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.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140314/NEWS/403140330/-1/NEWS01#sthash.ltCWmtYV.pt4IzNht.dpbs 

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://archives.timesleader.com/2006_02/2006_12_05_Papers__Priest_possessed_troubling_items_-tlnews.html 

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])


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