Media Statements

For immediate release: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 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])

We are glad that a Baptist youth pastor has been arrested and allegedly admitted child sex crimes. But we’re disappointed in how his supervisors and colleagues are responding and call on them to work aggressively to help law enforcement prosecute the offender and find and help his victims.

 http://www.mailtribune.com/news/20161205/former-ashland-pastor-faces-sex-abuse-charges

For immediate release: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016

For more information: David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003cell, [email protected])

Two accused church officials quietly move

One still works for an institution training priests

Victims’ blast “reckless secrecy” of Saginaw’ Catholic bishop

Investigation showed cleric “sexually harassed” a then-22 year old

Lawsuit says church official accused victim of seducing older priest 

Two defendants in a civil abuse and cover up lawsuit involving a Saginaw priest have apparently moved out of state. A victims group is blasting the priest’s supervisor for “doing what bishops have done for decades: letting alleged wrongdoers quietly move away after being accused and work again among unsuspecting and vulnerable families.”

One of the accused, Trudy McCaffrey, still works for the church in Irene, South Dakota where she’s a "spiritual director" for Broom Tree Retreat, cultivating new priests. The other defendant, the alleged predator in the case, Father Denis Heames, now works for a San Diego California lawyer.

https://m.facebook.com/InstituteforPriestlyFormation/posts/128704013975273

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-heames-9a9736122

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 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])

We’re thrilled for Andrea Constand and all victims of sexual violence, many of whom will no doubt feel some sense of relief and vindication at a decision today in the Bill Cosby case. A judge ruled that a 2005 deposition in which  Cosby “admits to extramarital affairs and giving other women drugs with their consent so they'd have sex with him can be used by attorneys in a criminal case against him,” according to CNN.

Thousands of predators have exploited legal technicalities and maneuvers to suppress evidence against themselves. We’re grateful this one offender no longer can.

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis Missouri, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])

We are deeply skeptical of Catholic church abuse victim pay out plans like the one just adopted by Swiss bishops.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/reparations_victims--fund-available-to-catholic-church-abuse-victims/42730666

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 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])

We are disappointed but not surprised that a criminal investigation into an accused predator priest has ended without formal charges. We doubt, however, that he has “convinced police he’s innocent.” (We suspect police simply lack adequate proof to move forward, which of course does NOT mean the accused is innocent.)

And we’re highly skeptical of Catholic officials that they’ll do some kind of “internal investigation” into the cleric. In our experience, such probes are usually “whitewashes” done largely for public relations purposes.

http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/7003292-peterborough-priest-cleared-of-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct-diocese/

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 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])

We are disappointed that Pope Francis has promoted two Baltimore Catholic officials to become assistant bishops. We would be more optimistic had he chosen clerics from outside the archdiocese and especially had he elevated priests who’ve shown some leadership in ensuring the safety of children.

http://www.catholicreview.org/article/news/pope-francis-appoints-two-auxiliary-bishops-for-baltimore-monsignors-mark-brennan-and-adam-parker

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 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 trial has ended and a judge is pondering the fate of an accused sex offender priest. Now is not the time for complacency. We beg Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates, his staff, and all church staff and parishioners to aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Fr. Paul Monahan – or might have information disproving the allegations, who worked at seven locations throughout the state.

http://blog.dmdiocese.org/posts/diocese-awaits-verdict.cfm

Now more than ever, it’s crucial that those who may have seen, suspected or suffered any of this cleric’s crimes or misdeeds come forward to police.

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 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])

For the second time in days, Vatican officials have been caught endangering kids by putting or keeping credibly accused child molesters on the job, this time in Newark, New Jersey. In this alarming case, Newark’s abuse panel – made up mostly of lay people – and perhaps a dozen or more current and former Newark priests are implicated too, because they knew about glaring recklessness and kept silent about it.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/12/priest_in_child_porn_case_had_prior_sex_abuse_alle.html

For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 1, 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])

The recklessness of Vatican officials, including Pope Francis, has evidently enabled a predator priest to sexually assault more kids by just moving elsewhere. This increasingly well-documented trend – more and more child molesting clerics simply going abroad in search of fresh victims – is one of the most troubling and virtually unaddressed aspects of the church’s child sex abuse and cover up crisis. It’s also breathtakingly irresponsible.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/victim-advocates-pope-told-of-priest-arrested-in-argentina/2016/12/01/65809e60-b7f8-11e6-939c-91749443c5e5_story.html?utm_term=.31de4ef5d5de

For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 1, 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])

We are deeply troubled that Stockton Catholic officials are putting a suspended, accused predator priest back on the job. This is a very reckless and callous move.

After a year of being suspended, Bishop Stephen Blaire is restoring Fr. Editho Mascardo to ministry. Blaire has been very secretive about the accusations from the outset. He claims his hand-picked abuse panel “did not conclude that sexual abuse occurred.”