ILLINOIS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, March 10
Statement by David Clohessy of SNAP ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
In his news conference today, we suspect that Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki will criticize our group for raising concerns about what he’ll call “old” cases.
If he does, we hope citizens and Catholics will ask him about these more recent cases:
–Why, just last week, did Paprocki try to evade responsibility for out-of-state predator priests who spent time in the Springfield diocese, and claim that other Catholic officials should be more forthcoming about these predators, not him?
–Why, 1.5 years ago, did Paprocki let a priest who’s accused of child sex crimes temporarily resign, instead of suspending him? (That’s what the US bishops pledged to do when credible child sex abuse reports surfaced. That’s what the US bishops’ official sex abuse policy mandates.)
–Why, 1.5 years ago, did Paprocki keep the allegations against that priest, Fr. Robert “Bud” DeGrand, secret for weeks, giving Fr. DeGrand plenty of time to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers, fabricate alibis and even flee the country?
(Remember: Every day a child sex abuse report is kept hidden, a child sex abuser is free to keep abusing. Every day of secrecy and delay makes it harder for police and prosecutors to pursue child predators.)
–Why, 1.5 years ago, did Paprocki refuse to even respond to our pleas that he personally go to parishes in Jacksonville, Winchester, Bluffs, Granite City, and other places where Fr. DeGrand worked?
–Why in 2013 did Paprocki remove two thing from his diocesan website: a report on clergy sexual misconduct (and financial misdeeds) in the diocese by ex-U.S. attorney J. William Roberts and any hint that Bishop Daniel Ryan “engaged in illicit sex or otherwise did anything improper” which Roberts’ report had found?
–Why, that same year, did Paprocki not address allegations that the diocesan panel “that once screened candidates for the seminary is no longer active, according to one panel member.”
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