Vatican defrocks notorious predator priest; Sex abuse victims respond

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell)

The defrocking of this notorious predator will hopefully bring some comfort for those deeply wounded men he sexually assaulted as children. It does not, however, relieve the Catholic hierarchy of its moral duty to do everything possible to find and help more victims, and to urge those with information about Aguilar-Rivera's crimes to call police.

Kids are safer when pedophiles are jailed, not just defrocked. We are confident that Aguilar-Rivera has molested recently enough that he could still face criminal prosecution. So we urge anyone who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes to call law enforcement immediately. That's the best way to safeguard the vulnerable from this dangerous sex offender.

We also urge Catholic bishops - especiallyCardinal Mahony of Los Angeles and Cardinal Rivera of Mexico City - to use their considerable resources to aggressively reach out to others who've been hurt by Aguilar-Rivera, instead of passively sitting behind their large desks in their comfortable offices and hiding behind spokesmen and lawyers. These prelates know the right thing to do: follow Jesus' example in the parable of the lost sheep, and use parish bulletins, diocesan newspapers and church employees, to beg other victims to step forward, get help, and start healing.

Had church officials showed even the slightest concern for children's safety, Aguilar-Rivera would have been locked up years ago and perhaps dozens of kids would have been spared unspeakable agony. Sadly, this can't be un-done now. But church authorities can start to act like compassionate shepherds instead of cold-hearted CEOs. They can do more to help police and prosecutors pursue Aguilar-Rivera. We're not confident they will do this. Unless they take this action, however, their promises about their alleged 'reform' will continue to ring hollow

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 21 years and have more than 9,000 members across the country. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers.

Our website is SNAPnetwork.org. Contact David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, 314-645-5915 home), Peter Isely (414-429-7259) Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688), Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434)