NM--Victims blast Gallup bishop over “continuing secrecy”

For immediate release: Tuesday, March 3

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])

A priest who was accused of abuse and financial misdeeds claims the small mission he left has millions of dollars and Gallup’s Catholic officials continues to stonewall the press, the public and his parishioners about the controversy.

Bishop James Wall must stop the secrecy and disclose immediately what he knows about the suspected crimes and misdeeds of the Rev. Ravi Kiran. Kiran, originally from India, worked at St. Anthony’s Mission.  

Fr. Kevin Finnegan, the chancellor for the diocese, assured parishioners the diocese was investigating Kiran’s abrupt departure and promised them answers, That was six months ago.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/nm_bishop_must_stop_secrecy   

Wall joins a small but growing number of Catholic bishops (including Belleville’s Edward Braxton) who basically refuse to be interviewed by journalists no matter what the subject. (Seubenville’s Jeffrey Montforton, for example, refuses to say why one of his priests has been defrocked by the Vatican.) This is a disturbing trend and does not bode well for the safety of innocent kids and vulnerable adults.

We urge every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or misdeeds by Kiran – or cover ups by Gallup church officials - to call police and prosecutors. Known or suspected child sex crimes or financial misdeeds should be reported to the independent professionals in law enforcement, not to biased, secretive Catholic bureaucrats.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have 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, [email protected], Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, [email protected], Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, [email protected]