AZ--Hearing today for ex-priest accused of murder
For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])
We are disappointed that an accused murderer and ex-priest is fighting extradition to Texas from Phoenix. We hope his bid to keep evading justice fails and that the court system moves quickly to try him.
And we’re disappointed that his long-time former Catholic colleagues are apparently doing nothing to persuade him to face justice or to help law enforcement prosecute him. For more than a half century, John Feit has been the sole suspect in the murder of Irene Garza.
Feit lives in Arizona, lived in Missouri, and worked in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Now, Catholic officials in all five states have a moral and civic duty to prod other witnesses to step forward. We fear he may have hurt young women in New Mexico and Arizona too.
So we hope that Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester, P hoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller (where Feit went to seminary), and church staff in the Springfield MO diocese (where there is no bishop now) will use personal appeals, parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements to beg others with information or suspicions about Feit to call law enforcement immediately. Now is no time for Catholic officials to act powerless or for citizens to be complacent. No shred of evidence – no matter how small, old or seemingly insignificant – should be withheld from police and prosecutors.
Finally, we reiterate our hope that Fiet’s arrest brings some hope to Irene Garza's brave and devoted family. We applaud them for their persistence and patience. And we hope that anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy crimes or misdeeds by Feit – or cover ups by his church supervisors will call police, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_07_13_Dunklin_ConvictedPriest_John_Feit_2.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/05_06/2007_05_30_Tuchman_TuchmanRetired.htm
http://www.snapnetwork.org/tx_victims_prod_da_to_charge_priest_in_unsolved_murder
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. 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, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment