BALTIMORE — Alleged victims of sex abuse at the hands of the clergy have become creditors against the Archdiocese of Baltimore at the federal courthouse, but this is about far more than a payday.
“We’re trying to get to the goal of how can we make sure truly beyond the money, how can we make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Committee of Unsecured Creditors Chair Paul Jan Zdunek.
A woman who we will refer to only by her first name, Rebecca, took the stand first to share details of what her abuser called their ‘little secret’ at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in West Baltimore.
At the age of 12, Rebecca says a priest at the church began following her around to secluded areas and molesting her.
She reported it to a seminarian who she found out later was abusing children as well.
By the time she was 14, Rebecca had attempted suicide and spent the next 18 months at Springfield Hospital in a mental ward.
Like seven others who shared their stories, the abuse led to a life of addiction and distrust, along with shame and problems forming relationships, which appeared to move Archbishop William Lori.
“I was deeply moved by the very powerful testimony in sharing their experiences by coming forward and by the impact that sexual abuse has had on their lives,” said Lori.
But the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP say the same church that seems so sympathetic now is still trying to undermine the law passed last year removing the statute of limitations on such crimes.
“You heard those stories. You heard what these people did,” said Frank Schindler, “He bears responsibility. The entire Roman Catholic Church bears responsibility, and let’s try not to forget that.”
Survivors have until midnight on Friday, May 31, to file an application for a claim against the archdiocese, and to date, more than 300 have already done so.
