SAN BERNARDINO (CA)
San Bernardino County Sun|
By Brad A. Greenberg, Staff Writer
A national support group for people abused by priests criticized Bishop Gerald R. Barnes on Tuesday for his handling of sexual-abuse claims against priests in the Diocese of San Bernardino.
The Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests asked Barnes to punish The Rev. Michael Bucaro, who in January filed a slander suit against a 25-year-old man who claims Bucaro molested him as a boy.
"We urge you to publicly denounce Bucaro's vicious and un-Christian legal hard ball tactics and discipline him,' the group, commonly known as SNAP, wrote in a letter signed by its San Diego and western regional directors.
"We also implore you to go to every parish where he was assigned and apologize for the harmful impact of your inaction and silence confronting Bucaro's inexcusable behavior.'
The diocese's response was brief.
"Our only comment regarding SNAP correspondence is that our diocese remains absolutely committed to doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for all parishioners, most especially children, and to promote healing for victims of sexual abuse and their families,' said spokesman The Rev. Howard Lincoln. "In the end, it is our hope that justice and fairness will prevail.'
Posted by kshaw at March 16, 2005 05:40 AM