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| SNAP Urges Little Rock Bishop Taylor to Protect Children and Heal Victims
SNAP
September 12, 2013
http://www.snapnetwork.org/snap_is_urging_little_rock_bishop_taylor_for_the_protection_of_children_and_the_healing_of_victims
Victims to leaflet mass-goers
They list seven accused Ark. predators
Most have attracted little public attention
Several molested elsewhere but spent time here
Last year, one led a retreat, another was honored
Group urges bishop to post all child molesting clerics on websites
What
As parishioners leave mass, clergy sex abuse victims will hand out fliers listing seven proven, admitted or credibly accused child molesting Arkansas Little Rock priests, most of whom have attracted little public attention in the state. They will also urge
--- Little Rock’s bishop to post the names and photos of these alleged predators on his diocesan and parish websites, and
--- urge church officials to “actively seek out” anyone who “saw, suspected or suffered” clergy sex or cover ups and beg them to call police and prosecutors so that kids might be safer.
When
Thursday, Sept. 12 at 12:20 p.m.
Where
On the sidewalk outside the Cathedral of St. Andrew, 617 Louisiana Street (corner of 7th St.), Little Rock, Arkansas
Who
Two members of a support group for clergy sex abuse victims called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including a Missouri woman who is the organization’s long time outreach director
Why
It’s been almost a decade since Little Rock’s Catholic bishop admitted that 11 priests in the state had been accused of child sex crimes. But despite a decade- old national church policy mandating “openness” in clergy sex cases, church staff have still not , as best SNAP can tell, disclosed all of their identities or ever updated that figure.
Nor has the bishop made clear “whether the allegations against the 11 priests were all substantiated,” according to the Little Rock Democrat. “Clearly, some were, since the diocese identified 18 victims.”
One accused priest led a retreat last year in ARK. Another was honored last year in ARK.
[link]
The ARK priests who have been publicly accused include: Fr. Ralph J. Esposito, Fr. Thomas Behnke, Fr. Paul Frederick Haas, Fr. Timothy Sugrue, Fr. Nicholas Fuhrmann, Fr. Vance Thorne, and Fr. Joseph D. Ross. (See BishopAccountability.org)
SNAP is especially concerned about four of them:
--Fr. Fuhrmann who has been accused twice yet led a retreat in Subiaco just last year.
[link]
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[link]
--Fr. Haas who taught in a school here and was sent to Tennessee where he repeatedly molested kids.
[link]
--Fr. Ross who pled guilty to abuse in St. Louis but has reportedly moved here.
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Roughly 30 US bishops have, under pressure, posted names of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics on their diocesan websites.
[link]
SNAP is urging Little Rock Catholic Bishop Anthony Taylor, “for the protection of kids and the healing of victims,” to do likewise.
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Contact
Bill Lindsey 501-993-7931 wdlindsy@swbell.net
Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com
David Clohessy 314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com
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