LOS ANGELES (CA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
More clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuits against the scandal-ridden Los Angeles Catholic diocese will be disclosed tomorrow.
Our hearts ache for each one of these brave victims and for millions of LA parishioners who continue to be deceived and betrayed by a corrupt Catholic hierarchy.
We are convinced that Archbishop Jose Gomez agreed to these settlements because he dreaded the devastating disclosures of church complicity that would have happened had any of these gone to trial. In each of these cases, we firmly believe that several Catholic officials knew of or suspected these clerics’ crimes long ago and kept them hidden for years, leaving unsuspecting families and vulnerable children at risk of tremendous harm.
Few cases more clearly show the recklessness, callousness and deceptiveness of top Catholic officials than the Fr. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera case. LA Cardinal Roger Mahony and Mexico Cardinal Norberto Rivera both acted selfishly and deceitful throughout that case.
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