IL- Victims want to know where predator priests are now

Victims want to know where predator priests are now

They beg Catholics: “Help us find abusers & warn others”

30 child molesting clerics' records made public on Tuesday

Some of them live among unsuspecting neighbors, SNAP says

Victims blast Chicago Catholic officials for hiding their whereabouts

“Parishioners should read the new files & insist that “enablers” be punished

WHAT

As church-goers enter mass, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will hand out fliers urging Chicago Catholics to

--help them track down where suspected or defrocked pedophile priests are living or working now, so their unsuspecting neighbors might be warned that dangerous men live nearby,

--ask their loved ones if any of them were hurt by child molesting clerics, and

--insist that archdiocesan officials punish the “enablers” - the church staffers who ignored or hid evidence or warnings of clergy sex crimes, especially those clerics whose names appear in the soon-to-be-released records.

WHEN

TODAY, Monday, Jan. 20 at 11:50 a.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside the Holy Name Cathedral, North State Street at Superior Street, Chicago IL

WHO

Four-five adults who belong to a self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org). Some were molested as kids; others are concerned Catholics. One is a Missouri man who is SNAP’s long time executive director.

WHY

On Tuesday, long-secret archdiocesan documents about 30 pedophile priests will be publicly released (as part of a settlement of clergy sex abuse lawsuits). Some of them, SNAP believes, now quietly live among unsuspecting neighbors. Chicago Catholic officials basically refuse to alert the public about the whereabouts and work histories of these potentially dangerous men.

So SNAP is publicly begging current and former Chicago church staff and members to help them, for the safety of kids, to track down these child molesting clerics. SNAP is also urging people to call police if they know or suspect where any of these priests is now.

One ousted child molesting cleric (Brother Damien Chong) was found working last week as a chaplain at a shopping mall in Peabody MA (in Boston archdiocese). Massachusetts.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ca_la/2013_01_31_LA_Final_Addendum/

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/margery_eagan/2014/01/eagan_papal_silence_on_abuse_speaks_volumes

A predator priest who worked in River Forest (Fr. Vincent Bryce) admitting molesting a child but now works in St. Louis on the edge of a Catholic college campus.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/11_12/2007_11_11_Dwyer_PastorReportedly.htm

Last fall, another one (Fr. Robert Stepek) was found on the job as a counselor who sometimes works with kids at the Burbank Police Department.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-10-04/news/ct-met-snap-burbank-priest-20131004_1_southwest-suburban-priest-archdiocese-victims-group

Last summer, another one (Fr. Russell L. Romano) was working as licensed counselor in the Chicago area for a healthcare provider. 

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/05_06/2013_05_15_Krishnamurthy_SNAPWants.htm

In 2010, a credibly accused predator priest (Fr. Frank Paduch) was found working in Berwyn across the street from a school. In 2003, a criminally convicted Delaware priest (Fr. Kenneth J. Martin) was found living in Cardinal George's home and working in the Chicago archdiocese. That same year, an ousted priest (Fr. John D. Murphy) was found working at the Shedd Aquarium.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2004_07_12/2004_12_09_Elejalde_ResidentsLearn.htm

Some of these clerics would be behind bars, SNAP said, if not for three factors. First, in most cases, Catholic officials shielded them from law enforcement for years. Second, church officials have long lobbied against reforming archaic and predator-friendly secular child safety laws. And third, when credible abuse allegations surface, church officials refuse to do any effective outreach to find other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers or to urge them to contact secular authorities, instead of church staffers.

Those clerics too dangerous to be assigned to a parish, SNAP says, should be housed in remote, secure, independent treatment centers, not allowed to live wherever they like with little or no supervisions among unsuspecting neighbors.

Here is George’s list of roughly 65 predator priests:

http://www.archchicago.org/c_s_abuse/report_032006/list.pdf

However, here’s a list of 121 Chicago predator priests – compiled through public records by an independent organization:

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

The attorneys who will be releasing the records are Marc Pearlman 312 261 4550 and Jeff Anderson 651 227 9990

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by those in positions of authority including priests, nuns, rabbis, bishops, Protestant ministers, Scout leaders, teachers and coaches. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

CONTACT

David Clohessy, 314 566 9790, [email protected]