ALEXANDRIA (LA)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
October 8, 2024
October 07, 2024
Victims blast Alexandria bishop on child abuse
They say he’s “concealing four publicly accused priests“
Other church officials admit charges against them are ‘credible’
SNAP: “If church officials are hiding these guys, what else might they be hiding?”
Support group also alerts child victims to unusual new legal opportunity
New law means that anyone molested at any time by anyone can now sue
‘By coming forward, the wounded can protect the vulnerable,’ victims say
WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos, clergy sexual abuse victims will
—disclose four publicly &/or ‘credibly accused’ priests who were in the Alexandria diocese but are NOT on the local Catholic bishop’s official ‘accused’ list, and
—write their names – and names of other alleged pedophile priests – on the sidewalk with chalk.
The victims will also urge
—Catholics to “spread the word” about a new Louisiana law that “helps protect kids and expose predators” by enabling “anyone abused at any time by any one” to file a civil lawsuit against “both the actual perpetrators and those who enabled their crimes” and
—anyone with information or suspicions about ANY other known or possible abuser to a) call police, not church staff, and b) contact their SNAP.
WHEN
Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE
On the sidewalk outside St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, 626 4th St. in Alexandria (318-445-1451)
WHO
Two child sexual abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), including a Missouri man who for 30 years was the organization’s national director
WHY
1) In 2019, the Alexandria diocese posted on its website a list of ‘credibly accused’ abusive clerics. But it omitted at least four priests from its list.
Two have been investigated and publicly declared ‘credibly accused’ by Catholic officials elsewhere:
—Fr. Joseph F. Pellettieri (also spelled Pelletieri), who is now on two church ‘credibly accused’ abusers lists (the New Orleans archdiocese in 2018 and the Baton Rouge diocese in 2019).
He also worked at an unspecified location in the Alexandria diocese (according to the Catholic Redemptorists religious order, as reported by the Associated Press) and in Wisconsin and Baton Rouge.
—Fr. Henry Brian Highfill, who reportedly abused a man near Alexandria and was sued for abusing a ten year old in Metairie and having an “improper relationship” with the boy for over 15 years.
In 2019, he was removed because of abuse allegations and he is now on two church ‘credibly accused’ lists (the New Orleans archdiocese in 2020 and the Las Vegas diocese in 2019).
Fr. Highfill also worked at a Houma parish and later became a military chaplain.
The other two have been publicly named as accused offenders, are NOT on official church ‘credibly accused’ lists, but SNAP believes they should be:
—Fr. Jamie Medina-Cruz, who in 2013 was removed from his assignment at St. Mary’s Assumption in Cottonport and St. Joseph’s in Marksville after he was accused of misconduct with a child. The sheriff’s office was investigating but that ended when Fr. Medina-Cruz was found dead in hotel room.
—Fr. Donald P. McCarthy, who in a 2005 lawsuit was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy (including rape and oral battery), along with Fr. Leger Tremblay in the Alexandria diocese. Fr. McCarthy knew the boy from Camp Maryhill near Pineville, LA.
The case was dismissed in 2006 due to the statute of limitations.
Fr. McCarthy also worked in dioceses in Austin TX and the Salina KS.
All four priests are deceased.
2) SNAP is sharply criticizing Bishop Robert W. Marshall, Jr. for a) waiting years to ‘out’ potentially dangerous priests, and b) refusing to disclose their photos, whereabouts and work histories.
SNAP is also prodding Bishop Marshall to provide “a more accurate and helpful offenders’ list.”
“Locking up predator priests keeps kids safest, said David Clohessy of SNAP. “But when that can’t happen, the second safest step is for church officials to promptly, publicly and fully disclose the identities of known and likely abusers and detailed information about them.”
“The obvious and troubling question is: If Alexandria Catholic church officials are hiding the names of these four men, how many others might they still be hiding?” he said.
3) In June, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld a ground-breaking new state child safety law. It enables those who were sexually violated as kids to use the civil court system to expose and punish adults who committed and institutions that concealed the crimes-even if the offenses happened decades ago.
When similar laws were enacted elsewhere, hundreds of victims ‘outed’ hundreds of perpetrators, mostly in churches, schools, camps and summer camps.
SNAP wants Catholics to join with them in spreading awareness of the measure, ‘so that the truth will be known about every priest, nun, monk, seminarian, brother or bishop who hurt kids.’
BACKGROUND
Here’s the official Alexandria Diocese ‘credibly accused’ abusers list.
(Over the past six or seven years, SNAP has discovered proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics in scores of dioceses across the US. The group has publicly prodded – sometimes successfully – more than 20 bishops to expand and improve their lists, most notably in Illinois and Missouri.)
CONTACT: David Clohessy, SNAP Missouri (davidgclohessy@gmail.com, 314-566-9790), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director (msakoda@snapnetwork.org, 925-708-6175), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director (sdougherty@snapnetwork.org, 814-341-8386)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)