IL--Ex-Chicago priest may plead guilty in Michigan today
For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 25
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])
A Catholic priest who was arrested in Chicago and was at Loyola University may plead guilty today in Detroit to “secretly recording” teenagers in a locker room there.
(NOTE: This is a different priest than the one just arrested on child porn charges in Arlington Heights.)
Sadly, the priest, Fr. Richard James Kurtz, pled guilty earlier to sexually assaulting a child in Colorado. The question now is: What will Chicago’s archbishop do to find and help others he may have hurt?
http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/Priest-Likely-to-Plead-Guilty-294000211.html
If history is any guide, we suspect that Archbishop Blasé Cupich will do little or nothing. And (just like we are doing with in the new case of accused Arlington Heights sex offender Fr. Clovis Vilchez-Parra) we beg Cupich to get out from behind his desk, overrule his timid lawyers, and act like a real shepherd. We beg him to help law enforcement get Fr. Kurtz locked up for as long as possible by helping to bring forward other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers.
Imagine Cupich holding a news conference at Loyola and saying “Look, for centuries, our church hierarchy has enabled sex offender clergy to escape prosecution. I can’t un-do this awful history. But I can try right now to help make sure that Fr. Kurtz is successfully prosecuted and kept away from kids. That’s why I’m here: to insist that you call law enforcement if you saw, suspected or suffered crimes by him.”
Regardless of what Cupich does or doesn’t do, we in SNAP urge anyone with information or suspicions that might help law enforcement with the Fr. Kurtz case to speak up. Silence helps only those who commit or conceal heinous crimes against kids.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy 314-566-9790, [email protected], Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, [email protected], Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, [email protected]
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
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