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	Chilling Effect: Franciscans Preparing to Release Private Papers on Sex Abuse Santa Barbara News Network January 22, 2011 http://www.thesbnn.com/?p=19942 They are “disappointed,” but the Franciscans at the center of a child molestation case are preparing to release the tightly held incriminating documents. That after the California Supreme Court this week denied the friars’ last legal gasp in a petition to keep personnel files from going public. Brian Brosnahan the Franciscans attorney told THESBNN, “We believe the ruling below will make it much more difficult for religious organizations to protect the public from abusers in the future.” The 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled last September that the papers could be made public. It was a decision the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests knew the Franciscans would fight. SNAP praised the high court’s decision to deny an appeal. “California citizens will soon know much more about child molesting clerics and their corrupt church supervisors, David Clohessy, SNAP’s St. Louis director said. The Franciscans’ failure to report the abuse to law enforcement means only one of the ten perpetrators whose files were the subject of the proceedings in the trial court is a convicted and registered sex offender, according to the Santa Barbara attorney who represents some of the victims. Tim Hale told THESBNN.COM, “Our clients hope that through the release of these files, the public will have a resource to turn to that empowers parents, teachers, and other childcare custodians to protect the children in any community where these men are assigned.” Only six of the nine friars at the center of the this case are still living he said. The attorney representing the friars told the Associated Press the release of the files will have a “chilling effect” on the willingness of priests to come forward in the future. Those who’ve fought for the release of the friars papers believe the contents will in fact have a chilling effect — on the public.
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