Posts by Sol Reform

The Archdiocese of Newark has quietly placed alleged sexual predators there without informing neighbors. The residence is down the street from an elementary school and a high school. Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger The Catholic Church has a troubling track record of tucking its problems out of sight.

It’s common for priests accused of molesting children to be shuffled to new parishes, allowing church leaders to ignore them. The latest example:

The Star-Ledger’s Mark Mueller reported Sunday that a number of priests — including some stripped of robes and collars after the church found accusations of abuse to be credible — were sent to a retirement home in Rutherford, right next to two Catholic schools. That follows other reports of accused priests who chaperoned youth retreats or taught in parish schools, each under the supposed supervision of church hierarchy.

Those are the acts of an organization and leadership that believe they are immune from consequences. Were it not for expired statutes of limitations — which often ran out before young victims could report their abusers to authorities or even understand the full consequences of those attacks — many of these men might have faced prison, not retirement. That escape hatch closed in 1996, when New Jersey eliminated the time limit for criminal charges.

In New Jersey, sex abuse victims have just two years to sue after linking abuse to other problems, such as depression or divorce. That’s not enough.

What about holding the church accountable for allowing abuse? A statute of limitations has blocked that, too. In New Jersey, sex abuse victims have just two years to sue after linking abuse to other problems, such as depression, addiction or divorce. That’s not enough. Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has proposed a bill to extend that to 30 years. How do we know it would make a difference? Because the church has fought so hard to kill it, with powerful lobbyists and competing legislation. When the new legislative session begins in January, Vitale’s bill should be a priority.

Victims of childhood sex abuse require greater care and time — time to remember the crime and decide to act. Their ability to sue is about justice, not money. For most, lawsuits may be their only remedy against not only their abuser, but also the organization that enabled the abuse. The right to sue should be expanded, not constrained. Priest sex-abuse scandals have already cost the Catholic church $2.5 billion nationwide.

With an already tiny window for lawsuits, the church has a financial stake in staying silent as long as possible. The clock shouldn’t be allowed to run out so quickly.

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Minnesotan Lutherans surprised at unplanned bill for costs in lobbying against victims of child sex abuse crimes which Lutherans claim were never authorized nor budgeted for.

by Sol Reform in

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mn_lutheran_official_says_catholic_bishops_misled_him.

mn - lutheran official says catholic bishops misled himinternal memo shows church disputelutherans say they were unaware of costsand theyre refusing to pay for expensive lobbyingdispute stems from catholic-led effort against child sex victimsfor immediate release: thursday, nov. 7, 2013for more information: david clohessy of st. louis, snap director (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected].

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/230594861.html.

Sol Reform

RELIGION

Minnesota Church Lobbied Against New Sex-Abuse Bill

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By Nina Kate, Tue, November 05, 2013

Churchgoers in Minnesota may not have realized that their tithings would be used to help protect sex offenders, but the Minneapolis StarTribune reports that the Catholic church “spent heavily” to stop legal changes that would lengthen the time during which victims could file suits for childhood sex abuse.

According to the StarTribune, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was the primary lobbyist opposing the Child Victims Act, spending more than $800,000 over a period of seven years.

The bill, which removed the statute of limitations for child sex crimes, ultimately passed; despite the church’s lobbying attempts, the state Senate granted unanimous approval. It was enacted in May, and at least 18 suits have arisen since then.

Bill proponent Joel Juers, who claims he was a victim of sexual abuse while attending Shattuck-St. Mary's boarding school more than 30 years ago, spoke with Minnesota Public Radio News after the Senate voted.

"From the beginning, there was one 'yes' vote, and zero 'nays,' and then two and then 15, and then 20, and then 30, and still zero 'nays,'" he said. "It was like the entire Senate was standing next to me saying, 'We understand your plight. We understand your story, and we stand behind you."

State Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, who authored the bill, explained his rationale, saying, "We need the courthouse to be open to them when they are able to come forward. Those legally responsible -- perpetrators and those that protect them -- can escape justice just because of the passage of time."

Latz also addressed the church’s lobbying efforts: “They want the public to believe they are very caring about something, but behind the scenes they are very actively opposing the kind of steps or remedies or legislation that would hold them accountable for their conduct.”

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/minnesota-church-lobbied-against-new-sex-abuse-bill#

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Minnesotan Lutherans surprised at unplanned bill for costs in lobbying against victims of child sex abuse crimes which Lutherans claim were never authorized nor budgeted for.

by Sol Reform in

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mn_lutheran_official_says_catholic_bishops_misled_him.

mn - lutheran official says catholic bishops misled himinternal memo shows church disputelutherans say they were unaware of costsand theyre refusing to pay for expensive lobbyingdispute stems from catholic-led effort against child sex victimsfor immediate release: thursday, nov. 7, 2013for more information: david clohessy of st. louis, snap director (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected].

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/230594861.html.

Sol Reform

://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/230594861.html

Archdiocese led lobby to stop abuse law change

Article by: TONY KENNEDY , Star Tribune
Updated: November 5, 2013 - 3:38 PM

Church spent heavily to prevent expansion of time limit for lawsuits by childhood sexual abuse victims.

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Father Kevin McDonough, left, in a 2002 file photo. House members say McDonough, the former vicar general of the archdiocese, personally lobbied them to maintain the statute of limitations.

Photo: Mike Zerby, Star Tribune

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was at the forefront of extensive lobbying against efforts to expand the time limit for lawsuits by victims of childhood sexual abuse, according to a document obtained by the Star Tribune.

An internal accounting analysis prepared by the archdiocese shows that the lobbying association known as the Minnesota Religious Council received more than $800,000 from the Catholic Church during a seven-year period ending in the middle of 2008. A similar analysis was not available for subsequent years, but state lobbying records show the council spent more than $425,000 on lobbyists from 2006 through 2012.

Lobbying records also show the council doubled its lobbying force to six individuals on March 22, 2013, just weeks before the passage of the Child Victims Act. That law eliminated the statute of limitation for child sexual abuse cases going forward. It also created a three-year window for litigation of many previously barred claims in cases where churches, schools and other institutions failed to provide protection to children.

Since the law took effect in late May, at least 18 lawsuits seeking damages for sex abuse have been filed against Minnesota Catholic clergy and leaders.

Jim Accurso, a spokesman for the archdiocese, acknowledged that the archdiocese funded much of the costs of the Minnesota Religious Council, which he described as “a broad coalition of Minnesota churches from many denominations, led by a Lutheran pastor, that has worked together for common causes for many years. More importantly, all of the churches that are part of the MRC have a deep heartfelt commitment to creating and maintaining safe environments and protecting minors. This is within the core of all of our faiths.

“The Minnesota Religious Council was at the forefront of the effort to expand protections for all victims of child sexual abuse,” Accurso said. “We worked hard to make sure all faith groups were represented at the table … and we were successful.”

He also said the council had interest in “many other issues” besides the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse lawsuits.

The Rev. Karen Bockelman, the Lutheran pastor currently listed as director of the Minnesota Religious Council, said in an interview last week that the council’s main focus has been on litigation issues involving childhood sexual abuse. She said the council has not met recently and has no plans to meet.

Meanwhile, the cleric who leads the largest non-Catholic partner of the Minnesota Religious Council told the Star Tribune that local bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were not consulted on lobbying expenditures. Nor was the ELCA asked to participate in any decisionmaking on lobbying, said the Rev. Peter Rogness, bishop of the ELCA’s St. Paul Area Synod.

Rogness said that while he and other ELCA bishops were not aware of the full scope of lobbying by the council, he supported the council’s opposition this year to a broad lifting of the statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases.

He said the ELCA’s concern, shared by many large institutions that deal with children, was that very old claims could be brought on vague levels of proof.

An intense lobbying battle

The bill’s chief Senate author, Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, and state Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-Hopkins, who carried the measure in the House, criticized Catholic leaders last week in separate interviews. Latz said years of lobbying by the archdiocese contradict the church’s recent expressions of sympathy and outrage on behalf of boys and girls who were abused by priests.

“They want the public to believe they are very caring about something, but behind the scenes they are very actively opposing the kind of steps or remedies or legislation that would hold them accountable for their conduct,” Latz said.

Cristine Almeida, who fought for passage of the Minnesota Child Victims Act as lead lobbyist for the National Center for Victims of Crime, said both sides employed an equal number of lobbyists, on the issue, and each side added more lobbyists in the session’s final weeks. Among those hired by the Minnesota Religious Council were longtime Capitol fixture Ted Grindal and Cullen Sheehan, who ran Norm Coleman’s last U.S. Senate campaign.

Almeida said she considered the archdiocese the principal force behind the council. One of its tactics, she said, was to try to amend the bill with language that would have disabled it — including a proposed amendment to hold institutions harmless for abuse by offenders they employ.

Dan Connolly, a lobbyist for the Minnesota Religious Council, said at a hearing this year that the group did not oppose expanding the statute of limitations for perpetrators, “because they know the facts.” But the organizations facing lawsuits “very rarely know the facts” and are defenseless, he said.

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Minnesotan Lutherans surprised at unplanned bill for costs in lobbying against victims of child sex abuse crimes which Lutherans claim were never authorized nor budgeted for.

by Sol Reform in

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mn_lutheran_official_says_catholic_bishops_misled_him.

mn - lutheran official says catholic bishops misled himinternal memo shows church disputelutherans say they were unaware of costsand theyre refusing to pay for expensive lobbyingdispute stems from catholic-led effort against child sex victimsfor immediate release: thursday, nov. 7, 2013for more information: david clohessy of st. louis, snap director (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected].

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/230594861.html.

Sol Reform

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mn_lutheran_official_says_catholic_bishops_misled_him

MN - Lutheran official says Catholic bishops misled him

Internal memo shows church dispute Lutherans say they were “unaware” of costs And they’re refusing to pay for expensive lobbying Dispute stems from Catholic-led effort against child sex victims For immediate release: Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Director (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected]

A Protestant church official claims, in an internal memo written this week, that he and his colleagues were kept in the dark about expensive but unsuccessful Catholic-led lobbying against a Minnesota child safety law.

The memo, sent by Lutheran Bishop Peter Rogness on November 5 to the Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was written as a response to a Star Tribune headlined “Archdiocese led lobby to stop abuse law change.” http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/230594861.html

In the memo, Rogness claims that "records are sketchy" but “the cost of the lobbying” against the Child Victims Act “was an expenditure of which we Lutherans were unaware."

(A copy of the memo, obtained by SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is below.) And Rogness says "In recent months, we were surprised by a request that we help pay for costs which we had neither authorized nor budgeted, and therefore have not paid." Leaders of SNAP, say they're "not surprised" that Catholic officials didn't disclose lobbying costs to the Lutherans.

“If Catholic bishops deceive parishioners and the public about predator priests, why wouldn’t they deceive their allegedly lobbying partners about money?” said Barbara Dorris, SNAP’s outreach director. “Catholic officials often fight dirty when they’re desperately trying to prevent lawsuits that expose their complicity in child sex abuse and cover up cases.”

Dorris says she hopes that “groups drawn into this costly and ill-advised battle against child sex abuse victims by Catholic bishops will refuse to spend their flock’s precious donations to pay for the callous and deceitful lobbying by those Catholic bishops." “It’s bad enough for Catholic bishops to lean on politicians to try and deny victims their day in court,” said Bob Schwiderski of Wayzata, SNAP’s Minnesota director. “But it’s worse when bishops trick or fool other religious groups into joining this kind of irresponsible lobbying campaign, then hit those groups up for money after their campaign has lost.” The law at issue is the Child Victims Act. It relaxes and extends the civil statute of limitations on child sex crimes.

It took effect in May. “This law protects kids and exposes adults who commit and conceal horrific child sex crimes against the innocent,” said Schwiderski. “It was fought by those who put their personal and institutional reputations above the safety of children. If your institution didn’t or doesn’t conceal child predators, then you have nothing to fear from this legislation.” Catholic officials in at least a dozen states across the US have lobbied or are lobbying against similar measures. Here is a copy of the memo:

Saint Paul Area Synod 105 West University Avenue St. Paul, MN 55103-2094 651.224.4313 Fax 651.224.5646 www.spas-elca.org A synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America A response to the article in the Star Tribune:

“Archdiocese led lobby to stop abuse law change” November 5, 2013

Dear Partners in Ministry: Today’s Star Tribune carried an article about the Minnesota Religious Council and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in which it identified the six ELCA synods in Minnesota as members of the Minnesota Religious Council (MRC).

The article described the MRC’s lobbying effort against recent legislation that changed the statute of limitations on claims of child sexual abuse. Tony Kennedy, the reporter, spoke with me last week, and I sought to provide accurate information about our involvement. I think it could be helpful for me to provide you with some perspective so that you are better able to interpret these matters to parishioners and others and to remind you of how we in the ELCA view and respond to matters of misconduct.

I will focus on three arenas: the Minnesota Religious Council; the concerns we had about the proposed legislation; and how the ELCA responds to misconduct and abuse issues. The Minnesota Religious Council While records are sketchy and the origin of the MRC pre-dates me and the current ELCA bishops, it is my understanding that the MRC was originally formed when leadership of several church bodies came together in the early 1990s to discuss the concern of sexual abuse and clergy misconduct and how church bodies can properly respond to and seek to prevent such misconduct.

The initial group included Roman Catholics, Lutherans (both ELCA and LC-MS), Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, and maybe others. Later, faced with lobbying by attorneys and others hoping to change state laws, the MRC became a forum for discussing and responding to proposed legislation aimed at the statutes of limitations for bringing suit against perpetrators and institutions. (See next section.)

At the occasional meetings of the MRC, the Lutherans were consistently represented by the Rev. Karen Bockelman, who served for eleven years as assistant to the bishop of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod until her retirement in 2007. She has continued to represent us, occasionally with another Lutheran representative. She was not paid for this work, though we (synods) paid her mileage and expenses for meetings. She has been helpful in keeping us apprised of proposed legislation over the years. For the past several years, she has served as chair of the group.

The MRC sought to influence certain legislation which included some proposed laws that concerned not only churches, but also other institutions that deal with children. These were significant concerns that needed to be addressed properly and fairly for all affected.

As the news article pointed out, however, the cost of the lobbying carried out over those years was an expenditure of which we Lutherans were unaware. In recent months, we were surprised by a request that we help pay for costs which we had neither authorized nor budgeted, and therefore have not paid.

The Rev. Peter Rogness, Bishop Legislative Concerns It is unfair and simplistic to characterize these matters as a battle between those who sought to protect children and those who sought to protect institutions. Rather, particular elements of the legislation posed difficulties that, in my judgment, could have been fixed, and may indeed still be addressed in corrective legislative action in the future. An editorial earlier this year in the Pioneer Press noted Pastor Bockelman’s comment about MRC’s willingness to compromise and negotiate on the particular points of concern. While I’m not an attorney, I think I can shed some light on what concerns arose around the legislation. Eliminating the statute of limitations Eliminating the statute of limitations on liability for claims of sexual abuse was at the heart of the proposed legislation in the Child Victims Act.

A legitimate case can be made here. I have experience with individuals who have come forward with stories of abuse by clergy many years after the abuse occurred, sometimes after having worked through issues of guilt, shame, and fear of consequences. It is a healthy thing for victims to be able to come forward and name abuse, name the abuser, and seek to right wrongs. While I have had little experience with cases of child abuse (nearly all clergy misconduct with which I’ve dealt has been adult-to-adult), these factors are real and deserve response and support whenever a victim comes forward. I know of no opposition to lifting the statute of limitations in order to facilitate bringing the actual perpetrators of abuse to justice.

Vague definition of liability The primary concern with some of the legislative proposals has to do with the vagueness of the claims allowed against the institutions (schools, churches, daycare centers, etc.). These legal definitions of “liability” on the part of such institutions become exceedingly troublesome with very old cases. The legal principle of “vicarious liability” uses the language that an institution may be held liable “if it knew or should have known” of the abuse danger posed by an employee. If a case is made in court that an institution “should have known,” the institution is left to prove a negative—in other words, to prove that there was no way for the institution to have known. This is virtually impossible when witnesses have died or disappeared, no records exist revealing what took place decades ago, and no one today has any knowledge of the alleged misconduct.

What is not at issue is the case to be made for liability when it can be shown that the institution did in fact know of prior misconduct and could have done something about it, but left the abuser in a position to have access to future victims. The legislative proposals, however, went far beyond that and opened the door to claims against institutions that had no way of knowing of previous misconduct and yet are being held liable today for unknown perpetrators from the past. Removing the cap on liability As the legislation was being formed this year, various provisions about a cap on liability were proposed, and the versions that emerged from the House and Senate varied.

One version included a cap for municipalities, schools, day care centers, etc., but not for churches. In the closing days of the session, Bishop Jon Anderson and I met with an aide to Governor Dayton to seek to have that corrected; that is, to have churches included in the liability cap pertaining to others. Unfortunately, what emerged did correct the unequal treatment, but it did so by removing the liability cap for everyone. The reason this is troublesome is that it opens the door to large awards on very old cases, threatening the very existence of the child-serving agencies that now do the vital work of care, support, prevention, and education. This is an ever-increasing threat as insurance companies from earlier decades are going out of business at a rapid pace.

In summary As noted above, claims based on allegations going back 30 or 40 years pose particular difficulties since the evidence on which to base a judgment can be difficult or impossible to obtain. Given the combination of the vague definition of liability, the absence of a cap on damages, and the lack of clear and timely evidence, the possibility of damage to current agencies and members, who had no part in past misconduct, looms large.

Legislation that could have empowered victims and punished perpetrators, while protecting beneficial and wholly innocent organizations and agencies could have been adopted and improved. This all may be far more legally complex than you care to follow. The point is that, as this complex legislation moved forward, there were legitimate concerns in seeking to have language that balanced the right of victims to seek redress for past abuse with the ability to base fair judgments on accessible evidence. Abuse, Misconduct, and ELCA Policy My primary reason for this e-letter is to clarify how the ELCA cares for its members and responds to complaints of misconduct. When synod bisho

ps are elected, the early orientation sessions include discussion about preventing sexual misconduct, because protecting the members of our congregations and making sure all ministries and ministers are safe places is of utmost importance. ELCA General Counsel Phil Harris has said on many occasions that we are a zero tolerance church. When we receive complaints of abuse or misconduct, we investigate. We support and care for victims.

When clergy misconduct is substantiated, there are consequences. We do remove ministers from the roster. We tell the truth about what happened to all affected, and in those cases involving allegations of child abuse, we report and cooperate with the authorities. Our Lutheran polity regards the office of ministry as an office that exists to proclaim the Gospel. Individuals are called into the public office of ministry—both clergy and lay rosters—to serve the gospel and serve the church. It is a public office the church must be able to trust, and so we hold individuals in this office to high standards of trust.

Misconduct betrays the public trust. No one is perfect, of course, and we all have faults. However, our understanding of the church and the public office of ministry leads us to believe that, while any behaviors can be forgiven by a gracious Lord, some behaviors have as a consequence the removal from the public office of ministry. As a result of this position, our procedures include: A constitutionally-defined discipline process for addressing clergy sexual misconduct, including removal or resignation from the roster of ordained ministers;

No statute of limitations for church discipline against perpetrators of sexual abuse;

Disclosure of the misconduct to those affected, including the congregations where the guilty pastor served; Disclosure of any questionable behavioral matters not rising to the level of removal from the roster, but nevertheless important for the awareness of any congregation or employer considering the minister; Periodic training for our rostered ministers on appropriate boundaries and healthy behavior (the next one in our synod is January 14, 2014). There is a pervading sadness around all these issues, of course.

Primarily it is sadness for the terrible harm done to victims—children and adults—whose trust in those whom they know as the church’s ministers has been betrayed. In addition, I am sad for the congregations, denominations, agencies, and institutions that suffer a body blow to the public trust of their staff and mission. I am sad for congregational members for whom the presumption of trust of clergy and other ministers is weakened.

I am sad for the 99 percent of people in ministry who give themselves to compassionate care of their congregants, who tend carefully to appropriate boundaries, and who find themselves tainted by the misconduct of a few. I am sad even for the perpetrators, who for whatever weaknesses led them to such behavior, now bear the burden of broken relationships with families and friends and congregations and lose their vocation in the process. But I am encouraged by the commitment I find around me in this church that I serve, to tend these matters head-on and with care—so that the message of the loving God we are called to proclaim is not clouded by questions of the abuse of that office of proclamation.

It has been both a burden and a privilege to carry the responsibility for maintaining this church’s trust of the office of ministry. I trust that recognition will not be lost on the people of this synod as they call someone new to this office of oversight next year. Grace and peace, Peter Rogness, Bishop

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A specific form of therapy for child sex abuse rose out of The Womens Liberation Movement - says Jane Fonda

by Sol Reform in

twenty years later she could have found the help she needed in the specific form of therapy that arose out of the womens liberation movement in the 1970s.

it was thanks to this movement, that sexual violence was finally seen as being not about sex but about power and control.. this relational/cognitive therapy approaches the traumatized person with empathy and great care, creates trust and ensures safety, then takes them back through the experience, reconstructing the trauma in detail including the emotions and sensations, then mourning the loss of the old self that the trauma destroyed and finally helps her (or him) to integrate the experiences into a new, fully developed life narrative.. http://janefonda.com/for-my-mother/.

for my mother.

Sol Reform

Twenty years later she could have found the help she needed in the specific form of therapy that arose out of The Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s. It was thanks to this movement, that sexual violence was finally seen as being not about sex but about power and control.

This relational/cognitive therapy approaches the traumatized person with empathy and great care, creates trust and ensures safety, then takes them back through the experience, reconstructing the trauma in detail including the emotions and sensations, then mourning the loss of the old self that the trauma destroyed and finally helps her (or him) to integrate the experiences into a new, fully developed life narrative.

http://janefonda.com/for-my-mother/

FOR MY MOTHER

Oct 28.13

My mother was sexually abused as a young girl, long before people knew the life-long damage it causes or that there are ways to heal the wounds–the worst of which are not what happens physically but what is done to the identity, the emotions, the brain of the victim, particularly if the person is not believed, not understood, not heard.

I did not know this about my mother until I was in my sixties although I had sensed all my life that something bad must have happened to her when she was little because she was always sick, unable to really love, self-mutilated in the form of excessive plastic surgery, felt evil and worthless, hated her body, was promiscuous and eventually committed suicide when she was forty-two. While writing my memoirs, “My Life So Far,” I was able to obtain my mother’s medical records from the institution where she killed herself. Among the documents was a typewritten, single-spaced autobiography she must have been asked to write upon admission.

Prior to this, in the mid-90s, I had been drawn to study the effects of sexual violence on girls and boys because I had started a nonprofit in Georgia (where I lived at the time) that addressed issues of sexuality among disadvantaged teenagers and discovered that many, if not most, of the girls we worked with had been sexually violated. I sometimes feel that I was called to do this work because, unconsciously, I knew that the shadow of sexual violation had cast a shadow over my own family. As a result (and unlike other members of my family), I was prepared to understand what I was reading in my mother’s report. Piecing together what she wrote and what her doctors reported,

I unearthed what lay at the root of her 4-decade-long suffering. I could put the puzzle together and belatedly mourn my mother, forgive her and myself (because children–victims and their children– always think it must have been their fault, that they just weren’t good enough, must have somehow asked for it). Twenty years later she could have found the help she needed in the specific form of therapy that arose out of The Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s. It was thanks to this movement, that sexual violence was finally seen as being not about sex but about power and control.

This relational/cognitive therapy approaches the traumatized person with empathy and great care, creates trust and ensures safety, then takes them back through the experience, reconstructing the trauma in detail including the emotions and sensations, then mourning the loss of the old self that the trauma destroyed and finally helps her (or him) to integrate the experiences into a new, fully developed life narrative. This sounds more linear than it is, but in the last forty-some years, this approach to trauma, both sexual trauma and combat trauma, has been proven successful at allowing the traumatized person to move from victim to functioning survivor.

I sometimes cry when I think of how my mother could have been saved. Listen to this: It is generally agreed that only 16% of rapes are reported. In 1992 The National Victim Center and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center issued a study that estimated the “true number of rapes in the United States each year is likely to be in the range of 639,500. At that rate over a twenty-year period, there would be more than 12 million American women rape survivors.”

Let that sink in for a moment. Try to go beyond the stats and think that each number represents a girl or boy whose entire life and identity was ripped apart. shredded. It was thanks to the efforts of veterans of the Vietnam War and their refusal to be silent, that a diagnosis of the effects of combat trauma was finally established–post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prior to this, soldiers who were traumatized were shamed, dismissed and deemed “moral invalids.” Dr Judith Herman, in her brilliant, breakthrough book, “Trauma and Recovery,” writes that it became “clear that the psychological syndrome seen in survivors of rape, domestic battery, and incest was essentially the same as the syndrome seen in survivors of war.”

And not until the “women’s liberation movement of the 1970s was it recognized that the most common post-traumatic disorders are those not of men in war but of women in civilian life.” I am writing this blog now because yesterday I met Gail Abarbanel, the founder of The Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica and the Stuart House next door which treats child victims. This deeply empathic woman took me through the buildings, explaining the process from initial intake to the final therapeutic sessions. Please visit their website. They are templates of how sexual trauma victims should be treated–start to finish. I wish I could wave a wand and replicate these centers everywhere across the country.

As I left, Gail gave me a book, “After Silence: Rape & My Journey Back,” by Nancy Venable Raine. I read it last night. I urge everyone who has been a victim of sexual trauma to read this book as well as anyone who knows someone who has been a victim. One key thing to understand is that you must always believe someone when they say they’ve been sexually abused. Always believe children who tell. It is so very difficult to tell. The victim feels they are to blame, especially children who are developmentally unable to blame the adult abuser.

And NEVER say to a victim, “It’s time to put this behind you. Just get on with it.” Ms Raine makes poignantly clear that this misunderstanding of the nature of trauma can be as painful as the trauma itself. It can never be “put behind you.” It can be confronted and managed and one can, with the right treatment ‘get on with it.’ But it is a long, brave process. I’m also writing this blog now because I have become friends with a remarkable woman, Dr. Ann Beeder, Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Ann’s primary work is with veterans suffering from PTSD and, like the centers I visited in Santa Monica, she and her colleagues have developed cutting edge, beautifully empathic treatments which I am learning about. I want to tell anyone reading this blog who is a victim of trauma, including veterans of combat, that to seek treatment is the brave thing to do. As Dr Judith Herman says, accepting help is an act of profound courage. It shows strength not weakness, initiative, not passivity.

“Remembering and telling the truth about terrible events are prerequisites both for the restoration of the social order and for the healing of individual victims.” I wish my mother could have told and been believed.

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WIsconsin Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - two year window for victims over the age of 35 in pending LRB 2111 and 1056, the Child Victims Act.

by Sol Reform in

http://sol-reform.com/news/new-developments-in-wisconsin/.

to: all legislators.

from: senator julie lassa and representatives sandy pasch & chris taylor.

Sol Reform

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20131102/WDH06/311020224/Lassa-My-bills-will-help-victims-sexual-assault-get-justice-column-?nclick_check=1

Lassa: My bills will help victims of sexual assault get justice (column) Nov. 2, 2013 | 5 Comments Julie Lassa Becoming the victim of any crime is enough to change your life forever, but sexual assault victims undergo a unique set of challenges. The shame and stigma of being victimized sexually makes it very difficult to go before strangers in the criminal justice system and relive the details of the crime.

Unfortunately, some people are quick to blame the victims, believing that they “brought it on themselves” through their actions. In most instances, the perpetrators of sexual assault are not strangers to the victim, but someone the victim knows – often authority figures like parents, relatives or coworkers. Reporting this crime means not only reliving one’s own humiliation, but can potentially turn the victim’s world upside down. This is especially true for children, who are the victims of two-thirds of sexual assaults.

For all these reasons, authorities estimate that sexual assault is among the most underreported crimes. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 74 percent of completed and attempted sexual assaults against females were not reported to law enforcement. It can take years for victims to come to terms with what has happened to them and to find the courage to talk about what happened to them. Through the years, I have advocated for public policy that understands and respects the unique challenges that sexual assault victims face in reporting these horrific crimes.

Arbitrary statutes of limitation and other deadlines that unnecessarily penalize victims who, for whatever reason, don’t immediately report these crimes have two negative consequences: They prevent sexual assault victims from obtaining justice and, because they discourage victims from reporting the crime, leave the perpetrator free to victimize others. Two pieces of legislation I have introduced this session will help sexual assault victims overcome these hurdles.

The Child Victims Act removes the civil statute of limitations on child sexual assault entirely, so pedophiles would no longer be protected by a legal “home free” date from facing their victims in court. It would also provide a two-year window in which a person who is currently arbitrarily barred by the statute of limitations from bringing a suit would be allowed to bring their charges forward.

In California, where a similar time window for retroactive suits was enacted, 300 previously unknown child sex abusers were identified as a result. The Child Victims Act will enable victims of sexual abuse to have their day in court and hold more offenders accountable for their actions, preventing them from preying on other innocent children. I have also introduced Lindsey’s Law, which will provide better access to counseling and mental health treatment for victims of sexual assault and remove the one-year application deadline for access to the Crime Victim Fund for victims seeking mental health services.

The bill is named for a sexual assault victim who was denied compensation from the Crime Victims Fund because she did not report the crime until the deadline had expired. Under this bill, a person who is a victim of certain sexual assault crimes, including sexual assault against a child and human trafficking, may apply for an award for compensation from the Department of Justice for the payment of mental health services for as long as the crime committed against him or her is prosecutable under the applicable statutes of limitation.

These bills will help the victims of sexual assault attain justice for the crimes that were committed against them. At the same time, they will aid the process of identifying perpetrators so that they cannot create more victims. Both bills are supported by advocates for sexual assault victims, and I hope they will gain bipartisan support in the Legislature.

Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, represents the 24th Senate District.

14

Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - and all supporters from the State of Pennsylvania - Action Alert to get movement on SOL reform!

by Sol Reform in

http://sol-reform.com/news/pa-residents-action-alert-to-get-movement-on-sol-reform/.

pa residents action alert to get movement on sol reform!

20 may 2013 | pennsylvania .

Sol Reform

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=517932

Originally Published: 11/2/2013 Mary Young:

Law must aid abused children

There should be no law limiting the length of time that adults who were victims of sexual abuse as children can file civil suits against their abusers or the institutions that employed them.

Spring Township attorney Jay Abramowitch is emphatic about that. Maybe even fanatical. He has handled numerous cases filed against priests and their dioceses. If legislators won't change the law to eliminate the statute of limitations, which currently requires victims to file suits before they reach age 30, then a proposal championed by state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Muhlenberg Township Democrat, is the next best thing, Abramowitch said.

The proposal, as outlined in last week's column, would raise the age to 50 and open a two-year window for victims to refile cases previously thrown out of court because the statute of limitations had expired. Change is needed because most victims don't come forward until later in life, said Rozzi, who alleges he was abused by a priest when he was 13.

The proposal has been hung up in the House Judiciary Committee since it was introduced in January. Chairman Ron Marisco, a Dauphin County Republican, has said he won't allow a vote because the proposed legislation is unconstitutional. Abramowitch doesn't buy that.

"The Pennsylvania Constitution says the courts will always be open," he said. "This idea of a statute of limitations is archaic." Abramowitch said if the law does anything at all it should protect children, even when those children become adults struggling with the effects of their abuse.

"You have to try to visualize a 3-year-old or 5-year-old child being victimized in the most unspeakable way, and the person who did it simply lies, or the parents discipline the child for saying what happened," he said. "It's akin to murder, which has no statute of limitations." It's not about victims getting money, but about sharing their stories, Abramowitch said.

They're victimized twice, first by their abusers and then by a legal system that prevents them from having those stories validated in a court of law, he said.

"It's very heartbreaking," Abramowitch said. "So many of them feel insecure and inferior. We need to give the victims a chance to come forward and have their day in court."

Contact Mary Young: 610-478-6292 or [email protected].

4

Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York prefers New York state laws versus Vermont state law.

by Sol Reform in

a federal judge in vermont has rejected a request by the albany roman catholic diocese to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a warren county man who, as a young altar boy, was taken across state lines and raped by a priest.

"the diocese believes the proper forum for the lawsuit is new york state.

" kenneth goldfarb, a spokesman for the albany diocese, said they disagree with the decision.. jerome f. o'neill, an attorney for the victim, used the diocese's business records, which were turned over under a court order, to show ties between the neighboring dioceses, including documentation that priests from albany routinely ministered at parishes in vermont under authorization from bishop howard hubbard.. .

Sol Reform

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Albany-diocese-ordered-to-turn-over-clergy-abuse-4948332.php

Albany diocese ordered to turn over clergy abuse files

Albany diocese must surrender information, but judge seals it

By Brendan J. Lyons Updated 11:23 am, Saturday, November 2, 2013 1 of 6 View: Larger | Hide Gary Mercure, an Albany priest, is serving more than 25 years in a Massachusetts prison on a conviction of raping altar boys from the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union archive)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over nearly 40 years worth of clergy abuse files to a Warren County man who is suing the diocese and a priest who raped him as a young boy. It's the first time the Albany diocese has been ordered by a court to fully disclose its confidential files on priests and other employees accused of sexual abuse.

But the ruling by U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III includes a sealing order that, for now, will keep the records from being made public. The sealing order was requested by the diocese and Gary J. Mercure, an imprisoned Albany priest who is accused of systematically raping and abusing altar boys for years. The order requires the diocese to turn over its internal records on sexual abuse by priests and other employees dating to 1975.

"This is the first time the diocese has been ordered to turn over 38 years of records involving individuals — current and former clergy and employees, and even those who have made complaints of sexual abuse — who have absolutely nothing to do with the case at hand," said Kenneth Goldfarb, a spokesman for the diocese.

"The diocese sought a protective order because, surely, the privacy rights of these individuals warrant the same protection that the federal court already granted to Gary Mercure by issuing a protective order for his files." The decision was handed down in a lawsuit filed by a 37-year-old man who said he was raped by Mercure in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont beginning in the early 1980s when he was about 8 years old.

The victim filed his lawsuit against the diocese and Mercure in Vermont because New York's statute of limitations prevented any claim or criminal action here. The victim's identity is being withheld by the Times Union under a policy not to identify victims of rape or sexual abuse without their consent. For two years, the diocese waged a fierce legal battle to have the case dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, arguing they had no legal ties to Vermont.

They lost that argument but have now prevailed on their motion to keep secret, at least for now, possibly thousands of pages of clergy abuse files that will be turned over to the victim's Vermont attorney. "At this point, the court will grant the diocese's request for a protective order so that the disclosures may be used only by litigants and not shared with others,"

Sessions wrote in his decision. The ruling came three weeks after the Times Union published a story Oct. 13 detailing Mercure's history of sexual abuse, which dates to the late 1970s, that was outlined in 88 pages from his confidential files.

The records were attached to a motion filed by the victim's attorney, Jerome F. O'Neill of Burlington. O'Neill attached the files to a motion complaining the diocese had heavily redacted the documents before turning them over. The judge, as part of his order this week, directed the diocese to give O'Neill unredacted copies. Mercure's attorneys had filed a separate motion, two days before the Times Union's Oct. 13 story was published, asking the judge to seal Mercure's files.

"This is the exact reason that defendant Mercure sought a protective order; so that details of his personnel files were not disseminated to the media for the sole purpose of creating a spectacle," wrote Shannon A. Bertrand, a Vermont attorney handling Mercure's case. Sessions ruled the unredacted copies of Mercure's files must also remain sealed from public scrutiny. "The court will review the issue of disclosure of these documents to the public prior to trial," the judge said. The case is scheduled for trial next year unless the diocese, Mercure and the victim reach a settlement.

In 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to release more than 12,000 pages of sexual abuse files as part of a settlement that paid about $660 million to more than 500 victims of clergy abuse. Attorneys for the victims in that case said disclosure of the files was a key part of the settlement. O'Neill, who represents the victim in Vermont, said: "If we resolve this case we will make every effort to have the records released.

However, ultimately, the issue is the client's. If he decides he wants to resolve the case and that resolving it is more important than having the documents made public, we will have no choice but to follow his dictates." Goldfarb said the diocese is still reviewing Session's ruling.

"The diocese already has complied with the request to turn over more than 50,000 pages of documents in this civil case and earlier cooperated with law enforcement authorities who brought criminal charges against Mercure," he said. "It was the Albany diocese that first alerted law enforcement authorities to Mercure's crimes and barred Mercure from priestly ministry in 2008."

The 50,000 pages Goldfarb referenced were mostly business records disclosed on the argument over jurisdiction, and not clergy abuse files. Mercure's personnel file was just 563 pages.

However, the judge this week ordered the diocese to turn over additional records on Mercure, including "all reports, reviews, or other internal or external investigations of misconduct by Mercure ... (and) all demand letters, correspondence, pleadings, or discovery where a person sought compensation as a result of Mercure's conduct."

O'Neill said the judge's order is unprecedented.

"The court's order will require that for the first time the diocese produce all documents relating to Mercure," O'Neill said. "Equally important, for what we believe is the first time ever for this diocese, it will have to produce documents going back to 1975 as to sexual abuse of children in the diocese by other priests and employees. This is important information that the public should see."

Mercure, 65, was a priest for the Albany diocese from 1974 to 2008, when he was removed from ministry. He has been accused of sexually abusing altar boys he met at parishes in Albany, Queensbury and Glens Falls.

The diocese last year petitioned the Vatican to have Mercure removed from priesthood. He was convicted in Massachusetts in 2011 of raping two altar boys — including the alleged victim in the Vermont case — during ski trips to Berkshire County, and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. He lost an appeal of his conviction.

7

Jehovah's Witness family ostracized, for being victims of child sex abuse crimes. and then told to get out of the congregation after the trial. - Jehovah's Witness elder gets jail.

by Sol Reform in

utterly disgraced jehovah's witness elder who was exposed as a paedophile on facebook has been jailed despite supportive letters from fellow jehovahs witnesses expressing disagreement or disbelief about the guilty verdicts.. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/jail-jehovahs-witness-elder-jonathan-6258814.

jail for jehovahs witness elder who molested girls31 oct 2013 16:47. jonathan rose was branded a hypocrite as he was locked up for molesting two little girls he met through the church.. jonathan rose a jehovah's witness elder who was exposed as a paedophile on facebook has been jailed.. jonathan rose was branded a hypocrite as he was locked up for molesting two little girls he met through the church.

manchester crown court heard that rose, of northfield avenue, new moston , won the trust of his victims families before targeting their daughters.. his youngest victim was just five-years-old when she was groped by him in her own home.

Sol Reform

Utterly disgraced Jehovah's Witness elder who was exposed as a paedophile on Facebook has been jailed despite supportive letters from fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses expressing ‘disagreement or disbelief’ about the guilty verdicts.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/jail-jehovahs-witness-elder-jonathan-6258814

Jail for Jehovah’s Witness elder who molested girls

31 Oct 2013 16:47

Jonathan Rose was branded a hypocrite as he was locked up for molesting two little girls he met through the church.

Jonathan Rose A Jehovah's Witness elder who was exposed as a paedophile on Facebook has been jailed.

Jonathan Rose was branded a hypocrite as he was locked up for molesting two little girls he met through the church. Manchester Crown Court heard that Rose, of Northfield Avenue, New Moston , won the trust of his victims’ families before targeting their daughters.

His youngest victim was just five-years-old when she was groped by him in her own home. The other was ten when Rose, then 27, kissed her sexually. Rose was first accused of indecently assaulting a teenage girl he met through the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1995.

He was acquitted of that offence in a trial and went on to become an elder in his congregation. However, after his first accuser branded him a ‘paedo’ on Facebook , his crimes against the two other girls came to light.

Rose was found guilty of two charges of indecent assault and has now been jailed for nine months and banned from visiting homes where there are children present.

The joiner, who is married with children and continues to protest his innocence, showed no emotion as he was jailed and made subject to a sexual offences prevention order. He must sign the sex offenders register for life. The court heard that he even sat in judgement in a church ‘investigation’ into the second victim when she was a teenager.

Her ‘entirely normal’ teenage behaviour was thought to be ‘inappropriately sexual’ by elders. Antony Longworth, defending, handed the judge a bundle of supportive letters from fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses which he described as expressing ‘disagreement or disbelief’ about the guilty verdicts.

But Judge David Stockdale QC told Rose: “You are now utterly disgraced – even though many members of that community still place a great deal of faith in you. The Jehovah’s Witnesses... upholds very high standards of moral behaviour – you deviated altogether from those standards.”

The family of Rose’s first accuser say they were encouraged to cover up their allegation. He was cleared of groping the then teenage girl in 1995 trial, but she would go on to be a witness in the latest court case.

Her family say they were hounded out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses when they expressed concerns.

Her father told the M.E.N: “They held a meeting where they stood on a platform and said no-one should ever take a ‘brother’ to court. They dismissed our complaint as something that happened between teenagers. “We were ostracised, and then told to get out of the congregation after the trial.”

A spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses said: “Everyone has become more aware of how to deal with these issues in recent years. In no way would the Jehovah Witnesses purposefully try to protect anyone who is accused of serious crimes.”