CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, March 07, 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 )

Church abuse apologies are virtually meaningless. Whether long or short, clear or vague, prompt or delayed, they don’t protect a single child, expose a single predator or uncover a single cover up.

[The Telegram]

Apologies like this are smart public relations and legal defense maneuvers. And it’s tragic that they often come only after Catholic institutions are sued and Catholic officials are forced to act.

(Often, some church apologies seem “good” or “sincere” when compared with even more awful earlier apology attempts by other church officials. That’s the wrong standard to use.)

Virtually every step the Christian Brothers have taken about abuse have been forced on them by wounded…