MO – SNAP: Archbishop continues decades-long pattern of “legal dodging”

MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

Today, Archbishop Robert Carlson is trying to have the most troubling child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit in the archdiocese’s history tossed out of court. Shame on him.

[San Francisco Chronicle]

The suit charges Carlson with attempted witness tampering. It involves Fr. Joseph Jiang’s alleged abuse of a girl that ended in the summer of 2012. Fr. Jiang reportedly left a $20,000 check for the victim’s parents after they learned and confronted him about his crimes.

The Associated Press reports that it is Carlson, not Jiang, who’s trying today to have the case tossed out.

If Carlson did nothing wrong, why not let the suit proceed? Instead, Carlson’s trying to hide behind technicalities. If he wins, there will always be a cloud of doubt over him. So if he’s innocent, wouldst it be better for him to show this through a trial?

The St. Louis archdiocese has faced at least 100 child sex abuse and cover up lawsuits (dating back to the late 1980s or early 1990s).

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