Pedophile Priest Case Settles; Victims Group Responds

SNAP
December 10, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/or_pedophile_priest_case_settles_victims_group_responds

An abuse and cover up suit against the Portland archdiocese and a convicted predator priest has settled. We deplore the secrecy surrounding this case.

[portlandtribune.com]

The cleric, Fr. Angel Armando Perez, was the only priest ordained in the archdiocese in 2002.

We fully understand why the young boy’s family would not want to take this case to trial. The parents are surely most concerned with the emotional well-being and recovery of their wounded child.

That said, however, we are sad that apparently no records about Fr. Perez, and his church supervisors and colleagues who may have hidden his crimes, will be disclosed. And the amount of the settlement, which might deter future recklessness and callousness and deceit by other church officials, remains secret.

We hope Portland Catholic officials will honor their repeated pledges to be “open and transparent” about clergy sex crimes and cover ups by being more forthcoming about this case and others.

When Fr. Perez was criminally charged, the Oregonian reported that “The Archdiocese of Portland offered an open-ended loan to the Rev. Angel Armando Perez to cover the legal fees of (his expensive defense lawyer).” We hope Portland area Catholics will insist that Archbishop Alexander Sample divulge whether this “loan” has been or is being repaid or not.

When this suit was filed, church spokesman Bud Bunce referred to Fr. Perez’ crimes as “misconduct.”

[bishop-accountability.org]

That’s a familiar pattern by Oregon Catholic officials: deliberately minimizing horrific felonies. It’s a hurtful and blatant public relations moved designed to distract parishioners and the public from these heinous crimes. Shame on Bunch and Sample for rubbing salt into the already deep and often still fresh wounds of clergy sex abuse victims with their self-serving and insensitive public comments.

We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by Fr. Perez or other clerics will speak up. We hope they will call police, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, SNAPclohessy@aol.com), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)

Suit against St. Luke, archdiocese has settled out of court

10 December 2015 10:51 | Written by Tyler Francke, Portland Tribune

An $8.5 million lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, along with St. Luke Catholic Church in Woodburn, has been dismissed following an out-of-court settlement.

The complaint, filed last year on behalf of an unnamed Salem boy, was in connection with . . .