Victims Say Egan Was “among the Worst” Prelates

SNAP
March 5, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ct_victims_say_egan_was_among_the_worst_prelates

Cardinal Edward Egan was among the most callous, reckless and deceitful prelates ever. We hope his passing brings some comfort to the many adults who were abused as children because of his self-serving secrecy and his relentless protection of predator priests. We grieve for every single victim, witness and whistleblower who was mistreated in any way by Egan and his former top aides, whether in New York or in Bridgeport.

As much as we try to be charitable, sugar-coating Egan’s horrific track record on abuse is irresponsible. We feel duty bound to do whatever we can to deter powerful officials who may be tempted to shield predators, stone-wall police, hide evidence and attack victims, even if it means being honest about their egregious wrong-doing even when they pass away.

We suspect that some current and former Catholic church staff and members have kept silent for years about clergy sex crimes and cover ups, in part because they feared repercussions and punishment by Egan. We hope that his passing will cause at least some of these individuals to finally find the courage to speak up, expose wrongdoers, protect kids, and deter future cover ups.

(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)