NEW MEXICO
KOAT
GALLUP, NM —A hotline set up for people abused by clergy members in the Gallup Diocese stopped working for almost two weeks.
The line is used by victims of clergy sexual abuse to provide their information for an ongoing civil suit against the diocese. They have until Aug. 1 to do so.
But for two weeks, people calling the number just got a dial tone and then were disconnected.
Barbara Dorris with the Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP said that experience could turn potential victims away.
“For nothing to happen, for the lines to be essentially broken is very painful,” said Dorris.
No one noticed the problem until a reporter called the line and got that dial tone. Attorney Jim Stang represents the creditors in the bankruptcy case against the diocese and oversees the line. He said the problem occurred when a new phone system was installed.
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