KS--Victims blast archbishop on abuse decision

For immediate release: Sunday, July 12

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

We have little faith in secretive church “investigations,” so we are worried that Fr. Riley has allegedly been “cleared” by his bishop of child sex abuse accusations. It seems obvious that Bishop Michael Jackels’ hand-picked panel did not even interview the accuser but instead relied on the second-hand report of a person hand-picked and paid by Jackels.

We hope parishioners, the press and the public will press Jackels to disclose more about his so-called “investigation” and how it was carried out, and about the claim that Fr. Riley was sent to Florida to allegedly be near family (see below).

We beg every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. Riley or cover ups by his supervisors to speak up now. It’s crucial to share what you may have seen, heard or suspected with secular autyhorities, not church officials.

Fr. Riley’s work history is, at best, odd, and at worst, highly suspicious and lend credibility to the accusations against him.

First, he apparently was sent to work in Florida during the year the church’s abuse and cover up scandal erupted (2002).

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/assign/Riley_Rev_Leo_P.htm

Second, in Florida he lived, in an unusual arrangement, in a rectory with two priests from Newark (Fr. Nicholas McLoughlin and Fr Jean-Marie 'Fritz' Ligonde) and one from Marquette (Fr. Thomas Wantland).

Fr. McLoughlin was named as a defendant in a clergy sex abuse and coverup lawsuit for allegedly concealing child sex crimes by his brother, also a priest.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/1999_06_10_Walsh_DioceseSettlement_Edward_McLoughlin_2.htm

Third, Fr. Riley was demoted while in Florida.

Fourth, Fr. Riley was transferred often during his Iowa years. He worked in churches in Cresco, Dubuque, Roseville, Buffalo Center, Woden, Forest City, Lake Mills, Clermont, Postville, Dougherty, Rockford, Rockwell, and Cartersville.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/fl_naples_priest_accused_of_child_sex_abuse

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