it's great that victims work together on this cause and support one another. But it's the in the pews Catholics who must rise up in righteous anger. They are the ones who must stand with the victims, listen to the victims. And then ACT to reclaim their church. They must recognize that nearly every one of the hierarchy participated in the cover up and passed perpetrators on to unsuspecting parishes and schools. In the pews catholics must ask their priests exactly what they have done to prevent perpetrator priests, nuns, church workers from having access to unsuspecting families. No Catholic can sit back and wait for others to do this work. It is up to each Catholic to work to expose the truth of the past, and work hard to create an atmosphere where these horrible crimes will never flourish again.

Speak Truth to Power wrote on Mar 25, 2007 8:31 AM:Thank you Gabrielle for your courageous witness and attempt to prevent the ongoing sexual abuse of children. We are quick to assume that this is history--but I am sure that it is an ongoing problem. Until the church takes it seriously and puts the safety of the children above their treasury and hypocracy, children will continue to be raped!

A Abuse Survivor wrote on Mar 25, 2007 10:59 AM:Very well said Gabrielle, your words provide a solid position for creating a data base of those that the church has allowed to slipped thru the hands of justice. Then this data base could be accessed by institutions, and the perps removed from situations that involve children. Changing the Laws to remove the statute of limitations on criminal prosecution is necessary, as it only serves to protect the predators, and continue to harm the victims, who have the right to accountability. Joseph and mikee just don't get it, perhaps they should spend some time understanding the issue better before they comment. The abused are the walking wounded, living with the memories of a trauma that demands accountability and justice. If it were as simple as just "Getting over it" I assume you are saying I should of enjoyed being raped as a child by a person of the same sex, but since I didn't, and painful as it was, I have spent years dealing with how it affected my life, and in my 40's I have come to understand how it affects others. I greatly appreciate people who come forward and share their abuse with others, such as Tom B. and Gabrielle and know that we all share the same goal of making this public so its no longer a quite shame, and we take a bad situation and create one that exposes the truth, and most importantly, protects others from the same fate. We do what the church will not, expose the truth, prove the truth,(they wouldn't pay if it weren't true)Warn others, put a light upon those who hide in the shadows, propose changes to our laws to prevent the abuses to continue, allow victims justice and accountability, put pedophiles behind bars, force the church to instill programs that protect children, and place them in a position that in no uncertain terms, tells them that if you abuse another child, we will take that which is most precious to you, your money!!!

Diane wrote on Mar 25, 2007 11:04 AM:Gabrielle: Thank you for your courage in writing publicly about your experience. mikee: First, sexual abuse is not something that a person can ever "get over". Victims can learn to deal with it, but it is forever a part of them. Perhaps only victims can understand this. Second, no one can "move on" as long as the Catholic Church hierarchy continues to protect predator priests, fight against victims who deserve justice, and care more about their power, money and reputations than the flock they are supposed to serve. Joseph: I am a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest. I have appealed to the Jesuits for two years meet with me to discuss what to do to make sure it does not happen again, to get help for other victims and to make public the names of known Jesuit abusers. I have not asked for money. They have repeatedly refused. Time and time again, the only reason Church officials do anything on this issue is because of a lawsuit or bad publicity. Money is the only language they respond to.

Stephen wrote on Mar 25, 2007 2:21 PM:For the victims it's about stopping the Catholic church from molesting another tens of thousands of catholic children. It is about exposing what some Catholic Hierarchy doesn't want you to see. The personal documents on the pedophile priests and there part in it. If it was not for the courage of the past and present catholic victims, most all of the Catholic Hierarchy that is covering up the child abuse would be very happy and the pedophile priests would still be at large in the Catholic community molesting and raping thousands of catholic children here and all over the world. The Hierarchy that is covering up the abuse doesn't care about the money or any of the other fuzzy warm stuff you think they may be concerned about. I could go on but if you just don't get what is really at stake here; It's about the children that have not been molested so far. The victims of past child priest abuse and the hierarchy that covers it up is the reason they are trying to expose these crimes. Please, go see "Deliver Us From Evil-By: Amy Berg." This documentary needs to be seen by every Catholic. It is coming out in DVD this May. It is very hard to watch and it tells the truth like one could never imagine. After you view it to the end it will show the tremendous courage it takes for the victims to come forward and expose their pedophile priest and the hierarchy that covers it up.

Leon wrote on Mar 25, 2007 2:56 PM:Since the Institutional Church is only interested in protecting themselves, I as a cradle Catholic will stand up and say I am deeply sorry!!! I pray that God will someday grant all abuse victims peace!!!

Vicky wrote on Mar 25, 2007 2:56 PM:Concerning Gabrielle Azzaro*s very fine commentary, IT*S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY*, Joseph, March 27, 2007 3:15am, challenges Ms. Azzaro to, *Prove It*s Not About The Money.* People like Joseph will never understand the complexities of this crisis of clergy sexual victimization unless it happens to them personally, or to their children, or to their children*s children. And I Truly Hope It Never Does. Victims do not stand up in public and relate these horrific stories of the sexual perversons committed against themselves and other children simply for money. On the contrary, for the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, It*s Children Are Safer. Who accomplished that??? Not James or anyone like him. NO! The Victims/Survivors accomplished that, and more. So, if James ever gets down on his knees to pray, let him thank GOD for the Victims/Survivors who have had to Courage to speak out for the Rights and Safety of Children.

Chuck wrote on Mar 25, 2007 2:57 PM:If the church wished to "get over it" they could have faced up to the wrongs committed and made efforts to make amends years ago. The route the church representatives have taken is immoral and will just keep sexual abuse by priests, nuns and the cover up of the abuse on the front page of the news. Quit blaming the victims.

Ken wrote on Mar 25, 2007 4:08 PM:When will these drones in the pews of the Catholic Church wake up and face reality? When I was a student at a well-known Jesuit high school some years ago, during "spiritual" counseling, the "good father" (in his room) asked, "Would you mind taking off your pants so I can show you the parts of your P----?" Fortunately, I was forewarned by my classmates who had been molested and made a hasty exit from his room.

Karen wrote on Mar 25, 2007 5:59 PM:Got to Bishop's Accountability org.

Linda wrote on Mar 25, 2007 9:10 PM:mikee - you wrote . . . "please get over this so that everyone can move on." You are pathetic. Do you say that to the holocaust survivors? Do you say this to parents of murdered children?

Tom wrote on Mar 26, 2007 5:06 AM:I am an ordained Catholic priest who was molested in my elementary school years. I never spoke of it until 2004 when the whirlwind was unleashed. I thought it to be "disloyal" to the faith I dearly love. I have shared this info with my home diocesan bishop, not in an attempt to seek any recompense, but in order that I might begin the healing that is needed in my life. The result: I am on a unrequested leave of absence from ministry for reasons of mental life. It isn't about the money. It's about what is the right thing to do. Please pray for me.

don wrote on Mar 26, 2007 6:54 AM:whenever someone says a lawsuit is not about the money, grab your wallet and run away as fast as you can.

Elia wrote on Mar 26, 2007 6:59 AM:No one can deny the depth of the horror which these victims have been subject to. However, we must maintain some objectivity and remember that this same crime occurs within families and in secular institutions to an amazing degree. I have worked in a sex abuse unit and have had personal experience in this regard. There is another element also. So may of us have had an immensely positive experience of the Church which will be compeltely obliterated by the spectacle of these tragedies. This is the inevitable result of such constant publicity. This has become an abyss with no bottom. And these unhappy victims are pulling us all down into it.

Stephen wrote on Mar 26, 2007 7:46 AM:To Elia: These unhappy victims did not ask to be molested,raped, and sodomized by Catholic pedophile Priests. They are completly innocent. What in the world could you be thinking about? This is not some small problem. I'm glad you are having a positive experience so far and I hope it continues.Please go see Deliver us from evil as it may open your eyes. The Hierarchy needs to come clean and stop covering up these horrible crimes against Catholic children.

Jaime wrote on Mar 26, 2007 8:07 AM:Here's the deal. The individual, group and now class action complaints about religious authority sexual abuse have always been about telling the truth. Gabriella and other survivors of this particular kind of sexual abuse have been living and dying to tell the truth to end child sexual abuse. Law suits talk about compensation, but that's really about what judges or juries think is reasonable to force a company (or person) to take serious measures to change its practices. When a tire company knows about exploding tires and keeps them on the market; when a computer company abuses its size and technology to control its market share; when a fast food chain knows that coffee can be too hot and lots of people have been burned and have reported it and the practice has continued, etc. It's like church leaders are a collective addict and lots of people who love the addict, even those who have been hurt by the addict, are confronting the addict to see that there's an obvious problem (child sexual abuse) and no doubt problems that feed the obvious problem that the addict is incapable of dealing with on its own. This court process is an extreme intervention that is in place because past conventions to get the truth from the diocese have failed. In airports, everybody goes through the same security routine. In this legal version of a security system, church leaders need to go through the same security routine. Some people question the legitimacy of some of the claims. That's the process. Do those same people question the legitimacy of church leaders' claims? That's the process I'd like to hear more people take up.

Chuck wrote on Mar 26, 2007 9:41 AM:Elia do the victims a favor and get out of the sex abuse unit you are working with. It is not the the victims who are "pulling us all down" rather it is Roger Mahoney and the other "holy Men" who will not face their responsibilities to the victims. Their actions go against everything they previously taught from the Catholic schools and from the pulpits.

TJW wrote on Mar 26, 2007 10:36 AM:"First of all, we have no indication that sexual molestation by priests, sisters and brothers or any other Catholic personnel has actually ended." This has to be one of the most bigoted statements I have read in a mainstream publication in a long, long time. Do you have any idea what you are talking about? This is reversing the burden of proof. If any individual is alleged to have done wrong, then let it be proven by those that make the allegation. And if it is not proven in court, then that is all it is, an allegation. Things such as the statute of limitations are there to protect the innocent, not the guilty, from being convicted. I have serious doubts as to any finding of wrong doing that involve dismissing such a protection. People need to back up their claims with evidence. There is no evidence that anything but a fraction of individuals did wrong. If people want to argue that popes and bishops are vicariously liable for the actions of others, they need to do more than make vague allusions to "failure to supervise or monitor". As for any priest or religious that is shown to have done wrong, double their sentence to account for the abuse of trust. But far too many people are using the opportunity of the wrong doing of some to indulge in a bit of old fashion anti-Catholic bigotry, which condemns the many for the actions of the few.

Jack wrote on Mar 26, 2007 1:22 PM:TJW: Far to many people are using the opportunity to indulge in anti-Catholic bigotry. How about anti-Catholic bigotry of victims of priest abuse by the church hierarchy. How did they, victims, become enemies of the Church and you? You are another Catholic that just does' get it. The Catholic victims are not few in number and there are many more out there that are unable to come forward because of so called good and right thinking Catholics like you. Thank God these people, Catholic victims, have the courage and will to confront the pedophile priests and the Hierarchy in their effort to stop unchecked child molestation and rape in the Catholic Church.

Frank wrote on Mar 26, 2007 1:33 PM:Joseph....it is all about money. No prove that it's not anybody!

Steve wrote on Mar 26, 2007 5:39 PM:As a survior of nun sexual abuse, I applaud Gabe for her well written commentary. There are over 450 orders of nuns in the United States according to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. 95% of those orders report to an obscure office in the Vatican. There is no accountability of those nuns who committed sex crimes against children and vulnerable adults. Nun orders refused to join what is now known as the Dallas Charter. Maybe some days the nuns in the United States will actively seek out and support those who were abused by any religious.

GPH wrote on Mar 26, 2007 5:48 PM:All too often we hear from those who criticize--in veiled and cryptic language--the actions of the survivors who have brought suit against the church. Those critics cite, as their justification for villifying the victims, the potential for damage that might be done to all of the charities in which the Catholic church is allegedly engaged. Let us not forget that the donations received by the church become funds that are then managed by a corporation that is first and foremost a business, albeit a non taxpaying entity. This business and the funds it controls is managed by the same individuals who are guilty of or have been responsible for the criminal acts against children. Here's the REAL kicker: How blind are the so-called faithful?? That they believe the individuals who have been tasked with the most basic, simple, easy to understand, no-brainer task of all, namely, the adherence to the doctrine that SEX with kids is forbidden. Right? I mean this IS a no brainer, is it not? How hard was this extremely basic IN YOUR FACE obvious task to accomplish? It should have been the easiest assignment to NOT botch that these mental midgets ever had to perform. We now know some of how poorly they performed. But not all of it. We may never know. We witness the cowards duck and cover still. Back to the kicker: Do we really trust them with our money? After all money management is a much more complex task, no? We trusted them with our kids which was a mistake. Don't spend good money after bad faith.

Phillip wrote on Mar 26, 2007 5:51 PM:Regarding nuns who abuse(d): ?Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for her to have a great millstone fastened around her neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.? Matthew 18:5-6

Geofredo wrote on Mar 26, 2007 5:53 PM:I keep seeing the term pedophile priests thrown around. When will most of you admit that the great majority of this abuse is homosexual in nature, not the typical dirty old man with a little child stuff you think of when you hear the term pedophile. It seems like the different advocate have bent over backwards to not deal with the homosexual component to this mess. The Vatican has been working hard to clean up this problem and the quality of the recent seminarians that we have now show that they have made some great progress.

John wrote on Mar 26, 2007 6:26 PM:How did the church scandals happen? How could they have been so extensive? Why were the victims treated as culprits, and the culprits protected? Well, people made up their minds. They made a choice. People decided who to trust and what to believe. And anything they saw or heard that did not conform to those choices, those facts simply were not allowed to exist.

Steve wrote on Mar 26, 2007 6:56 PM:Geofredo - how do you explain the male priests who raped young girls or nuns who sexually molested both girls or boys? They're not homosexual. Homosexuality is/was not the problem...pedophile is as well as the abuse of power. Abuse committed by a hetrosexual or homosexual or lesbian is a crime both in the eyes of the law and in Christ's teachings.

GPH wrote on Mar 27, 2007 12:01 AM:Geofredo -- This is not a case of mass (no pun intended) "gays gone wild" syndrome run amok! Sheesh... Such a spin is highly counter-intuitive and very distracting. The attraction is to children, male or female--preferably vulnerable. That altar servers were exclusively males (altar boys) until very recently most certainly accounts for some of the gender bias toward minor males. That is not to say that it is due to gender preference, just availability. To conclude otherwise, from a statistical analysis point of view, is very likely nothing more than a conclusion tainted by ascertainment bias, at best--or by homophobia at worst.

Marjorie wrote on Mar 27, 2007 11:22 AM:It is indeed horrible and incomprenhensible to hear that ordained and anointed representatives of the Catholic Church could stoop to the level of beasts by comitting these monstrous crimes against children. But worse still are the actions of the Bishops(what I now call the Lowerarchy) of my church who covered for the nuns and priests who committed these terrible crimes. Where does one get that kind of power??? Certainly not from the Almighty. I would express my anger more fully, however, I am a LADY and therefore, cannot.

Tony wrote on Mar 27, 2007 1:51 PM:Geofredo, heterosexuals and homosexuals do not rape, sodomize or brutalize children, PEDOPHILES do! It was and is much easier for the clergy to get to the boys. A boy child in the presence of a priest would appear normal but a girl being frequently with a priest would raise suspicions. I do pity the innocent priests. It must be a life altering horror for them. On the other hand, the priests, bishops and the popes who knew any child was raped and remained silent shares in the total guilt of these very serious crimes. Blaming homosexuals is nothing more then the modern day witch hunt!

O'really? wrote on Mar 27, 2007 5:54 PM:Godfredo implies the root cause of child sexual abuse is homosexuality. This is an old wive's tale and no reputable study backs up. there is no direct link between homosexuality and pedophilia no more than there is a direct link between pedophilia and heterosexuality. It is a sickness that affecdts all sexual orientations. And what a laugh that the new crop of seminarians is an improvement over the old. In the last 25 years, the quality of candidate has dropped seriously. I've been around for almost 70 years, and I've never seen it worse. Just look at their role models! And what credibility does the Vatican have after they kicked Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston upstairs, given him the right to elect a pope and set him up with his own basilica? Gice me a break, okay???

Child Of God wrote on Mar 27, 2007 9:34 PM:GABRIELLE....Excellent Commentary.. I pray you blow the horn of the Archangel Gabriel. You are absolutely right. A church is the people of God.. It's the children of God. It's definitely not the hierarchy. In the time of Jesus, that structure was full of iniquity and apostasy. It was destroyed.. "there shall not be left one stone upon another". When so called "shepherds" neglect and abuse the sheep.. You can bet God is angry. Children do not forget that HE is with us.. on our side. He is not concerned with the buildings, the structures of man.. not even the religions which also are the work of man. His main concern is for His children. Jesus and His mother Mary are also concerned. They both sacrificed a lot to save us from neglect and abuse and all the various types of sins in this world. All the sins are not committed by us, but we suffer from them. The Holy Mother's family has become huge thru all the children her son has gathered together. She has been sending us messages. Google them. We are not alone. There is an army of the children of God waiting to defend God's honour and glory.. Put God first. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help us.

Marie wrote on Mar 28, 2007 12:27 PM:Concerns of the hierarchy. They may not be paying too much attention to earthly matters. They have greater, more pressing issues to deal with.. namely a heavenly struggle with God. This is seen in the messages given in the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary... all of them, especially in the last 100 years or so. Most notably in the Three Secrets given by Our Lady in Fatima.. Hell: (the will of the devil, not God), War: (struggles.. war of wills) and that 3rd secret involves a dismissal: The hierarchy refused to fully accept requests from God. They have failed to recognize and hear the signs and messages from God. They have rejected God and God's will which is not concerned with the hierarchy, but with the Children of God. Follow the messages of Our Lady. "Lady of All Nations" and know what is happening. There are countless requests to the hierarchy for these messages to be shared.. made known all over the world. The hierarchy has the means and the power to do this. Have you heard them? The messages continue from Our Lady in Medjugorje.. nearly 25 years of messages. Google these.. search them all out... "Seeking" is an essential part of prayer.

josh wrote on Mar 28, 2007 4:59 PM:What a bunch of C-----I was molested when I was 11 years old, by a family member. I go over it. I forgave my family member and went on with my Life I cannot understand why money is the main item that they want. I understand their pain and sorrow. But the money will not help. You have to forgive. I agree that the men & women who molest need to be charged. But you healing has to come from your own heart. Forgive them for they knew not what the did. Jesus forgive. If you are a christian, or other religious member you need to seek the love of God and forgive them for what happened. Money is not the object, it is my opinion Blood money. Oh poor me, I was money to end my grief. That wont work, but forgiving and speaking about your abuse is the key to healing. You will never forget but you will be a better person. Money does not buy happiness. By forcing churches you are holding the many thousands of good honest non abusive church leaders and their congretions liable

jerry wrote on Mar 28, 2007 5:26 PM:Would that it were so easy to get over sexual abuse....it is pretty obvious, josh, that you are not over it...short-temperedness is one of the signs of someone who has been sexually abused and has NOT gotten over it...Jesus asked His FATHER to forgive..."Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do,' remember? Perhaps not even Jesus could forgive them, and so He asked His Father to do so...besides, the church hierarchy knew and knows very well what they are doing...you sort of missed the point of what gabrielle was saying...it's NOT about the money...it is about accountability and responsibility..

Pedro wrote on Mar 30, 2007 12:02 AM:The Catholic Church opens its door to citizenship-challenged immigrants, and this is good, so there should be no money given to these fakers who pretend the good priests every do anything bad. The US doesn't have enough respect for the Catholic Church. You should all come down to Mexico and see how we love our church.

GPH wrote on Mar 30, 2007 12:42 PM:Pedro, in the United States we pass laws that are designed to be obeyed by all citizens. That includes members of the clergy--of any religion. When those laws are broken by an employee whose actions are being supervised by his or her employer, the employer is many times held accountable. There is more than ample legal precedent for these lawsuits to have been allowed to go forward. No one is picking on the Catholic Church. Isn't it interesting to note that the law that suspended the statute of limitations on lawsuits being brought against perpetrators of sex crimes against children was NOT specific to any group of offenders. In other words it applied to any and all individual perpetrators equally. Yet, the Catholic Church attempted to argue the unconstitutionality of the law citing freedom of religion and claiming that the Catholic Church was being unfairly targeted by the law! But the law was generic. It does not discriminate against the Catholic Church, just against pedophiles. That the Catholic Church claimed it was being singled out is indicative of its guilt else there would be no reason to feel singled out.

Jerimiah wrote on Mar 30, 2007 9:18 PM:It may not be about the money for the litigants, but it sure is for the plaintiffs' attorneys. The plaintiff bar controls the California legislature, and they were able to get the Statute of Limitations changed, so they could bring these lawsuits. Some of the suits pending in San Diego go back to the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. The priests that are accused are probably all dead, so they cannot defend themselves. The bishops who are accused of knowing and doing nothing are gone. The Church itself will not suffer, but it is the present parisioners who are really being asked to pay for these past sins.

GPH wrote on Mar 30, 2007 10:53 PM:Are you kidding me right now? Are you really going to attempt to make this about our attorneys? Am I to understand that you are so morally corrupt that you cannot fathom the idea that those who have been victimized are entitled to legal counsel and that those who have made law their profession are entitled to be compensated for their work? Do you have a calculator or can you do math in your head? Either way do the math. Our attorneys have spent HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS conservatively on this so far--with no guarantee of compensation at all and most certainly none in the near future. Jeff Anderson is an attorney who championed the cause of lifting the statute of limitations, NOT FOR THE MONEY, but because his own daughter was vicimized by a Catholic priest. You are way out of line, over your head, and out of your depth.

regina wrote on Mar 31, 2007 3:10 PM:Wow! Jeremiah, i'm not sure what you are trying to say. Is there something wrong with victims going to court? Is there something wrong with their lawyers getting paid? The statute of limitations should not apply to anyone raped and sodomized because it is a soul murder, and there is no statute of limitations that applies to murder. Also, I have met some of the lawyers who are representing the victims. They have suffered tremendously in their own way. They have had to live with eye-opening horror stories about what priests have done to their own flock. Some of these lawyers are catholic, and have not only been tormented by these stories, but have had their very faith shaken. It is too bad so many of the priests are dead and cannot defend themselves, but when these people were raped, they were not able to defend themselves at all. What goes around comes around. Unfortunately, the bishops who knew and moved these priests around ARE NOT GONE! They are still here and still doing the same things. They do need to be prosecuted.

GFN wrote on Mar 31, 2007 9:44 PM:To Tom B; 6:19...You have made it clear to me. Beautifully stated, if that is ok. Thank you.

Marie wrote on Apr 1, 2007 1:02 PM:Excellent article and some terrific comments... They really make you think.. a lot of soul food here. Thank you. To Jerimiah.."it is the present parisioners who are really being asked to pay for these past sins. "... Yes, Sadly that is the way it is with "SINS" that are allowed to go on without correction. They are a "pestilence".. an evil influence.. a potentially fatal disease and/or it's agent that without correction is allowed to spread from one generation to another, all down thru history until it is identified.. pointed out and stopped. One who ignores warnings of serious sins is like a "Typhoid Mary".. they are carriers who spread a disease to others.. without concern for others. THIS IS the generation that WILL be pointing out many age old sins. God has ordained it as such and countless people agree with HIM.. Some where along the line this must be done. Yes, there will be a price to pay.. What are we willing to pay to make this a better world? What are we willing to pay to bring in the Kingdom of Heaven.. where decency.. "Peace and Goodwill towards ALL" is the rule.. not the exception. 2,000 years ago, Jesus suffered greatly and died for this very goal, to give us all a better world. There were terrible sins committed at that time.. Sins that have never been pointed out or corrected. They WILL be corrected now in this generation. The price will involve renouncing false teachings.. study the word "false". They are teachings that lack truth.. the whole truth. They are inadequate, insufficient, dishonest and deceitful teachings because they obscure the truth that is clearly written in the New Testament and also seen in the old... old sins that were carried forth even until this day. We are all still suffering from very old sins that have not been corrected. We MUST correct them.

Tom D wrote on Apr 3, 2007 6:16 AM:I've been an advocate for victims for 23 years...and deeply involved in hundreds of abuse cases throughout the US. It is about money....its about the institutional church being obsessed with its money. Its more about hiding the documents that reveal the truth...the secrets kept from the people. The plaintiff lawyers are not the bad guys but the church is trying to scapegoat them. No one asks how much the church lawyers are making. They don't operate on contingency and are raking in millions of the people's dollars. In many dioceses the legal costs to stonewall victims go far beyond any amounts paid in settlements. But perhaps the biggest source of shame for the "church" is that it has never made any efforts to provide compassionate care and healing for the victims. Being forced to pay for counseling doesn't cut it. The church has always been threatened by the people they themselves have ruined, precisely because these victims show the church for what it really is! Had the courts and public opinion not forced this issue into the open, the Catholic bishops would still be hiding it, would still be ignoring victims and would still be keeping the fairytale alive that they really care.

Stephen wrote on Apr 3, 2007 4:08 PM:This quote is by Judy Herman: "It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, to hear, and to speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering".

GPH wrote on Apr 3, 2007 7:04 PM:Tom D-- You hit the nail on the head, several times. And Stephen's quote from Judy Herman is right on the money. You know, as a child, probably the worst experience besides the abuse itself was the secret. The secret kills the spirit and the silence it spawns kills the soul. As a child, you are unaware that those non-perps to whom your care was entrusted really DID see and hear the signs of abuse, but failed to speak of it. Their silence was almost as damaging as the abuse itself... Bystanders indeed.

Dianna wrote on Apr 5, 2007 8:27 AM:Gabrielle, I feel great empathy for you and the other victims of this insidious crime. I am an incest survivor and in a way, you are too. As a child, we were taught to love and respect the one we refer to as "Father". There is no amount of money that would alleviate the mental anguish that we and our families live with on a daily basis (I'm almost 50). However, having receiving validation from the abuser(s) would be a start. I have not stepped foot inside a catholic church since this scandal started. How can anyone do so and not feel they are supporting the protection of pedophiles? It literally makes me sick to my stomache. Gabrielle, peace to you and yours.

Dianna wrote on Apr 5, 2007 9:11 AM:Screener/editor, Please change my comment to reflect "we refer to as sister or father."

Michael wrote on Apr 5, 2007 2:40 PM:Why are God's people not standing up and speaking out against these crimes, these wrongs, these sins..? They are sins against God. They are sins against Jesus. Stand up for God, Stand up for Jesus. If not... "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me." (Mat 25).. Do an in depth study on the word "children", especially in how God uses that word. We are ALL children of God. If we allow sin and evil doings against any of God's children, we accept it for ourselves... it is now OUR sin too. Our silence gives permission for God's children to be physically, mentally and spiritually misused and abused, just to satisfy some mens "lusts".. the desires of their wicked hearts. Watch out for yourselves and your own children. This is a key to HELL, not to Heaven. These actions are WRONG. Simple common sense tells you that.

Michael wrote on Apr 5, 2007 2:46 PM:"If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?"..(Luk 12).. That's right. If we can't simply raise our voices in protest.... Why bother with any of if.... Why be hypocrites? Dump it all. It's no good to us anyway. If we are not with God.. HE is not with us. Believe this.. The hierarchy has a great respect for our voices.. It puts the fear of God into them.. It always has. GOD responds to the loud cries of His children. HE always has... Hear HIS infallible words.

GPH wrote on Apr 7, 2007 11:08 AM:On Good Friday the annual "Walk with the Suffering" event took place in downtown San Diego. For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is sponsored by the Ecumenical Council of San Diego County and is allegedly done in order to draw attention away from the commercialism, i.e. Easter Bunny, associated with this holiday and remind the community of the many who are suffering. This year's production stopped outside a jail, a courthouse, a shopping center, among other locations. The Catholic Diocese of San Diego participated in a big way. According to the Union Tribune, "At the 10th station, which portrays Jesus being stripped of his garments, the subject was consumerism. 'Those of us who have more than we need are required to use the surplus for those who have less than they need,' said Kent Peters, who heads the social ministry office for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. "The characters in this Good Friday reenactment were played by students from St. Augustine, a Catholic high school for boys, and the Academy of Our Lady of Peace, a Catholic high school for girls. "'It's something we look forward to – expressing our faith in public,' said Magdalena Rymer, 17, who portrayed a woman from Jerusalem, with purple robe, flip flops and painted aqua toenails." When asked why the suffering of victims of Catholic priests' sexual abuse were not mentioned in the program, the response was that, "They are issues more for that community than the wider community..." How inconsistent with reality considering the fact that the purpose of this event is to help Christians not only make a connection between ancient events and their own personal lives, but make a connection between these events and to the world at large.

Paul wrote on Apr 11, 2007 9:05 AM:Well done Gabriella. I know exactly what you are talking about, having lived it myself. Some strange coincidence that we all experience the same thing throughout the world. The 'hierarchy' left me for dead. Joseph - you ignoramous, ... Despite what these murdering hypocrites have done - I still hold to my faith and practice sincerely. I know a police man in Donegal. Seven children he knew who had been abused by clerics - all ended up taking their own lives. They were murdered by the 'hierarchy' of the Catholic Church as far as I am concerned and I have NO DOUBTS whatsover this is how God will 'judge' it too. He eventually had a break down because of it. You want proof ? Get ... on a plane, come over here and I will give it to you. People like you make me so angry in your denial... Wake up you people. No one on this earth will stand behind a good priest or religious more than I will. But don't any of you doubt this diabolical capability of this hierarchy of filth. Better still Joe - send me the money and I'll come over there to you, and proove it. You prove to me that your faith is not about money :-) P