BishopAccountability.org
	Catholics Need the Truth, Not 12% Shy of the Truth National Survivors Advocates Coalition December 11, 2009 http://www.nsacoalition.org/2009/12/11/catholics-need-the-truth-not-12-shy-of-the-truth/ NSAC keeps up pressure for total document release. 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 joined two other national groups, Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and BishopAccountability.org, calling for continued and sustained efforts by the attorneys for the four newspapers that brought the court case for release of documents. " 1,488 secret documents were withheld recently by the Bridgeport Diocese, "the coalition said. BishopAccountability.org estimates that 12% of the records. "It's clear the courts have said the documents should be released. The courts did not say that all documents except for 12% of them should be released," the coalition said. "Catholics should be seekers of the truth, the whole truth not 12% shy of the truth," the coalition said. " Holding back on 12% of the records on top of a lengthy court fight to keep all of the records secret only reinforces the questions: What is the Bridgeport Diocese trying to hide? Whom is the diocese trying to protect? How much Catholic money is Bridgeport's secret hiding costing that could be spent on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, liberating the oppressed and educating the next generation of Catholics?" The coalition asked Catholics to remember that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles settlement and the Diocese of San Diego settlement in 2007 included provisions for the release of documents. These releases have yet to be fulfilled. "We urgently ask our fellow Catholics to make it a priority that all of the Diocese of Bridgeport's sexual abuse records requested by the four newspapers be released, "the coalition said, "Let us not go the way of Los Angeles 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 Bridgeport Diocese has said it comply with the court ordered release of records that in fact the release of all documents 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.bridgeportdiocese.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
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