NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, Aug. 19
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)
It’s heartbreaking to learn that, once again, New Jersey Catholic officials told a predator priest to flee the US to evade police. And it’s equally heartbreaking to learn that the priest later returned to the US and got a job around kids and remains a teacher even now.
[NJ.com]
A new report says that Fr. Manuel Gallo Espinoza of the Newark Archdiocese admits molesting a boy. Two church officials urged him to fly home, Fr. Espinoza says. (One is Fr. Jevie Hercules. The other is Antonino Salazar, who headed a church youth group.)
So Fr. Espinoza escaped to Equador, returned to the US and taught for years, but is now back in Equador still teaching.
We call on police and prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against the Newark archdiocesan officials who helped Fr. Espinoza evade the law. We firmly believe that if law enforcement officials are brave, determined and hard-working, they will be able to successfully charge and convict high ranking Catholic staffers who may have obstructed justice, shredded evidence, intimidated victims, discredited whistleblowers, stonewalled police, deceived prosecutors, refused to report child sex crimes or violated any number of other laws.
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