Dear Bishop Brom:
 

We, the members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) are deeply troubled by recent legal maneuvers by your colleagues, including LA’s Cardinal Mahony, who recently decided to fight to overturn California's new child protection law in San Diego Federal Court. This law has allowed molestation victims to expose their perpetrators and protect children by opening the civil justice system to them, just like other victims of sex crimes.
 

As you know, many child molesters were immune from legal actions; some perpetrators remained undetected in positions of authority and trust (teachers, coaches, Scout leaders, and ministers) and continued to abuse. 

Thanks to this new law, dozens of wounded men and women have found hope and healing. Dozens of dangerous men have been exposed and removed. Who knows how many kids have been spared lifetimes of anguish?
We are urging you to do two things:
     -Publicly denounce these hard ball legal maneuvers. 
     -Pledge to victims of abuse that you will not fight California’s new    child protection law.

Sadly, your colleagues' attempts to overturn the new child sex abuse law are not only endanger the safety of Catholic kids, but now all children in California.  We urge you to publicly embrace this new law as a key mechanism, which can help keep youngsters safe.

In the interest of protecting children, we believe Cardinal Mahony and the Davenport Diocese should withdraw their legal challenge to overturn this new child abuse law. Your colleagues are sending a terrible message to sexual abuse survivors, and Catholics across California, that bishops are more concerned with legal maneuvering and overturning a strong public mandate instead of working with survivors to provide prevention, justice and healing.   Surely, this is not the message you want to send to sex abuse victims, Catholics and the citizens of California.
 

Please stand up and do the right thing - please insist that your colleagues drop their attack on the new child sex abuse law.  It’s time that all bishops follow the law rather than fight it to keep crimes hidden and children vulnerable to abuse.
 

Sincerely,
 

Dr. Jaime Romo
San Diego SNAP Leader
(760) 519-0823
 The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
www.SNAPnetwork.org