IL--Archbishop keeps secret about “new facts” about admitted predator
For immediate release: Wednesday, May 25, 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])
Chicago’s top Catholic official refuses to tell police, prosecutors, parishioners, parents or the public about “new facts” he says his staff have uncovered about an admitted predator priest. That’s reckless and wrong.
Archbishop Blasé Cupich is being as secretive and reckless with Fr. Bruce Wellems as Cardinal Francis George was with Fr. Daniel McCormack.
Arguably, Cupich is being worse than George because Fr. Wellems is an admitted predator, while Fr. McCormack was a credibly accused predator.
We’re glad Fr. Wellems won’t be put back to work in Chicago but Catholics need and deserve to know these “new facts.” Does this mean other victims have stepped forward? Does it mean Fr. Wellems has deceived his flock? Does this mean his direct supervisors, the Claretians, have lied to local parishioners about Fr. Wellems?
Fr. Wellems admits having repeatedly sexually abused Eric Johnson when Wellems was 15 and Johnson was seven. The Chicago Archdiocese temporarily suspended Fr. Wellems but dragged their feet for months while pondering whether to let the predator priest work again in Chicago again.
When confronted about his abusive acts, Fr. Wellems attacked the messenger, saying reports of his abusive acts had “no factual basis.”
In a bizarre twist, when our group warned parents and parishioners about Fr. Wellems, he attacked us, saying we’re guilty of “poor judgment” and “victimizing the thousands of families in the parishes where I have worked.”
Now, Archbishop Cupich should hold a news conference, explain his irresponsible and secretive behavior with this admitted predator and announce this decision to keep Fr. Wellems out of ministry in Chicago.
Fr. Wellems’ backers try to spin this as a story of sin and redemption. That’s disingenuous at best and downright dangerous at worst. This is a story of crime, not sin, and of recklessness, not redemption.
Making excuses and minimizing crimes by calling them “sins” endangers children. Violating “zero tolerance” pledges by keeping admitted molester priests in ministry puts children in harm’s way.
Johnson was prevented from taking legal action against Fr. Wellems and his supervisors because of the stature of limitations.
http://www.snapnetwork.org/il--statement_by_victim_of_chicago_s_fr_wellems
We’re glad Fr. Wellems won’t be allowed to work in Chicago as a priest but we’re sad that it took months before Catholic officials made this decision. In any other institution, it would have been a “no brainer.”
We hope any families who like or trust Fr. Wellems will now try hard to keep him away from their kids. We hope others who have information or suspicions about his crimes – or cover ups by his colleagues – will step forward. We hope every single current and former Chicago church employee will spread the word and warn others about Fr. Wellems.
Back of the Yards activists and non-profits have, like Cupich and his church colleagues, repeatedly given Fr. Wellems access to kids. So we hope that these individuals and groups will do an abrupt reversal and start actively seeking out other kids who have been sexually groomed or assaulted by Fr. Wellems. That’s their civic and moral duty.
These groups include Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Cornell Square Park Advisory Council and The Resurrection Project.
No matter what else may happen with Fr. Wellems, 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.
(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