ILLINOIS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, March 5
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com , davidgclohessy@gmail.com )
Six Chicago predator priests, who were ousted from local parishes in the 1990s, may have spent time in the Springfield are, we have learned.
During one year – 1993 – all six Chicago predator priests were mysteriously listed in the Official Catholic Directory as having the same Springfield area phone number. Internet searches show that the phone – 217 324 4192 – is a land line in Litchfield, in the Springfield diocese. (The only Catholic facility in Litchfield is Holy Family parish.)
As best we can tell, neither Chicago or Springfield Catholic officials have told anyone about these six possibly being in Springfield. (All six have been deemed “credibly accused” by archdiocesan officials.)
It could be that there’s a simple explanation for this very unusual listing. If so, Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki and Chicago Archbishop Blasé Cupich should provide it. Otherwise, Springfield area Catholics will be left to wonder if their kids were around dangerous Chicago clerics. And Chicago area Catholics will be left to wonder if local predators were secretly or quietly sent out of town and if so, whether this reckless practice continues today.
If one or more of these predators were in Springfield, he or they may well have assaulted a Springfield boyr or girl. If so, that child, or those children are now adults and are likely still suffering. And if so, Archbishop Cupich and Bishop Paprocki have a moral duty to aggressively reach out to them.
Just to be clear: We suspect – but don’t know for sure – that at least one or more of the six priests spent time in the Springfield area. (If not, how can the 217 phone number be explained?)
If so, it’s possible other Chicago child molesting clerics were sent elsewhere too (maybe Springfield, maybe another city). Is that happening now?
We beg Cupich and Paprocki to clear this up. We beg them to honor their repeated pledges of “openness and transparency” by giving Catholics and citizens this information.
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