For immediate release: Wednesday, Jan. 27

For more information: David Clohessy 314 566 9790

Child sex abuse trial vs. priest will proceed

He admits molesting kids in Indiana & now lives in Nashville

A first-of-its-kind ruling will enable a child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit against an admitted sex offender priest to move forward.

Last week, an Indiana judge ruled that a case against an alleged pedophile who now lives in Nashville and his former employer, the Indianapolis Archdiocese, to proceed toward trial. It’s the first time a judge in that state is letting a jury hear from an alleged abuse victim who repressed memories of the crime, according to the Indianapolis Star.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100122/NEWS02/1220388/Marion-County-judge-s-ruling-in-priest-sex-abuse-case-may-set-precedent

Harry Monroe stands accused of molesting 13 boys in southern Indiana from roughly 1974 to 1984. In 2007, Monroe admitted under oath that he molested at least five boys.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2010/01_02/2010_01_22_King_RulingIn.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/07_08/2006_07_30_King_10Years.htm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2009/01_02/2009_01_25_King_DocumentsChurch.htm

In the same deposition, he said his address is 3703 Dickerson Road, Lot 429, which is a trailer court. His last known job was with a social service organization called Maximus, which is described on its website as being “dedicated to the health and well-being of individuals, children and families.”

http://www.maximus.com/search/node/harry%20monroe

Monroe described Maximus as “an organization that assists people in getting public assistance, finding jobs, in cooperation with the Department of Human Services.

“Regardless of what Indiana courts do, Nashville’s bishop should warn Tennessee citizens and Catholics about this obviously dangerous serial predator,” said David Clohessy of St. Louis. He’s the national director of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “It’s irrelevant which particular Catholic prelate recruited, educated, ordained, hired, transferred or shielded which pedophile priest. When a bishop knows a child molesting cleric is in his diocese, that bishop must alert unsuspecting families, so the chances of more kids getting sexually assaulted will be reduced.”

Monroe has been represented by Indianapolis lawyer Bryan L. Ciyou. He and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are co-defendants in roughly a dozen lawsuits. The suits charge church officials knew of Monroe’s child sex crimes but kept them secret while moving him to new parishes with no warning