CHILE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, February 20, 2014
Statement by Juan Carlos Cruz or SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 1+ 312 420 4301· jccruz1@aol.com )
A serial predator priest who has been ordered to live “a life of prayer and penance” is still saying mass in public, clearly violating restrictions put on him by his Catholic supervisors.
We are saddened but not shocked. Only under public pressure do bishops finally take some action against child molesting clerics. And when public attention subsides, it’s “back to business as usual.”
In other institutions – government, business, non-profits – there would now be harsh punishments – both for the predator priest, Fr. Fernando Karadima, and – more importantly – for his supervisors. But we doubt that will happen here. Even the most egregious child molesting clerics in the Catholic Church often get light penalties and continue to break the rules and do as they please, without fear of further sanction. And when their bishops are caught ignoring the very rules they put down, no higher church authority ever disciplines those bishops.
This is yet another reminder that real justice can best be sought through secular courts, not through church processes. We strongly urge anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups to contact police and prosecutors, not priests and bishops.
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