TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )
A Catholic cleric who molested in El Paso is back in the news. A Louisiana newspaper reports that he made regular visits recently to a school, but now has reportedly stopped doing so after his trips were made public.
Br. Samuel Martinez was reportedly visiting the Holy Family Community on the campus of John Paul The Great Academy in Lafayette on weekends. He is credibly accused of molesting at least ten children.
Br. Martinez belongs in a remote, secure treatment center run by independent professionals, not church officials. And Catholic officials – in El Paso and in Louisiana – should personally visit every parish where he worked, even briefly. They should stand up at masses and beg anyone who may have information or suspicions about Br. Martinez’ crimes or misdeeds to contact law enforcement immediately.
We urge parents, parishioners, and the public to not let Br. Martinez’s alleged ill health lull them into a false sense of security. It takes just seconds for a predator – even one who may be sick – to stick his hands down a boy’s pants or his tongue in a girl’s mouth. So Br. Martinez is still a dangerous predator.
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