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	National Survivor Advocates Coalition Calls for Active Vigilance National Survivors Advocates Coalition November 7, 2009 http://www.nsacoalition.org/2009/11/07/bulletin-press-release/ Spurs On Bridgeport Catholics to Keep the Pressure On For Release of Diocesan Documents For Immediate Release The National Survivors Advocates Coalition (NSAC) calls upon Catholics in the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT and throughout the country to be actively vigilant regarding the release of documents that the diocese fought up to and including a request for an appeal hearing from the United States Supreme Court. The coalition asked Catholics to remember that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles settlement in 2007 included a provision for the release of documents. This release has yet to be fulfilled. The same is true in the Diocese of San Diego where full disclosure of documents is still not complete. "We urgently ask our fellow Catholics to make it a priority that the Diocese of Bridgeport's records be released, "the coalition said, "Let us not go the way of Los Angeles and San Deigo where promises become vapors." The coalition said, "In the same way that we cannot be complacent about the hierarchy, we cannot take for granted that because the United States Supreme Court denied an appeal hearing to the Diocese of Bridgeport that the Monday, November 9 status conference in Superior Court in Waterbury, CT that there will be an unobstructed path to the release of documents." "The roots and values of our faith unite us, " the coalition added, "and we can do no less than heed our call to conscience to be vigilantly engaged in this process." Catholics in Bridgeport were asked by the coalition to: • Contact Bishop William Lori in person, by letter or through comments on his blog (www.bridgportdiocese.com Bishop Lori's blog) and inform him they are actively vigilant and expect deterrents to the release of documents to cease • bring up the matter with their parish priests this weekend and ask them to bring up the matter in any meeting with the Bishop and at meetings of priest councils • keep the document issue alive through conversations with fellow Catholics • contact the judge handling the release of documents • write letters to the editor the expressing their opinions about the process of the release of documents • seriously consider withholding financial support to the diocese and their parishes if they documents are not released with all deliberate speed Contact: Kristine Ward, Chair, National Survivor Advocates Coalition 937-272-0308 Full Text of the National Survivor Advocates Coalition Statement The National Survivors Advocates Coalition (NSAC) calls upon Catholics in the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT and throughout the country to be actively vigilant regarding the release of documents that the diocese fought up to and including a request for a hearing from the United States Supreme Court. Let us remember that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles settlement in 2007 included a provision for the release of documents. This release has yet to be fulfilled. The same is true in the Diocese of San Diego where full disclosure of documents is still not complete. Let us not go the way of Los Angeles and San Diego where promises become vapors. We believed in years past that all as well with matters of our church resting solely in the hands of hierarchs. We have learned that children were raped and sodomized while the priest perpetrators of these heinous crimes were protected by the hierarchy and moved to unsuspecting parishes and their crimes were never reported to the police. In the same way that we cannot be complacent about the hierarchy, we cannot take for granted that because the United States Supreme Court denied an appeal hearing to the Diocese of Bridgeport that the Monday, November 9 status conference in Superior Court in Waterbury, CT that there will be an unobstructed path to the release of documents. The roots and values of our faith unite us and we can do no less than heed our call to conscience to be vigilantly engaged in this process. We call upon our fellow Catholics to learn the hard lessons of the past and rise to the call of conscience of our faith. We call upon the Catholics of Bridgeport to stand in the vanguard of letting the truth be told. We call on the Catholics of Bridgeport to aid with full full and vigor the healing and support of victims of clergy sexual abuse. Let those who have been shunned be welcomed. We urge Catholics in the Diocese of Bridgeport to: • Contact Bishop William Lori in person, by letter or through comments on his blog (www.bridgportdiocese.com Bishop Lori's blog) and inform him they are actively vigilant and expect deterrents to the release of documents to cease • bring up the matter with their parish priests this weekend and ask them to bring up the matter in any meeting with the Bishop and at meetings of priest councils • keep the document issue alive through conversations with fellow Catholics • contact the judge handling the release of the documents • write letters to the editor expressing their opinions about the process of the release of documents • seriously consider withholding financial support to the diocese and their parishes if they documents are not released with all deliberate speed
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