Chicago pastor charged with sex abuse involving force, battery

October 12, 2018

Statement by Kate Bochte, Volunteer Chicago SNAP Leader, 630-768-1860, [email protected]

A priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago who has been assigned to at least three local churches was recently arrested and charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual abuse involving force as well as one count of misdemeanor battery.

https://abc7chicago.com/4468784/

Prior to his arrest, Father Rigoberto Gamez was the associate vicar of Canonical Affairs as well as the liaison for Hispanic charismatic renewal for Cardinal Blase Cupich.

SNAP applauds the two women, ages 19 and 29, and the 17 year-old girl who filed criminal complaints against Father Gamez. It takes a lot of courage to come forward, especially against a man who holds a title and position which often comes attached with public trust and admiration, deserved or not. We urge members of the parish and wider community to keep an open mind and allow the justice system run its course.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/links_homepage/when_priest_accused.htm

http://www.snapnetwork.org/links_homepage/cuando_cura_acusado.htm

Filing a formal complaint against an alleged serial perpetrator serves to protect other potential victims as well as to seek justice for past offenses. If crimes such as these are to be prevented, it is vital for victims and witnesses to expose them.

We urge anyone who experienced, witnessed, or suspected sexual assault at Our Lady of Tepeyac, St. Aloysius, Providence of God, or any other parish or place to please contact the police immediately. Criminal behavior is best investigated by the professionals in law enforcement.

Lastly, we call on Cardinal Cupich to keep his promises and offer full cooperation and zero resistance to the criminal prosecution of Father Gamez. We also urge him to visit each and every community where the priest worked and implore victims and witnesses to come forward, as well to instruct parishioners to treat the accusers with respect and compassion.

Despite representations by Church officials that clergy sex crimes are a thing of the past, cases like this remind us that the Church is not free of dangerous men, and that parishioners are most likely to be the victims of clergy crimes..

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been working for thirty years to support victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings and has more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in its network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - Kate Bochte (630-768-1860, [email protected]), Melanie Sakoda, (925-708-6175, [email protected]), Tim Lennon (415-312-5820, [email protected]),

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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.

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Warmly,

Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.

Interim Executive Director

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