A Voice For Abuse Survivors Within The Catholic Church

[cbayer]

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/11/311412142/a-voice-for-abuse-survivors-within-the-catholic-church

by NPR STAFF
May 11, 201410:51 AM ET


Marie Collins (left) and Vatican spokesman father Federico Lombardi leave at the end of a press conference at the Vatican on May 3, 2014. Collins, a clergy abuse survivor, was chosen as a member of Pope Francis' abuse advisory board.
Riccardo De Luca/AP

Each week, Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin brings listeners an unexpected side of the news by talking with someone personally affected by the stories making headlines.


For decades Marie Collins has advocated on behalf of sex abuse victims and spoken out against the way the Catholic Church has handled the crisis.

Collins was selected by Pope Francis to sit on the new commission he set up to try to right past wrongs and to make recommendations for dealing with pedophile priests in the future.

Collins is one of four women on the new commission and the only member who is also herself a survivor of clergy sexual abuse. She told NPR's Rachel Martin about the abuse, how she overcame it and went on to help other victims.

When Collins was 13 years old she had an operation at a children's hospital. It was her first time from home and she was scared, she says. The chaplain of the hospital began coming by a lot, including in the evenings to read to her.

more at link, including audio

[pinto]

1. I was hoping he'd do something along those lines.

Good move. Will be interesting to see what comes out of the advisory board.

[cbayer]

2. It's going to be hard to claim that the jury is stacked, if there are people like her aboard.

Very good move, I agree.

[skepticscott]

3. This will not be a "jury" and they will not make decisions about anything

They will, at best, make recommendations, which will not be binding on anyone. Any decisions about actual actions to be taken will be made by the same old boys club that has been behind the cover-up, enabling and abetting of child rape by priests all along. So we can guess how that'll end up.

But for those who will now screech that "nothing will satisfy you", here it is. If, as a result of this "commission", ALL reports or complaints of child sexual abuse by priests are turned over to the proper law enforcement authorities immediately, if the church fully supports any investigation into those who committed, covered up or abetted such acts, and if any members of the clergy (I mean you, Bernard Law) who are currently being sheltered from punishment in the Vatican have that protection withdrawn, then I'll be prepared to say that actual progress has been made. Anything short of that is still a cover-up.