CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Aug. 12
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
A $20 million clergy sex abuse settlement means one thing: Catholic officials were incredibly scared of the evidence about complicity that would have emerged in court.
That’s almost always the motive when the church hierarchy pays this much money to abuse victims.
We applaud these brave men and women for having the strength to report these crimes, the wisdom to seek justice in court and the tenacity to endure needless legal delays by Redemptorist officials. Kids are safer today because of the courage of these victims. We hope their action will prevent future abuse and cover ups. And we are confident that their healing will be helped by this resolution.
No amount of money can restore the stolen childhoods and shattered trust of these once-innocent and trusting children. Those who committed or concealed these heinous crimes should be in jail. But the civil justice system can help validate those who have been severely and needlessly harmed, and that’s what we believe happened here.
We hope the bravery of these victims will inspire others who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Canada to speak up, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
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