Clergy abuse victims presser 1:30 p.m. Thursday 5/16 KC MO

Victims urge boycott of KC MO diocese

SNAP: “Give elsewhere until there’s honesty”

Bishop still hiding abusers’ names, group says

"At least reveal the living abusers NOW," it argues

Two more publicly accused KC area clerics are 'outed'

“For the safety of kids, stop stalling” victims beg prelate

Current and former church staff must call law enforcement, SNAP says

WHAT

Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will

--'out' two more publicly and credibly accused priests who spent time in KC MO,

--urge Catholics to donate elsewhere until their bishop releases a list of such abusers.

They will also urge current and former KC area church staff to call the Missouri attorney general and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation – because of on-going probes of clergy sex crimes and cover ups in both states - with any information or suspicions they may have about clergy sex crimes and cover ups.

WHEN

Thursday, May 16 at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside the KC Catholic headquarters (“chancery office”), 20 West 9th Street (at Baltimore) in downtown Kansas City MO

WHO

Four-five members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) including a St. Louis man who is the organization’s former long time director

WHY

1) Last month, KC MO Bishop James Johnston said he’s starting a months-long process to reveal a list of publicly accused KC MO abusive priests, even though a) most of his colleagues (113 out of about 170) have already produced such lists, b) some of his colleagues did so 17 years ago, and c) SNAP has pushed him to do so for years.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/diocese_of_kansas_city_finally_begins_work_on_list_of_accused_clerics_apr19

SNAP is blasting Johnston for this "irresponsible delay" and urging Catholics to stop giving until at least a partial list of accused clerics is revealed. The group says Johnstone should immediately identify the 'credibly accused abusers who are still living and likely are still a risk to kids," then finish up the rest of his list later. 

And neither list should take months to assemble and disclose, SNAP says. Every day even one abuser is kept hidden, kids are needlessly at risk and wrongdoers are given even more time to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers and even flee the country, the group charges.

2) For the third time this year, SNAP has discovered and is disclosing the names of credibly and publicly accused abusive clerics who spent time in the KC MO diocese but have attracted little or no attention here.

In January, SNAP outed’ four KC area publicly/credibly accussed clerics: Fr. Deusdedit Mulokozi, Msgr. John J. Rynish, Fr. Eugene Deragowski and Fr. Mark C. Ernstmann.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/four_more_accused_priests_were_in_kc

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article224755785.html

Last month, SNAP ‘outed’ three more Kansas City area publicly/credibly accused clerics: Fr. James V. McCormick, Fr. Richard C. Colbert and Fr. Donald Redmond.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/three_more_kansas_city_mo_priests_under_the_radar_4_19

Now, SNAP is 'outing' two more publicly/credibly accused priests who worked in the KC area but allegedly molested elsewhere anad have attracted virtually no publicity here. They are:

--Fr. Thomas A. Conway, a Detroit native who attended seminary in Ohio, passed away in Ohio and belonged to a Cathiolic religious order known as the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (816 781 4344, [email protected], http://www.cppsmissionaries.org/)

He was ordained in 1957, worked "in many parishes" (according to a church website). In 1983, he was assigned to the Precious Blood Center in Liberty and from 1985-1989 Fr. CConway was a member of the General Curia in Rome. In 1990, he returned to Precious Blood Center and in 1995, he returned to parish ministry as pastor of The Church of the Annunciation in Kearney, MO. He also worked in Wisconsin.

https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2019/04/05/catholic-springfield-accused-priests-cape-girardeau-molestation-sex-abuse/3364671002/

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news555/2010_10_08_CPPSMissionaries_Conway_Obituary.pdf

--Fr. Edgar Probstfield, a native of Verona MO who was ordained in 1952 and died in 2007. He was ‘outed’ by the Springfield-Cape Girardeau as a credibly accused abuser in April. Fr. Probstfield worked in at least six Missouri towns: Springfield. Tarkio, Burlington Junction, Parnell, Princeton and Trenton – the latter two are in the KC diocese. He also spent time on the Indian Mission at Fort Yates, ND and in Elkhorn NE.

http://dioscg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019FinalEMRAllegations041519.pdf

http://dioscg.org/index.php/ministry-outline-for-religious-order-priests/#more-34465

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49854045/victor-david-probstfield

CONTACT

David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected], Zach Hiner 517 974 9009, [email protected], Larry Davis 816 769 5899