Clergy abuse survivors to hold press conference discussing Diocese of Yakima whistleblower documents
Survivors are urged to continue calling AG’s clergy abuse hotline at 833-952-6277
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 15, 2024
CONTACT:
Tim Law
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) Board Member
timalaw@aol.com
206-412-0165
Mary Dispenza
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Northwest Director
Catholic Accountability Project Founding Member
425-941-6001
mcdispenza@comcast.net
When: Tuesday, July 16th, 10:00am
Where: St. Paul Cathedral, 15 S 12th Ave, Yakima WA 98902
Who: Survivors of clergy sexual abuse, members of the Catholic Accountability Project (CAP), Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)
What: A press conference with survivors of clergy abuse and advocates discussing Catholic Church whistleblower documents provided to Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office - citing specific examples and documents from those provided by Yakima diocese whistleblowers
Why: On Thursday, July 11th, clergy abuse survivors and advocates dropped off around 7,500 pages of abuse-related documents from Catholic Church whistleblowers to Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Seattle office. The documents contain evidence of clergy abuse and cover-up involving bishops from all three Washington State dioceses, including the Diocese of Yakima.
When Attorney General Ferguson announced his official investigation into clergy sexual abuse on May 9th, he promised to follow the evidence wherever it leads and pledged to protect whistleblowers who come forward with documents and evidence.
Though Judge Michael Scott denied Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s petition to compel the Archdiocese of Seattle to cooperate with subpoenas from his office concerning abuse-related documents last Friday, Ferguson immediately vowed to continue fighting for clergy abuse survivors by appealing the decision, saying “Washingtonians deserve a full public accounting of the Church’s involvement and responsibility for the child sexual abuse crisis.”
Outside of the courtroom, Ferguson promised survivors that his office would continue to receive phone calls from survivors, witnesses, and whistleblowers through the hotline his office initiated on May 9th.
Tim Law, a founding member of CAP said, “It is now more important than ever for survivors, their family members, and Catholics of conscience to contact Attorney General Ferguson’s office to report abuse and cover-up."
Members of CAP will encourage survivors of the Diocese of Yakima to report their abuse to the attorney general’s office and share any information that may assist Attorney General Ferguson in his investigation. They will cite specific examples and documents from those provided by Yakima diocese whistleblowers that demonstrate the depth of complicity by Yakima’s bishops and lack of accountability for their facilitation and enabling of child sex abuse.
CAP is urging victims, concerned Catholics, and whistleblowers to report their abuse, and share their experiences and concerns, as well as any other relevant documents and evidence by calling the Attorney General’s clergy abuse hotline at 833-952-6277.
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The Catholic Accountability Project (CAP) is dedicated to advocating for justice for victims of clergy sexual abuse and holding perpetrators and those who enabled them responsible for their actions. We relentlessly pursue the vision of a church free from abuse through proactive intervention by justice officials, an unequivocal end to secrecy, and an unwavering commitment to full accountability for the harm caused.