Category: AB 218

There are voices that have been silenced—or simply ignored—in the clergy sex abuse crisis.

We have known for years that “priest dumping” has been a common practice in the Catholic Church: bishops and other officials send white, English-speaking predator priests to indigenous, refugee, or immigrant communities, or communities of color. These communities are devoutly Catholic. These can be communities where language, fear, and cultural barriers keep children from having the words to tell their parents what is happening to them.

These are communities where poverty, food insecurity, language barriers, immigration fears, and/or flat-out racism ensure the silence of victims.

Because the church knows: when the Catholic Church is feeding you, helping you, baptizing and burying your family members, and keeping your family members’ spirits up, victims will learn quickly that no one wants to hear about them. And if they do speak, those who listen will punish the victim—if they bother to listen at all.

And then there is the shame.

When I first came forward in 2003, there were very few Latinx victims who were willing to talk about what happened. Much has changed in 17 years.

For the very Catholic Vietnamese community in the United States, that silence has continued.

Until now.

Carolee Tran is the first Vietnamese immigrant to earn a PhD in clinical psychology in the United States. She received her doctorate from Boston University and completed her internship at Harvard.

She is a refugee who came to the United States as a grade schooler who knew no English.

She is also the survivor of sexual abuse (in the United States) at the hands of a “trusted” priest.

Her book is a must-read. And a must-share.

You can read more about Carolee here. Her book is available for purchase here:

You can hear her on Capitol Public Radio (Sacramento, CA) here, and read more about the non-clergy abuse part of her story here.

Yesterday, I wrote about the Child Sex Abuse Civil Window cases that are beginning to flood the New York judicial system as the courts reopen.

But what about California?

There has been little news about California’s Child Victims’ Act cases because the courts have been closed for filings (a “court holiday”) and/or are only beginning to partially reopen.

This does not mean, however, that there are no cases. In fact, I have talked to dozens of California survivors during the quarantine who are considering legal action, in the process of filing a case, or interviewing attorneys.

Independent Compensation Program

The deadline for the Independent Compensation Program was March 31, and the six participating dioceses (Los Angeles, Fresno, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, San Bernardino) have not made any public announcements since the COVID “shelter in place” order.

While I am not a fan of these programs (because they allow cover-up to continue), many survivors have found them to be a healing process. If you are participating in a California ICP, feel free to reach out to me here.

Bankruptcy

Will some of California’s dioceses declare bankruptcy? I would not be surprised.

Wealthy dioceses such as Orange (who recently spent $72 million renovating the former Crystal Cathedral, which the diocese purchased for $57 million in 2012) can possibly absorb the costs of hundreds of lawsuits. Dioceses without such resources, such as Sacramento and Fresno, may seek protection in the bankruptcy courts.

Bankruptcy does not mean that the dioceses have no money. In fact, dioceses and religious orders across the country who have used bankruptcy as a tactic have emerged from the process in a healthy and sound financial position.

I wish we could say the same for survivors and their health.

What should survivors do?

Justice and accountability should never be forced to the back seat. If you were sexually abused as a child in California, it’s a-ok to talk to people, look at your options, and move forward with exercising your rights. Don’t let COVID and concerns about racial injustice stop you.

The more you help yourself, the more you can help others.

No one stood up for us. But we can stand up for kids today and demand accountability.

CA AB 218 is now law. Victims of child sexual abuse—no matter how old they are or when the abuse occurred (public or private institutions are both included, as well as victims in the family)—can come forward in the courts and expose what happened.

For those of us from Mater Dei, the All-American Boys Chorus, and the Diocese of Orange, it’s a time for thought and action.

Coming forward and exposing the crime does not “hurt” these institutions – these institutions knew about our abuse and covered it up. Talking about your abuse does not shame you or your family. It’s the first step in healing. Even if some of your best memories were of high school, choir, or church, that doesn’t mean that these places get a “pass.” Here is why:

You did not ask to be abused. You did nothing wrong. No child ever deserves to be sexually assaulted by a teacher, priest, coach, parent, relative, or volunteer.

Mater Dei, the AABC and the Diocese of Orange deliberately covered-up abuse. They knew who the predators were and they did nothing to keep them away from us, the kids. In fact, they kept us and our parents in the dark. They lied to us when we came forward to disclose and made us think we were the only ones. When our lives went south, they were not there to provide support. In many cases, we were blamed for the abuse.

And finally, has anything changed? We simply don’t know. Why? Because they won’t tell us and they have no accountability unless survivors stand up and demand it. We don’t know if kids are safe. We don’t know what the secrets are.

If you are ready, it’s time for the secrets to end. It’s time for the shame to stop.

If you have questions or want to talk about options, please contact me. I can help.