Survivors Demand Action From the S.F. Archdiocese

By Tim Lennon
Pokrov
September 13, 2015

http://www.pokrov.org/survivors-demand-action-from-the-s-f-archdiocese/

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (9/13)- On the cusp of Pope Francis’ first-ever visit to the US, as parishioners leave mass, abuse victims handed out fliers to church goers. The leaflets list the names of 36 publicly accused child molesting child molesting Catholic clerics in the San Francisco Archdiocese, and urges Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone to:

* disclose the names of other proven, admitted or credibly accused predators, and
* post all church predators’ names on his diocesan website and in church bulletins (like 30 US bishops have done).

The fliers also urge Catholic church members to
* question loved ones about these child molesting clerics (“Did any of these clerics ever hurt you?”) and
* prod anyone who has “seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes of cover ups to call law enforcement.”

For the safety of parishioners, SNAP wants Pope Francis to “defrock, demote or discipline” bishops who continue to “protect predators and endanger kids,” especially by keeping names of child molesting clerics secret.

For more than 25 years, SNAP has repeatedly urged bishops to “aggressively seek out and help” the thousands of victims “still trapped in silence, shame and self-blame.” But bishops refuse to do anything but the most minimal moves, the group contends.

So now, SNAP is prodding rank-and-file Catholics to take this step. Specifically, the organization is asking parishioners to circulate lists of publicly accused predator priests in their dioceses and ask loved ones if any of them were hurt by any of the priests.

SNAP also wants church-goers to push bishops to post these names on church websites. More than two dozen prelates have done this:

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

According to BishopAccountability.org (an independent on-line archive and database of the church abuse and cover up crisis), the publicly accused child molesting clerics in this diocese are:
Armstrong, Peter Gomez
Aylward, James W.
Baquedano-Pech, Theodore
Billante, Salvatore “Br. Sal”
Bravo, Roberto
Carter, Daniel E.
Cloutier, Edmond G.
Cunha, Arthur Manuel
Dabbene, Bernard
Danielson, Harold
Durkin, Charles
Ellis, Hal
Heaney, John P.
Ingels, Gregory G.
Keegan, Austin Peter
Keohane, Daniel T.
Kiesle, Stephan
Leach, Jerome “Jerry’ Paul
McCrillis, Phillip E.
Moriarty, John
Murnig, Guy Anthony
Myers, William S.
O’Connor, John J.
O’Shea, Patrick J.
Pacheco, Dan (Danilo)
Presenti, Richard P.
Riley, Miles O’Brien
Schipper, Carl Anthony
Stanislaus, Wellington Joseph “Brother Stan”
Superiaso, Jose
Trainor, Henry J.
Tubbs, Leo Donald
Van Handel, Robert M
Walsh, Milton T.
Ward, Bernard (Bernie)
Yost, Peter

SNAP all began with one person. Barbara Blaine founded SNAP in 1988 after years of pain, depression and shame. She was abused as an 8th grade child by a Toledo, Ohio priest who taught in the catholic school she attended. Years later, her pleas for help from Toledo’s bishop fell on deaf ears. Barbara realized that survivors of clergy abuse could help each other and, by mid 1988, she had built a network of about two dozen victims. By early 1989 several survivors had struck up friendships, held regular telephone conversations and exchanged letters. In 1991, the very first SNAP Meeting was held at the Holiday Inn, Chicago.

At a subsequent meeting in San Francisco in 1992, Barbara met David Clohessy, a survivor who was abused by a priest in Jefferson City Missouri. David had repressed the memory of his abuse for years before becoming a quintessential member of SNAP and a lifelong colleague and friend to Barbara. SNAP was already a growing and well-established organization when Barbara and David began to notice specific patterns in the way church officials had responded when abuse was disclosed to them. Rarely, if ever, did a church official admit to knowing of other survivors. They made empty promises such as a written apology or no longer permitting a predator to work in ministry. So, in November 1992, SNAP members travelled to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington D.C. At first, bishops refused to see them. Finally, only three agreed to meet with SNAP members and to listen to their stories. The bishops said they would take what they learned “under consideration.” The following spring, in New Orleans, not a single bishop came to one of SNAP’s designated listening sessions. The media, however, did. In November 1993, SNAP leaders from several cities travelled to Chicago to hold the organizations first ever national press conference. When, in 2002, the Boston Globe ran 850 stories about pedophile priests, the sheer numbers of victims coming forward to SNAP asking for support was overwhelming. SNAP took on a small staff to help manage the constant influx of requests and, in 2003, SNAP opened its national office in Chicago.

Today SNAP is the largest, oldest and most active self-help group for clergy sex abuse victims, whether assaulted by ministers, priests, nuns or rabbis. SNAP is a confidential, safe place for wounded men and women to be heard, supported and healed. SNAP works tirelessly to achieve two goals: to heal the wounded and to protect the vulnerable. The organization has more than 10,000 members and support groups meet in over 60 cities across the U.S. and the world.