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After graduating from law school, firm partner, Brian Kent, became a prosecutor in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania where he prosecuted pedophiles and sex abusers. It was one of the most difficult times in his career, seeing case after case of children and adults, victimized in the worst ways, by strangers and by people they trusted.
As a priest sex abuse lawyer, Brian Kent hopes that victims will have the courage to step out of the shadows of the church and name their abusers. Doing so not only benefits them, the victims, but can also prevent the priest from abusing others and also sends a clear message to other pedophile priests.
The abuse victims who have come through my door have Mr. Kent’s utmost compassion, admiration, and respect. He has seen how hard it is for someone to admit that a priest, someone who is supposed to be a servant of God, sexually molested them. That hurdle is perhaps, the most difficult of all for abuse victims, simply saying the words out loud, to someone else.
The Church’s Lack of Response to the Endemic Problem of Priest Sex Abuse
Mr. Kent remains frustrated by the lack of proper response in the church, both locally and nationally. Priests have been protecting other, known pedophile priests, who are like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In response, churches and dioceses across the country have adopted written “standards” to ensure that sex abuse does not happen again.
Written Standards Relating to Priest Sex Abuse are not Enough
But, adopting a written standard probably is not enough. When one priest actively shields another, known pedophile priest, at the cost of other innocent children, there is no written standard strong enough to overcome or prevent that kind of wrong. No written standard is going to suddenly convince a bishop or archbishop to now do the right thing and turn a pedophile priest over to law enforcement.
We need something else. Perhaps the solution is a sweeping policy that no priest is permitted to be alone with any child, under any circumstances. Period. Another solution might be better screening of the men who enter priesthood, better background checks, mandatory psycho-social sexual testing and counseling prior to entering the priesthood and periodically throughout the years.
For now, victims’ filing criminal and civil cases will be the only real deterrence to prevent other churches and dioceses from shielding known pedophile priests. Click here to access my article about rights of priest and church sex abuse victims.
Any victim of sex abuse or priest abuse is welcome to contact Brian Kent for a free, confidential consultation. Click To Call
Related Priest Sex Abuse Legal Articles:
- Steps Involved in a Pennsylvania or New Jersey Child or Priest Sex Abuse Civil Lawsuit
- Pennsylvania Priest Sex Abuse Law: The Fraudulent Concealment Exception to the Statute of Limitations
- Pennsylvania Child Sex Abuse Law: The Statute of Limitations
**This website does not provide legal advice. Every case is unique and it is crucial to get a qualified, expert legal opinion prior to making any decisions about your case. See the full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
Published: October 10, 2012
