CA--LA predator priests settle
For immediate release: Monday, March 28
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
Cases against two ex-LA child molesting Catholic clerics have just settled.
One of them was allowed to keep working for years – until 2014 - after having been credibly accused of abusing a child. The other is a now-defrocked cleric whose crimes in southern California resulted in more than $3 million in settlements.
Two sets of Catholic officials - the Chicago-based Carmelite religious order and Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley - have never explained why they let Brother Damien (“Patrick”) P. Chong quietly work at a Massachusetts mall, despite the admission, at least a year earlier, by Catholic officials that Br. Chong was “credibly accused” of child sex crimes.
Fr. Richard T. Coughlin went from Boston to the Diocese of Orange and set up the All American Boys Chorus. The Los Angeles Archdiocese admits at least six have accused him of abuse, according to BishopAccountability.org
Between the 1960s and 1980s, he worked at St. Anthony Claret Church Anaheim, St. John the Baptist Church in Costa Mesa, St. Michael Norbertine in Orange and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Santa Ana.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Brother Chong worked at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino and Mt. Carmel High School in Los Angeles.
(Photos of and more information about both men are available at BishopAccountability.org)
We hope these settlements will provide some comfort to the victims of these predators and will encourage others who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes to come forward, expose predators, protect kids, deter cover ups and start healing.
We also hope that this settlement will focus attention on the Catholic hierarchy’s continuing recklessness, callousness and deceit.
Shame on Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and every Catholic official who knew about these settlements and kept quiet. These settlements happened only because victims were brave enough to come forward and smart enough to seek justice in court. And we know of these settlements only because their attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, was compassionate enough to announce them (knowing this would help bring comfort and closure to others who were hurt by Chong and Coughlin).
Remember these settlements – and who disclosed them – the next time someone claims that Catholic officials are “open” and “transparent” about clergy sex crimes and cover ups these days. It’s just not true.
Catholics and citizens must continue to rely on courageous victims, determined journalists and our secular justice system to warn parents, police, prosecutors, parishioners and the public about known, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics.
(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