CA--Victims urge Catholic officials to act now on new child sex abuse allegations

Victims urge Catholic officials to act

Two predator priests recently “outed”

Clerics worked in three Bay Area dioceses

Group wants outreach to “others in pain”

SNAP: “Protect kids by calling police now”

Victims also want bishops to post abusers on websites

WHAT

Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will

--disclose that two priests who worked in the Bay Area were recently “outed” as alleged predators and sued for child sex crimes for the first time,

--prod Catholic officials to “seek out other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers,” and

--beg anyone who may have “seen, suspected or suffered crimes” by either priest to “protect kids by calling police,” and

--again urge local bishops to post list of abusers on their websites (like 30 US bishops have done).

WHEN

Tuesday, April 26, 12:00 p.m.

WHERE

The Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison Street (between 21st & Grand) in Oakland

WHO

Two-three clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters who are members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

WHY

Two priests who worked in Bay Area Catholic institutions were accused publicly accused of child sexual abuse for the first time several weeks ago.

In February Father Emmerich Vogt was accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a ten year old altar boy in 1987. Vogt was the Prior of Saint Albert’s Priory, Chapel and Seminary in Oakland. He was also the Director at the Shrine of Saint Jude in San Francisco.

http://katu.com/news/local/lawsuit-claims-priest-sexually-abused-portland-boy 

http://roggendorf-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/complaint-copy.pdf

http://bishop-accountability.org/priestdb/PriestDBbylastName-V.html

Last month Father Milton “Milty” Eggerling was accused in a Texas lawsuit of abusing an 11 year old boy in the 1970s. Eggerling worked in four Oakland parishes and as a Catholic chaplain at Providence Hospital in Oakland. He also worked in a parish in Palo Alto, which belongs to the Diocese of San Jose.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/crime-law/lawsuit-filed-against-austin-catholic-diocese-over/nqjjG/

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Eggerling_Milton.htm

Members of SNAP want Oakland Bishop Michael Barber (510-893 4711, [email protected]), San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (415-614-5500,[email protected]), and San Jose Bishop Patrick Joseph McGrath (408-983-0100, [email protected]) to “aggressively reach out” to anyone who may have been abused by Vogt or Eggerling when the priests worked in the Bay Area. The group fears that there may be more victims who are suffering in shame and silence.

“We’re concerned because, based on our experience, Father Vogt and Father Eggerling have more victims right here in the Bay Area,” said Tim Lennon of SNAP. “Predators never have just one victim. Church officials have a moral duty to reach out to anyone who may be hurting.”

The survivors’ group wants Church officials to use all the means at their disposal—the pulpit, church bulletins and websites, and diocesan or order publications—to reach out to Catholics who may have been abused.

SNAP also wants to encourage anyone who experienced, witnessed or suspected abuse by the two clergymen to come forward and share what they know.

“Everyone can help make kids safer by reporting to police if they know anything about Father Vogt and Father Eggerling abusing local children. Please, even if you didn’t come forward at the time, say something now!” pleaded Melanie Jula Sakoda, the East Bay Director for SNAP.

The victims’ group is also renewing their plea to local bishops to post the names of all the abusers who worked within their dioceses. The U.S. bishops have admitted that 6,400 priests abused children. But an independent archive group, BishopAccountability.org, has only identified about 4,000. That leaves approximately 2,400 priests that church officials know are or were potentially dangerous but who have not yet been publicly identified.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/national_victims_demand_perp_priest_lists

“Bishop Barber, Archbishop Cordileone and Bishop McGrath need to post on their websites all of the information that they have about predators who worked in their dioceses. Too many abusive priests have never been publicly exposed, and remain hidden, as Father Vogt and Father Eggerling were until this year,” said Lennon.

Sakoda chimed in, “Over the past 12 years or so, more than 30 US bishops have released such lists. None of these three Bay Area dioceses have. It’s time to change that and to expose all the hidden predators.”

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

Eggerling’s victim is represented by Dallas TX attorney Tahira Khan Merritt (214-503 -7300, [email protected]).  

Vogt’s victim is represented by Portland OR attorney Kristian Roggendorf (503-726-5927, [email protected]).

CONTACT Tim Lennon (415-312-5820, [email protected]), Melanie Jula Sakoda (925-708-6175, [email protected]), David Clohessy (314-566-9790, [email protected])