The 2018 Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis brings new energy — and anti-gay activists — into the survivors' movement

By Michelle Boorstein November 13 at 8:43 AM

BALTIMORE — For nearly two decades, to be an advocate for survivors of Catholic clergy sex abuse was often to be a lonely protester, frequently ignored or sometimes even maligned as disrespectful by some Catholics and clergy.

That has changed dramatically since June, when clergy abuse scandals surfaced again in the American church. Enormous energy has been pumped into the movement, with parishes around the country holding crowded listening sessions on the topic, bishops making abuse the focus of their annual fall meeting this week and legislators finding new support for measures to expand statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse.

But the victims’ advocacy movement is also being transformed by bitter ideological divides among Catholics. That chasm is on display at the meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore.

Monday’s two public events were dominated by the older groups — research site BishopAccountability and SNAP — whose leaders focus on oversight and justice and participate less in the controversial debates over the perceived roles of celibacy and homosexuality in the crisis. Tuesday promised the first mainstream prominent appearance of Church Militant, a right-wing advocacy group and news site that routinely blames the scandals on homosexual priests and, since the crisis blew up this summer, has hammered Pope Francis and more liberal bishops, accusing them of being part of an elaborate coverup to shield gay clergy.

While mainstream survivors groups declined to team up with Church Militant in Baltimore, its hefty social media audience — 200,000 Facebook followers — has taken up abuse as a cause as well.

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