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What will it take to hold religious leaders accountable for clergy abuse?

Vincenzo Pinto
/
Pool Photo Via AP
Pope Francis attends a penitential liturgy at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. The pontiff is hosting a four-day summit on preventing clergy sexual abuse.

 

 

On this edition of Your Call, we’ll discuss efforts to bring justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse. Prosecutors across the nation say they are returning their focus to the issue by raiding offices, setting up victims tip lines, and investigating decades-old allegations.

For decades, the Catholic Church's powerful influence has allowed it to escape scrutiny. A new report from the Intercept reveals that survivors of clergy sexual abuse felt stonewalled by presidential candidate Kamala Harris when she was San Francisco’s district attorney. A local advocacy network is calling on the Arhcdiocese of San Francisco to release its list of accused priests. What will it take to hold clergy and church leaders accountable?

Guests:

Melanie Sakoda, board member and East Bay leader of SNAP: Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, and cofounder of Pokrov.org

Lee Fang, investigative reporter for The Intercept

Web Resources:

The Intercept: As San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris’s Office Stopped Cooperating With Victims of Catholic Church Child Abuse

The AP: As bishops gather, prosecutors step up scrutiny of church

Patch: Newly Released File Shows Making of 'Sexually Violent' Priest

NBC: Catholic Church spent $10 million on lobbyists in fight to stymie priest sex abuse suits

 

Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.