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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests SNAP Letter Letters to Pope & Sacramento bishop re: admitted predator priest still in ministry now
Oct. 26, 2010 Dear Pope Benedict: Fr. Antonio Pinal molested me during my childhood. Without going into detail, you must understand that I have suffered tremendously. And I have done what I can to protect others from Fr. Pinal. But I have found evidence that he is now in the Diocese of Cuernavaca, still working as a priest. I am pleading with you - please get this man out of his church and away from youngsters. Police and prosecutors here in California were pursuing criminal charges against Pinal. They have said, in news articles, that Pinal basically admitted his guilt. He was almost certainly going to be convicted and jailed. But a US Supreme Court ruling stopped this process. And now, despite your promises to "do everything possible" to stop crimes like these, Pinal is working in a Mexican church. I doubt very much if the parishioners there know about his past. I've been silent too long. I filed a lawsuit in July, hoping to expose Pinal's crimes to the public. Then, I was John Doe. But I have nothing to hide. So today I am disclosing my name publicly, in the hopes that it might help one other man or woman who was hurt like I've been hurt. Pope Benedict, I need to hear from you. Pinal needs to be removed. And children need to be safeguarded. Ricardo Torres Oct. 26, 2010 Dear Bishop Soto: We know Fr. Pinal no long lives and works in your diocese. We know you can't defrock him (only the Vatican can). We know you can't order that he be suspended from active parish ministry (only Pinal's bishop can). But we also know these crucial facts: Most important, we know that usually "where there's a will, there's a way." We know you can, and believe you should, do more to We know that you can also lobby Vatican officials, including the Pope, to insist that this dangerous child molesting cleric be ousted from his parish and kept away from children. We beg you, for the safety of innocent children and the healing of wounded adults, to take these steps immediately. Write the Pope and prod him to at least suspend Pinal. Write Pinal's boss, the bishop in Mexico, and prod him to remove Pinal from ministry. Write Mexican law enforcement and make sure they know about Pinal what you know about Pinal. Put notices in all your parish bulletins, on your diocesan website, on your church websites, saying "An admitted predator priest from Sacramento walks free now in Mexico and belongs behind bars. If you saw, suspected or suffered Pinal's crimes, please get help, call police, protect children and start recovering." Personally go to each parish where Pinal ever worked, even briefly, and beg victims and witnesses to speak up. (If you've done any of these steps in the past, please do them again. Please continue taking action until Pinal is removed and families are warned.) This isn't rocket science, Bishop Soto. It's the bare minimum a truly compassionate shepherd would take to help reduce the chances that another boy or girl will be sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest. We look forward to hearing from you soon. David Clohessy Barbara Blaine Barbara Dorris SNAPnetwork.org | |
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests www.snapnetwork.org |