Media Statements

One of the most common refrains that is heard when new stories come out regarding abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic clergy is that “these cases are decades old, the bad priests have been identified, and the abuse crisis is over.” In reality, abuse and cover-up remains a problem within the church today as this article detailing abuse from 2017 in Buffalo demonstrates.

(For Immediate Release March 28, 2022) 

Indigenous leaders and survivors from residential schools in Canada meet Pope Francis

We stand with our indigenous brothers and sisters across North America who experienced cultural erasure, human rights violations, and the abuse of their bodies and souls at the hands of government officials and Church leaders. This week, many of them will meet with Pope Francis.

“While the time for acknowledgement, apology and atonement is long overdue, it is never too late to do the right thing,” Cassidy Caron, president of the Metis National Council, told reporters in St. Peter’s Square after the audience.

Francis has set aside several hours this week to meet privately with the delegations from the Metis and Inuit on Monday, and First Nations on Thursday, with a mental health counselor in the room for each session. The delegates then gather Friday as a group for a more formal audience, with Francis delivering an address.

We echo the words of Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami “Primarily the reconciliation requires action. And we still are in need of very specific actions from the Catholic Church.”

(For Immediate Release March 25, 2022)

Former Albany Bishop Hubbard’s deposition reveals decades of cover-up and negligence, SNAP Responds

Last Friday, a former Albany bishop’s secrets were revealed after a previous deposition was unsealed, and now parishioners and the public know concretely that their former bishop was actively involved in covering up abuse. We hope this news will encourage law enforcement to look into this situation and prosecute any crimes that were committed.

According to news outlet WNYT in Albany, between 1977 and 2002, former Bishop Howard Hubbard said he received reports about 11 priests who were accused of sexually assaulting children. Some of those priests were sent for treatment and then allowed to return to the ministry without the public's knowledge. When asked why he did not contact the police, Hubbard answered, "Because I am not a mandated reporter." He says he wanted to avoid scandal and out of respect for the priesthood. Hubbard has also faced allegations of sexually abusing children but denies it ever happened. He retired in 2014.

Bishop Hubbard was the Bishop of the Diocese of Albany, New York for nearly 40 years. We can only wonder if there were other cases that were hidden during this time. Given the clear nature of public interest and safety, we applaud the decision of the court to release the deposition transcripts, it has given the power back where it belongs, in the hands of victims of child sexual abuse. To us, it sends a message to institutions such as the Catholic church and the hierarchy that they will be exposed when they decide to protect their reputation rather than protect the vulnerable. 

(For Immediate Release March 23, 2022) 

Rhode Island House Judiciary takes the first step to eliminate the civil SOL with HB 7409

Critical legislation that will better protect children and provide support for victims of sexual abuse will be heard during a meeting of the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, March 24, 2022. 

Sponsored by Rep. Carol McEntee, HB 7409 is a bill that will eliminate the civil SOL for childhood sexual abuse for both perpetrators and organizations who protected them and would make eligible previously time-barred actions. This is the first step in a long process in the legislature. 

We are especially grateful to SNAP Leader Ann Hagan Webb, a powerful speaker, advocate, and survivor whose efforts are central to this bill. Ann’s willingness to share her story of abuse publicly and work with survivors and legislators is critical to building momentum for this reform and we applaud her efforts.

More than twenty states and three U.S. Territories have revived expired civil statutes of limitation in cases of child sex crimes to be better in line with medical facts like delayed disclosure. Now, Rhode Island will have an opportunity of its own to start these important changes.

Kathryn Robb, Esq. of Child USAdvocacy, Anne Barrett Doyle from Bishop Accountability, Peg Langhammer from DayOne, Tim Conlin Esq., an attorney for many victims in Rhode Island are also slated to testify.

CONTACT:

Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected] 

Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

(For Immediate Release March 23, 2022)

Alleged rapist seminarian is now at St. Louis University

Seminarian accused of rape now at SLU

He recently lived with two former archdiocesan leaders

Bishop bizarrely claims that the alleged victim is really the perp

The same bishop, from St. Louis, also fired an investigator

SNAP to leaflet students warning of 20 SLU accused predators

Group wants SLU to post names of predators who worked here

WHAT: Handing out leaflets and holding signs, clergy abuse victims will warn St. Louis University students and staff about a seminarian who allegedly raped, assaulted, and spread defamatory rumors about a young man in 2019. The accused now attends the university and faces a recently filed civil lawsuit.

Victims will also prod SLU officials to post on their website the names of credibly accused child molesting clerics (like the archdiocese does). Their leaflet will name at least 15 priests who have been publicly accused of abuse and have lived or worked at SLU.

For immediate release: March 23, 2022

On Friday, March 18, 2022, the Diocese of Sacramento quietly announced on its website that a clergyman had been removed for sexual misconduct. According to the statement, the cleric was also asked to return to his order, the Missionary Society of the Philippines, on the 18th. We find this development both disturbing and frustrating.

 The Sacramento Diocese was apparently notified on March 8^th that Fr. Percy Singco, Parochial Administrator of St. Patrick Parish in Weaverville, was accused of “inappropriate conduct with an adult woman.” The priest was removed from ministry two days later, “pending the outcome of an investigation.” As far as we can tell, there was neither an announcement of the complaint nor of the suspension, nor was there any outreach to parishioners at St. Patrick or at any other facility in the Diocese where Fr. Singco may have been assigned.

 The investigation appears to have been concluded in record time, and the clergyman was found to have “violated diocesan policy regarding clergy conduct.” Fr. Singco had his faculties in the Diocese removed, and has since presumably returned to the Philippines. Yet five days after the very low-key announcement of this development, the priest has not been added to Sacramento’s list of abusers, despite the fact that the Diocese includes clergy who have abused adults.

The Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is calling out the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio for allowing a donation by a former student, Edward Speed, to honor a credibly accused clergy. Mr. Speed stated that Fr. Galeb Mokarzel, OMI, along with 7 other Oblates were instrumental in his “formation as an Oblate seminarian.” This public announcement on the Oblate School of Theology’s website is an egregious attack and revictimization of survivors of clergy abuse.

The Oblates of Mary Immaculate and Mr. Speed is aware of the names on the San Antonio list of accused, making this action inexcusable. As reported by Bishop Accountability, Mokarzel is on two Catholic Dioceses’ accused clergy lists:  the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the Diocese of San Angelo. One survivor of abuse by Mokarzel was also a seminary student but his life was destroyed by a man who stalked and violently assaulted him throughout his seminary time, for nearly ten years. The survivor reported his abuse to the Oblates and to the San Antonio Archdiocese in November 2019.

A Franciscan friar, David Morrier, received five years’ probation and to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life on sex crimes that took place when he was at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

 Although he got five years probation, Morrier is now in jail because he is no longer allowed to stay at the Granard Parkway location under house arrest wearing an ankle monitor.   

 https://www.heraldstaronline.com/news/local-news/2022/03/morrier-is-booked-into-jail/?fbclid=IwAR2dL0SCBFRdLL2sCJxW373ICqcrpH4W3MItF9d8ERzFFbkU4IjCFOtyjNE

He also belonged to the Franciscans out of Loretto, PA, So SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,  is concerned there might be more victims of Morrier in that area.

We urge anyone who may have been harmed by him to come forward and contact law enforcement.

For Immediate Release March 18, 2022

Catholic school teacher James Falletti was arrested on Monday. The Elmwood Park police began investigating the teacher last August after receiving a complaint that Falletti had sexually assaulted a child on June 8, 2017, at St. Leo’s Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Newark. The young victim told police that he was at an after-school program taking care of animals in the teacher’s classroom when Falletti showed him a pornographic video and then assaulted him “in the back of the classroom.”

The married Falletti taught science and world languages for almost seven years at St. Leo's, beginning in 2010. The teacher left St. Leo's for Corpus Christi Catholic School in Hasbrouck Heights in July 2017 -- the month after the child sex assault was said to have occurred. Also according to his resume, Falleti worked at Corpus Christi for at least 4 years and nine months. NJ Advance Media reported that the teacher was still listed as a faculty member at the school on March 16, 2022.

(For Immediate Release March 17, 2022)

In Worcester, Massachusetts, the food assistance director at St. John's Catholic Church, Billy Riley, was placed on administrative leave last week over accusations that he made women who utilized the food pantry trade sex for his assistance. A complaint against Riley was filed with the victim assistance coordinator for the Diocese of Worcester on March 11. In response, the Diocese removed Riley from his position and also stated that a third party will investigate the accusation on behalf of the Church.

The group Living in Freedom Together (LIFT), a Worcester organization that helps people leave the sex trade, said in a statement that it has been "common knowledge" for years that abuse had been going on at the food pantry. LIFT also said complaints about it had been made to St. John's leadership, including Father John Madden, in the past.

According to LIFT's statement, the Diocese responded that they "could not act" on the complaints because they contained "second and third hand" information. For the Church to willfully dismiss reports of the exploitation of women with multiple vulnerabilities can only be called evil. We challenge Bishop Robert McManus to explain why a probe into these "second and third-hand reports" was not opened earlier. We would really like to understand why Riley was only put on administrative leave last week. Surely the Diocese not only had an obligation to ensure that its food pantry was safe but also had the resources to look for those who experienced or witnessed this despicable abuse?