MI--Victims urge child porn priest to be sentenced; Victims respond
For immediate release: Tuesday, July 14
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
A priest who is on the sex offender registry is being sentenced today for child porn. He had the material in Chicago and in Michigan and he sexually assaulted a boy in Colorado. We hope he’s locked up for as long as possible.
Fr. Richard James Kurtz was living at a Catholic facility outside St. Louis when he was arrested.He also taught at a Jesuit school.
We believe he’s dangerous and apt to repeat his crimes. He should not be given a chance to hurt another child. Our view isn’t punitive. It’s preventative.
The Fr. Kurtz case is part of a continuing pattern of irresponsible actions by Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron with clergy sex crimes.
1. In November 2011, Vignernon refused to warn his flock about Fr. Kurtz even though he was arrested for sexually assaulting a 10 year old boy outside Denver.
2. In May 2012, Vigneron refused to warn his flock about Fr. Thomas D. Williams who returned to the Detroit area after exploiting a woman and fathering her child (a child neither he nor his Catholic supervisors are supporting).
http://www.snapnetwork.org/prominent_predator_priest_returns_to_detroit
3. In June 2012, Vigneron refused to warn his flock about Fr. Maurice G. McNeely who returned to the Detroit area after being named in a civil lawsuit charging that McNeely sexually abuse a young boy in Hawaii in 1976.
http://www.snapnetwork.org/second_troubled_priest_now_back_in_detroit
Vigneron should make up for his recklessness now by personally going to each parish where Fr. Kurtz worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to contact law enforcement. It's possible that other clerics who ignored or hid Fr. Kurtz' crimes might also be prosecuted.
We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Detroit will speak up, call police, expose wrongdoers and protect kids. We also hope that they get help and start recovering.
We’d urge them, however, to call secular authorities and sources of help, not church sources.
(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 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 cell, S[email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [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