Moving Predator Priests

By David Clohessy
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
May 6, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/moving_predator_priests

We in SNAP know, from painful experience, that many predator priests are sent to rural areas and minority communities. We also know that pedophiles are found in every hamlet, town, city and state and that predator priests are in every Catholic diocese and institution.

So how to explain the somewhat unusual fact that five Texas Catholic dioceses apparently have no publicly accused predator priests?

According to Bishop Accountability they are the dioceses of Beaumont, Laredo, Lubbock, Tyler and Victoria.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/usccb/natureandscope/dioceses/amarillotx.htm

(The only other US diocese that holds this distinction is tiny Grand Island, Nebraska).

We also know that at least one Texas prelate, Bishop John Yanta, the now-retired head of the Amarillo diocese, welcomed predator priests from elsewhere into his diocese.

We suspect these factors contribute to this anomaly

-- Victims in small towns and rural areas are often even less confident that their privacy will be protected than victims form urban areas

-- Victims from minority communities are likewise more reluctant to come forward, and especially hesitant to report to law enforcement, who many distrust

-- Texas' child sex laws are largely archaic and predator-friendly.

Regardless of the reasons, we hope this will change. We hope that, over time, more and more who have been hurt in remote areas will find the courage and strength to speak up, expose wrongdoing, call police, protect kids and start healing.