SPRINGFIELD (MA)
Republican
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
By BILL ZAJAC
wzajac@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - More than a month after asking the Catholic Church for help, two groups seeking Bishop Thomas L. Dupre's whereabouts and defrocking have not received a response from diocesan or other church officials.
Officials from Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and Voice of the Faithful expressed disappointment at church officials' failure to respond to requests for support and information regarding the former sitting bishop of the Springfield Diocese, who resigned in February 2004 amid accusations of sexual abuse.
"It is a simple, straightforward request. Every day Dupre can call himself a bishop and his whereabouts are not disclosed, we have to assume kids are at risk," said David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
Diocesan spokesman Mark E. Dupont said the current bishop stands by his position that the diocese doesn't release personal information about personnel - clergy or lay.
Also, the matter is one for the Vatican to resolve, Dupont said.
At a press conference May 24 in front of the Springfield Diocese's Chancery, the two groups also announced that Dupre should receive further treatment. Dupre checked himself into St. Luke Institute in Maryland the night before his resignation was announced.
Posted by kshaw at July 5, 2005 07:50 AM