Analysis: Clergy Sex Abuse, Next Steps
By Special Contributor Larry Kane
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It's been a week since Monsignor William Lynn was convicted of child endangerment charges. What's next?
Philadelphia's Rocco Palma, a journalist whose web site Whispers in the Loggia draws nearly two million people a month, says the church is already responding by issuing new guidelines for potential seminarians.
Palma says the court decision was a first for the English speaking world.
"A Church official has been convicted not for abuse, but for his handling of cases. Some have said, well this puts the Church on notice, but let's remember I mean what came up in the trial came from the late 1990's, I mean the whole Church is already on notice, but this kind of sends added shock wave's out into the wider church."
Listen to extended interview:
Sister Maureen Turlish of the Voice of the Faithful Anti-abuse organization says the conviction was an important sign to victims.
"What is has done is it has validated the victims and that's an important thing because people have been trying to approach the Church for years representing things telling them what has happened to them and they have been rebuffed, they have been marginalized, they have been harassed, they have been intimidated, but this validates them."
