OKLAHOMA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Monday, April 25, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley is both endangering and misleading his flock and the public. Over the weekend, Coakley released and factually wrong, incredibly deceptive and hurtful statement about the convicted cleric who assaulted a teenager but is being promoted to head three Oklahoma churches.
[KFOR]
Here’s where Coakley is factually wrong.
–He claims the crimes happened at the priest’s office when they did not.
[10 News]
–He claims others were present when they were not.
[10 News]
Here’s where Coakley is deceptive and hurtful:
–He writes of “Father Davila’s actions,” not crimes.
–He describes a 19 year old as “an adult parishioner.”
–He says “those actions were perceived as inappropriate,” rather than “were criminal and hurtful.”
–He describes Fr. Davila’s deliberate crimes as a “lapse in judgment.”
Finally, in a startling act of hypocrisy, Coakley writes “It is important that we operate in an open environment.” Yet he secretly imports a convicted criminal into his archdiocese and gives him access to unsuspecting families, then quietly promotes him, all with virtually no warning to parents, police, prosecutors, parishioners or the public.
But put aside Coakley’s words. Look at his actions. He’s putting innocent people at risk of sexual violence because he claims he wants to give a convicted sex offender a “second chance.”
We hope Oklahoma Catholics and citizens won’t stand for this. We hope they speak out and insist that this repeated recklessness stop. We hope demand an open public meeting with Coakley about Fr. Davila. And we hope they beat the bushes looking for current or former Lawton church staff and members who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Fr. Davila and beg those individuals to call police, prosecutors and independent groups like ours.
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