Media Statements

The first child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit has been filed against a high-profile Chicago priest who had access to thousands of already-vulnerable children.

A Kansas priest who was accused of abusing a teen-aged girl  had his trial end today in a hung jury. We hope that prosecutors will try this case again and continue working to keep children in Kansas safe from abuse.

Today, compensation programs for survivors of clergy abuse in the Catholic have officially begun in six California dioceses. We hope that survivors will weigh their options closely when evaluating this option, especially given that newly passed legislation could result in other opportunities.

Vatican officials may be investigating Cincinnati’s top Catholic official, but regardless of what Vatican officials do, we believe church officials in the US should act now to remove one of Cincinnati’s bishops from a key national committee.

We are victims of predatory priests, working to safeguard the vulnerable, heal the wounded expose the truth, and stop current and future cover-ups of horrific crimes against kids. We belong to a support group called SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). 

Here are at least five publicly accused predator priests who are ‘under the radar’ in central Wisconsin. They have been publicly exposed for child sex crimes elsewhere, spent time in the LaCrosse diocese, but are virtually unknown here. They are:

A bill that will support California survivors of child sexual abuse and help protect today's children has just passed in the California Assembly. It now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. We applaud California lawmakers for passing this bill and hope that the governor will sign it immediately.

Missouri’s top law enforcement official today released a report into clergy abuse in Missouri. The report released by A.G. Schmitt falls dramatically short of efforts by attorneys general in states like Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Tomorrow, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt will release his so-called report on clergy sex crimes and cover ups at a St. Louis news conference. This whitewash is precisely what we predicted and feared: apparently no subpoenas issued, no hearings held, no hotlines established, and no experts consulted.

A diocese in New York is filing for bankruptcy in order to avoid the repercussions of years of clergy sexual abuse and cover-up that are now being litigated thanks to the Child Victims Act. We believe this move by church officials is not about protecting church assets, but rather about protecting their secrets.

A Queens pastor and Vicar General for three bishops who was tasked with investigating cases of sexual abuse has himself been accused of sexual abuse. We are grateful to the victim for coming forward and exposing this apparent “fox in the henhouse” situation.