The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
SNAP Press Release
Abuse victims to leaflet outside parish
They blast Peoria's bishop for "continuing secrecy"
Group urges Catholics to "demand openness" by church officials
“Donate elsewhere” they say, until hierarchy “protects kids, not predators”
SNAP also begs anyone who "saw, suspected suffered abuse" to come forward
WHAT
As parishioners leave mass, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will hand out fliers advocating openness in clergy sex cases. The fliers will also urge Peoria’s bishop to
-- reconsider his aggressive and expensive legal maneuvers to keep church abuse records hidden, and
-- aggressively seek out other who may have seen, suspected or suffered abuse by any clergy and urge them to call police.
The victims will prod anyone who has information about pedophile priests to call secular officials, not church officials.
WHEN
Sunday, Aug. 29, at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE
Outside Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, 607 NE Madison Avenue in Peoria, IL (309-671-1568, http://www.cdop.org/pages/ACathedral.aspx)
WHO
Two- three victims of sexual abuse by clerics and their supporters including the regional leader from a support group called SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)
WHY
On Wednesday, Peoria County Judge Joseph Vespa granted a request by Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky to keep records about allegations of child sexual abuse sealed.
SNAP believes the Jenky’s legal maneuver violates the US Bishops’ Conference official sex abuse policy, mandates “openness and transparency” in child sex cases.
The ruling comes in the case of Andrew Ward, who alleges that he was abused in 1995-96 by Monsignor Thomas Maloney when Ward attended Epiphany Grade School in Normal. Maloney is now deceased.
Ward is represented by St. Paul Minnesota attorney Jeff Anderson (612 817 8665 cell). Ward currently has a pending civil lawsuit charging that the Diocese of Peoria knew or should have known about Maloney’s dangerous propensities and prevented the abuse.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2010/03_04/2010_04_20_Brady_SuitAgainst.htm
The documents include a deposition of Peoria’s former bishop John Myers, who now heads the Newark archdiocese. Although the records are to remain sealed for now, the judge has allowed Anderson to go through the documents and argue that at least some of them should be made public.
Still, SNAP believes that Peoria Bishop Jenky “continues the same, devastating and reckless practices that Catholic officials have engaged in for decades.” SNAP director David Clohessy argues that Jenky is “battling to prevent the truth from being exposed and potentially enable future child sex crimes by keeping secret about those who committed and concealed such horrors.”
CONTACT
Jeff Jones, 815-985-9441, jjones1007@gmail.com - Barbara Blaine, 312 399 4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com
David Clohessy, 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com Joe Jones 309 346 8573
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org