Defrocked Priest's Conviction a Milestone

Boston, Massachusetts -

The conviction of defrocked priest Paul Shanley was both a real and symbolic victory for victims of child-molesting priests. But the verdict will not bring a quick end to the three-year scandal that has engulfed the Roman Catholic Church in Boston and across the country.

Although there is only one known criminal case pending against a priest in the Boston Archdiocese, there are more than 100 civil lawsuits accusing priests of sexually abusing children. And the pain felt by generations of children molested by their parish priests is ever-present.

"Shanley's conviction was certainly a very important milestone in the ongoing battle. It has tremendous importance for all of us, but I know that there are still new victims coming forward," said Phil Saviano, who founded the New England chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

"I firmly believe there are victims from the '90s who we have not yet heard from. There were still a number of priests then who felt they had free rein and could act without consequences."

Read the article at Yahoo! News dated Feb 8, 2005