Letter to Archbishop Cordileone re Fr. Frederick Lutz
Dear Archbishop Cordileone,
A retired priest from the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Frederick Lutz, has been arrested and charged with molesting a child. The media reports that his first known crimes occurred in 1972. According to Fr. Lutz’ work history, two years after molesting a child in Missouri Lutz was suddenly “on leave” in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
As with most abusers, Fr. Lutz is a repeat offender who was also accused of abuse in 2000. The cleric today faces charges related to those allegations. Inexplicably, Fr. Lutz was not restricted from ministry, despite the Dallas Charter "reforms" of 2002. Because of this, we fear he may have more victims and possibly some within the borders of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Your archdiocese is one of only a handful of dioceses in the nation that have consistently refused to publish a list of “credibly accused” priests. Once again we ask that you publish that list. When you do publish a list, you should be sure to include Fr. Lutz. We also believe that list should include details about where he worked in San Francisco.
Survivors of clerical sexual abuse typically wait until about age 52 to report abuse. Your publication of a list with Fr. Lutz's name on it would encourage not only any of his possible victims, but also of other clergyman from the Archdiocese, to come forward to seek healing.
SNAP has independently compiled a list of about 150 clerics with allegations of abuse who worked or lived in your archdiocese. We doubt our list is complete, as evidenced by this new information regarding Fr. Lutz, and we are sure there are names still hidden within files in your archdiocesan offices.
Nonetheless, it would be a start for you to use our list to begin the process of true transparency and to inform parishioners and the public about the extent of abuse within your archdiocese. The 2002 pledge made in Dallas for “openness and transparency” has still clearly not been upheld by the bishops and cardinals of the USSCB.
Respectfully,
Melanie Sakoda
San Francisco Leader
Survivor Outreach Coordinator
925-708-6175
Dan McNevin
Oakland Leader, SNAP
415-341-6417
Joey Piscitelli
Northern California Leader, SNAP
925-262-3699
Zach Hiner
Executive Director, SNAP
517-974-9009
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