NY--Victims to Dolan’s Fund Manager: Let us work with you

Victims to Dolan’s Fund Manager: Let us work with you

Survivors need to be a part of Phase Two plan

Payouts are “hush money” without secret files

Make public reporting protocols, evidence

Let’s partner for public safety, healing, group says

What:

At a press conference, the nation’s largest support group for clergy sex abuse victims will hand deliver a letter to Cardinal Dolan forDolan’s head of his Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Plan. The letter asks that Feinberg:

- Make survivors partners in the compensation plan moving forward

- Gain access to secret church evidence and files when reviewing cases

- Make public his criminal reporting protocols

- Release names of predators, as Dolan has promised

Where: 

Outside of the Archdiocese of New York Headquarters

1011 First Ave, NY, between 55th and 56th

When: Monday, February 13, at 11:30 am

Who: Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, (SNAPNetwork.org) included a Missouri woman who is the group’s managing director and a California woman who is the group’s volunteer western regional director.

Copies of the letter will be available at the event

Contact:

Barb Dorris, SNAP Managing Director, (314) 503-0003, [email protected]

Joelle Casteix, SNAP Volunteer Western Regional Director, (949) 322-7434, [email protected]

Letter to be delivered: 

Kenneth Feinberg
1455 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 390
Washington, DC 20004-1008

[email protected]

fax 202-962-9290

Dear Mr. Feinberg;

Last night, we held a support meeting with a number of confused clergy sex abuse survivors from the New York area. Their confusion came from Cardinal Dolan’s compensation plan—the plan that you are currently administrating. 

Without clear guidelines, survivor input, accountability from the diocese, and the release of evidence, many survivors fear that payouts administered by your office will be little more than “hush money.”

We also realized that you may not be aware of the complicated history that many survivors have with the archdiocese. Many are scared to report and terrified of the Cardinal and other officials. Others do not trust your office and fear that you are not truly independent. Even we have read reports that you have heard from more than 140 victims, yet not a single predators’ name has been released. That makes us skeptical.

For this plan to be success, we believe that your office must bring survivors—not just their attorneys—to the table at all parts of the process. Survivors should help you develop all phases of the compensation plan, the procedures of gathering information from the Archdiocese, and aid you in ensuring that the process is a healing one.

To that end, we ask:

- The Archdiocese give you access to all evidence in their possession—including the the “sub-secreto” files—for every accused priest. You are unable to exercise the full duties of your position otherwise. It is also cruel and unfair to the victims—especially when this evidence would be forced into the public sphere in a civil trial.

- You meet with survivors individually and in groups to discuss the next phases of the plan. While SNAP is a large network of survivors, we realize there are many other wonderful groups out there with well-qualified survivors who can assist you. We recommend a variety of people: those who have “no skin in the game,” those who have received settlements, those who are active advocates, those are not. Do not only choose from a group hand-picked by the Archdiocese.

- Make public your protocol for reporting all accused predators to law enforcement, with timelines. Many men who only have one accuser have other victims who never come forward and/or may be still abusing. We want to make sure that everyone is properly reported. We fear that the unreported are creating a public safety crisis.

We want to be your partners in this process. While the compensation is not ideal, it may be the best option for many survivors. We hope we are only the first of many groups reaching out in the hopes of meeting with you and forming a constructive dialogue that benefits as many people as possible.

We are willing to come to Washington D.C. to meet with you at any time. If you wish to come to New York, we would love to put together a meeting that is safe and comfortable for everyone involved. 

Sincerely,