The Brooklyn Fixer
A Queens pastor and Vicar General for three bishops who was tasked with investigating cases of sexual abuse has himself been accused of sexual abuse. We are grateful to the victim for coming forward and exposing this apparent “fox in the henhouse” situation.
Msgr. Otto Garcia has been named in two separate lawsuits that were able to be filed Tuesday thanks to New York’s Child Victims Act. Without this important law, it is likely that the information about Msgr. Garcia would still be hidden from public view. For years the monsignor has been in the perfect position to control and cover-up cases of abuse.
As Vicar General for the Diocese of Brooklyn, Msgr. Garcia was able to play a “fixer” role as he was the main person designated by three separate bishops to investigate reports of abuse. Notably, Garcia had been accused of abuse earlier, but the diocesan review board found the allegations “unsubstantiated.” Now that two people have come forward, we hope that the lay review board will not only revisit their previous finding but also release the records of that internal investigation to the public. This is the only way that the Diocese of Brooklyn can show that Msgr. Garcia did not interfere in this investigation.
Sadly, we do not anticipate that this step will be taken. Church officials at the Diocese of Brooklyn are instead circling the wagons around Msgr. Garcia in an obvious violation of their “zero-tolerance” policy on abuse. We can only wonder how many other violations of the Dallas Charter have occurred in Brooklyn.
AG Letitia James is currently investigating cases of clergy abuse in New York and we hope that her office is paying special attention to this case. We also hope that parishioners and the public in Brooklyn will be outraged by this news and will contact AG James’ office with any information related to cases of clergy sexual abuse or other wrongdoing. Survivors, witnesses, and whistleblowers can aid the AG investigation by calling into her hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or by making a confidential report on her website.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director