LOS ANGELES (CA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
[the files – Law Offices of Raymond Boucher]
POSTED BY JOELLE CASTEIX ON JULY 31, 2013
Five Catholic religious orders have released, as part of a settlement, files regarding 12 proven, admitted or credibly accused child molesting clerics (two nuns and ten priests). (Individual names are below.)
This is not a voluntary move. It’s happening only because brave survivors insisted on it happening. So it’s misleading for anyone to say or claim that church officials are “releasing” this information. It’s been pried from them, following years – sometimes decades – of irresponsible secrecy and deceit.
We hope this long-overdue disclosure will prod every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups by religious order clerics to step forward. And they should step forward to law enforcement officials, not church officials.
The LA Times reports that “the files have little or no reference to abuse allegations…suggesting the orders were either unaware of molestation claims or opted not to document them.” There are two other likely scenarios: Catholic officials destroyed or are still not turning over records about child molesting clerics.
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