By Kay Ebeling
“31? Did you say 31?”
“Uh-huh, there are 31 credible accusations against Soens,” Janet Clark said, so I went to the Davenport Iowa Catholic diocese website and there it was at http://www.davenportdiocese.org/comm/commlib/prRevised_Priest_List_11_03_2008.pdf
"Acused by 31 male minors."
The November 3, 2008, press release barely mentions retired bishop Lawrence Soens (pictured at left). Instead the diocese headline reads: “Msgr. Drake Shafer found not guilty of abuse,” with a nice little bio of the one monsignor who was found Not Guilty in the recent diocese review board report. You have to go to the Amended List of Accused Priest Assignments at the home page and then go down to the middle of page 2 in the middle of a chart to find out about the midwestern bishop: "Lawrence Soens: Accused by 31 male minors."
“The Review Board found that certain allegations of sexual abuse against Retired Bishop Lawrence Soens are credible," reads a paragraph in the middle of the previous page of the pdf file and continues: "Then-Father Soens was accused of sexually abusing students at Iowa City Regina High School in the 1950's and 1960's when he was its Principal. He was also accused of sexually abusing a male minor when he was rector of St. Ambrose Seminary. The Review Board did not review all of the allegations against him because some claimants did not want their claims reviewed by the Board.”
That paragraph makes it appear there was maybe one more allegation at Iowa Regina High School, and then one more from St. Ambrose Seminary. Then the news release about the review board report came out on November 3rd when almost everyone in the United States was focused on the presidential election.
“That decision came out Monday, right before the election," Clark said, "and of course nobody heard a thing about it."
When the news broke on Monday, SNAP contacted Clark, who is a survivor from Iowa herself. She said the survivors watchdog group contacted the media, and when Janet arrived, “There were three TV stations and several print reporters there. Every news outlet in Sioux City was there.
"I felt really good about it.”
Janet went on: “I went over there to protest the way Sioux City has handled him.
Clark first became energized about Soens and the Sioux City Diocese in 2005
"In June 2005 their Catholic magazine The Globe printed an article saying Soens was innocent - in 2006 their current bishop Walther Nicholas wrote an article saying he was sorry for the victims but the article was another very pro-Soens.
“I wrote in my journal that I got a copy of the Globe and saw this article and was mad about it.” Clark, in picture at right, sent me the entry from her journal:
Quote from my journal:
June 2005 Inside (the Globe, Sioux City diocese newspaper) was a story about a former bishop, Laurence Soens, who's been accused of sexual abuse, surprise, surprise. The article was all pro-Soens--the people are behind him, he's denying the allegations, etc. etc. BLAH! The newspaper struck me as full of contridictions- articles proclaiming good moral values, like canceling the debt in poor nations, and celebrating the Catholic community, and yet this continued hideous treatment of abuse victims. I felt really raw, in alot of pain.
(Clark’s case was part of 2007 Iowa settlement.)
Janet Clark has written a fiction novel, Blind Faith, which is about priest sexual assault, for more information go to http://www.janeteclark.com/
Her Throat literally opened back up:
About the press conference last week, Clark said,
“I felt really empowered.
“When I was assaulted back in 1979 my throat literally closed, I literally could not speak. And when I tried to tell people afterwards, my throat would close up again.
“Even in 2006 when I went through litigation, I had the same physical sensation in my voice. When I spoke in depositions, as memories came back I would feel my throat closing up.
"So it felt good to get up and speak in front of all those people Thursday."
Her perpetrator is Patrick McElliott and there are plenty of stories about him at http://bishopaccountability.org/ under M.
As for Lawrence Soens:
More About Soens:
From a Richard sipe affidavit located online at:
http://www.qctimes.com/multimedia/documents/080217_soens_2.pdf
“According to all accounts of his punishing behavior at the school, in the hallways or in his office, he wore a cassock - a garment that would conceal his erection.”
“By multiple reports, Soens’ persistent habit of painfully twisting, pinching, fondling, massaging, or “purpling” the nipples of male students was commonly known by the Regina high School, and frequently observed in the hallways of the school.”
This is a little “ditty” Sipe reports kids sang at the school?
“L.D. is a queer,
a stinking queer is he,
when he is wlaking down the hall,
he will pinch your tit with glee.”
Several students report him touching their penis during meetings in his office.
He told one of his victims that a priest can’t have sex with a woman but “it was permissible with a male.”
Meanwhile:
JANET CLARK HAD A COUPLE VICTORIOUS DAYS LAST WEEK
“I canvassed four days for Obama,” Clark said.
“One day to a little town called Calendar near where I live, knocked on doors and gave people information about Obama.”
“Then we set the press conference up for Thursday.”
“These boys,” Janet said, “he would twist their nipple when passing them in hallway the boys called it purpling. He’d call boys into office and unzip pants and rub genitals while scolding.”
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One survivor told me he’s concerned that pedophiles might read this blog and get turned on by some of the graphic description.
Oh yeah?
Get outta here you crappy perverts, this is a blog for crime survivors, not perpetrators. Creeps!
************************************
Clark added: “We know there are other victims of Lawrence Soens that have not come forward.”
You can always email city of angels lady at: cityofangelslady@yahoo.com
Onward. . .
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