SNAP Urges Burlington Diocese to Release All Pedophile Priest’s Names

By Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Lez Get Real
January 18, 2013

http://lezgetreal.com/2013/01/snap-urges-burlington-diocese-to-release-all-pedophile-priests-names/

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is pushing Vermont’s Catholic Bishops to release the names of other accused clerics so that all of the crimes that they have concealed can come to light.

SNAP Director David Clohessy stated “For more than a decade, bishops have been required, by their own national policy, to be open and transparent’ about child sex crimes. Yet for months, perhaps years, Vermont church officials kept secret about apparently credible allegations of child sex abuse against Fr. Joseph Dussault. Parents and the public only know about these accusations because a victim was smart and strong enough to file a suit and persevere to a settlement.”

Recently, the Diocese of Burlington settled eleven civil lawsuits before they went to trial. Now, SNAP is urging the diocese to use all of their available resources in order to reach those hurt by clergy who have been in Vermont.

Clohessy also stated “It’s time for church officials to honor their promises and ‘come clean’ now about every other predators they are protecting and have protected. The bishop should publicly post these names, – on the diocesan website and in parish bulletins – and he should aggressively seek out victims in every Vermont parish. . .We’re hoping that these officials will care more about protecting their parishioners than they care about protecting these predators. Rather than stay silent and hope this deadline passes, Catholic employees should work hard in order to find others who may have been hurt and help them heal.”

Unfortunately, the statute of limitations on these cases is running out.