NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, Aug. 19
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)
A predator priest worked for three years in a northern Virginia school after raping a boy and fleeing overseas. We urge Virginia school officials and Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde to immediately and aggressively seek out anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered the cleric’s crimes.
A new report says that Fr. Manuel Gallo Espinoza of the Newark Archdiocese admits molesting a boy. When a victim spoke up, two church officials urged him to fly home, Fr. Espinoza says. So he escaped to Equador, and later returned to the US, teaching for years in Virginia and Maryland. Now, Fr. Espinoza is back in Equador, still teaching.
In 2003, Fr. Espinoza fled to South America. From 2005-2008, he worked at Beville Middle School (703-878-2593) in Dale City/Woodbridge Virginia in the Arlington diocese. From 2008-Feb. 28, 2014, Fr. Espinoza taught at Parkdale High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
This is beyond tragic. It’s inexcusable. And it’s proof that little is changing in the Catholic hierarchy.
It’s heartbreaking that Catholic officials apparently told a suspected child molesting cleric to run from the law. It’s heartbreaking that church staff did little or nothing to help warn police, prosecutors, parents, parents and the public about him. And it’s heartbreaking that the priest has been around kids ever since, later returning to the US to teach and continuing to teach even now in Equador.
[NJ.com]
We call on police and prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against the Newark archdiocesan officials – and any others – who helped Fr. Espinoza evade the law. We firmly believe that if law enforcement officials are brave, determined and hard-working, they will be able to successfully charge and convict high ranking Catholic staffers who may have obstructed justice, shredded evidence, intimidated victims, discredited whistleblowers, stonewalled police, deceived prosecutors, refused to report child sex crimes or violated any number of other laws.
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