Victims say malfunctioning phone line keeping others from reporting clergy abuse

The Record
July 16, 2014

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140716/A_NEWS/140719895

Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and their supporters from Northern California hold a news conference Wednesday morning outside the downtown headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Stockton. They were there to bring attention to the malfunctioning toll-free line for abuse victims that went unnoticed for two weeks and to urge other victims within the diocese to file their sexual abuse claims no later than 4 p.m. Aug. 15, the date set by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Those demonstrating include, from left, Tim Lennon, Nancy Sloan Dowell, Kathleen Conti and Melanie Jula Sakoda.

STOCKTON – Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests stood outside the downtown Diocese of Stockton headquarters Wednesday morning to bring attention to a malfunctioning telephone line that ​might have ​prevented other abuse victims from obtaining information for almost two weeks on filing a claim before next month’s deadline.

They believe the leader of the six-county diocese, Bishop Stephen Blaire, is ultimately responsible for the situation despite claims to the contrary.

A statement issued this week by SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said:

“Never mind what lawyers do or don't do. The person responsible for the crimes of child-molesting clerics is the bishop. The person whose duty it is to reach out to those hurt by predator priests is the bishop.”

A spokeswoman for Blaire ​said he was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment.

“This story came to us yesterday and, after research, the nonfunctioning phone line was set up by the lawyers for the Creditors' Committee. The lawyer referred to in the original message, (James) Stang, works for the creditors and not for the diocese nor the lawyers representing the diocese,” Sister Terry Davis wrote in a statement.

“From what I understand, the Stang law firm made changes to their offices and the phone problem resulted from those changes. We contacted that firm and they assured us that the problem has been fixed,” Davis concluded.

In light of the Stockton diocese’s bankruptcy filing, the group from SNAP also wanted abuse victims in the diocese to know about the 4 p.m. Aug. 15 deadline for filing sexual abuse claims set by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.