Archbishop: Victims group cannot meet on church grounds

<p>The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta will not allow a support group for victims of the churchs sex abuse scandal to meet on church grounds.</p><p>Archbishop John Donoghue told the Voice of the Faithfuls Atlanta chapter that they also cant advertise in the archdioceses newspaper because he doesnt believe the groups goals match church teachings.</p><p>Donoghue said he opposes the meetings on church property because the group may talk about issues Pope John Paul II has ordered Catholics to no longer discuss.</p><p>I dont want them to get into stuff with other groups that are pushing for the ordination of women and married clergy, he said.</p><p>Donoghue also wrote the group a letter in October saying there isnt a need for their group because theres already a church-based support system for clergy abuse victims.</p><p>The Voice of the Faithful was founded in Boston during the clergy sex abuse scandal to push for changes in the church and counts 30,000 members in the United States.</p><p>Members of the Atlanta chapter are hurt and very disappointed that our bishop would prevent us from using the church, said John Dearie, group chairman and a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in suburban Alpharetta.</p><p>The archbishop knows as well as we do that Catholics talk about these things all the time, Dearie said. Its kind of absurd to tell us we dont have a right to talk about these things.</p><p>Information from: Constitution</p>