ROME
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Victims of clergy abuse demand action from Pope
While church commemorates innocent children murdered by Herod, victims to Pope: take action
Victimized as children by priests in three different countries they seek prevention
To Pope Francis: Fire predators and order bishops to open records and report evidence to police
For immediate release: December 28, 2014
By Barbara Blaine, SNAP President, +1 312 399 4747, bblaine@SNAPnetwork.org
As Catholics commemorate the biblical story of Herod massacring infants and acknowledge the special vulnerability of children, victims want Pope Francis to take concrete action to protect children now.
Specifically they want Pope Francis to take immediate action today to keep children safe in the church. They want him to:
-Fire the predators,
-Order all bishops to report suspected sex crimes, open files and turn over evidence to police, and
-Punish bishops and church officials who knowingly transfer predators and/or shield predators from police.
In February 2014 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child found that children remain at “… high risk of sexual abuse, as dozens of child sexual offenders are reported to be still in contact with children.”
They also found instances where church officials have “refused to cooperate with law enforcement authorities…”
SNAP leaders want the Pope to lead the charge in protecting children by starting in the church itself.
SNAP wants predators fired from their posts.
They want bishops who transfer and/or shield predators punished.
SNAP leaders want the Pope to demand that records about sex crimes should be turned over to police and made public. Bishops should encourage their employees and parishioners to assist police in obtaining all evidence so that the perpetrators of sexual violence can be prosecuted and jailed. Victims want the Pope to order bishops across the globe to take these simple steps to immediately make children safer.
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