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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests SNAP Press
Statements
Statement
Regarding Guilty Plea Statement by David Clohessy (314 566 9790), national director of SNAP August 4, 2004 "We're grateful that at least some of Landry's victims now have
some measure No court ruling can restore the self-esteem, innocence or happiness that Landry stole from his innocent victims. By their courage, however, they have recovered at least some of what was cruelly taken from them. They are heroes. Their bravery has no doubt already inspired other victims to come forward, and will continue to inspire others. We hope that anyone who witnessed, suspected or experienced abuse by
Landry Church officials desperately try to convince us that abuse by clergy happened long ago. But children are at risk even now. Abusers will always gravitate toward the priesthood. Clergy sex abuse is not just a crime of the distant past. It is of course very hard for adults who were molested as kids to come forward. We applaud these victims, and other victims, for having the strength to disclose Landry's crimes. We also applaud their bravery for using the justice system to expose a criminal and protect youngsters. All Catholics owe them a debt of gratitude for their courage and for helping to remove dangerous man from children. These men face a long, rocky road to recovery, and no matter how hard
they try, their lives will never be the same. We hope that this action
today provides them at least some comfort and closure. Like anyone who
was victimized by a priest or minister, SNAP stands ready to help them
in any way we can." |
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Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests www.snapnetwork.org | ||