FL--Predator MN priest now in Florida; Victims respond
For immediate release: Sunday, May 8, 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])
A serial predator priest who was found guilty of abuse by a Minnesota jury has quietly moved to Florida where he at least once visited a St. Petersburg area parish.
This is an outrage. It shows that despite decades of pledges and promises, Catholic bishops continue to do be secretive and reckless about their thousands of child molesting clerics.
St. Pete Bishop Robert Lynch (727-344-1611, [email protected]) and Minnesota Archbishop Bernard Hebda should aggressively reach out to anyone who may have been hurt by Fr. Kapoun. They should use church bulletins, parish websites and pulpit announcements to beg those with information or suspicions about Fr. Kapoun to call police. We believe he can be prosecuted, convicted and jailed, which will safeguard kids and prevent horrific devastation to young lives.
And we believe that Catholic officials in both cities have a duty to make this happen.
Hebda should insist that Fr. Kapoun immediately move to a remote, secure, independent treatment center so kids can be safer. Or Hebda should end all financial support for this dangerous predator.
Lynch should insist that warnings about Fr. Kapoun be read aloud at every mass in the diocese for a month. He should also demote everyone at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Palmetto who played a role in letting this repeat sex offender cleric come to that parish or who kept it secret.
No matter what church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
Lynch’s PR team includes Maria R. Mertens ([email protected]) and Michael J. Tkacik.
Hebda’s PR team includes Eileen Bock ([email protected]) and Tom Halden (651-291-4525, [email protected]).
(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])
The Polka Padre and His Troubling Past
Published: Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 11:15 a.m. - Last Modified: Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 11:15 a.m.
PALMETTO — He was known as the Polka Padre, and parishioners across the state of Minnesota couldn’t get enough of his accordion during church services. He was so popular he even put out an album and had his own billboard.
But there was more to Father Robert Kapoun than most people knew, a much darker side, a side that if you read through the allegations in hundreds of pages of court documents is abhorrent.
By 1995, at least six men claimed Kapoun sexually assaulted them between 1966 and ‘81 when they were boys. Kapoun admitted . . .
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
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