BishopAccountability.org
	Santorum Blasts Mass. Senators over Church Scandal Kennedy, Kerry 'Did Nothing,' He Contends By Michael Kranish Boston Globe [Washington DC] August 1, 2005 WASHINGTON -- Senator Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania, yesterday alleged that Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry of Massachusetts "did nothing" about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in 2002. "They spoke nothing. They sat by and let this happen," Santorum said. Kennedy and Kerry blasted Santorum's comments in statements issued by their aides. Santorum's comments yesterday escalated the controversy about a 2002 article he wrote saying it was "no surprise" that the abuse scandal occurred in what he called the liberal bastion of Boston. "Senator Santorum's partisan, hate-filled comments do a disservice to the victims of abuse," said Kerry spokeswoman April Boyd. "He's never failed to inject politics into these deeply personal and trying issues for Catholics everywhere. He owes an apology to the families of abuse victims and to the faithful who fill the pews of Massachusetts churches every Sunday." Kennedy spokeswoman Laura Capps said of Santorum: "First, he blames the people of Boston, and now he blames the senators from Massachusetts. When is he going to realize that while attempting to score political points, he causes further damage to the thousands of families across the country who have suffered enough from these tragic crimes?" The spokeswomen for Kennedy and Kerry said the senators would not go beyond their prepared statements in responding to Santorum's accusation that they "did nothing." Newspapers stories from the time show a reluctance by members of Congress to involve themselves in matters regarding the church and law enforcement; a front-page article published in The Boston Globe on May 6, 2002, said that "the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church has generated a startlingly unusual reaction: dead silence." It quoted lawmakers from both parties as saying it was a matter for the church to resolve. Senator Pete V. Domenici, a New Mexico Republican, was quoted as saying: "Congress has no role in this. We can't do anything. It's the Catholic Church." The article quoted Kennedy as saying, "We're not the ones to do it." Still, Kennedy and Kerry were quoted about the scandal during 2002. Kennedy was quoted in the Globe in April 2002 as saying, "I urge the cardinal and the church to reflect on the situation and to take the necessary steps to heal the wounds of the victims and the church to allow all of us to move forward." A December 2002 article in the Globe quoted Kerry on his reaction to Cardinal Bernard F. Law's resignation as Boston's archbishop, saying: "While obviously a difficult decision for his eminence, I believe this is the right decision to begin a healing process in the church long overdue." Santorum, appearing yesterday on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," was asked to explain his comment about Boston. He said: "I singled out Boston in 2002. In July of 2002, that was the epicenter. We did not know -- " Stephanopoulos cut off Santorum, saying, "That simply is not true," noting that stories about abuse in many places had been printed at the time of Santorum's article. "Well, at the time, we did not know it was in every city of the country," Santorum responded. Santorum said that in 2002: "The senators from Massachusetts did nothing. They spoke nothing. They sat by and let this happen." Santorum, Kennedy, and Kerry are Catholic. Massachusetts officials have noted that the priest abuse scandal, while receiving much initial publicity in the Bay State, occurred in many other places, including Pennsylvania. In his July 2002 article, Santorum did not mention that the abuse scandal had affected his home state. An Associated Press article published in April 2002 said that 58 priests in Pennsylvania had faced what it called "credible accusations" of abuse during a period of several decades and that an undisclosed number had been removed from active duty. The article said the publicity about the Massachusetts scandal spurred the examination of Pennsylvania priests.