High Ranking Church Official Lies to Colleagues

SNAP
January 12, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mn_high_ranking_church_official_lies_to_colleagues

Statement by Frank Meuers of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (952-334-5180, frankameuers@gmail.com)

Can proof of deceit possibly be clearer? The newly disclosed email from Fr. Kevin McDonough is conclusive evidence that he endangered kids and lied to a colleague. He should be defrocked.

[startribune.com]

McDonough is a long time, high-ranking archdiocesan official who dealt with dozens - perhaps hundreds – of clergy sex cases. He deliberately deceived Atlanta Catholic priest who asked a simple question: Has Fr. Thomas Keating been accused of child sex crimes?

McDonough said no when he knew the honest answer was yes. And as a result, Fr. Keating, who was supposedly being “monitored” was able to travel to Atlanta and perform a wedding among completely unsuspecting families.

It takes just seconds for a child predator to shove his tongue down a girl’s throat or his hands down a boy’s pants. How will Fr. McDonough feel if it turns out that Fr. Keating sexually assaulted an Atlanta child during his trip there, a trip that should never have happened and likely would never have happened if not for Fr. McDonough’s decision to lie to his Georgia colleagues?

Every single week, we read of Catholic officials who claim that they are “monitoring” admitted, arrested, paroled, or credibly accused child molesting clerics. Only a fool would believe these claims. Few Catholic officials have had more experience in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases than Fr. McDonough. But his own writings prove he does not take the safety of children seriously and that the alleged “monitoring” of credibly accused predator priests is a dangerous joke. This is a pattern, we strongly suspect, that is repeated almost daily across this country and the globe: Catholic officials misleading police, prosecutors, parishioners, parents and the public about predator priests.

Finally, we applaud Marie Mielke, who is speaking publicly today for the first time about the pain cause by a Fr. Keating, and his callous, selfish archdiocesan supervisors and colleagues. She should be praised and thanked for her courage and compassion. By her bravery, she is exposing wrongdoers and protecting children. We are deeply grateful to her. Every St. Paul parent and parishioner should be too.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have more than 20,000 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)