Priest's sentence called 'not enough'

[Ian David]

Priest's sentence called 'not enough'

By Manya A. Brachear
Tribune religion reporter
Published July 18, 2007

The mothers of two boys abused by Rev. Daniel McCormack said Tuesday that they are relieved the priest is behind bars but that a 5-year sentence does not do justice to the crimes he committed against their sons.

"If I could just put this man to rest and not get any time for this I would," said the mother of a 10-year-old boy whom McCormack repeatedly fondled in St. Agatha church rectory, a block from his family's West Side home.

"My son is going to hurt for the rest of his life," she said. "He might not show it on the outside but it's on his inside. I understand what he's going through but I don't know how he feels because it wasn't me."

While both women held the Archdiocese of Chicago responsible for allowing McCormack's abuse of minors to continue, the mother of the 10-year-old said the church has done penance by agreeing to pay for her son's tuition at a new private school where classmates and neighbors don't call him one of "Father Dan's fairies."


More:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-mccormack_18jul18,1,6481459.story?coll=chi-newslocalwest-hed

[dave_p]

1. Kill! Kill! Kill!

"If I could just put this man to rest and not get any time for this I would" seems slightly drastic for what's described as "fondling" (I'm sure it's a bit worse than the article specifies, but still...)

Five years in prison is lots, even with time off. The guy has a problem and needs deterring and hopefully putting right (though that's unlikely). But killing for groping seems a bit off.

Bad conduct, reasonable sentence. And I doubt the son "is going to hurt for the rest of his life" unless he's surrounded by an accusatory culture of sexual guilt. Oh, shit.