CALIFORNIA
The Record
By The Record
July 16, 2014
STOCKTON – Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests stood outside the downtown Diocese of Stockton headquarters Wednesday morning to bring attention to a malfunctioning telephone line that might have prevented other abuse victims from obtaining information for almost two weeks on filing a claim before next month’s deadline.
They believe the leader of the six-county diocese, Bishop Stephen Blaire, is ultimately responsible for the situation despite claims to the contrary.
A statement issued this week by SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said:
“Never mind what lawyers do or don’t do. The person responsible for the crimes of child-molesting clerics is the bishop. The person whose duty it is to reach out to those hurt by predator priests is the bishop.”
A spokeswoman for Blaire said he was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment.
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