Clergy sex abuse activists ask for bishop’s help

New records show that a CT priest molested kids in NH

Concerned Catholics urge local church officials to do outreach

WHAT
Holding signs and photos at a sidewalk news conference, advocates for children’s safety will
-- disclose that a notorious CT predator priest also abused kids in NH, and
-- urge NH Catholic officials to “aggressively reach out” to others who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes.

They will also beg anyone with information about the cleric’s crimes – victims, witnesses or whistleblowers – to speak up and contact authorities.

WHEN
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE
Outside the New Hampshire Catholic diocese headquarters (a.k.a. chancery office) 154 Ash Street (near corner of Orange), in Manchester NH (669 3100)

WHO
Two NH Catholic women who are advocates for clergy sex abuse victims

WHY
Thousands of pages of long-secret Catholic church records were released last week under court order in CT. Those documents reveal that Fr. Raymond Pcolka of the Bridgeport Diocese had a vacation home in Washington, New Hampshire where he took children and molested them.

http://www.connpost.com/ci_13922301?IADID=Search-www.connpost.com-www.connpost.com

In 1976, diocesan records show that parents of a teen-age girl complained to church officials that Pcolka was sexually inappropriate with their daughter on an overnight trip with other kids at his New Hampshire cottage.

Leaders of VOTF and SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) fear that Pcolka may have also victimized NH children and believe that Bishop John McCormack has a moral duty to use his websites, newspaper and parish bulletins to seek out and offer help to anyone else who may have been hurt by Pcolka here.

In 1993, Pcolka was named in several civil child sex abuse and cover up lawsuits involving alleged sex crimes against 16 boys and girls. Church suspended Pcolka and sent him for evaluation in 1993 but he walked out of a psychiatric treatment center that same year. In 2002, Catholic authorities began the long process of defrocking him, and in 2003, several cases against Pcolka were settled. Pcokla was ordained in 1965, is 70 years old and reportedly living with relatives in Trumbull, Connecticut. He worked in a number of Connecticut communities and churches including Stamford, Greenwich, Stratford, and Bethel.

Pcolka’s house is between Concord and Bellows Falls and was built with help from families at his Connecticut parish. He used the home between 1971/72-1976/77.

In the 1960s, Pcolka attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton along with notorious Massachusetts predator priest Paul Shanley.

CONTACT
Joannie Barrett 603 627 5576 home; Carolyn Disco 603 424-3120; 917-620-8172 cell, Survivor Support chairman, NH Voice of the Faithful; David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP national director 314 566 9790 cell