Media Statements

For Immediate Release February 8, 2022)

The recent accolades for Bishop Remi De Roo on his death at the age of 97 show a failure to truly examine his career and how he cared for the most vulnerable.

It was Bishop De Roo who gave faculties to Fr. Phil Jacobs, despite knowing that the priest had abused two young boys in Columbus, Ohio. Fr. Jacobs went on to abuse more boys in Victoria, British Columbia and was convicted for those crimes in September 2013.

In addition, in a Vancouver Sun article dated March 27, 1998, Bishop De Roo minimized the complaints of survivors at St. Michael's Residential School against Bishop Hubert O'Connor, saying "I personally cannot see that what he had done was, strictly speaking, a criminal offence." He went on to say that Bishop O'Connor was "overwhelmed by the bitterness and the slander." He concluded with, "Having given their lives to the cause of education, and worked under extremely difficult circumstances, they are now told they have betrayed [Indians]. How would you feel if you had taught all your life and then your students turned against you and said you destroyed them?"

Finally, had a victim not reported to the police in 1991, Fr. John Edward (Jack) McCann would have also become safely entrenched in the Victoria Diocese, again with Bishop De Roo's blessing. The survivor came forward when she learned that Fr. McCann had been transferred to a Catholic parish on Saltspring Island and started a youth group.

The Bishop clearly placed protecting priests and the institution above the safety of the young and vulnerable in his care. If Bishop De Roo stood up for Bishop O'Connor and gave safe haven to Fr. Jacobs and Fr. McCann, one wonders who else he protected or moved quietly during more than 35 years leading the Diocese of Victoria. Accusing victims of abuse of "bitterness and slander" does not create a safe environment for others to come forward. Was not shepherding his own flock his most important job? He is hardly a "social justice champion." It is time for @rcdvictoria to release a full list of accused clergy so that victims can know they are not alone.

 CONTACT: Leona Huggins, SNAP British Columbia, (604-240-3741, [email protected]),Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected]),  Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(For Immediate Release February 8, 2022) 

To us, Benedict’s letter is admitting to one thing to cover up a thousand. It is the same pattern of abuse, institutional knowledge, and concealment. His apology is faint, especially to a victim population that could care less what Pope Emeritus has to say. Benedict is repeating words of apology that have fallen on deaf ears for decades. To no surprise, Benedict and his advisors wish to recreate a narrative in their favor. The truth is this, it is about protecting the church’s deteriorating image and financial flow to the hierarchy. True apologies are followed by true amends, a concept the church does not seem to be able to grasp.

Despite evidence from secular authorities that Pope Benedict shuffled pedophiles, the former pope cannot do the simple thing and offer full accounting and apology. The opportunity for cleansing the report out of Munich offered has been squandered. 

The rot of clergy sexual abuse of children, sadly, runs throughout the Catholic church, to every country, and we now have incontrovertible evidence, all the way to the top.

(For Immediate Release February 4, 2022) 

On Thursday, Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Catholic diocese of Providence RI announced the removal from ministry of Fr. Francis Santilli, pastor of St. Philip’s Church in Greenville RI.

https://dioceseofprovidence.org/documents/2022/2/2022-02-03%20Statement%20from%20the%20Diocese%20of%20Providence%20on%20Rev.%20Francis%20Santilli.pdf

The bishop’s statement cites a single case “allegedly having occurred approximately 40 years ago.”

What Tobin didn't mention -- and what public documents prove -- is that the diocese has known for years of at least three other alleged victims of Santilli.

The diocese learned of two victims in 2012. That’s when a man emailed the diocese to say that Santilli had molested him 30 times as an altar boy in the early 1980s. The man said that his brother also had been a victim of the priest.

How do we know of these allegations? The diocese’s then-compliance officer reported them to the State Police in April 2012. That letter was made public in 2013, when the State Police were compelled to release a cache of 45 such letters in response to a freedom of information request by Channel 10.

Although Santilli’s name was redacted in the letter, he is able to be identified by the description of his post – “current pastor of St. Philip's Parish in Greenville RI.” The letter is posted here:

https://www.bishop-accountability.org/ri_providence/McCarthy_Letters/2012_04_17_McCarthy_to_Winquist_1791_and_0792.pdf

For immediate release: February 4, 2022

A major Catholic publishing company has been discovered to be selling books written by acknowledged child sex abusers on their website. Now, leaders of SNAP are calling for sales of those books to end and for proceeds from their sale to be donated to the survivors of the abusive authors.

TAN Books currently lists at least two books written by child sex abusers on their website; “My Daily Bread,” written by Fr. Anthony Paone and “My Meditation on the Gospel” by Fr. James E. Sullivan. Both of these men are acknowledged abusers of children and both men were publicly listed as abusers three years ago: Fr. Paone was included on the Jesuit Province list of abusers and Fr. Sullivan was included on the Diocese of Brooklyn list.

(For Immediate Release February 4, 2022) 

Another brave survivor has come to forward and now another charge has been levied against an already convicted child predator, Jon Nystrom.  One of the most aggressive and effective probes into clergy and faith abuse by the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office in conjunction with authorities in Waushara, charged Nystrom, a registered sex offender from a conviction in 2019.

Nystrom is now facing charges for a 2009 incident of sexual assault of a minor at Mount Morris camp in Waushara County. The camp is often used by religious organizations for retreats. According to reports, Nystrom was a camp counselor at the time.

It is clear and evident to us that investigation and intervention from secular authorities is the best way to root out ongoing abuse, discover historical cases, and bring healing and prevention to communities. In this case, the victim reported the assault for the first time on Attorney General Josh Kaul's website for clergy and faith leader abuse, the DOJ said. The victim had not told the church or law enforcement before. "This case is possible because of the report made by a brave survivor and the diligent work of investigators, victim service professionals, and prosecutors," Kaul said in a statement.

For immediate release: February 3, 2022

The Diocese of Camden has settled on $90 million as a final number for its compensation program, saying that the fund's size was "determined through the extensive negotiation process and analysis of previous clergy sex abuse cases." Sadly, the ultimate number that Catholic officials and their insurance company have landed on – which amounts to roughly $300,000 each for the 300 survivors -- does not come close to repairing the lifelong damage of clergy abuse.

The lifetime financial burden caused by childhood sexual abuse is estimated to be nearly $831,000 per victim. Much of that cost is passed on to taxpayers in the form of disability payments, unemployment benefits, and the like. More importantly, though, is the recognition that survivors have suffered immeasurable lifetime damage and often have to deal with issues like joblessness, mental and physical health issues, and addictions through no fault of their own. The $300,000 per victim the Diocese is offering is but a down payment on the suffering already endured.

On Monday the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento announced on its website that two clerics accused of child sexual abuse were returned to ministry. According to the statement released by Bishop Jaime Soto, both Fr. Daniel Madigan and Fr. Maurice O'Brien were cleared by the Diocese's Independent Review Board. The  Board "determined that there was not sufficient evidence to indicate abuse had occurred and recommended each priest be returned to ministry immediately." We remain concerned for the safety of parishioners and the public.

In a notice obtained by watchdog group Catholic4Change (C4C), Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez is scheduled to celebrate the funeral mass of Msgr. Phillip Dowling on Friday, February 4^th at Holy Innocents Church in Philadelphia. Dowling, 92, ordained for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1956, died January 27, 2022, in his 17^th year of serving a life of ‘prayer and penance’ for admittedly sexually abusing children. Dowling was named in the 2005 Philadelphia grand jury report and openly admitted to sexually abusing minors to an Inquirer reporter.

We echo the concern of Catholics4Change and believe that having the archbishop of a diocese, plagued with thousands of abuse cases, as the principal celebrant at this funeral mass sends a poor message, even a slap in the face, to victims of Dowling, all victims abuse within the diocese and to the faith community hurt by the endless scandal. We offer good riddance to a known abuser who escaped justice.

In a letter dated May 5, 2020, the Archbishop wrote, ‘Some of those most in need of our care and compassion are survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Archdiocesan clergy. I deeply regret the pain and suffering of survivors and any decisions that failed to protect them. The pain and damage are profound.’

We hope that Archbishop Perez will heed his own message and decline to celebrate Dowling’s life. 

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

 (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)

Nationwide, New Zealand, 01 February 2022

Today’s report relates only to those cases where an actual complaint was lodged and recorded. The Catholic Church has simply released what information it has recorded and this should not be seen as a comprehensive listing of all abuse that has occurred. The actual scale of sexual abuse is very difficult to measure. Given the information SNAP holds, the actual scale of abuse is much higher, as high as twelvefold given about only one in twelve have reported.

Further, there is no means of verifying the authenticity or accuracy of the information released today. It has to be taken at face value. Many victims and survivors have not come forward to report abuse to the church for fear of retribution by what they perceived to be autocratic defensive clerical and religious hierarches who sought protection of themselves and their associates, thus leading to further cover-up and obstruction of a fair complaints process.

The Rev. James Garisto, 73, who spent nearly 40 years as a priest, teacher, and school administrator in the Archdiocese of New York, was arrested Thursday and charged with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and indecent assault.

Garisto, who owned a home in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia at the time of the assaults, is accused of attacking the child hundreds of times. He was released from police custody Thursday after posting 10% of his $75,000 bail and purportedly lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

Fr. Garisto was in the public eye in 2015 when he was abruptly removed as pastor of St. Adalbert – St. Roch parish in North Shore Staten Island. The Archdiocese of New York should disclose to the community the reasons why Fr. Garisto abruptly left his position and where he is now. Catholic officials frequently assert that they have concern for victims and yet refuse to release information that would help survivors heal and inform the public about dangerous men. On leave from the Archdiocese of New York since August of 2019, Garisto faces legal action in New York. This new allegation marks the third time that Garisto has been accused of sexual assault and we believe that there may be many more victims.