Clergy sex abuse victims seek outreach

Recently arrested predator priest worked in Stockton

SNAP wants to find witnesses & help “those still hurting in shame & isolation”

They’re upset church officials still take no action to help cops or protect others

And self-help organization wants Stockton bishop to list names of pedophiles on his website

WHAT
After a sidewalk news conference, clergy molestation victims will try to hand-deliver a letter to top Stockton Catholic officials, urging them to
-- aggressively seek out and help anyone who may have been hurt by a recently arrested pedophile priest, and
-- permanently post on their diocesan website the names, photos and whereabouts of all proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics.

They’ll also sharply criticize the Stockton church hierarchy for
-- staying silent about the just-arrested predator priest, and
-- not helping police find other witnesses and whistleblowers who could help with criminal prosecution.

WHEN
Monday, September 27, 11:15 a.m.

WHERE
Outside the office of the Stockton Catholic diocese headquarters (“chancery office”), 1105 North Lincoln in Stockton (209 466 0636)

WHO
Two clergy abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAPnetwork.org), including a Missouri man who is the organization’s long time executive director and a Fairfield woman who is the group’s local chair

WHY
As best SNAP can tell, Stockton Catholic officials have essentially been silent about one of their priests who was recently accused of molesting children.

Last month, Fr. Patrick Joseph McCabe was arrested in Alameda, CA for allegedly abusing six boys in Ireland. (In the late 1980s, he worked in the Sacramento area, filling in for vacationing and sick priests. And according to an Irish government investigative report, McCabe also worked in the Stockton diocese.) In just the last three weeks, four Eureka CA men have sued the Santa Rosa Catholic diocese charging that McCabe molested them during the 1980s. He remains in custody and Irish authorities are trying to extradite him and put him on trial.

SNAP believes Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire should use his “considerable resources” (diocesan staff, website, publications and parish bulletins) to aggressively seek out and help anyone else who may have been hurt by McCabe. The group also believes Blaire has a civic duty to help law enforcement by personally visiting churches where McCabe worked and begging anyone with information about his crimes to contact police.

SNAP also wants Bishop Blaire to do what 24 other bishops have done, and post on his website the names, whereabouts and priestly status of child molesting clerics who are or have been in the diocese. (According to an independent Boston-based research organization, BishopAccountabilty.org, there are nine publicly accused Stockton diocesan child molesting clerics.)

SNAP notes that the actual number of alleged offenders is likely significantly higher because BishopAccountability.org lists only those clerics against whom allegations have been lodge in the public domain – in civil lawsuits, criminal prosecution or news accounts.

In 2002, Baltimore became the first US diocese to disclose names. A good current example is the Philadelphia archdiocese: http://archphila.org/protection/Updates/update_main.htm. Here is a list of all the dioceses that have disclosed names: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

CONTACT
David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Director 314 566 9790 cell, Nancy Sloan of Fairfield CA 707 631 7654