Boston, Mass., Jan 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Archdiocese of Boston will begin to offer special training to help parish priests effectively reach out to victims of clergy sex abuse. Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley made the announcement to a crowd of 150 mental health professionals at a conference at Boston College yesterday.
The archbishop said victims of abuse would still need counseling after they've received their financial settlement from the Church.
Archbishop O'Malley, who has made it his priority to meet with many sex-abuse victims since he was appointed archbishop of Boston last summer, said many victims have expressed feelings of shame to him. He said many came from religious families. He added that many also sought help in their parishes, but priests were not equipped to help them.
The all-day conference was co-sponsored by the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and the Boston Archdiocese's Office of Pastoral Support and Outreach.