Six male sexual abuse survivors are suing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The suit names Joseph Mclean of Minnesota, Paul Dunn of New York, Phillip DiWilliams of Pennsylvania, Darin Buckman of Illinois, and Mark Pinkosh and Troy Franks of California as plaintiffs.
The lawsuit alleges that the USCCB concealed “the known histories and identities from the public, parishioners and law enforcement of clergy accused of sexually abusing children across the country.”
The USCCB did not release a response but typically wouldn’t respond to a lawsuit.
McClean, one of the survivors at the news conference, said he chose to join the lawsuit because he wants the bishops to “come clean.”
Catholic News Service
It is telling that all of those abused in this case are male. There is a growing outlook that homosexuality and the sexual abuse of males by males is connected.
Still, the concern [that homosexuality and sexual abuse are connected] “has some validity,” [Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone] said, pointing to a recently-published study by Father D. Paul Sullins, a Catholic priest and retired Catholic University of America sociology professor. Sullins’ analysis found a rising trend in abuse, and argued that the evidence strongly suggests links between sexual abuse of minors and two factors: a disproportionate number of homosexual clergy, and the manifestation of a “homosexual subculture” in seminaries.
“The worst thing we could do is discredit this study so we can ignore or deny this reality,” Cordileone said. “We have to lean into it…to ignore it would be fleeing from the truth.”
Catholic News Agency
This is certainly a time for heartfelt prayer for the Church and for our bishops…that they do, in fact, “come clean.”
