MA--Accused Boston area predator priest won’t be charged; Victims respond

For immediate release: Tuesday, Jan. 19

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])

Just because a prosecutor isn’t filing charges now against an accused predator priest does not mean that the cleric is innocent.

http://www.itemlive.com/news/da-not-prosecuting-lynn-priest/

In 2012, Fr. James E. Gaudreau was temporarily removed from at St Joseph's in Lynn after an allegation surfaced that he had abused a child in 2006.

Shame on Gaudreau’s attorney, Frank L. McNamara Jr., who claims Fr. Gaudreau’s been “cleared.” And shame on Fr. Gaudreau for claiming he’s been “exonerated.” Both are smart men. Both know these claims are bogus. Just no criminal charges are pending does NOT mean the accused has been “cleared” or “exonerated.”

We urge Boston parents and parishioners to err on the side of safety and keep their kids away from Fr. Gaudreau. And we call on Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley to make it clear to his flock that Fr. Gaudreau has not been “cleared” or “exonerated.” We also call on O’Malley to aggressively seek out others with information or suspicions about Fr. Gaudreau and urge them to call police or prosecutors. O’Malley should use his vast resources – church websites, parish bulletins, pulpit announcements and personal visits – to do this simple but crucial outreach. He’s the purported “shepherd of the flock,” so he should act like one.

We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered crimes or cover ups by Boston priests, nuns or seminarians will find the strength to call police, expose wrongdoers and protect kids.

(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, [email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])

DA NOT PROSECUTING LYNN PRIEST

LYNN —Â The longtime pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish, The Rev. James Gaudreau, is not being charged after a yearlong investigation into an allegation of child sexual abuse.

“I thank God and His Blessed Mother for this day of deliverance, and I thank all those parishioners of St. Joseph’s Parish and others who stood by me and prayed for me during this long ordeal,” Gaudreau said in a statement through his attorney. “My conscience was always clear. I knew that I was innocent of any wrongdoing. I was also confident that, in time, I would be thoroughly exonerated.”

But Gaudreau remains  . . . 

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