SNAP Applauds Lawsuit Filed against Diocese of Vancouver

By Barbara Dorris
SNAP
December 14, 2012

http://www.snapnetwork.org/can_snap_applauds_lawsuit_filed_against_diocese_of_vancouver

An Arizona woman has filed a lawsuit against a priest from the Diocese of Vancouver for sexual abuse that occurred in the 1980’s.

We applaud Kathleen Taylor for coming forward with her claims. By going public, she is doing her part to keep kids in Vancouver safe. We hope that her story will encourage others who saw, suspected, or suffered child sex crimes to come forward and make a report to police.

While we are glad that the Diocese is not disputing Taylor’s report, we are offended by their characterization that her report involved “an inappropriate sexual relationship.” Child sex abuse is in no way a relationship. It is exploitative, harmful, and unhealthy. Even if a victim had been adult, sexual contact with a priest – someone who is supposedly God’s envoy on earth – involves an inherent power imbalance that undermines it and prevents it from being a true relationship. We hope that the Diocese of Vancouver will avoid using such inaccurate and hurtful language in the future.