As Pope arrives in Scotland, clergy sex victims speak up

They say top officials must take “real steps” not “symbolic ones,” to help

“That’s the only way kids will be safer,” US self-help organization says

Victims assaulted by clergy to hand out fliers

WHAT:
Handing out fliers to passers-by, clergy sex abuse victims, for the sake of public safety, will prod the Pope and church officials to
--set up an online data base of child molesting clerics, and
--work harder to find help find anyone hurt by child molesting clerics.

The leaflets will also
--criticize the Pope for putting symbolism over substance, and making largely empty gestures instead of taking effective steps to really protect the innocent and heal the wounded, and
--urge anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes to call police officials (not church officials).

WHEN:
Thursday, September 16 at 10:30 to 12:45 in Edinburgh
Thursday, September 16 at 15:00-16:00 in Glasgow

WHERE:
In Edinburgh: On Princess Street at the Tourist Information Center
In Glasgow: Outside the Glasgow Central train station at the main entrance

WHO:
Several clergy sex abuse victims who helps lead the world’s oldest and largest clergy victims group called SNAP - the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY
SNAP will harshly criticize the Pope for what it considers “meaningless words and public relations gestures” on child sex abuse and prod the pontiff to take a “real step” toward protecting children: the establishment of a world-wide data base of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics (modeled on a private, US-based one called BishopAccountability.org). Such a list would be perhaps the most effective way the Vatican could truly safeguard children, SNAP believes.

Regardless of what the pontiff does, SNAP wants local bishops to do what 24 US bishops have done, and post the names and whereabouts of child molesting clerics who are/have been in Scotland.

In 2002, Baltimore became the first US diocese to disclose names. A good current example is the Philadelphia archdiocese: http://archphila.org/protection/Updates/update_main.htm. Here is a list of all the dioceses that have disclosed names: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

SNAP will also urge church staff to use their “considerable resources” to reach out to anyone with information about alleged clergy child sex crimes, instead of passively sitting back and waiting for victims to come forward.

Specifically, victims are asking bishops to use their diocesan and parish websites and bulletins to beg victims and witnesses to contact law enforcement. Each bishop, the victims maintain, has a moral and civic duty to report clergy sex crimes and suspicions immediately to secular authorities AND aggressively seek out others with knowledge of the accusations and urge them to call law enforcement as well.

SNAP believes there are hundreds of child molesting clerics who have quietly or secretly been sent to different countries by church supervisors, some of whom are running from the law. In the years ahead, as citizens, Catholics and police become more vigilant about abuse, SNAP predicts even more predator priests will be transferred overseas.

CONTACT
Barbara Blaine (312 399 4747 cell, SNAPblaine@gmail.com, 075 872 060 53),
Barbara Dorris (314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)