Four more accused priests were in KC
Four more accused priests were in KC
One is still working in the church today
Victims want local bishop to ‘out abusive clerics’
They also want non-profit agency re-named
It honors KC bishop who oversaw most abuse
WHEN
Friday, January 18 at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE
On the sidewalk outside the KC Catholic headquarters (“chancery office”), 20 West 9th Street (at Baltimore) in downtown Kansas City, MO
WHO
Three-four concerned KC area Catholics along with two-three victims of clergy sexual abuse who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
WHY
1__Now-deceased Bishop John J. Sullivan presided over the KC MO diocese longer than any prelate (16 years, from 1977 to1993) including the period in which most clergy sex crimes appear to have been committed (including most of those by KC’s three most prolific predators: Msgr. Thomas J. O’Brien, Msgr. Thomas M. Reardon and Fr. Hugh F. Monahan).
A non-profit that helps the poor is named after Sullivan – the Bishop Sullivan Center (816 231 0984, Chanelle.Zak@bishopsullivan.org,https://www.bishopsullivan.org/)
SNAP wants the group to change its name because it says “honoring wrongdoers makes already suffering abuse victims suffer more, and that makes them less apt to speak up in the future, thus endangering more kids.” It also “makes witnesses and whistle blowers more apt to stay silent. ‘Why stick my neck out,’ they ask themselves, ‘when even those who are clearly guilty are still held out as model clerics by the church hierarchy?’"
When those who commit or conceal child sex crimes in the church retain their power or prestige, SNAP says the signal Catholic employees get is: "We say we take abuse seriously, but we really don't. We care more about our colleagues and superiors than we do about victims and parishioners."
While the survivors' group recognizes that The Bishop Sullivan Center is a separate entity from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, with a separate board of directors, Catholic officials are not powerless to object to the name. If a non-profit pro-abortion group wanted to call itself "The Bishop James Johnston Center," the diocese would certainly express opposition. If a parish or pastor set up a "Gloria Steinam Scholarship Fund," again, the bishop would holler loudly.
Even if Bishop Johnston does not have direct authority over an institution, he has a powerful bully pulpit and dozens of parish websites. He could publicly and powerfully call on the center and the parish to show some sensitivity and re-name these or other programs, buildings or entities named after child molesting clerics.
The Center has two locations in MO (6435 Truman Road and 3936 Troost Ave.) and one in KS (2200 Central Ave.)
2) Dozens of US bishops have revealed, or pledged to reveal, names of clerics where the allegations against them have been found to be "credible" or "substantiated." SNAP wants KC MO Bishop James Johnston do to the same immediately. The bishop says he wants to wait until a probe byMissouri’s attorney general is finished. But that’s “irresponsible” SNAP says because “every day a single predator is hidden, kids are at risk.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/us/catholic-priests-sexual-abuse-lists.html
3) In recent weeks, news media elsewhere have reported that four "credibly accused" priests also worked in the KC area. One appears to be still on the job.
-- Fr. Deusdedit Mulokozi (a.k.a. Fr. Deo) who belongs to a KC MO-based Catholic religious order called Missionaries of the Precious Blood. The priest was accused in Sedalia and expelled from the Jefferson City diocese. His order then relocated him to Liberty. However, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood decided Fr. Mulokozi didn’t pose a threat to children and as far as SNAP know he is still working now in churches in Africa.
Barbara Blaine, founder of SNAP, passed away on Sunday, September 24th, 2017. Her dying was sudden and completely unexpected. Words cannot express our sorrow nor are there words to express our gratitude for her relentless advocacy. She truly was a hero. There is an old saying, “well behaved women seldom make history”. Barbara made history and the world is a better place.
We have put together a tribute for Barbara Blaine to honor her memory. If you would like to contribute a memory, please send your favorite memory of Barbara to admin@snapnetwork.org
50 State AG Call for Grand Jury
Write a letter to the attorney general of your state. Demand, request, and beg them to impanel a grand jury.
Any investigation must be:
- independent of and separate from the church
- must have subpoena powers and ability to compel testimony under oath
Anything short of these criteria is a sham and whitewash.
In addition, write letters to the editor, make phone calls to politicians as they can apply pressure to keep them responsive to our demand. We need to make efforts to ensure that they follow up on what the state is doing to investigate these crimes.
The Attorneys General of forty states have inquired about the grand jury process in Pennsylvania. Let's get statewide investigations going in fifty states.
Current list of active investigations, associated hotlines, websites, and email addresses
Survivors can use to report their experiences.
Note to Letter Writers
Use your own words and style of writing. Cut and paste from the templates as you wish. Include your experiences, whether as a survivor or as a member of the community. And relate your letter to the state you were abused in or state now living in.
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