Bishop Admits Abuse; Victims Push for More

SNAP
June 8, 2016

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ia_bishop_admits_abuse_victims_push_for_more

Sioux City Catholic officials are admitting, for the first time, that Fr. Peter B. Murhpy has been credibly accused of molesting a child. We are grateful for this belated move, made at the request of a brave victim, and hope it will bring comfort to others who were hurt by this cleric. We also hope that Bishop Walter Nickless will be more forthcoming about other predator priests who have lived or worked in his diocese.

[catholicglobe.org]

Since this priest worked at several parishes, at a bare minimum, Nickless should also publish notices about him and his crimes throughout the diocese.

Fr. Murphy’s work history and photo are here:

[bishopaccountability.org]

Here’s our earlier statement about Fr. Murphy:

[snapnetwork.org]

No matter what church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has 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)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, davidgclohessy@gmail.com), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org)

OFFICIAL

The Diocese of Sioux City has received information that Father Peter B. Murphy committed sexually abusive acts against a minor in 1960 while a temporary assistant at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sioux City.

Father Murphy was ordained in 1955 and died in 1980. In addition to Blessed Sacrament Church, he served at St. Mary Church, Danbury; Assumption Parish, Emmetsburg; Sacred Heart Parish, Fort Dodge; St. Michael Parish, Whittemore; St. Joseph Parish, Bode; St. Rose of Lima Parish, Denison and Sacred Heart Parish, Spencer.

If you have information concerning any sexual misconduct against minors by Father Murphy, or are yourself a victim, please call Mercy Child Advocacy Center at (866) 435-4397, or the diocese at (712) 279-5610.