Clergy sex victims write parishes

In novel effort, they circumvent archbishop

Group writes 153 churches seeking info about two priests

One is a fugitive now, the other, defrocked, now lives in Maryland

SNAP also releases letters showing that Vatican knew of predator in 1966

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood pictures, victims of child sexual abuse and their supporters will:
-- criticize Vatican officials for taking years to oust a serial predator priest who now lives in MD,
-- beg anyone with info about another predator MD priest, who’s on the lam, to call the FBI immediately,
-- give out copies of a letter they’re sending to 153 parishes about the two clerics.

They will also urge the church hierarchy to
-- better deal with priests who are sent or flee overseas, and
-- spend more time protecting kids from abuse & less time defending the Pope from perceived slights.

And they will also prod anyone who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by two predator priests to call law enforcement officials, not church officials.

WHEN
Wednesday, April 28, 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Outside Baltimore’s Catholic Center (chancery office), 320 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland

WHO
Two-four adults who were molested as kids and belong to a Chicago-based international support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY
SNAP is concerned about two serial predator priests who worked in the Baltimore archdiocese – Fr. Robert C. Trupia and Fr. Laurence Brett. Frustrated by little meaningful ‘reform’ by the archdiocesan hierarchy, SNAP is, for the first time ever, writing to all 153 archdiocesan parishes directly, urging them to aggressively reach out to anyone with information about crimes by the two clerics.

Trupia’s connection to the Baltimore area was publicized earlier this month, when secret church records were released showing that the Vatican delayed defrocking him despite multiple child sex abuse allegations and pleas to act from Trupia’s bishop in Arizona. He now lives in Maryland, though he has been defrocked by the Vatican. Vatican cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos from Columbia bucked Tucson Bishop Morano on Trupia abuse

Brett, a fugitive from the Baltimoe, was last believed to be living on an island in the Caribbean around 2003. The most recent civil lawsuit against Brett was filed in 2008. He’s now accused of molesting kids in CT, NM, CA and MD. Former neighbors of Brett on St. Maarten said in 2002 that teenagers and young men were frequent visitors" (Hartford Courant September 19, 2002)

SNAP’s letter will beg current and former church employees and members to help law enforcement track down Brett and help warn families about Trupia.

Just yesterday, a California predator priest was suspended from active ministry in Mexico. And days ago, another California predator priest was revealed to have helped recently at a church in the Netherlands. These cases, and others, make SNAP members worried about men like Trupia and Brett, who, after having been caught abusing in one diocese, quietly move among unsuspecting families where they can get access to more children. The Vatican must, SNAP feels, compile and publicize a list of such pedophile priests. http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/priest-convicted-child-sex-abuse-volunteered-dutch-church

CONTACT
Frank Dingle 410-744-2398 home, 443-996-8994, Joe Corcoran 443-831-1811, cell, David Clohessy 314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915 home, Barbara Blaine 312 399 4747 cell, Barbara Dorris 314 862 7688, 314 503 0003 cell