The church and abuse

 We had a great discusssion last night concerning the sex abuse scandal dogging the Catholic church on our weekly live Internet show, “Live From the Newsroom.”


Many thanks to our two special guests who joined Gil Spencer and myself for the show.


Frank Finnegan, the Collingdale man who went public with his plight last week when he filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese and several church leaders alleging sexual abuse and a cover-up, again made a passionate call for change in church policies and its hierarchy.


Frank was joined via conference call by his brother Jack, who lives in California. Jack told a similarly harrowing tale of abuse by a now-dead priest, a close friend of the family who came into their home and had dinner with the family every week for 30 years, who is now deceased.


We also were joined by John Salveson, a Radnor resident, former regional director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), and now president of the Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse. Salveson, like Finnegan, is himself an abuse victim.


If you missed the show, you can watch the replay here.


There is no easy way to deal with this topic. The Catholic Church is not the only place where this kind of abuse takes place, but it certainly is in the spotlight.


One thing is certain, it is not going to go away, no matter how much the church, some archdiocese leaders, and many parishioners wish it would.

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