Abuse victims wants KC KS archbishop to do more re Bishop Miege allegation

For immediate release: June 6, 2025

The head of a Kansas City Kansas Catholic school has been suspended because of "recent reports" questioning his ability to "oversee a safe environment" for kids.

To SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, it seems pathetic that Catholic officials continue to be so secretive about Phil Baniewicz, his recent behavior, and the child sex abuse report against him from Arizona.

While his suspension is welcome, in our opinion, he should never have been hired in the first place two years ago.

Kids are safest when abuse allegations and concerns are reported to secular authorities like police and prosecutors, not to church officials. We hope every person who may have seen, suspected or suffered any misconduct by Phil Baniewicz or anyone at Bishop Miege High School will contact law enforcement as soon as possible. 

We also hope Archbishop Shawn McKnight will be more forthcoming soon and will use church resources to aggressively prod anyone with suspicions or knowledge of wrongdoing to contact law enforcement.

CONTACT:  David Clohessy, SNAP Missouri ([email protected], 314-566-9790), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director ([email protected], 814-341-8386)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)