National & International RELIGION REPORT

March 6, 1995

Vol.9, # 6

Victims of clergy abuse urged a panel of Catholic bishops to turn over suspected pedophiles to police and stop trying to handle matters themselves.

"Bishops shouldn't be doing the investigation of criminals," said Barbara Blaine of SNAP, the Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.

SNAP also asked that every U.S. bishop give them names of abusive priests who pleaded guilty or were permanently removed from ministry, according to Religion News Service.

The group reportedly maintains a database of more than 550 abusive priests. culled from court records, media reports, and its 2,100 members. ...It was the first time representatives of SNAP met with the seven-member sexual abuse panel, which reviews policy on clergy misconduct for the nation's 185 Catholic dioceses.

The panel took no action on the SNAP requests.

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