UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 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 are upset that a convicted child molester was beaten to death in an Argentine church. Violence is never the answer.
[Inquirer]
But we’re also upset that Marcelo Fabian Pecollo was working in the church to begin with. We believe it’s reckless and callous for church officials to employ or host convicted child molesters, especially when they’re apt to be up on the altar or in front of congregants – places of prominence that likely rub even more salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of victims and their loved ones. Very rarely, it’s also reckless for the safety of the molester himself.
Criminals who have completed their sentences should not go hungry or jobless. But they should not be given positions of respect or power, especially in churches. Too often, predators use positions like this to gain legitimacy and build trust, especially with trusting parents. Then, they often assault innocent kids or vulnerable adults.
No matter what happens in this case, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
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