VIRGINIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
We’re disappointed in the Vatican’s choice for Arlington’s new bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, North Carolina (who replaces Bishop Paul S. Loverde). Burbidge has shown no leadership whatsoever in the church’s continuing child sex abuse and cover up crisis.
In 2013, Burbidge ignored us when we begged him to warn his flock about Fr. Raymond Melville, a credibly accused predator priest from Maine who now lives in North Carolina.
[SNAP]
Just last year, Burbidge tried to deny a child sex abuse victim his day in court.
[SNAP]
Thirty US bishops have posted predators’ names on church websites. Burbidge refuses to take this simple, inexpensive, common sense step to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.
Often, when a Catholic official retires and is replaced, many parishioners and parents assume the new guy will be better than the old guy when it comes to children’s safety. That’s a reckless assumption. Complacency endangers kids. Continued vigilance protects kids.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.