CA- Victims want accused priest disciplined

Victims want accused priest disciplined

He’s accused of raping a pre-teen girl

Catholic officials supposedly “retired him”

But cleric still acts like a priest in public

He was on radio & TV as archdiocesan spokesman

Group urges others he hurt to “come forward & get help”

It also blasts SF church officials for “continued secrecy and inaction”

SNAP: For kids’ safety, Archbishop should put him in secure treatment center

WHAT

Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will disclose that a high-profile predator priest who was supposedly “retired” or “resigned” because of child sexual abuse allegations is still performing priestly functions in public, in violation of church abuse policy. They will urge

-- Catholic officials to suspend him, discipline him, and put him in a treatment center,

--disclose any other allegations or settlements against him, and

-- “aggressively reach out to anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered his crimes,” prodding them to “call police, expose wrongdoers, and protect others.”

Afterwards, they will try to hand deliver a letter to the SF archbishop urging him to post on his website the names, photos, whereabouts and work histories of all predator priests.

WHEN

Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 1 p.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside the San Francisco archdiocesan headquarters 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco CA 94109 

WHO

Three-four members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

 WHY

In 2002, a very high profile priest, Father Miles O’Brien Riley resigned or was “retired” by San Francisco Catholic officials after being accused of raping and sexually assaulting an eleven year old girl. But he still publicly functions as a priest and calls himself a priest, in what SNAP calls “a clear and egregious violation” of the church’s abuse policy.

According to BishopAccountability.org and news accounts, Fr. Riley is “an author, actor, and former church spokesman who was well-known for his radio ministry and as a fixture on the old God Squad TV show.” The SF Chronicle reports that he has “written many books, produced films and written and directed musical comedies, as well as hosting 1,500 television and 4,000 radio programs."

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_08_29_Derbeken_SFArchdiocese_Peter_Armstrong_ETC_1.htm

Fr. Riley is one of four accused clerics who, in 2002, had proclaimed his innocence and “was allowed to go quietly,” with then-Archbishop William Levada “either suspending them with pay, placing them on personal leave, or allowing them to retire,” according to the SF Weekly.

Just last week, Fr. Riley “moderated” an ecumenical service in Half Moon Bay.

http://www.hmbreview.com/community/remembrance-to-offer-comfort/article_50f559ca-4737-11e3-a1a6-0019bb2963f4.html

SNAP says that Catholic officials should house credibly accused child molesting clerics in remote, secure and independently run treatment centers, so they will be kept away from kids. “Bishops recruit, educate, ordain, train, hire, transfer and protect predator priests,” says SNAPs Tim Lennon. “Then, when pedophile priests are exposed, bishops pretend to be powerless over them. That’s irresponsible and deceitful.”

“For the safety of kids,” SNAP is also pushing SF Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone to post on his archdiocesan website the names, photos and whereabouts and work histories of the proven,

According to BishopAccountability.org, there are 74 publicly accused Bay Area predator priests in three dioceses. SNAP believes the real number is two or three times higher.

Roughly 30 US bishops have posted these names, almost always in response to public pressure, SNAP says.

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

Fr. Riley’s victim first reported her abuse to local Catholic officials in the 1990s.  The alleged rape and sex crimes took place in the 1968 at St Paul’s Parish in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.

He recently celebrated his “golden jubilee” as a priest:   http://youtu.be/lmf06CneBC0

And proof that he did so in 2012 (at St. Stephen’s Catholic church in San Francisco http://ststephenslife.com/FEB_19_2012_bltn.pdf

Here is his Fr. Riley’s C.V.   http://www.workandwellness.com/speakers/milesriley.htm  

Here is his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/miles.o.riley

In 2002, he was arrested for driving while drunk. His attorney then was Gil Eisenberg. Fr. Riley is believed to be in his early 70s and lives in Miramar.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_09_16_SanFranciscoChronicle_ChurchNews_Miles_Riley_1.htm

According to his International Speakers Bureau (2011) biography, Fr. Riley grew up in Indiana and California, and studied at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, Stanford, Notre Dame, Loyola of New Orleans and in Rome (Gregorian University in Rome and the North American College. Fr. Riley was ordained in 1963 and founded the Communications Center for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. http://www.workandwellness.com/speakers/milesriley.htm

CONTACT  San Francisco Local SNAP Leader Tim Lennon 415-312-5820 [email protected]