MS- Clergy sex abuse victims seek help from Jackson's bishop
For immediate release: Thursday, March 20, 2014
For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
Priest with child sex abuse allegations is promoted
He is accused of molesting at least four boys & was sued
But he went overseas and is second-in-command of a diocese
And at least one child sex lawsuit against him has been settled
Group wants Jackson bishop to reach out to victims & get priest defrocked
A Catholic priest who allegedly molested several boys is now second-in-command at a diocese in Paraguay. And a victims' group wants Jackson Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, who was once the cleric's supervisor, to reach out to others he has hurt and urge the Pope to intervene and defrock him.
Fr. Carlos Urrutigoity was accused of sexually abusing at least four boys in the Scranton Pennsylvania diocese, where Kopacz was in leadership positions, between 2002-2004. At least two civil suits were filed and one of them was settled for $454,550.
But last week, a Boston-based research group called BishopAccountability.org disclosed that Fr. Urrutigoity is now in the Diocese of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay and is its Vicar General.
Bishop Kopacz was in charge of investigating child abuse allegations in the diocese of Scranton while Fr. Urrutigoity worked there. Kopacz allegedly ignored a warning about Urrutigoity’s inappropriate behavior without even talking to the victim. In 1999, Kopacz and his Scranton church colleagues were warned by Minnesota church officials about allegations that Father Urrutigoity had abused a seminarian, according to a federal lawsuit.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/07_08/2006_07_09_Janoski_TheSins.htm#urrutigoity
“What could be more reckless and callous than quietly sending another credibly accused child molesting Catholic cleric overseas to live and work among unsuspecting families?” said David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP's director. “We strongly suspect that Fr. Urrutigoity would be behind bars now had Kopacz and his Scranton colleagues acted appropriately.”
“Ignoring warnings about predator priests is dreadfully irresponsible but sadly, nothing new,” said, Barbara Dorris, SNAP's outreach director. “It is a dangerous and self-serving practice that puts unsuspecting families and children at great risk.”
SNAP wants Kopacz and other bishops to “use their vast recourses to seek out others who saw, suspected or suffered Fr. Urrutigoity's crimes to call police so that he might be prosecuted, write and warn Paraguay Catholics about him, and write Pope Francis insisting that he be defrocked,” Dorris said.
A spokesman for Bishop Joseph Bambera, who now heads Scranton diocese, claimed last Friday that “in every instance (the previous Scranton bishop) clearly expressed his reservations concerning Father Urrutigoity” “and cautioned the (Paraguay) bishop to not allow Father Urrutigoity into his diocese.”
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140315/NEWS/140319840
SNAP leaders, however, are skeptical of this claim and say it misses the mark.
“Private talks or letters among Catholic officials about predator priests rarely protect kids,” said Clohessy. “Public admissions and outreach by Catholic officials is what protects kids.”
“It matters little what US Catholic officials say privately to other Catholic officials,” said Clohessy. “What really matters is when Catholic officials publicly admit that a predator priest is dangerous and beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call police and prosecutors. Bishops in every place where Fr. Urrutigoity worked should do this now, and insist that the Pope start defrocking him.”
“We hope that Bishop Kopacz will step up, show compassion, exercise leadership, and do everything he possibly can to prod those with information or suspicions about Fr. Urrutigoity's crimes to call police, and warn Paraguay church staff and members about this threat to children's safety,” said Clohessy. “And they should go a step further and prod their boss, Pope Francis, who's also from Argentina, to start defrocking Fr. Urrutigoity right now and discipline those who are ignoring and concealing his crimes.”
Attorney Harry T. Coleman of Carbondale, Pennsylvania (570-282-7440, [email protected]) represented at least one of Fr. Urrutigoity's victims. The priest was represented by Sal Cognetti of Scranton. (570-346-0747, [email protected]).
Fr. Urrutigoity's work history and photo are here: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/Argentina/#Urrutigoity
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 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, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 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
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