NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 9
Statement by David Clohessy of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
We are shocked that a New York judge is giving a dreadfully light sentence to a Catholic priest who pled guilty of child sex crimes. Kids are safest when child molesters are imprisoned. It’s not about punishment, it’s about prevention.
[WNYT]
Yesterday, Judge James Hughes gave a fine and an order of protection to Fr. James Michael Taylor who pled guilty in August to one count of endangering the welfare of a minor, a misdemeanor.
According to WNYT TV, “the six-month-long relationship included inappropriate physical contact, along with phone calls, texts and photos.”
We applaud police and prosecutors for successfully pursuing this predator. (We disagree, however, with the prosecutor who said Fr. Taylor “failed.” His actions were deliberate. So he did not fail. He repeatedly chose to act in illegal, hurtful and inappropriate ways with a vulnerable teenaged girl.) Above all, however, we applaud the courageous family that cooperated with them to make others safer. To us, this sentence feels like a betrayal to all of them.
We’re glad Fr. Taylor must stay away from this family but we worry that he’ll hurt other families. He belongs in a remote, secure, independent treatment center, far away from parents and kids who have come to trust him.
We cannot say this often or loudly enough: this brave teen and her family heroes for exposing wrongdoing and protecting others. Though they have a long, hard road ahead, we are confident that this outcome will help them in their recovery.
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