Victims Blast Catholic Officials over New Ruling

SNAP
November 12, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mo_victims_blast_catholic_officials_over_new_ruling

[Kansas City Star]

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, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

An appeals court says a clergy sex abuse and cover up suit against a Kansas City Catholic bishop and priest must be tossed out because the alleged crimes did not happen directly on church property.

Congratulations again to Bishop Robert Finn for successfully finding and using another legal loophole to keep the cover ups of Fr. Michael Tierney's crimes covered up.

The "take away" is frightening here: Elementary teachers should molest students while parked on the street, not in the school lot. Middle school coaches should molest their players after "away" games, not "home" games. And ministers should molest their flocks on retreats, not in the church itself.

It's hard to know what's more outrageous: that secular officials permit this loophole or that allegedly religious officials exploit this loophole.

The 1997 Missouri Supreme Court ruling - Gibson v. Brewer - on which part of today's ruling is based, will not stand. Catholic officials will, however, exploit it as long as they possibly can.

The only real question is whether our justice system will fix it quickly or slowly. Let's hope it doesn't take the rape of a judge's daughter or a lawmaker's son to get this remedied so that those who commit and conceal heinous crimes against kids