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	New Orleans Jesuits Sued in Abuse Case; SNAP Responds SNAP June 28, 2011 http://www.snapnetwork.org/snap_statements/2011_statements/062811_new_orleans_jesuits_sued_in_abuse_case_snap_responds.htm Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com ) Our hearts ache for this boy and for anyone else who may have been hurt by Fr. Madrid. We beg current and former Jesuit employees and local Catholics: If you have knowledge or suspicions - however old, small or seemingly insignificant - about clergy sex crimes, it's your moral and civic duty to call police. Please summon the courage to do what's right, call law enforcement and hopefully prevent more devastated lives. (SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 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, SNAPclohessy@aol.com), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com),Peter Isely (414-429-7259, peterisely@yahoo.com),Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com). http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_18365567?source=most_viewed Ex-priest at El Paso's Sacred Heart Catholic Church accused of molestation by Diana Washington Valdez \ El Paso Times Posted: 06/28/2011 12:07:37 AM MDT A priest who formerly worked at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in El Paso is accused in a lawsuit of allegedly sexually molesting a former altar boy in the 1970s. The Rev. Alfonso Madrid, a Jesuit priest at Sacred Heart, allegedly abused the plaintiff who is identified only as "John Doe." The lawsuit was filed in El Paso against the El Paso Catholic Diocese and the Jesuits of the New Orleans Province, said Lori Watson, one of the lawyers in Dallas who represents the plaintiff. The Rev. Anthony C. Celino, spokesman for the El Paso Catholic Diocese, said Madrid, who is deceased, was assigned to Sacred Heart from 1972 to 1982. He said the church in South El Paso is owned by the diocese but staffed by the Jesuit Society of Jesus, a religious order. "The diocese (did) not receive any complaint of this nature against him before," Celino said. Court records allege that Madrid persuaded John Doe's family to let him mentor the then-boy. John Doe, now 49, was in third grade when he became an altar boy for Madrid, who allegedly sexually molested him on various occasions. Madrid belonged to the Jesuit society that had its offices in New Orleans. No one at the Jesuits of the New Orleans Province was available for comment on Monday. "Let's hope that every person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover-ups in El Paso, by Madrid or other clerics, will find the courage and strength to speak up, call police, expose wrongdoing, protect kids and start healing," said David Clohessy, the director in St. Louis of the organization SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). The lawsuit was filed with the 327th District Court in El Paso. A picture of Madrid is available at www.bishop-accountability.org. Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com ; 546-6140. http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/24/3177442/man-sues-catholic-diocese-in-texas.html Man sues Catholic diocese in Texas on abuse claims Posted Friday, Jun. 24, 2011 - The Associated Press EL PASO, Texas — A man who alleges he was sexually molested by a Catholic priest in the 1970s has filed a civil lawsuit against a West Texas diocese and the Jesuits, claiming the defendants knew or should have known of the abuses and didn't protect him. The man, identified as John Doe 103, claims the Jesuit priest convinced him to become an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso. The suit claims he was molested over a two-year span. The lawsuit says abuses occurred in the priest's vehicle on the way to church functions. The priest is not being sued because he could not be located. The Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso and the Jesuits didn't immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
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