WASHINGTON
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
Thirty brave child sex victims have settled their abuse and cover up suits against Seattle Catholic officials. We applaud these courageous and determined individuals and suspect that there are dozens more victims in the Seattle area – from these two parochial schools and other schools – who remain trapped in silence, shame and self-blame.
We hope this settlement will encourage them to step forward, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
It’s tough for any abuse victim to speak up. But it’s especially tough when the perpetrator is a powerful religious figure. And it’s especially tough to report abuse in Catholic schools. The classes tend to be closely knit, so many victims fear that if they speak up, others will find out who they are and what happened to them. And many who graduate from Catholic high schools carry a mass of confusing feelings. On one hand, they are convinced they got a good education and they’re grateful for it. On the other hand, they know they should never have been assaulted. But deep loyalty to their alma mater is one added factor that keeps many Catholic school victims quiet.
We are grateful these 30 individuals have worked so hard and long to hold complicit church officials accountable for their reckless actions. It’s a shame that Catholic officials drag these cases out for years, but we appreciate the persistence of these victims who have suffered so much for so long.
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