In New Bedford, Mass., Dec. 6, a judge sentenced former Roman Catholic priest James Porter, 58, to 18 to 20 years in a maximum-security prison for molesting 28 children.
Porter said over several decades he molested more than 100 children. Twenty-two of his victims, now adults, addressed the court, telling of their humiliation and pain.
The Porter case was seen by some as symbolic of problems now coming to light in the Catholic Church. Other recent cases involving the church have included a report by the Franciscan Order that 12 friars participated in sex acts or questionable activity with 34 boys at a boarding school in Santa Barbara, Calif., between 1964 and 1987.
In another highly publicized case, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago and a priest were accused in a civil suit of molesting a seminary student more than a decade ago. Bernardin, as well as the priest, have vigorously denied the charges.
In late December, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said it may have to file for bankruptcy protection in the face of 41 sex-abuse lawsuits seeking $50 million in damages.
