CT--SNAP: “Church officials refuse to do aggressive outreach”

Victims to leaflet at Catholic church

They challenge pope to demote bishops

SNAP: “Church officials refuse to do aggressive outreach”

So group asks parishioners to “search for wounded survivors”

“Post names of proven predators on church websites,” victims say

What:

On the cusp of Pope Francis’ first-ever visit to the US, as parishioners leave mass, abuse victims will hand out fliers urging church goers. The leaflets list the names of 37 publicly accused  child molesting Catholic clerics in the Bridgeport diocese, and urges the local bishop to

--disclose the names of other proven, admitted or credibly accused predators, and

--post all church predators’ names on his diocesan website and in church bulletins. Bridgeport diocese has done this, but the list is incomplete.

The fliers also urge Catholic church members to

--question loved ones about these child molesting clerics (“Did any of these clerics ever hurt you?”) and

--prod anyone who has “seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes of cover ups to call law enforcement.”   

WHEN

Sunday, Sept.13 at 12 :45 p.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside St. Theresa’s Catholic church 5301 Main Street, Trumbull, CT.

WHO

Two adults who was abused as kids by clerics (and their supporters) who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org),

WHY

While Catholic officials pretend that the on-going clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis is waning, thousands of proven, admitted and credibly accused predator priests are living among unsuspecting neighbors with little or no supervision. (Several hundred are on sex offender registries but most are not. And most have not been defrocked.)

Some, in fact, are still in church jobs:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/09/10/pope-francis-remove-the-usas-predator-priests/

For the safety of parishioners, SNAP wants Pope Francis to “defrock, demote or discipline” bishops who continue to “protect predators and endanger kids,” especially by keeping names of child molesting clerics secret.

For more than 25 years, SNAP has repeatedly urged bishops to “aggressively seek out and help” the thousands of victims “still trapped in silence, shame and self-blame.” But bishops refuse to do anything but the most minimal moves, the group contends.

So now, SNAP is prodding rank-and-file Catholics to take this step. Specifically, the organization is asking parishioners to circulate lists of publicly accused predator priests in their dioceses and ask loved ones if any of them were hurt by any of the priests.

SNAP also wants church-goers to push bishops to post these names on church websites. More than two dozen prelates have done this, including Bridgeport, but the Bridgeport list is incomplete:

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

According to BishopAccountability.org (an independent on-line archive of the church abuse and cover up crisis), the publicly accused child molesting clerics in this diocese are:

In contrast, the Bridgeport Diocese lists only 27 accused clergy.

CONTACT Gail Howard 203-644-0387 or David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected],