Three Clergy Abuse Victims Sue Santiago Bishop

SNAP
September 3, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/chile_three_clergy_abuse_victims_sue_santiago_bishop?recruiter_id=20573

[New York Times]

Statement by Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

We applaud these brave men who have had the persistence and strength to seek justice and protect others from harm.

Now more than ever we encourage anyone who has been hurt by Father Fernando Karadima to come forward and begin to heal. We beg anyone who has seen or suspected misdeeds by Karadima report the information to law enforcement officials.

These survivors are seeking to have the truth exposed so that they can protect other children. Karadima is no longer active, however, those who enabled him are. By exposing how much they knew and how little they did to protect these survivors, the parishioners and public will know how church officials refused to protect children.

Karadima was found guilty of sexually abusing minors in February 2011.

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Church officials were warned as early as 1984 about Karadima’s “improper conduct.” Church officials were warned again in 2003 but it was not until 2004 that the first investigation was opened. Two years later the investigator stated to Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuiriz Ossa he believed the allegations were credible. The Cardinal stopped the investigation for more than three years to wait for new evidence.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - David Clohessy 314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com

Barbara Dorris 314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com

Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com