UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, May 26
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
Over the past five years, only about 20 criminal cases have been opened against Swiss Catholic priests and monks for sexual abuse in Switzerland since, despite church officials admitting 172 alleged offenders.
Both figures, we suspect, are and should be much higher. We believe Catholic figures are hiding the identities, crimes and whereabouts about hundreds of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting priests, nuns, bishops, seminarians, brothers and other church employees.
And frankly, we do not believe Bishop Charles Morerod of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg who claims that “every accusation made against a living priest or a lay person who works for the church will be handed over to the justice authorities immediately.” Time and time again, we’ve heard these pledges by Catholic officials and time and time again we’ve seen them broken.
We urge anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups by Swiss Catholic officials to contact secular authorities – not church staff – and expose wrongdoers, protect kids, and start healing.
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