BishopAccountability.org
	Sex Abuse Victims Respond to #2 Vatican Official's New Remarks Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests August 9, 2007 http://snapnetwork.org/snap_statements/2007_statements/080907_response_cardinal_bertone_dorris.html United States — Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell) Every time an insensitive church bureaucrat makes hurtful public comments like this, it rubs more salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of American Catholics and sex abuse victims. Tens of thousands of brave men and women still suffer today because of horrific abuse as kids by priests and callous betrayal by bishops. Several hundred of them are exposing predators, protecting kids and seeking justice. By their courage, they are doing a service to the church. They deserve compassion and praise, not vilification. Their decisive, admirable efforts to alert parents about pedophile priests deserve recognition, not rebuke. The Catholic church hierarchy has not been 'singled out' by anyone. It is, however, an institution with the most widely documented history of repeatedly protecting predators, shunning victims, decieving parishioners, stonewalling prosecutors, and stiff-arming journalists, all so that the reputations of top church officials could be safeguarded. Vatican officials have done virtually nothing to protect the vulnerable. We hope, however, that some day soon they'll at leasts stop re-victimizing the wounded. (SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 17 years and have more than 7,000 members across the country. Despite the word "priest" in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org) Contact: David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, 314-645-5915 home), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688), Mary Grant (626-419-2930), Mark Serrano (703-727-4940)
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