Catholic sex-abuse victims protest at college board meeting
October 15th, 2007, 6:28 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Rachanee Srisavasdi
Two clergy sex-abuse activists attended the board meeting today of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, calling for a written apology from its president regarding the release of victims’ identities.
Joelle Casteix, the southwest regional director for Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, said she asked president John Hanna to sever his ties with “Friends of Msgr. John Urell,” a group that recently made headlines when it took a full-page ad in the Orange County Register to support a controversial priest.
In July, Urell broke down and didn’t finish a deposition in a now-settled Mater Dei sex-abuse lawsuit, prompting Bishop Tod Brown to send him to a Canadian treatment center. Urell’s medical condition is the subject of an attempt to hold Brown in contempt because Urell left though he was was under court order to testify about his past handling of sex-abuse complaints in the diocese.
Despite settling lawsuits that usually make such a pre-trial motion moot, diocese attorneys want to proceed with the December 3rd contempt hearing, saying it would clear the bishop’s name.
Last week, the group posted an unredacted deposition of Urell on its website, which lead to the identities of several abuse victims becoming public. Generally, identities of sex-abuse victims cannot be disclosed under court order without the permission of the individuals themselves.
At the board meeting, Hanna apologized for the mistake, Casteix said, but refused to remove himself from the group. He also did not say if he would issue a written apology, she added.
In an interview before the board meeting, Hanna said “felt badly” that the victims’ names were released, but added he felt the group should come talk to him rather than protest at a board meeting regarding non-district related matters.
“I have an office, they should come here,” he said. “But people are entitled to go where they want.”
– Rachanee Srisavasdi
October 15th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Yes, we were entitled to go where we felt it was necessary. But Mr. Hanna misses an important fact in his quote:
Many of the horrific sexual abuses in the Diocese of Orange happened as a result of closed-door, private meetings with victims and their parents with men like John Urell. In fact, documents released in 2005 chronicle many of those Urell meetings, as well as the chronology of children who were hurt because of them.
Elected officials hold themselves to a higher standard. They are elected to their positions by a constituency who expects a leader to represent their interests. Mr. Hanna, as spokesperson for the “Friends of John Urell” group, is the defacto leader and should be held publicly accountable for his statemements.
I wonder how many of his constituents were abused in the diocese? In fact I know of more than one of his constituents who was “outed” by the group.
Because his position in the RSCCD was publicized, and because he is an elected official, we felt that it was only right and fair to speak to him in that public forum (whose reputation is at stake by his comments.). Also, a public forum does not allow our motives or message to be misconstrued.
We did not involve the RSCCD in this issue … he did by his public involvement.
We hope that Mr. Hanna does the right thing - for the sake of the survivors that were horribly hurt by the actions of the “Friends of John Urell” group.
This is not about politics. This is about compassion for children who were abused and accountability for those who allowed it to happen.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:20 am
John will not understand this victim’s points of view until one of his kids are raped. I hope that never happens. It is a sad day when we as humans have lost the ability for empathy.
The victims could go to the board meeting as he used the school as a support for his position on defending this assister of cover ups assister of child rape in the RCC.
October 16th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I support the victims in Orange County just not San Diego. That is because in San Diego they are trying to take my BMW away from me and my ocean view home.