UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, March 20

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

Two full years after he admitted sexual misconduct, Cardinal Keith O’Brien has resigned. But as it has done with dozens of abusive prelates, the Vatican is disclosing nothing about O’Brien’s wrongdoing.

A year ago, Pope Francis said of sexual abuse and misconduct “The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution to have acted with transparency and responsibility.” Yet there’s no transparency here. Not one Catholic official has disclosed anything of substance about O’Brien’s exploitive misdeeds.

And what of his clerical colleagues? Not one of them knew of or suspected that O’Brien was abusing others? That’s pretty hard to believe.

“But a Cardinal has resigned, isn’t that progress?” some will ask….