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The
Survivors Network of
those Abused by Priests
SNAP
Press Release
Giving Voice to Victims
April 18, 2007
Six pedophile preachers still listed on national
Southern Baptist website
Convicted clergy were publicly exposed last week
by ABC 20/20 program
Yet they remain on Southern Baptist Convention's list of 'serving' ministers
'Take them off & start separate list of credibly accused molesters,'
victims urge
Predatory ministers are mostly from the South: AL, TN, TX, FL, MD, &
VA
A support group for clergy molestation victims is urging officials of
the nation's largest Protestant denomination to remove convicted child
molesters from its registry of ministers.
Last Friday, ABCs 20/20 program spotlighted "preacher predators"
and pointed out that the Southern Baptist Convention has at least six
convicted child molesters on its website's list of ministers.
"This is a frightening example of institutional denial," said
David Clohessy of St. Louis , national director for the Chicago-based
support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
and other Clergy (SNAPnetwork.org). "Rather than getting those names
off the ministerial registry and their website, Southern Baptist officials
are blaming the messenger and ignoring the risk and the callous signal
their inaction sends."
"Most ordinary, decent people would expect that religious figures
would immediately take action after learning that their ministerial registry
includes convicted child molesters," said SNAP-Baptist coordinator,
Christa Brown of Austin, Texas , who heads a website called StopBaptistPredators.org.
"Decent people might also expect that religious officials would care
enough to make a public apology to the families who long endured the salt
in the wound of seeing men who molested their kids continue to be publicly
held forth as Southern Baptist ministers. But contrary to the reasonable
expectations of decent people, Southern Baptist officials apparently dont
see the need."
For over eight months, SNAP leaders have been urging Southern Baptist
officials to implement specific child safety strategies, but without success.
"Not only should convicted child molesters be taken off the registry
of ministers," said Clohessy, "but Southern Baptist officials
need to start listing all convicted, confessed and credibly accused ministers
so that people in the pews can be informed about the ministers with whom
they trust their kids. Theres no good reason why the largest Protestant
denomination in the country cant implement simple, proven effective
measures to make kids in Baptist churches safer."
On Monday, the Convention's lawyer, D. August Boto, told the Baptist Press
that their registry is not a list of "available ministers" but
instead a list of "serving ministers."
The six convicted sex offenders on the SBC's ministerial registry are:
1) Garett Dykes, from Wetumpka, AL;
2) Greg Dempsey, from Chattanooga, TN;
3) John O. McKay, from Hondo, TX;
4) Doug Myers, from Eustis, FL who also worked at churches n AL and MD;
5) Larry Nuell Neathery from Fort Worth, TX;
6) Kenneth Payne, from Lynchburg, VA.
For more information:
David Clohessy, SNAP national director, 314-566-9790, [email protected]
Christa Brown, SNAP-Baptist coordinator, 512-217-1730, [email protected]
Baptist Press statement:
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=25398
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Survivors Network
of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org
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