Tuesday, May 31, 2005
TREATMENT OF PRIEST SEXUAL ABUSERS
Documents have been released in Orange according to this story at Contra Costa Times. These documents record the progress through treatment of accused priests. The Servents of the Paraclete treatment facility in New Mexico is mentioned in the article, a place where the accused were treated with art therapy, psychodrama, and group psychotherapy. One note in a case file indicates that
Priest Andrew Christian Andersen's file includes an update on his progress in art therapy: "Chris's tree drawing suggested that he may be experiencing withdrawal feelings and having feelings of being out of control."
A priest who has been accused of sexually abusing the child of a parishioner was sent to New Mexico to draw trees while being coddled as a poor unfortunate. Meanwhile what was done to help his victim? Most likely nothing at all.
The article goes on to indicate that after a period of drawing trees and participating in plays, the priests were returned to active duty, supposedly cured, and we know the rest of the story.
Why are the Servents of the Paraclete not being sued for gross incompetence?
According to the article:
"The Catholic Church is the only institution in America which has mental treatment facilities to treat pedophile employees," said Kathy Freberg, an Irvine plaintiffs' attorney. "This has been an ongoing problem known by the hierarchy for many, many years. Isn't it ironic the Catholic Church and its bishops spend hundreds of thousands of dollars treating pedophile priests in these institutions, and nothing similar to that has been established for the victims?"
The Catholics had a treatment facility presumably because the Catholics had enough abusers to fill it.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
