TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by priests
For immediate release, Friday, August 19, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy, Director, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) 314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
San Antonio’s archbishop is letting a priest who was suspended for sexual misconduct quietly work in his archdiocese. He should reverse this reckless decision.
Last year, Fr. Marco Mercado was stopped from working in the Chicago archdiocese because of “an inappropriate adult relationship.” These are the words used by Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich. Note he didn’t say “ALLEGED relationship.” Nor did he say “one time incident.” http://www.archchicago.org/
This was, we strongly suspect, a repeated series of selfish, hurtful violations of a vulnerable young person, one who was likely taught since birth to revere and trust priests. And every sexual contact between a Catholic cleric and a Catholic parishioner is, by definition, improper and unhealthy, in part because of the huge power differential between the two.
Cupich and San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller are doing what bishops have done for decades: splitting hairs and making excuses instead of protecting parishioners.
García-Siller, who was a bishop in Chicago, is putting his flock in harm’s way. He is protecting a colleague’s career and pretending to have “investigated” when we strongly suspect he hasn’t even contacted Fr. Mercado’s victim.
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