ITALY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, May 12, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314-503-0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

We are deeply impressed by the courage and moved by the pain of the dozens of Italian clergy sex abuse victims who are part of a just-released YouTube video message to Pope Francis. For the safety of the vulnerable and the healing of the suffering, we endorse their call to Vatican officials to release long-secret church records about clerics who commit and conceal heinous sexual violence against children.

[UPI}

It’s hard for a victim of sexual violence to speak about their suffering. It’s often harder when the perpetrator is a powerful church official. And it’s often harder still to do so publicly, revealing one’s name and face. So we…