Disgust, validation, hope: Survivors, Catholics react to report detailing 70 years of Colorado clergy sex abuse
By Elise Schmelzer
The Denver Post
Seeing Father George Weibel’s name printed in the newspaper Thursday brought Hazel Lorraine Kroehl back to the Broomfield swimming pool where 60 years earlier the priest abused her.
Emotions flooded Kroehl. Then old shame crept up, before being washed away with gratitude. Finally, the world knew the priest for who he was — a pedophile.
…The report also caused pain and deep reflection for many in Colorado’s Catholic community. Each new detail can test a person’s faith, though many remain loyal to their church, despite its flaws.
“I think like a lot of Catholics it’s complicated,” said Katie Lacz, a lifelong Catholic and a program associate at the Women’s Ordination Conference. “We’re all faced in this situation with this question of staying or leaving and all the implications of that. How can you stay? And how can you leave?”