Groups want board member ousted

• Groups want board member ousted
• He hid and minimized child sex crimes, they say
• Jesuit just resigned from one college board last week
• New church records showed he did little to stop predator
• The abuser, now imprisoned, was Mother Teresa's confessor
• Groups believe others who acted recklessly should be disciplined

WHAT:

Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, members of a support group called SNAP will

--Urge Loyola University to immediately oust a priest on its board, and

They also want Jesuit officials to

-- Post the names of all proven, admitted and credibly accused pedophile priests who worked in Chicago-land Jesuit institutions on their website

-- Actively reach out to all victims

WHEN:

TODAY, Monday, April 23 at 1:00 PM

WHERE:

Outside Loyola University, on Sheridan Road, in front of foot entrance to campus, across from L station

WHO:

Four- six individuals who are leaders of three groups; SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), VOTF (Voice of the Faithful), and CCC (Coalition of Concerned Catholics)

WHY:

Last Thursday, a Jesuit resigned under pressure from a Boston College board member. The reason: newly-revealed church documents showed that he did little or nothing to stop a notorious child molesting cleric under his supervision who went on to molest perhaps dozens of kids.

The prominent pedophile priest, Fr. Donald McGuire, was once Mother Teresa’s confessor. His one-time supervisor, Fr. Bradley Schaeffer, repeatedly refused to take decisive action to stop McGuire from molesting children.  

The shocking church records are posted at BishopAccountability.org .

When contacted by a Boston Globe reporter, Schaeffer wouldn’t answer questions about his role in the McGuire case. When the Globe story was published, Jesuit officials said they would take no disciplinary action against Schaeffer. But after a hastily-called faculty meeting and an editorial in the Boston College newspaper calling for him to step down, Schaeffer resigned on Thursday.

He remains however, on the board of trustees at several institutions, including Loyola University in Chicago. Leaders of SNAP, VOTF, and CCC are demanding his immediate ouster.

“One reason there’s so much abuse and cover up on in the church is because those people who conceal crimes are are promoted, not punished,” said Barbara Meyer, SNAP Chicago leader. “Putting and keeping clerics like Schaeffer in positions of power and prestige essentially rewards and encourages wrongdoing.”

The same long-secret church documents also reveal that Schaeffer’s predecessor - Fr. Robert Wild - and his successor - Fr. Richard Baumann – didn’t monitor McGuire and take responsible action to stop his crimes. Fr. Wild is currently serving on the Board of Trustees for Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA and University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, MI. Fr. Baumann is currently serving as a missionary in Ghana and Kenya.

The three groups also want the Jesuits to remove Fr. Wild and Fr. Baumann from any leadership positions.

McGuire, himself a Jesuit, is one of the most notorious child abusers in the church’s history. Documents obtained in civil lawsuits show that the Jesuits hid McGuire’s crimes for almost 50 years, letting him travel the world leading retreats and giving him access to vulnerable children on three continents. Despite credible abuse reports dating back to 1969, Jesuits let him to continue ministering and work as Mother Teresa’s personal confessor. McGuire is currently serving a 25 year sentence in prison.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2012/03_04/2012_04_19_Rezendes_RevSchaeffer.htm

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/docs/jesuits/McGuire_Donald/Punitive_Damages_Motion/#intro

Contact:

Barbara Blaine, SNAP President (312.399.4747, [email protected]), David Clohessy, SNAP Director (314.566.9790, [email protected])