Media Statements

(For Immediate Release October 18, 2022) 

Nassau County jurors awarded $30 million to a man who claimed he was sexually molested as a child by his fifth-grade teacher in Rockville Centre decades ago. 

We applaud Michael Malvin, the victim who bravely shared his truth for justice. We hope this result brings him some sorely needed and long-overdue comfort and closure. There is no doubt he has inspired others. We also hope this encourages other victims seeking justice to stay the course and hold those responsible, accountable for their grievous actions.

During the trial, Mr. Malvin told the jury that David Savage molested him three times beginning in 1979 when he was ten years old. It lasted until 1983, according to Malvin. Malvin agreed to be recognized by his lawyer.

To us, the resolve, in this case, shows how victims' voices can stand up against the odds. This case would not be possible if were not for the incredible work of survivors, advocates, and organizations who helped push the Child Victims Act across the finish line in New York.

We hope this verdict sends a clear message to those violators who escaped criminal justice and the organizations who enabled them, to be aware that the cost of abuse will be placed back on those who committed the act and to those who turned a blind eye.

CONTACT: Janet Klinger, SNAP Long Island ([email protected]), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578)

(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)

(For Immediate Release October 17, 2022) 

The Rev. Michael Pfleger was missed from Sunday Mass at St. Sabina Church just one day after he was accused of child sex abuse for the second time. However, he was the centerpiece of the service.

 “Show Father Mike what it means to be persistent in prayer,” the Rev. Tom Walsh told the congregation during the 2 ¹⁄₂ hour service punctuated by support for Pfleger. “Father Mike, this is your army. These are your warriors,” Walsh said. “We’ve got you. We’re holding up your hands in prayer.”

It astounds us that a devout congregation, much alone a service celebrant, would defend Pfleger, who is facing yet another allegation of child sex abuse, bringing the total to five courageous individuals that have come forward. Even more startling, no prayers were held for the most recent alleged victim or those who found the strength to share their story before.

In obligation, Fr. Walsh read a letter to the parish from Cardinal Blase Cupich, tossing it like trash as the parishioners applauded. Arrogantly, Fr. Walsh said, ‘Oops, sorry.’  To us, this is a reminder of how church officials are quick to dismiss allegations of abuse against one of their own. It is also a sad reminder of how unwilling many churchgoers are to learn the statistics of when a survivor may come forward.

According to our figures over the last two years, two new Catholic clergy or personnel have been charged for sexual abuse per month. Nevertheless, each month, more priests are identified as abusers, and far too many of them are still alive and in employment. This implies that any youngster in their vicinity was never safe until the arrest was made. Furthermore, delayed disclosure is common: the average age of a victim who comes forward to disclose child sexual abuse is 52.

We call on Cardinal Blase Cupich to make a personal visit to the parishioners of St. Sabina and relay the gravity of the allegations against Pfleger. He should also publicly reprimand Fr. Tom Walsh and hold a prayer service for all victims of abuse by the clergy, religious, and laity.

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected]), Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]) Larry Antonsen, SNAP Leader Chicago, (773-255-3382, [email protected])

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

(For Immediate Release October 16, 2022) 

Another victim has stepped forward with a claim against Fr. Michael Pfleger. And again, allegations against Pfleger are heightened, especially when the accused abuser is adorned and well-known. Our hearts go out to the victim who shared their truth, and we hope that they and their families are receiving the support and professional assistance that they require.

It's hardly surprising that Fr. Plefger has returned to the spotlight. This is the fourth public accusation, according to our count. Because relatively few claims are proven untrue, as the accusations mount up, everyone should assume that they are real. This circumstance is like that of defrocked priest Craig Harrison of the Fresno, California Catholic diocese, whose victims' trail began in the 1990s. He had a cheering section until the very end when he was laicized. To prove his innocence, he burnt the soil. It required the bravery of an adult whistleblower who saw some of Harrison's activities before the bishop of Fresno began to stand with the half dozen victims or their advocates who had come forward over three decades.

Fame frequently shields predators. For years, Theodore McCarrick was discussed in Catholic circles before being sidelined. We repeat our plea for individuals concerned about Fr. Pfleger to express their feelings quietly. Cardinal Blase Cupich must do more and get to the truth about allegations against Pfleger whether the assault occurred yesterday or 50 years ago. The Archdiocese of Chicago is in a difficult position: it does not want to be sued and lose money; therefore, it has a solid motive to utilize its internal review board to attempt to resolve the issue. Perhaps, after four allegations, it is time to sit Plefger down and support these brave victims, as well as the others who may still be sitting in silence.

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected])  Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]), Larry Antonsen, SNAP Chicago (773-255-3382, [email protected])  

 (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)

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(For Immediate Release October 14, 2022) 

A newly filed lawsuit against a priest from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is the latest reminder that the scourge of clergy sexual abuse is not a thing of the past but a problem in the present. We applaud the brave survivor for coming forward and we hope that this lawsuit will not only bring them some semblance of justice and healing but will also encourage other still-silent survivors to come forward and seek help.

According to the lawsuit, Fr. Daniel Balizan allegedly abused a then-15-year-old boy for months while working at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community. Fr. Balizan has worked at Santa Maria since 2012 and given the nature of this allegation, we can only worry that others may have been abused during his tenure there. Especially given the concerning nature of how the victim was allegedly singled out and groomed, we worry that other children in similarly vulnerable circumstances could have also been hurt.

Church officials from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe chose to downplay the allegations rather than offer support to survivors and parishioners, a tone-deaf response that is all too typical in cases of clergy sexual abuse. Instead of equivocating in the media about church-specific terms like “substantiated,” church officials should be doing outreach to parish communities where Fr. Balizan worked and encouraging survivors or witnesses to come forward. We also call on church officials to explain whether they have or have not forwarded information on to local law enforcement.

This case is a reminder that cases of sexual abuse by a priest, nun, or other church staffer are not uncommon and certainly not a vestige of the past like church officials so desperately claim. We hope that this lawsuit will bring the truth and transparency that Sante Fe parents and parishioners deserve but have yet to receive from their church leaders.

 CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected] 267-261-0578) Zach Hiner, SNAP 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)

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(For Immediate Release October 14, 2022)

Yet another priest has been criminally charged and convicted in Michigan thanks to the ongoing Attorney General investigation into clergy abuse. We are grateful to the survivors who came forward, the jurors who listened to and validated their testimony, and especially to the attorney general and her team for getting justice for the victims.

In Detroit's 3rd Judicial Circuit Court, Joseph "Jack" Baker, 60, was found guilty of Criminal Sexual Conduct First Degree. Since 2008, Baker had served as the priest of St. Perpetua Parish in Waterford, Michigan. Prior to that, Baker served as associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Dearborn, associate priest at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills, and pastor at St. Mary Parish in Wayne. Thanks to Attorney General Dana Nessel, we believe children are now safer with Baker behind bars.

We especially appreciate A.G. Nessel for diligently informing the public about her investigation. Many different attorneys general across the country have informed their citizens that investigations have been launched, but very few have been as transparent and open as in Michigan. We recognize and applaud A.G. Nessel for being open with the survivors in her state about the status of her ongoing investigation. We are aware that many survivors across the country have come forward with reports only to receive radio silence in return.

Now that this priest has been convicted, we call on church officials from the Archdiocese of Detroit to use every resource available to inform parishioners at every location where Baker worked. They should use parish bulletins, pulpit announcements, and diocesan websites to let parents and parishioners know that there was an active abuser in their communities and should encourage anyone who may have seen, suspected, or suffered abuse by Fr. Baker to come forward and make a report to police. The secular justice system has done their job, now it is time for the church to do theirs.

Above all, we hope that this conviction will give future survivors the confidence to come forward and denounce crimes, no matter how distant in the past they may have occurred. We also hope that anyone who witnessed or suspected sexual abuse will come forward and make a report to law enforcement, family members, a trusted friend, or a support network like ours.

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager, (267-261-0578, [email protected]) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]) Nadja Tirrell, SNAP Leader - Lansing (810 874-9620, [email protected]) Nancy Crabbs, SNAP Leader - Grand Rapids-West Michigan (616-514-7973,[email protected])

 (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 www.snapnetwork.org)

(For Immediate Release October 12, 2022) 

On Wednesday, a Roman Catholic priest confirmed in court that he had thousands of photographs and films of child pornography and had spent years putting them into two PowerPoint presentations.

Father James Beighlie, 72, was a Vincentian priest who worked as an assistant pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in St. Louis. According to the Congregation of the Mission, he formerly taught at St. Thomas Aquinas/Mercy High School in St. Louis, Vincent Gray Academy in East St. Louis, and Our Lady Queen of Peace church in House Springs, Missouri.

While investigators have only uncovered "known photos" of child pornography so far, we are fearful that he may have victims among the pupils with whom he worked. Possessing child pornography can be another grooming technique for individuals who abuse in person, consequently, we feel church and school officials should be on guard to ensure this man did not hurt any other children.

We call on church officials within every diocese where Beighlie worked and the Congregation of the Mission's Province of Vincentians, to reach out to parishioners, and former students and beg for anyone with information or those who may have suffered harm from this cleric to report their information to law enforcement. Given the age of this priest, his long career, and his predilection, we believe there may be victims who don’t even know they were harmed.

CONTACT:

 (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)

(For Immediate Release October 6, 2022) 

Father Jackson, formerly pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Providence, was arrested on Oct. 30, 2021, by the Rhode Island State Police after an investigation by a Rhode Island computer crimes task force.

Jackson faces charges of federal and state child pornography. Under a pre-trial release agreement, Jackson was allowed to move to Kansas with a family member. In July 2022, he was apprehended by US Marshals in Kansas. He is now being held by the United States Marshals Service in the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island.

According to James Rosenberg, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for Rhode Island, during his Oct. 3 hearing in U.S. District Court in Providence, Jackson admitted that the government could prove that he violated the condition prohibiting him from "possessing any materials including videos, magazines, photographs, computer-generated depictions or any other forms that depict sexually explicit conduct involving children."

In short, this case illustrates what we have understood for decades, predilections follow wherever the named defendant travels. We can count many cases where evil individuals being investigated or charged with crimes related to child exploitation or sexual abuse have fled the country to escape justice and commit more of the same crimes.

It is our hope that states such as Rhode Island will revisit their guidelines on pre-trial release and understand that severe crimes such as those charged against Fr. James Jackson should not be taken lightly because the alleged wears a clerical collar.

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager, (267-261-0578, [email protected]) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President, (814-341-8386, [email protected])

(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)

(For Immediate Release October 4, 2022)

According to a release by church officials, a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Washington has been placed on leave following an accusation of sexual abuse of minors that is reported to have occurred in another diocese decades ago.  

As listed on the parish website, Cardinal Wuerl named Father Robert P. Buchmeier to work at Holy Cross Parish and School, Garrett Park, Maryland in 2015. Buchmeier also worked at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Clinton; St. Bernardine of Siena Parish, Suitland; Christ the King Parish, Silver Spring; St. Mary Parish, Bryantown; and St. John the Evangelist Parish, Clinton. Other work assignments include St. Nicholas Parish, Laurel, from 1998 to 2005; St. Columba Parish, Oxon Hill, from 2005 to 2011; and Sacred Heart Parish in La Plata from 2011. Buchmeier was ordained in 1991 after studying at John XXIII seminary for delayed vocations in Weston, Massachusetts.

Sadly, we are shocked at how quickly church officials point out that the allegation is from decades ago as if they are already dismissing the complaint. The average age for a survivor to come forward is 52. As time marches on, we will likely see more victims of clergy, religious and institutional abuse from the 1990s and 2000s, as they are finally ready to speak out. The standard narrative for diocesan statements often includes that the -clergy abuse crisis- is a thing of the past. We know that it is very much a thing of the present and the future, those victims who have yet to disclose their abuse, also hold the name of their abuser.

We now urge those with rank in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. dioceses and employers of Buchmeier, since his vocation was delayed, to employ every resource at their disposal to notify the community, parents, and parishioners about the claims, as well as to encourage potential victims or witnesses to come forward and make a report to police and call the Alexandria Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 703-746-4444. We know that informed communities are safer communities, and we hope church officials take these steps immediately. 

Contact: David Lorenz, Maryland SNAP Leader ([email protected], 301-906-9161) Becky Ianni, Virginia State Leader SNAP (703-801-6044, [email protected]) Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 814-341-8386)  Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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(For Immediate Release October 3, 2022)

Another allegation of sexual abuse has been levied against a Chicago area priest. We call for transparency from the Archdiocese of Chicago and hope that this news will encourage other survivors of sexual violence to come forward to seek healing and justice.

According to reports, a retired priest named Fr. John Clemens has been accused of sexual abuse in an incident from approximately 50 years ago. While news media covering this story have used that time frame to cast aspersions on the allegation, the reality is that this lapse in time from incident to report is well within the norm based on the scientific fact of delayed disclosure. It can take survivors decades to come forward and report abuse, and we believe this claim should be taken seriously and investigated fully.

To that point, we call on Church leaders in the Archdiocese of Chicago to clarify to whom they reported the allegation. In their statement, Catholic officials say they have reported the allegation to civil authorities, and based on their track record, we believe this likely means they reported the allegation to the Department of Children and Family Services. This is a creative dodge used by the Archdiocese to claim they reported abuse, but in reality, does nothing because DCFS does not investigate historical cases of abuse. This allegation should have been reported to the local police and district attorney’s office, and we call on Cardinal Blase Cupich to be clearer with his words regarding where and when this allegation was reported.

Finally, regardless of what actions the Church has taken, we know that the best way for survivors to heal and protect other children is to make their own reports to law enforcement. We hope that this story will encourage any still-suffering survivors in the Chicagoland area to talk with a trusted friend, family member, or therapist so that they can start healing and find ways to break their silence.

​CONTACT:  Larry Antonsen, SNAP Leader Chicago ([email protected], 773-255-3382) Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 814-341-8386)  Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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 (For Immediate Release October 3, 2022) 

Pope Francis has appointed ten new members to the Pontifical Commission for minors. The seven women and three men join the nine other members who have been reappointed, as well as one member who was appointed for a three-year term last year. However, despite these new appointments and the inclusion of the Commission in the Curia, survivors see little change in the way victims are treated by the Catholic Church.

We would be more impressed if the Church opened its books and publicly identified those who prey on children and adults. Removing all perpetrators from ministry permanently and handing all information on these cases over to secular authorities would have a greater effect on the scandal, in our opinion.

True reform would also include the Church doing more to assist survivors. Funding for counseling and other critical services should be made available to victims rather than paying lobbyists who advocate for keeping the courthouse doors closed to survivors. 

It is critical to remember that the Catholic Church has landed at this juncture as a result of gutsy survivors speaking out, organizations mobilizing and supporting victims, great reporters communicating the truth, and investigative government agencies identifying criminal acts. Without the efforts of civil society, Church officials might have continued unabated recycling abusers and moving them to unsuspecting populations. 

For more than 30 years, survivors have pounded on the Church's door, requesting help for survivors as well as the ouster of predators, as well as the individuals who defend them. It is past time for Catholic officials to understand this message. 

CONTACT:  Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 814-341-8386)  Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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