UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 29, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the two outstanding Spotlight teams: the one that did the work and the one that did the film. At the same time, however, our hearts ache for every single victim of sexual violence, especially those whose perpetrators and enablers continue to live, work and cause more pain while under the radar.
The overwhelming majority of abuse victims never speak up. The overwhelming majority of predators and their allies are never “outed.” This must change if kids are to be safer.
We hope more journalists and editors and police and prosecutors will dig deeper and work harder. We hope every single person who has suspected or seen child sex crimes or cover ups – no matter how old, small or seemingly insignificant – will call independent, experienced sources of help, not church officials. And we hope every single survivor of these crimes and cover ups will overcome their fears, break their silence, expose the wrongdoers and help protect the children.
What else?
Let’s redouble our efforts to oust Fr. Joseph Jeyapaul, the convicted predator whose suspension from ministry was just overturned by Vatican officials and who is due back on the job soon.
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