Action urged on clergy sex abuse

Linkup seeks fewer limits on lawsuits

By Peter Smith
Courier Journal 

Advocates for people sexually abused by members of the clergy pledged last night to continue pushing for the release of information about abusive priests and to seek legislation removing time limits on abuse-related litigation.

More than 100 people from throughout North America gathered at the Holiday Inn Downtown last night to open a three-day conference sponsored by The Linkup, a Louisville-based advocacy group for abuse victims.

''We need the concerned community of Catholics and the community in general to take action on this issue,'' group President Susan Archibald said.

Paul Baier of Massachusetts, president of the advocacy group Survivors First, said he and many other Catholics were stirred to seek reforms amid the explosion of revelations about abusive priests in Boston and elsewhere.

''We were asleep,'' he said. ''The good news is some of us are slowly waking up.''

Baier and Archibald said one of their main goals for this year is to lobby legislatures to repeal statutes of limitations that put time limits on victims seeking to sue over sexual abuse.

They said such laws need to be repealed because it often takes victims many years to come to terms with their abuse and decide to take action.

Lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville have been filed by 216 people alleging abuse by priests and other church workers.

The first of those to file, Mike Turner of Louisville, told the group he was disappointed that the state Senate Judiciary Committee has all but killed a bill that would have eliminated such statutes in Kentucky.

''We are going to start over,'' pledged Turner, one of 85 people alleging abuse by the Rev. Louis E. Miller. ''It will take time.''

Baier said advocates need to keep the pressure on their legislators. ''I'd like to understand why a politician is soft on pedophiles.''

He also urged continued pressure on bishops who have mishandled cases of abusive priests, calling for the release of the priests' personnel files.

He noted that many victims settle lawsuits before such files are produced, and he encouraged them to ask for the release of documents as part of any settlement.

Baier said he was encouraged by some recent developments, such as the release of a scathing grand jury report in Long Island, N.Y., last week. It called the Diocese of Rockville Centre's policy for handling abuse cases a ''sham.''

Baier called for such tactics as protesting at cathedrals to gain media attention. The Linkup conference plans to conclude tomorrow with a vigil outside the Cathedral of the Assumption.

Attorney William McMurry, who represents most of the plaintiffs in the Louisville lawsuits, said the plaintiffs are helping bring about church reform by being willing to tell their stories publicly and putting ''justice above their anonymity.''

More than 200 people have registered for the conference, organizers said.

Two keynote speakers are scheduled to address the group this morning: journalist Jason Berry, whose groundbreaking reporting in the 1980s began to expose the abuse crisis, and retired psychotherapist Richard Sipe, a researcher on the abuse issue.

The all-day session today will also include other discussions and workshops.

The vast majority of those attending the conference came from out of town.

Steven Rabi, of Albuquerque, N.M., who said he was abused by two priests while growing up in New Jersey, said he appreciated the chance to come to the conference. Most of his communication with other victims has taken place via the Internet, he said.

''This is my first opportunity to meet with a large group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse from all over North America,'' he said. ''I hope through networking with these people we will share a peer-to-peer relationship where we can freely discuss our healing.''