Association of Catholic Priests call for sexual abuse accusers to be publicly named

If the accused will learn the name of the accuser in the process of the investigation, why do they need to know from the getgo? Sounds like a form of intimidation.

wtf. Too many people are coming out of the woodwork thirty or forty year later and making accusations about being abused in some cases the accused abuser is dead and cannot defend him/herself. I have come to the conclusion that many lives are ruined by false accusations. In Doctor McHugh’s case if you were already young doctor you must have been old enough to know better and as an adult you had an obligation to come forward then and there to put a stop to that kind of abuse and protect the children from a person like that. If the accuser waits years and is an adult they should be named only the children should be protected.

I congratulate Marie Collins and the police for putting the needs of the victim first in cases of priest sexual abuse. I am a Catholic physician. I have met many who have been sexually abused by priests. I was sexually assaulted by a Carmelite priest when I was a young doctor in Dublin. Sexual abuse by a priest is very traumatic and guilt-centered. Many victims never get the courage to come forward. Some even commit suicide, because they have given up hope that their story will be believed. The betrayal of trust by a priest with a child is especially cruel and the damage can last a lifetime of not trusting anyone, since not even a priest can be trusted. I respect many things that the Association of Catholic Priests is doing to make the church accountable. As Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said, the protection of the children must be the main priority. I would add, that all victims of priest sexual abuse must have priority over the priests' desire not to be known from the beginning. Sincerely, Dr Rosemary Eileen McHugh, Chicago, Illinois

Sounds to me like preparation for another Inquisition. Shameful!