Matt C. Abbott
Newark priest criticizes Denver archbishop for opposing sex abuse lawsuit bill
By Matt C. Abbott
The Rev. Robert Hoatson, who is suing the Newark and New York Catholic archdioceses and the Albany Catholic diocese, is criticizing Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput for his opposition to legislation in Colorado that "would have given sex-abuse victims unlimited time to file lawsuits against public and private institutions that have been found to cover up sexual abuse."
House Bill 1090 was "left to die" on May 8. (See this story from Zenit News Agency.)
"It is disheartening that the Catholic Church continues to place stumbling blocks in the way of justice for survivors of clergy sexual abuse," said Hoatson, via e-mail. "The Colorado Catholic Conference should be ashamed of itself for sensationalizing the effects that necessary and just legislation would have on the church. Archbishop Chaput, the supposed pastoral leader of Colorado Catholics, became a master of political spin, while the politician, Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald, became pastor and prime mover of justice for the injured."
Chaput's essay on the matter can be found here.
Incidentally, Hoatson was the second priest to go on record about Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's abuse of power by way of his beach house "sleepovers" for seminarians.
More about Hoatson can be found in this Village Voice story.
© Matt C. Abbott
The Rev. Robert Hoatson, who is suing the Newark and New York Catholic archdioceses and the Albany Catholic diocese, is criticizing Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput for his opposition to legislation in Colorado that "would have given sex-abuse victims unlimited time to file lawsuits against public and private institutions that have been found to cover up sexual abuse."
House Bill 1090 was "left to die" on May 8. (See this story from Zenit News Agency.)
"It is disheartening that the Catholic Church continues to place stumbling blocks in the way of justice for survivors of clergy sexual abuse," said Hoatson, via e-mail. "The Colorado Catholic Conference should be ashamed of itself for sensationalizing the effects that necessary and just legislation would have on the church. Archbishop Chaput, the supposed pastoral leader of Colorado Catholics, became a master of political spin, while the politician, Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald, became pastor and prime mover of justice for the injured."
Chaput's essay on the matter can be found here.
Incidentally, Hoatson was the second priest to go on record about Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's abuse of power by way of his beach house "sleepovers" for seminarians.
More about Hoatson can be found in this Village Voice story.
© Matt C. Abbott
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