Media Statements

For immediate release: Friday, Jan. 17, 2014

Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, western regional director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434, [email protected])

The Vatican has released statistics on defrocking priests over a two year period. This is not progress.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/17/22340073-pope-benedict-defrocked-400-priests-n-2-years-report?lite

Numbers don't protect kids. Decisive action protects kids. Parents, police, prosecutors and parishioners need the names and whereabouts of every child molesting Catholic cleric. That's the information that the Vatican should be making public.

Accused cleric still on the job

He allegedly molested in Los Angeles

Now, his supervisors have sent him to MA

There, he's works as a chaplain in a shopping mall

For immediate release:  Friday, Jan. 17, 2014

For more info: David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected]

He allegedly molested in California

Now, he's working as a mall chaplain

For immediate release:  Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

For more info: David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected]

Father Daniel L. Flaherty, SJ, 10^th Provincial (1973-1979)

2014: Chicago Province, Chicago IL

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Daniel-Flaherty/52745168

Flaherty had access to all of McGuire’s files as provincial (1973-1979). When he became provincial, concerns about McGuire’s activities in Europe had already been reported, and the priest had also been asked to leave Loyola Academy. Despite this, in 1976, McGuire received permission from Flaherty to teach at the University of San Francisco. Flaherty also lived at Canisius House in Chicago with McGuire after the latter's 1993 evaluation at St. Luke's Institute in Suitland MD and his 1993-1994 treatment at St. John Vianney Hospital in Downingtown PA. Flaherty was supposed to be a member of his support team at Canisius House. However, Flaherty testified that he wasn’t aware of the nature of the treatment McGuire had received, and knew nothing about any of the restrictions that had been placed on McGuire’s activities.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/docs/jesuits/McGuire_Donald/Punitive_Damages_Motion/Exhibits/McGuire_Exhibit_01.pdf

For immediate release: Thursday, January 16, 2014

Statement by Dave Groesch, 847-830-0707 [email protected]

We are here today to warn the public about one child molesting cleric and nine complicit church officials.

First, Brother Damien Chong.

We don’t know a great deal about the allegations against Br. Chong. But they were revealed and posted on line by Los Angeles Catholic officials, along with credible allegations against dozens of other child molesting clerics – archdiocesan and religious order clerics – most of whom faced civil abuse and cover up lawsuits that settled.

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, western regional director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434,[email protected])

Pope Francis just rubbed salt into the wounds of LA clergy sex abuse victims and Catholics.

Maybe more than any of his predecessors, Pope Francis is keenly aware that images and gestures matter. So why did he concelebrate mass and privately meet with America’s least deserving and most polarizing retired Catholic official – Cardinal Roger Mahony, on whose watch hundreds of children were raped, sodomized, fondled and assaulted by hundreds of priests, nuns, brothers, seminarians and other Catholic employees, many of whom were deliberately and repeatedly moved and protected by Mahony and his top aides?

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

Statement by: Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, 636-433-2511, [email protected]

It takes a lot of courage to come forward and take action about being sexually abused as a child. So we commend the individual who reported his or her suffering caused by the predatory deeds of Fr.  James Seculoff.

http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/Walkerton-pastor-resigns-after-alleged-sexual-abuse-of-minor-240328741.html?ref=741

Also, it is extremely rare that a child predator has only one victim.

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

Statement by Peter Isely of Milwaukee, national board member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (414-429-7259, [email protected])

Today, as Catholic officials told a United Nations panel that the Vatican is 'reforming' on abuse, Pope Francis held a private meeting with retired Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, a prelate so corrupt that his successor denied him the right to exercise public ministry in his own archdiocese.

http://cardinalrogermahonyblogsla.blogspot.com/

We are stunned and deeply disappointed.

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

Statement by Mary Caplan of Manhattan, national board member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ([email protected])

Two high-ranking Catholic officials today basically told a United Nations panel that the Vatican has little real power to stop bishops from hiding clergy sex crimes. We’re very saddened that such a huge and powerful church bureaucracy continues to pretend it’s powerless over its own officials.

These clerics said some nice things today in Geneva. But unfortunately, the encouraging public words today by Catholic officials differ radically from the actual and distressing private behavior of Catholic officials. Before the cameras, the church hierarchy often denounces predators and thanks victims. But behind closed doors, the church hierarchy often protects predators and rebuffs victims.

Statement by SNAP spokesman Kate Bochte 630 768 1860 (cell), [email protected] 

Chicago Cardinal Francis George must answer two simple questions. First, why not disclose the names and the records of ALL Chicago child molesting clerics, whether they’ve been sued or not and whether he’s been forced to or not. And second, why not disclose the names and records of dozens of Chicago child molesting religious order clerics (Jesuits, Marianists, etc.) like 14 of his colleagues have done?

He claims he’s “committed” to “transparency.” http://www.catholicnewworld.com/cnwonline/2014/0112/cardinal.aspx

But he deliberately protects the roughly 1/3 of all child molesting clerics who work or have worked in his archdiocese by hiding their identities.

In 2010, Chicago native Bishop Gerald Kicanas, who heads the Tucson diocese, told the New York Times that excluding religious order priests from predator priest lists “doesn't seem appropriate … Our goal is to demonstrate to the person harmed that the church understood their pain and the harm that had been done to them, and to get as many victims as possible to come forward."