NJ predator priests are defrocked; SNAP responds

For immediate release: Tuesday, Sept. 3, 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, [email protected])

Two New Jersey predator priests have finally been defrocked by the Vatican. Shame on Newark’s archbishop for not doing more to spread the word about this news and warn more families about these dangerous men.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/removal_of_2_nj_priests_finalized_by_vatican.html

Child molesting Catholic clerics don’t just hurt Catholic kids. So it’s wrong for Archbishop John Myers to only alert Catholic parents when predatory Catholic priests are demoted. Myers should alert as many parents as possible, especially in light of his repeatedly pledges to be “open” about clergy sex crimes.

Instead of one small notice in one issue of the archdiocesan newspaper, Myers should have held a news conference or at least issued a news release and put prominent notices in every parish bulletin  urging anyone who might have seen, suspected or suffered these clerics’ crimes to call police.

Suspending a pedophile doesn’t cure him. Neither does defrocking him. Defrocking a child molesting cleric helps protect a bishop’s image and a diocese’s assets. But it doesn’t do much to protect kids.

Jailing predators protects kids best. And that happens when responsible adults do everything they can to seek out and help victims call police. And it happens when caring employers give predators’ personnel files to law enforcement.

But Myers refuses to do this. Instead, he opts for doing the absolute bare minimum.

So we in SNAP beg every single person – especially current and former Catholic church employees and members – to ask loved ones if they were ever hurt by either of these priests. If so, those victims should be urged to call police and prosecutors. And every single person who may have seen or suspected these clerics’ crimes should also call police and prosecutors – no matter how old, small or seemingly insignificant the information or suspicions might be.

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Mark Crawford (732-632-7687 [email protected] )