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AFFILIATE
Highlight
VOTF of Palm Beach County 12/4/06
The Palm Beach County Voice of the Faithful affiliate
held its annual public program at the Trinity Center
of the Holy Name of Jesus CC in West Palm Beach on
November 18, 2006. The program theme was “In
Search of an Accountable Church”, and was presented
in two parts. The first was presented by Dr. Jon Connelly,
a practicing Psychotherapist, on the subject of “Sexual
Abuse and Violence – The Process of Recovery” and
featured case history talks by three recovered patients.
The second part was presented in a Town Hall Meeting
format covering “Financial Accountability” issues,
with featured panelists Mr. Denis Hamel, Chief Financial
Officer of the Diocese of Palm Beach and Harry Darling
with a background in Forensic Accounting. All of the
proceedings of the program were recorded by TV camera
with the intent of making them available on CD’s
for a nominal charge. The presence of the diocesan
financial personnel was endorsed by Bishop Anthony
Barbarito, and contributed to the success of the program.
In the first part of the program, three survivors
presented detailed and accounts of their abuse experiences
and the recovery process through the unique, specialized
treatments developed at Dr. Connelly’s “Institute
for Survivors of Sexual Violence”. This Charitable
Foundation treats all the abused who seek help from
professionals trained free of charge under the auspices
of Dr. Connelly. The understanding is that, once trained,
they, in turn, will treat anyone seeking help, free
of charge to those unable to pay. The Foundation is
dependent on donations to accomplish the feat of free
training of professionals nationwide in the application
of Dr. Connelly’s methods.
The Town Hall Portion of the forum portion of the
program was highly relevant to the attendees, since
Palm Beach County has become the epicenter of the
recent exposures of priests helping themselves to
church monies for non-ecclesial activities. David
Schoonover queried panelist Denis Hamel about alleged
financial improprieties in 2004 at St. Joseph’s
Parish in Stuart, FL. David reiterated the publicized
concerns, based on evidence, about Fr. Chris Allen’s
spending habits. The diocesan vicar general dismissed
all the claims as “lacking in evidence” with
the all too familiar reply that “Parish priests
control the parish coffers.” When the diocese
was presented with evidence of Fr. Allen’s
purchases of sex toys and adult videos, Fr. Allen
promptly resigned, and retired to New Mexico on funds
provided by the Church. Even when the laity strives
for honest financial accountability, it appears that
institutional secrecy puts up a formidable roadblock.
Another significant query to the panel highlighted
the abuse of hierarchic power on the diocesan level
in the past. A highly respected employee in the diocesan
office reported to the bishop some accounting irregularities
and questionable expenditures. The bishop thought enough
of these challenges to threaten this employee with
loss of job if it was ever discussed again. In fact,
in order to maintain employment anywhere in the church
she would have to sign a document attesting to the
non-disclosure agreement. The panelists were made aware
of a painful consequence of financial abuse by priests,
namely emotional abuse of ecclesial employees.
There was much discussion about the route that collections
take from basket to bank, including all the stops
and exposures along the way, and what could be done
to render this process “bullet proof.”
VOTF Twin Cities, Michigan issued the following press
release on December 4, 2006, Minneapolis, MN:
“Voices of Hope: Educating about nuns who sexually
abuse within the Catholic community”
The Twin Cities Voice of the Faithful affiliate, together
with two other Catholic Twin Cities advocacy groups
(Solidarity and Call to Accountability), hosted a powerful
educational forum on the issue of sexual abuse by nuns
November 11, 2006. The three hour event was moderated
by Tim Power, retired priest and Co-Moderator of Twin
Cities VOTF.
Three victims of abuse by nuns and former nuns spoke
of their experiences.
The survivors' personal witness to the devastation
caused by the sexual abuse by nuns in their individual
and family lives moved audience members to tears and
outrage. Tragic stories of victims of nuns, from a
compilation of over 600, were shared in the voice of
one survivor whose commitment to advocacy spans decades.
Repeated, documented, and failed attempts since 2001
to speak to and engage in dialogue with leaders of
female religious were described.
The Provincial head of the SSND order from Mankato,
Minnesota gave her perspective on sexual abuse as a
leader in her order and regional leader in the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). Dr Noel Larson,
Ph.D., renowned for her work with female perpetrators
of sexual abuse, was the keynote speaker for the event.
Dr. Larson brilliantly summarized current data regarding
the psycho-social development of female abusers, contrasting
and comparing what we know about male and female sexual
offenders. She detailed the serious and lasting damage
of sexual abuse to children and the impairment to brain
function which results from abuse.
Twin Cities VOTF will host future educational events
on this topic to help victims find healing and justice
and in order for religious orders to prevent further
sexual abuse by nuns. For more information,
please contact: twincities-votf.org (612-384-9501)
or solidarityrebuildtrust.com (651-387-0106).
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