Sex abuse victims leaflet outside Catholic event

They blast Vatican for its choice of new SF bishop

SNAP: ‘Rewarding’ long-time church insiders is wrong

It encourages more cover ups of child sex crimes, group says

Victims stress the need for continued vigilance in the SF archdiocese

They also urge church hierarchy do reach out to others hurt by Irish priest

WHAT
As parishioners enter the cathedral for a special service, clergy molestation victims will hand out fliers which
-- blast the Vatican for elevating a Bay Area priest to become San Francisco’s new bishop,
-- beg the faithful to continue to be vigilant, not complacent, about child safety, and
--prod anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes to call police.

The leaflets also urge church officials to
-- work harder to find and help others who were assaulted by an Irish priest who now faces extradition because of multiple child sex crimes, and
--stop ‘rewarding’ long-time insiders with promotions (which will give church staff no incentive to handle abuse cases differently)

WHEN
Tuesday, September 7, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE
Outside Saint Mary’s Cathedral (where the new bishop will be consecrated), 1111 Gough Street (near Geary), San Francisco, CA

WHY
Three months ago, Pope Benedict pledged to “do everything possible” to stop future child sex crimes. Yet he continues to promote men who have been long-time insiders in corrupt dioceses. Monsignor Robert McElroy, the area’s new ‘bishop-elect,’ (being ‘consecrated’ on Tuesday) is the former diocesan administrator of the San Francisco Archdiocese. If the Pope truly wants abuse cover ups to be handled differently, SNAP says he must reward men who haven’t been involved in abuse cover ups.

Two months ago, McElroy used his pulpit to defend Benedict’s abysmal record on abuse.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=6862

He will obviously be, SNAP feels, yet another bishop who rushes to judgment, defends the indefensible and curries favor with the church hierarchy (instead of focusing first on the protection of the vulnerable and healing of the wounded).

SNAP believes McElroy’s promotion should remind citizens and Catholics that it’s more important than ever to be vigilant, not complacent, about children’s safety in the San Francisco archdiocese.

SNAP is also asking the local Catholic hierarchy (in both SF and Oakland) to more aggressively reach out to those who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by Fr. Patrick McCabe, who has quietly lived in the Bay Area for years and worked in the North Bay area and several nearby dioceses (Stockton, Santa Rosa, and Sacramento). On July 30th, he was taken into police custody on charges he molested six boys in his native Ireland from 1973 to 1981. McCabe is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County. Specifically, SNAP’s want bishops to personally visit each parish where McCabe worked and plead with victims and witnesses to contact law enforcement immediately.

In the last two weeks, at least two men who say they were molested by McCabe as kids have filed civil child sex abuse and cover up lawsuits against the Santa Rosa diocese. (They are represented by Sacramento attorney Joseph C. George, PhD 916 442 7100.)

CONTACT:
Melanie Sakoda of Moraga, SNAP East Bay director 925 708 6175 cell
David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP director 314 566 9790 cell
([email protected])
Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP outreach director 314 862 7688 home,
314 503 0003 cell