A Blog – Page 5

A response to Bishop Charles Chaput

November 3, 2017 by Brian Toale Leave a Comment

I hardly know where to begin after reading Bishop Charles Chaput’s response to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s October 26th report “Stolen Childhoods”, an article cataloging devastating and ongoing consequences of one priest’s sexual abuse of children. The bishop seemed to take exception at how few times the church’s good deeds were mentioned.

The bishop does not understand that no matter how hard he tries to spin this, the church can never claim the role of the wounded party. He begins with how “harsh” the 2011 Grand Jury report was. That report was truthful and accurate, which made it horrific, but not harsh. Harsh is the word to use when you believe someone has punished you more severely than you believe you deserved. This report wasn’t even a punishment, only a revelation. Perhaps Bishop Chaput is thinking ahead to the release of all the other Grand Jury reports on clergy sexual abuse in the rest of Pennsylvania’s Catholic Diocese.

…

Buffer

New York State’s Child Victims Act

June 23, 2017 by Brian Toale Leave a Comment

1971 yearbook picture — My HS graduation picture from the year I was abused.

I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. My story, nor any of the other hundreds that have been in the media, this or past sessions, have made any dent in the intransigence of Senator John Flanagan and his Republican leadership. They claim to have compassion for the victims and that they are definitely discussing “amongst themselves” ways to find justice for victims of child sexual abuse. But their loyalty to the financial interests of the Roman Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America and other institutions clearly outweigh that compassion.

They argue that they need to protect the innocent from unforeseen consequences the Child Victims Act might have, especially from the component commonly referred to as a “look back window”, which enables adult child sexual abuse survivors a window of opportunity, for a period of one year, to

…

Buffer

Welcome to politics as usual!

June 23, 2017 by Brian Toale Leave a Comment

I just spent half a year advocating for the Child Victims Act alongside a group of dedicated and courageous survivors and supporters. We went wherever we could to be seen and heard. We spoke of our own experiences in order to show how children of today and tomorrow would be safer and healthier with this law in place and justice could not be served without it. We explained how the law, as it now stands, prolongs and continues the abuse by reenacting the shaming, blaming and silencing of survivors and could re-traumatize them as they sought to be heard.

…

Buffer