O’malley Must Fire Two Staff & Defrock One Priest, SNAP Says

SNAP
January 13, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com , davidgclohessy@gmail.com )

Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley must do more than let a priest, principal and teacher resign. He must defrock the cleric and fire the other two.

[WHDH]

Because O’Malley is the pope’s point man on abuse, his actions in this case will be widely scrutinized. And because he postures as a “reformer” on abuse, O’Malley must act swiftly and severely.

Nothing will more effectively deter future recklessness and secrecy in child sex cases than to publicly and permanently remove all three of these wrongdoers from any future work with the church in any capacity.

If there’s an archdiocese on the planet where refusing to promptly call police about child sex allegations should be most harshly punished, it’s Boston.

Child predators are often sick and compulsive individuals who have little control over their actions. Their crimes often can’t be deterred. Supervisors and colleagues, however, have no excuse whatsoever. They merely need to overcome their cowardice and call 911. Catholic staffers will do this if they see that those who refuse lose their careers.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have more than 20,000 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, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org, Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, bblaine@SNAPnetwork.org