NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, March 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 )
Fr. Michael Fugee of the Newark Archdiocese has been defrocked by the Vatican. He’s the first predator priest whose defrocking was insisted on by a prosecutor. And Archbishop John Myers’ recklessness, and callousness in this case is among the most egregious misconduct by a Catholic official that we’ve seen in the past decade.
This is a decades-late drop in the bucket. When church officials defrock predator priests it’s less about safeguarding kids. It’s more about church damage control. Still, we are grateful for insisting that Fugee be ousted from the priesthood. Without that Roman collar and the respect that accompanies it, Fugee will find it a bit harder to win the trust of parents, gain access to kids, and sexually assault them.
It’s crucial to remember that basically no Catholic supervisors have been punished, worldwide, for enabling and hiding horrific clergy sex crimes. The Pope must start defrocking clerics who cover up sex crimes (like Myers), not just clerics who commit them (like Fugee). Until that happens, little will change.
So why the alleged increase in defrocked pedophile priests in recent years? It’s likely because more victims across the globe are gaining the strength and courage to come forward and are reporting to (and pressuring) church officials because archaic, predator-friendly secular laws prevent most victims from seeking justice in court. And it’s likely because more bishops are convincing Vatican officials that defrocking predators is a smart public relations and legal defense strategy. Cutting all ties with the most egregious serial sex offender clerics helps convince Catholics that progress is being made.
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