A new coloring book being distributed by the Archdiocese of New York teaches children to protect themselves from adults - including, apparently, priests - who cannot stay within the lines.
Although priests are never explicitly the villains of "Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic," the female guardian angel who narrates the morality tale warns on one page that an altar boy should never remain alone in a room with any adult unless the door is open.
But advocates of those who have been abused by priests complain that the church must more clearly point the finger at the most likely perpetrators preying on children. "Too much is made of the creepy stranger, when predators are actually most often the adults we have taught kids are trustworthy," said David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). "It does seem as though church officials are still reluctant to admit that, in fact, their own clergy can be - and are - predators."
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