Diocese Knew of Abuse Allegations Against Priest and Kept Him in Ministry Anyway
Despite knowing of “credible” allegations against one of their priests in 2002, Catholic officials from the Diocese of Springfield – Cape Girardeau reportedly allowed the priest to continue working for nine more years, exposing countless more children to harm and reneging on their promise to enforce “zero tolerance” against clerics accused of abuse the very same year that promise was first made.
Once again, Church leadership has acknowledged years later that they kept children at risk of abuse only after secular officials in law enforcement intervened. Fr. Frederick Lutz was arrested last week on charges that he sexually abused a young parishioner in 2000. Yet the arrest should have happened much earlier, especially since Catholic officials have acknowledged they were aware of the allegations as early as 2002, and they should have been made aware of both the complaint and an apparent admission as early as 2000.
We do not know why police were not able to move forward with charges against Fr. Lutz in 2002, but were suddenly able to do so now. We do not know why when a second allegation was reported to law enforcement, in either 2006 or 2016, there was still no arrest. We suspect that it may be because police were not given full access to information held by the Diocese. Only after the Attorney General in Missouri got involved was action finally taken. We can only worry about how many other clerics like Fr. Lutz had complaints against them, but were not able to be properly investigated.
We hope this story encourages other victims and witnesses to come forward and make a report to police and prosecutors first, before making a report to Catholic officials. It is clear that only when information is given directly to law enforcement – instead of relayed to them by Church staffers – is there an opportunity for real justice.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, 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