The New York Times published:

Victims' advocates said the meeting was a positive effort by the Roman Catholic archdiocese to face its past.

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Priests in Philadelphia Hear Accounts of Sexual Abuse Victims Responded to by Amanda Atwood

Dear Editor:
 
Thank you for your article ìPriests in Philadelphia Hear Accounts of Sexual Abuse Victimsî today, 17 September 2006.  The article provides a thorough, contextualized discussion of the meeting between the priests and the survivors of sexual abuse.
 
The article gives voice to the abused and to a family member affected by abuse, and educates readers about the short and long term impacts of sexual abuse on survivors, their families, and the whole society.  It also articulates the challenges faced by those abused in speaking out about their abuse, and points to the need to minimize the shame and isolation of abuse in order to break the silence around this issue.
 
My only critique is in the reference to those abused as 'victims,' as opposed to survivors.  As adults who are actively engaged in confronting the priestsí abuse and dealing with the ongoing consequences in their lives, those you wrote about are not simply victims of abuse, but are empowered survivors.
 
Thank you for your thorough coverage which will, I hope, encourage others to speak out about sexual abuse.
 
Amanda Atwood.