Clergy sex victims announce another lawsuit

Two priests sexually assaulted a young KC boy

And a third unidentified “priest-in-training” watched

One cleric has never been publicly accused as a predator before

Besides here, he also worked also worked in New Mexico & Pennsylvania

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will disclose and discuss a new civil lawsuit against two predator priests and complicit church officials. (One of the alleged offenders has never been publicly accused before.) They will also urge current and former church employees and members who have information about clergy sex crimes to come forward, get help, and call police, & protect kids.

WHEN
Tuesday, March 8 at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside the chancery (diocesan headquarters) at 300 East 36th Street, Kansas City, MO

WHO
Two-three clergy sex abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org

WHY
The two child molesting clerics being sued today are Fr. Mark A. Honhart (who has never been publicly accused of abuse before) and Fr. Hugh F. Monahan (who has been sued by at least eight men).

The new suit says that Honhart repeatedly molested an eight to nine year old boy in 1980s and Monahan later abused the same boy when he was 13. The crimes all took place at Holy Cross parish and that church officials knew or should have known the clerics were predators but did little or nothing to stop them from having access to children.

This is the 4th new lawsuit against the diocese and its predator priests in the last four months.

Monahan is accused of abusing eight boys mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. He took a leave from the priesthood in 1973 but came back and left again in 1989. He may have spent some time in Puerto Rico and lived recently in Florida and Costa Rica. Some civil cases against him settled in August 2008. One victim is his nephew. Another said he lived with Monahan and other priests knew it. Church officials had previous reports about Monahan’s abuse of other kids.

Honhart has an unusual assignment history, having worked in three dioceses. He spent time at the following parishes in the Kansas City diocese: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Independence (1981), Holy Cross in Kansas City (1982-6), St. Patrick in St. Joseph (1987-90), Immaculate Conception in Richmond and Sacred Heart in Norbone (1992-2000) and St. Rose of Lima in Savanna and St. Patrick in Forest City (2001-2).

At least twice, Honhart worked at New Mexico parishes (Prince of Peace Catholic Community Church in Albuquerque in 2003 and Our Lady of Belen in Belen in 2004). And from 2006-7, he worked at St. Anthony, St. Bridget, and St. John the Baptist parishes in Throop, PA (in the Scranton diocese). He also was on leave in 1991.

Honhart was ordained in 1980 and Monahan was ordained in 1968.

CONTACT
David Clohessy 314 566 9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com, Abott Durocher 314 616 5054, Barbara Dorris 314 862 7688, SNAPdorris@gmail.com