For immediate release: 
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007

Alaska Natives settle Catholic sex cases; SNAP responds

Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell)

We hope this agreement brings some desperately needed healing and closure to these brave men and women who had the strength to come forward, the wisdom to take legal action and the patience to endure the Jesuits' delaying tactics.

It's hard to imagine more isolated and helpless kids than those living in remote Alaskan villages. It's also hard to imagine a more ideal situation for a predator.

The Jesuits would have never settled for such a figure if there hadn't been considerable evidence that top church officials knew or suspected their priests were engaging in such devastating crimes. We hope that some of this evidence surfaces despite the settlement.

Finally, we hope this settlement will inspire others who have been hurt by clergy - whether priests or nuns, whether diocesan or religious order clerics -  to speak up, get help, call the police and warn others about theri predators. When victims and witnesses stay silent, nothing changes. When they find the strength to take action, however, kids are sometimes protected, justice is sometimes done, and healing is sometimes achieved.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 17 years and have more than 7,000 members across the country. 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, 314-645-5915 home), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688), Mary Grant (626-419-2930), Mark Serrano (703-727-4940)