Media Statements

Statement by SNAP member John David Couzens

Over the years, hundreds and hundreds of adults in this region have worked for Catholic institutions – the diocese, the parishes, and the schools.

Many of them, we’re convinced, know or suspect something about the sexual misdeeds of priests, nuns, brothers, seminarians and other church employees.

And most of them, we’re convinced, are staying silent. Shame on them.

Predators succeed when adults keep quiet. And predators fail when adults speak up.

Church officials can not always be trusted to have victims and our children’s best interest at heart.
 
We applaud this brave victim for speaking up and taking action to expose the truth and possibly protecting other children.

She didn’t want more money. She wasn’t seeking a promotion. She didn’t ask for a broader job title. She wasn’t trying to push anyone else aside. 

She just wanted to help. And she was punished for it.

We belong to self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Our mission is to heal the wounded and protect the vulnerable.

In 2002, after decades of widespread and heinous clergy sex crimes and cover ups and facing a firestorm of public outrage, every US bishop promised to reform. They promised to to be honest about clergy sex crimes.  They promised to promptly suspend suspected predators. They promised to immediately call police.

This is the most disturbing legal move – by both Missouri judges and by Missouri Catholic officials – which we’ve ever seen.

Yesterday, the state Supreme Court has turned down an appeal by a St. Louis man in what we consider an unprecedented, bizarre and dangerous move. It lets the St. Louis archdiocese escape responsibility for a known predator priest’s crimes. The reason: because the predator molested victims “off premises” at a private home, not on church grounds.

For the second time, Philly’s new archbishop has expressed clear support for a credibly accused priest who may soon be deemed a criminal for enabling child sex crimes while apparently expressing no concern for vulnerable kids, wounded adults or learning the truth in court about an alleged criminal.

We are child sex abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Our goal is to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.

We’re here for three reasons today:

We belong to a confidential, independent support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org). Our mission is to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.

We’re here today with several messages for several audiences.

Today John Langworthy was indicted by a grand jury for eight counts of felony gratification for molesting five boys in the 1980’s. We are grateful to the secular authorities who pursued the claims against this predator and we are glad that the brave men and women on this jury decided to bring charges against this dangerous pedophile.