Victims Applaud Police and Challenge Catholic Officials

SNAP
February 8, 2016

http://www.snapnetwork.org/

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

We’re grateful to the Chicopee police for warning the public about ex-priest Richard Lavigne. We wish Springfield Catholic officials would likewise step up and alert and remind parents about this dangerous man.

[MassLive]

The mere passage of time doesn’t make child molesters less dangerous. We believe Lavigne is still a threat to kids. We hope that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes will find the courage to call police, expose wrongdoers and protect children.

And we hope that Springfield Catholic officials who recruited, educated, ordained, trained, hired, transferred and shielded Fr. Lavigne for decades will also aggressively seek out and support others who were hurt by him and beg them to call law enforcement. We hope that Bishop Mitchell Rozanski will lead this effort. But if he doesn’t, we hope that other church staff in the diocese will show real courage and use pulpit announcements, church bulletins and parish websites to do it.

Our hearts go out to the brave Crouteau family and everyone else who has been impacted by Lavigne’s crimes and church cover ups of those crimes.