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	Seeking Victims of Priest Abuse in Las Vegas KVBC-TV - NEWS 3 January 4, 2008 http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7575061&nav=15MV Did a Catholic priest, already in jail for abusing children during the 70's in Wisconsin, abuse any children here in Las Vegas? That's what representatives from SNAP, or Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, want to know. The two known victims of father John Patrick Feeney filed a lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay yesterday. And as News 3's Jesse Corona reports, those victims believe the church simply transferred Feeney to other dioceses, including here to Las Vegas, instead of dealing with the allegations of abuse. "If it wasn't for the Diocese, Feeney would have never happened," victim Troy Merrifeld told News 3. Troy and his brother Todd Merrifeld say the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was a willing partner in the abuse they endured at the hands of Father John Patrick Feeney. They say the church shuffled Feeney from location to location despite repeated allegations he was sexually abusing children in his parish. "It can be continuing right now. The veil of secrecy about this is stunning," Troy said. At issue are so-called secret church documents the Merrifields say show the church knew of Feeney's problems. Documents like a 1974 letter from Feeney's counselor that says "... under stress your usual controls over sexual impulses may fail and cause some indiscretions." According to SNAP, Feeney was transferred to Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church here in Vegas in the spring of 1985. He worked there for a year until being transferred again, this time for allegedly bringing contraband in a jail where he was doing prison ministry. "Our concern is that the records were kept secret for decades. Parisheners were not notified and children are left at risk by this type of behavior," SNAP president Barbara Blaine said. SNAP says the Catholic Church should have warned parisheners about Father Feeney instead of unleashing him into an unsuspecting new community. SNAP wants the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas to reach out to see if their are any victims of Father Feeney in Las Vegas. In a statement, the Las Vegas Diocese says if someone came forward regarding an allegation of abuse, they would deal with that appropriately. Father John Patrick Feeney is serving a 15 year sentence for a 2004 abuse conviction in Wisconsin. The Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas confirms that Feeney was the associate pastor at Saint Francis de Sales Church in 1984. The diocese also confirms that Feeney worked in prison ministries in 1986. But they are unsure why he was transferred out of Las Vegas.
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