DC--Victims challenge Pope to demote bishops

Victims to leaflet at Catholic church

They challenge pope to demote bishops

SNAP: “Church officials refuse to do aggressive outreach”

So group asks parishioners to “search for wounded survivors”

“Post names of proven predators on church websites,” victims say

What:

On the cusp of Pope Francis’ first-ever visit to the US, as parishioners leave mass, abuse victims will hand out fliers urging church goers. The leaflets urges Archbishop Donald Wuerl to:

--disclose the names of other proven, admitted or credibly accused predators, and

--post all church predators’ names on his diocesan website and in church bulletins (like 30 US bishops have done).

The fliers also urge Catholic church members to

--question loved ones about these child molesting clerics (“Did any of these clerics ever hurt you?”) and

--prod anyone who has “seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes of cover ups to call law enforcement.”

WHEN

Sunday, Sept. 20 from 10:30 am until noon

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington DC

WHO

Five-six adults who were abused as kids by clerics (and their supporters) who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY

While Catholic officials pretend that the continuing clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis is waning, thousands of proven, admitted and credibly accused predator priests are living among unsuspecting neighbors with little or no supervision. (Several hundred are on sex offender registries but most are not. And most have not been defrocked.)

Some, in fact, are still in church jobs:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/09/10/pope-francis-remove-the-usas-predator-priests/

For the safety of parishioners and the public, SNAP wants Pope Francis to “defrock, demote or discipline” bishops who continue to “protect predators and endanger kids,” especially by “keeping names of child molesting clerics secret and letting them live unsupervised and move elsewhere among unsuspecting families.”

http://www.globalpost.com/content/fugitive-fathers

For more than 25 years, SNAP has repeatedly urged bishops to “aggressively seek out and help” the thousands of victims “still trapped in silence, shame and self-blame.” But bishops refuse to do anything but the most minimal moves, the group contends.

So now, SNAP is prodding rank-and-file Catholics to take this step. Specifically, the organization is asking parishioners to circulate lists of publicly accused predator priests in their dioceses and ask loved ones if any of them were hurt by any of the priests. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

SNAP also wants church-goers to push bishops to post these names on church websites. More than two dozen prelates have done this (almost always under pressure): http://bishop-accountability.org/member/psearch.jsp 

According to BishopAccountability.org (an independent on-line archive of the church abuse and cover up crisis), the publicly accused child molesting clerics in the DC archdiocese are: Francis Benham, Raymond Callahan, Thomas C. Chleboski, Jr., Aaron Joseph Cote, Phillip DeRea, Russell L. Dillard, R. Joseph Dooley, James Aubrey Finan

Edward T. Hartel, Paul E. Lavin, Peter M. McCutcheon, Matthew Miles, Arthur J. O’Brien, Garrett Orr, Robert Joseph Petrella, James J. Powderly, Edward B. Pritchard, Thomas S. Schaefer, Michael Schapfel, Joseph Skelton, Jr., Timothy Slevin, Alphonsus M. Smith, Dan Paul Stallings, George A. Stallings, Jr., William McSherry Stock, William J. Walsh and William C. Wert.

SNAP believes this is only a small fraction of the actual number of child molesting clerics who have worked or lived in the District.

CONTACT

Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org, Becky Ianni 703-801-6044, SNAPvirginia@cox.net,

David Clohessy 314-566-9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747 bblaine@SNAPnetwork.org,