New child sex abuse case against Mother Theresa’s ‘confessor’ starts

For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 9
 
For more information: Barbara Blaine 312 399 4747
 
New child sex abuse case against Mother Theresa's 'confessor' starts
 
Convicted pedophile priest molested teen "almost continuously" for a year
 
High profile cleric now faces federal charges; Opening arguments are today 9:30 a.m.
 
Jesuits knew about nationally known predator as far back as 1969 yet kept him in ministry
 
Opening arguments are expected to start tomorrow in a criminal trial against an already-convicted pedophile priest who is the nation's most high profile child molesting Catholic clergyman.

The is a federal case being held in Courtroom 2119 (at the Dirksen Federal Bldg- corner of Jackson and Dearborn) in front of Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer.
 
Fr. Donald J. McGuire is a defrocked Jesuit who has been Mother Teresa's spiritual advisor, spoken at hundreds of schools, churches and retreats across the globe. He is also the most high-profile Catholic priest to ever be convicted for sexually abusing kids.
 
McGuire is facing trial and charged with traveling to Switzerland and Austria to engage in sexual conduct with a minor. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is represented by attorney Stephen Komie.
 
In Feb. 2006, McGuire was found guilty of molesting two other boys on trips to Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Those victims testified that they were also repeatedly abused by McGuire at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, where they were students and where McGuire taught from 1965-70.
 
Prosecutors in Maricopa County (Phoenix AZ) have also filed criminal charges against McGuire for molesting two brothers there between 1998 and 2002.
 
At least two civil molestation suits against McGuire and the Jesuits have been settled. The victims were represented by St. Paul MN attorney Jeff Anderson (651 227 9990, 612 817 8665 cell).
 
According to church records, in 1999, McGuire began living with and molesting and living with a different teenager at Canisius House in Evanston. McGuire repeatedly abused the youngster until a different boy filed a civil molestation lawsuit against the priest and the Jesuits in 2003.
 
McGuire, an Oak Park native now in his 70s, was finally defrocked in February, even though his Jesuit supervisors received repeated reports of his crimes as far back as the 1960s.  
 
"While McGuire is finally facing tough questions in court about his crimes, his Jesuit bosses have apparently succeeded in escaping consequences for covering up McGuire's crimes," said Barbara Blaine, founder and president of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org).

Contact: SNAP National Director, David Clohessy, 314 566 9790

Episcopal bishop defrocked in cover-up

For immediate release: Friday, October 3, 2008

Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, national president member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747)

We believe this is a first in US history: a clergyman defrocked for concealing a pedophile priest's crimes. We believe it should happen far more often.

This long overdue but crucial move sends a strong signal to Episcopalian officials: child sex abuse should be reported and disclosed, not minimized and hidden. More importantly, it sends the message that you will be punished, not promoted, for covering up for criminal colleagues. If this signal had ever been sent in the Catholic hierarchy, perhaps thousands of kids and their families would have been spared devastating pain.

Unacknowledged wounds rarely heal, so we hope this important validation can help those so deeply wounded by the Bennison brothers to recover from the horrific betrayal they've experienced. We commend them for being brave and wise enough to come forward, speak up, cooperate with authorities, and expose both a dangerous child molester and a corrupt church supervisor. Episcopalian families are safer and Episcopalian churches are healthier because of these courageous victims.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 17 years and have more than 8,000 members across the country. 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, 314-645-5915 home), Peter Isely (414-429-7259) Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688), Mary Grant (626-419-2930), Mark Serrano (703-727-4940)
*****

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6430084#bodyText

Episcopal bishop defrocked in cover-up

Friday, October 03, 2008 | 12:41 PM

Charles E. Bennison Jr. was formally "inhibited" by the diocese and was ordered to "cease all episcopal, ministerial and canonical acts." The church indictment, called a presentment, charges that Bennison reacted "passively and self-protectively" and "failed to take obvious, essential steps to investigate his brother's actions, protect the girl from further abuse, and find out whether other children were in danger."

By JOANN LOVIGLIO

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - October 3, 2008 -- An Episcopal bishop in Pennsylvania has been defrocked after a church panel found him guilty of covering up his brother's assaults of a teenage girl in the 1970s.

Church documents released Friday say 64-year-old Charles Bennison Jr. should no longer serve as a member of the clergy.

The church panel chose the harshest sentence for Bennison, who has been bishop of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese. He could have been reprimanded or suspended.

About Father Joseph Ross, moving to Arkansas from St. Louis after suspension for sex offenses

For immediate release: Thursday, October 2, 2008

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Fr. Joseph D. Ross moved to Arkansas after being suspended in St. Louis in 2002 for multiple sex offenses. Last Friday, he was arrested in Pulaski County for molesting a St. Louis child around 2000.

We cannot praise this brave, strong, compassionate teenager enough for showing such courage. We hope St. Louisans will ask tough questions of archdiocesan officials who knowingly and secretly, in the 1990s, moved Ross to an unsuspecting parish after he had already pled guilty to molesting a boy. And we hope that Little Rock citizens and Catholics will ask their children if they were hurt by Ross.

Ross pleaded guilty in 1988 to sexually assaulting an 11 year old boy in Dec. 1986. He was sentenced to 2 years probation and treatment. Ross acknowledged during an investigation in 1987-1988 that he had earlier been accused of molesting one youth in the 1970s and had been arrested for propositioning a police officer and for public indecency.

The archdiocese placed him on leave March 2002. In August of 2002, church officials announced that Ross had been defrocked. A civil suit against Ross was filed in November 2002 alleging that he abused a 14 year old boy in 1977.

Out of concern for the teen's privacy, SNAP is not disclosing the latest victim's age, gender or city/state of residence.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 17 years and have more than 8,000 members across the country. 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)

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=156428

KSDK -- A former St. Louis priest was arrested in Arkansas last week, accused of sexually assaulting a child at local church.

Joseph Ross, currently awaiting extradition back to St. Louis, hid a dark secret during his time as a priest in the Catholic Churches.

"At least three times, Father Ross was arrested for sexual offenses," said David Clohessy, the President of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

In the late 1980s, Ross was arrested and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor of sexual abuse. The Archdiocese sent him for treatment, but he remained in the church for more than a decade, until the Archdiocese kicked him out.

Archdiocese officials would not comment on pending legal issues, but in a statement, they said: "Mr. Ross was removed from the ministry in 2002, under the Archdiocese's policy...we apologize to all those who have been abused by clergy."

Now they're issuing one more apology to Ross's latest alleged victim.

The alleged abuse went on for a period of two years while Ross was assigned at St. Cronan's Catholic Church. That was in 2000. It took eight years after the alleged event to bring charges against Ross.

"The overwhelming majority of priests that abuse kids never ever see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a jail cell," Clohessy said.

So SNAP members said the arrest sends a very clear message.

"If you're being molested and you speak up and you call the police, good things will happen," Clohessy said. "The right things will happen. You will be protected and others will be protected."

Even so, they said there were no true victories in those cases.

The case against Ross will be sealed until he actually appears in court in St. Louis.


http://www.cw11tv.com/pages/landing/?Former-Priest-Faces-New-Sex-Charges=1&blockID=77843&feedID=416

Former Priest Faces New Sex Charges

October 1, 2008

Former St. Louis area Priest Joseph Ross was arrested last week in Arkansas on a warrant issued by the St. Louis city attorney.

He is charged with 11 first degree counts of sexual misconduct with a minor...charges that include statutory rape, statutory sodomy, and child molestation.

It began with a phone call that activists say was 8 years overdue.
 
"The victim contacted me because of the fear that other kids were being hurt," said Mary Pat Benninger of SNAP.

Prosecutors say the victim is a teenager now, but was under the age of 14 at the time of the abuse. SNAP, the watchdog support group for victims,  says Ross has a long history of abusing children.

"He's been accused of a number of sex crimes. He's been arrested at least two other times besides this one. He admitted to moleting at least one child," said David Clohessy, national SNAP president.

In 2002, two years after the alleged abuse was said to have occurred here at St. Cronans,  the Archdiocese of St. Louis removed Ross as pastor because of a guilty plea he had entered in 1988. He was later defrocked by the Pope.
  
SNAP claims Ross was transferred to St. Cronins even though the church was aware of other incidents.
In a written statement  the Archdiocese said it's their policy not to comment on pending legal matters. It apologized to all who have been abused by clergy.

So why did it take the victim eight years to come forward? Well those who've been molested by priests say telling someone is not easy.

"I was terrified of the Priest, I was terrified of the church. I was terrified that I was going to go to hell if I said anything," said Barbara Dorris. She was in her forties before she found the courage to report her abuse at the hands of a different priest.

Ross remains in custody in Arkansas,where prosecutors say he will not fight extradition. Details of the trip back  to St. Louis are being worked out.

Help out SNAP! Combined Federal Campaign - donor code 10685

Know anyone working for the Federal government?

Here's an easy way to help survivors.

The annual fund-raising drive for charities conducted in the workplaces of Federal employees is going on now. SNAP is one of the participating organizations that stands to benefit.

If you are a Federal worker, you can designate that your charity dollars go to SNAP. Just enter SNAP's code number on your Combined Federal Campaign donor form: 10685. (Feel free to share our CFC number with your friends and co-workers, too!)

We appreciate and need your support this year. The economy is hurting donor giving for almost all nonprofit organizations. Your generosity will help SNAP continue its critical work.

Thank you,
Barbara Blaine
David Clohessy
Barb Dorris
P.S. Please forward this email to anyone you know, Federal worker or not. Thanks.

Sex abuse victims respond to Bishop Braxton's hurtful letter and selfish legal maneuver

For immediate release: Monday, Sept. 29, 2008

Sex abuse victims respond to Bishop Braxton's hurtful letter and selfish legal maneuver

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915 home)

If Bishop Braxton truly wants to heal the wounded and protect the vulnerable, he should take three immediate steps.

First, he should immediately and publicly apologize to Jim Wisniewski. In a letter sent to southern Illinois parishes this weekend, Braxton called Jim "an alleged victim." This is wrong, hurtful and intimidating.

It's wrong because Jim is NOT an alleged victim. An impartial jury heard the evidence, and found that he WAS molested by Fr. Raymond Kownacki. Furthermore, Catholic officials never even disputed this.

It's hurtful because what many victims want and need most is validation – they need to be assured that people believe them and understand that their suffering is severe. To call a proven victim an alleged victim is to minimize the devastating that Jim has endured and the pain that he is enduring.

Finally, it's intimidating because other victims may well be tempted to keep silent in the face of this harshness and insensitivity. "Why bother speaking up and exposing my predator?" a victim might ask. "Even if a jury finds that my abuse happened, church officials will still doubt me and use words like 'alleged.'"

In the spring, during his US visit, Pope Benedict couldn't have been more clear. Catholics should "do everything possible" to heal the wounds cause by clergy sexual abuse. Braxton, instead, is exacerbating those wounds. He should apologize.

Second, Braxton should 'come clean' about diocesan finances. He can't have his cake and eat it too, claiming the verdict will harm his diocese while offering not a shred of evidence. Maybe years ago, parishioners and the public took a bishop at his word on such matters, but no more. In fact, it's prudent to assume Braxton is not being honest here, because he's been dishonest about so much – his improper spending and Fr. Real Bourque, to cite just two examples. It also important to remember that diocesan staff said under oath that the diocese earns more than 3.5 million each year just on interest alone. That simple fact shows Braxton's being deceptive when he feigns 'poverty.'

Finally, Braxton should sit down with us before he take the final step of formally appealing this verdict.

We in SNAP asked to meet with Braxton 2.5 years ago. We never even got the courtesy of a reply. We are renewing our request to meet with him for several reasons.

First, we aren't sure he's even ever talked with one abuse victim.

Second, his diocese faces a $5 million dollar jury verdict precisely because bishops like him have distanced themselves from victims like us. They've shunned, us, rebuffed us, ignored us, and 'delegated' us to their underlings.  (We aren't confident that bishops meeting with victims will make a difference. We are, however, confident that something must change, and that bishops hiding behind their desks, 'busy schedules,' lawyers and public relations staff is NOT working.)

Third, we feel duty bound to do everything we can to spare Jim and his family more pain. They are heroes. They have suffered enough. If, on the slim chance we might be able to get through to Braxton, we might persuade him to do anything to reduce this brave family's agony, or stop adding to it, we feel we have an obligation to try.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 17 years and have more than 8,000 members across the country. 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, 314-645-5915 home), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747),
Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Coordinator (314) 862 7688

Talk, Q&A, and Book signing with Angela Bonavoglia

Native Daughter Angela Bonavoglia
Comes Home to Scranton to talk about her latest book--
"Good Catholic Girls:  How Women Are Leading the Fight to Change the Church"

WHAT:  Talk, Q&A and Book Signing

WHERE:  Anthology:  New and Used Books, Casey Laundry Building, 2nd Floor, 515 Center Street, Scranton, PA 18503

WHEN:  Saturday evening, October 4, 7:30 p.m.  to 9 p.m.

CONTACT:  Andrea Talarico, 570-341-1443

Angela Bonavoglia is an award-winning journalist and author, nationally recognized for her writing about women and the Catholic Church.  A cradle Catholic, former parishioner of St. Ann's Church and student at St. Ann's elementary school, Bonavoglia interviewed nearly 150 Catholic women change-makers for her provocative book, Good Catholic Girls:  How Women Are Leading the Fight to Change the Church (HarperCollins).  They are young and old, nuns and lay, married and single.  Backed by supporters worldwide, they are rethinking Catholic theology, changing the face of ministry, and resurrecting the lost lives of female Church leaders.  They are working to open ordination to all, challenging the Church's sexual repression, and calling the Church to openness and accountability.

Bonavoglia's article, "The Church's Tug of War," about women as an invisible force for reform in the Roman Catholic Church, was the lead article in The Nation in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandals of 2002. It provided a fresh analysis of the role of women in progressive Church reform at an unprecedented moment in American Church history and became the basis for Bonavoglia's latest book.

Bonavoglia has toured the country speaking about women and Catholic Church reform, on college campuses and in lecture halls, from Catholic altars and in a convent, in parish basements and people's homes.  She has only been banned once, by Paterson, NJ bishop Arthur Seratelli, who forbade her to speak in any Catholic venue in his diocese.

In addition, Bonavoglia has been a guest on nearly 60 television and radio shows talking about women and Church reform, and her articles and op-eds have appeared in such outlets as The Nation, the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, the Miami Herald, the National Catholic Reporter,  Salon.com and Ms., where she was a longtime contributing editor.  In Does the Pope Care About Workers' Rights? (The Nation) and Ask Benedict: Is Union Busting Catholic? - Politics on The Huffington Post, Bonavoglia reported earlier this year on the struggles of Catholic teachers' unions, including the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers.

Bonavoglia also authored The Choices We Made: 25 Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion.  With a foreword by Gloria Steinem, it includes Bonavoglia's interviews with such celebrities as Whoopi Goldberg, Rita Moreno, Polly Bergen, and Kathy Najimy, and was featured on Oprah.
As conflict rages in Scranton among Church authorities, politicians and ordinary Catholics over what it means to be Catholic, and that conflict garners national attention, it is more important than ever to bring the work of these devoted and courageous Catholic women out into the world, to represent the other Catholic voice.

Email author: angela@GoodCatholicGirls.com.
Website: www.angelabonavoglia.com.

“Nuns Molest Too,” Say Three Victims

For immediate release: Saturday, September 27, 2008

“Nuns Molest Too,” Say Three Victims

Their Cases Against Catholic Religious Order Are Settled

For Decades, Nun Molested Girls in Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska

Victims Prod Others Who “Are Suffering in Shame and Silence” To Come Forward

It May Be the First Time Several Victims Have Sued for Crimes by One Pedophile Nun

WHAT

Distributing fliers outside a Catholic church, three women will

--speak publicly about the child molestation they suffered at the hands of a Chicago Catholic nun, and;

--strongly plead with others who were assaulted by nuns to come forward, expose predators and protect kids.

The three just settled their civil child sex abuse and cover up lawsuits against the religious order of the nun who abused them.

WHEN

Saturday, Sept. 27, 11:00 a.m.

WHERE

Outside Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State Street (at corner of Superior) in Chicago

WHO

Three victims and a the founder of a nationwide support group for clergy sex abuse victims called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) and a few supporters

WHY

Sr. Benen Kent was sued for repeatedly sexually abusing three girls in the mid-1960s at St. Juliana’s Catholic School in Chicago and elsewhere. According to their civil lawsuits, Kent’s supervisors knew Kent suffered from mental illness and had behaved questionably with children. Yet church officials moved the nun and let her continue to work around kids.

The victims, now in their 40s and 50s, include two sisters who are letting their names be used publicly: Christine Bertrand of Sierra Madre CA and Karen Britten of Highland Park IL. The third woman is anonymous.

All of them believe sexual abuse by nuns is far more widespread than Catholics realize and want to encourage others who’ve been hurt by Catholic sisters to break their silence and start to recover.

Their suits were filed 2005 and 2006 in Olmsted County (MN) District Court, in part because Kent belonged to a Rochester MN-based religious order called the Sisters of St. Francis. A judge tossed out Britten’s case because of the statute of limitations, and last year the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld that decision.

Kent, who was a music and piano teacher, died in 2003 at the age of 85.

Two of the women were also abused at the order’s headquarters in Minnesota. All were represented by Minnesota attorney Jeff Anderson (651 227 9990, 612 817 8665 cell).

http://www.startribune.com/local/29748154.html?page=1&c=y

VISUALS: Victims have childhood photo of them with the nun.

CONTACT Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP Founder and President 312 399 4747 David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP National Director 314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915 home Jeff Anderson, of St Paul, Attorney for the victims, 612 817 8665

Sex Abuse Cases Against Catholic Nun & Religious Order Are Settled

For immediate release:
Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sex Abuse Cases Against Catholic Nun & Religious Order Are Settled

For Decades, She Molested Girls in Worked In Minnesota, Nebraska and Illinois

Three Victims Filed Civil Lawsuits in 2005 and 2006; Predator is Now Deceased

It May Be the First Time Several Victims Have Sued for Crimes by One Pedophile Nun

WHAT

At a news conference, three women will speak publicly for the first time. They were sexually abused by a Catholic nun and just settled their civil child sex abuse and cover up lawsuits against her Minnesota-based religious order.

WHEN

Thursday, Sept. 25, 1:00 p.m.

WHERE

At the law offices of Jeff Anderson, 366 Jackson Street, Suite 100, in downtown St. Paul

WHO

Three victims and a prominent Minnesota attorney who represents hundreds of other men and women who were abused as kids by teachers, coaches, ministers, and other authority figures.

WHY

Sr. Benen Kent, a nun with Rochester-based religious order called the Sisters of St. Francis, was sued for repeatedly sexually abusing three girls in the mid-1960s at St. Juliana’s Catholic School in Chicago and elsewhere. According to the lawsuits, Kent’s supervisors knew Kent suffered from mental illness and had behaved questionably with children. Yet they moved her and let her continue to work around kids.

The victims, now in their 40s and 50s, include two sisters who are letting their names be used publicly: Christine Bertrand of Sierra Madre CA, Karen Britten of Highland Park IL. The third woman is anonymous.

The lawsuits were filed 2005 and 2006 in Olmsted County District Court. A judge tossed out Britten’s case because of the statute of limitations, and last year the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld that decision.

Kent, who was a music and piano teacher, died in 2003 at the age of 85.

Bertrand and the anonymous woman report that they were also abused at the order’s headquarters in Rochester MN.

CONTACT:

Attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul 651 227 9990, 612 817 8665 cell

Clergy Sex Abuse Group Founder Heads to Europe

For immediate release: Thursday, September 25, 2008

Clergy Sex Abuse Group Founder Heads to Europe

He'll Meet with Government Officials & Abuse Organizations in 2 Countries

Man Will Also Visit Grave of Suicide Victim Who Was Raped by Jehovah's
Witness

WHAT:
At a sidewalk news conference, the founder and head of a support group for those molested in the Jehovah's Witness faith will

-- describe his upcoming eight day European trip to meet with political and non-governmental agencies and work on preventing clergy sex abuse, and

-- discuss his organization's outreach effort to find and help more me and women who have been sexually assaulted by Jehovah's Witnesses.

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 25, 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:
Outside a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, 6020 O'Brien Ave. (corner of Eastboro Dr.), Nashville, TN (615-356-6580)

WHO:
A Madison man who started SilentLambs.org, a nationwide group that helps men and women who were sexually assaulted as kids by Jehovah's Witnesses

VISUAL:
He'll show a pile of documents and records of abuse cases he'll bring to Europe & share with leaders there.

WHY:
In 2001, William H. Bowen founded SilentLambs.org, which has helped 6,000 victims of sexually abusive Jehovah's Witnesses.


http://www.silentlambs.org/NationalPresspacket.htm

From September 27 - October 3, he'll travel to France and Belgium and meet with a wide range of organizations that deal with child sexual abuse, including a commission (the MIVILUDE) which is attached to the French Prime Minister, a Parisian MP who chairs a parliamentary group studying cults and sectarian groups, two non-profits (the Organization for the Protection of Environment of Deyvillers and the ADFI, a support group for abuse survivors) and the Mayor of Louviers (all in France).

He'll also meet with the European Commission in Brussels and top staffers at the Jehovah's Witnesses headquarters in both countries).
Seven years ago, Bowen reported to fellow Jehovah's Witness church officials that another elder was a confessed child molester. (That
predator remains a Jehovah's Witness in good standing to this day.)

Bowen was then ostracized by fellow church members and went on to start SilentLambs.org.

CONTACT: William H. Bowen of Nashville, founder of SilentLambs.org 270-703-2257 cell, 270-527-5350, David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAPnational director 314-566-9790 cell

Murderous priest case tossed out, Sex abuse victims respond

For immediate release: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008

Murderous priest case tossed out, Sex abuse victims respond

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503
0003 cell)

It's heart-breaking that there's apparently no justice for this
suffering family who lost a loved one to a murderous, child-molesting
priest.

Catholic officials had repeated warnings and evidence that Erickson was
a very sick, angry, violent pedophile. Yet they ordained him and hired
him and transferred and deceived parishioners into believing that he was
a holy, celibate priest.

We hope the Ellisons will continue to try to hold the church hierarchy
accountable for Erickson's devastating crimes. And we hope that others
who were hurt by Erickson and other Wisconsin clerics will come forward
and get help.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's
oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been
around for 17 years and have more than 8,000 members across the country.
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, 314-645-5915 home), Peter Isely
(414-429-7259) Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris
(314-862-7688), Mary Grant (626-419-2930), Mark Serrano (703-727-4940)

Judge rejects wrongful death lawsuit

Associated Press - 6:42 AM CDT, September 24, 2008
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - A western Wisconsin judge has dismissed a wrongful
death lawsuit filed by the parents of a man who was killed by a priest.
Carsten and Sally Ellison of Barron filed a lawsuit in St. Croix County
Circuit Court against the Catholic Diocese of Superior over the death of
their 22-year-old son, James Ellison. He was fatally shot along with
39-year-old Dan O'Connell in 2002 at the O'Connell Family Funeral Home
in Hudson.

Eau Claire County Judge Paul Lenz handled the case. He says it's "too
remote" to think the diocese would have had any reason to believe the
Rev. Ryan Erickson would kill someone.

Erickson was removed from St. Patrick Church in Hudson, moved to
Ladysmith and then Hurley, where he hanged himself in 2004. A St. Croix
County judge ruled in 2005 that Erickson murdered both men because he
was afraid O'Connell would report Erickson's obsession with young boys,
alcohol and firearms to church officials.

Information from: Leader-Telegram, http://www.leadertelegram.com/

Updated: 9/23/2008

Lawsuit rejected in case of priest who killed two

By Chuck Rupnow, Leader-Telegram staff

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Carsten and Sally Ellison of Barron
against the Catholic Diocese of Superior for the murder of their son by
a priest was dismissed Tuesday afternoon in a summary judgment by Eau
Claire County Judge Paul Lenz. Lenz, in an oral ruling, said it was "too
remote" to think the diocese would have any reason to believe the Rev.
Ryan Erickson would kill someone based on the information it had before
the double murder occurred.

Even if the diocese did have information about Erickson's suspected
temper, child pornography and violent tendencies, Lenz said, "it would
appear such negligence would not have brought about such harm."
The Ellisons of Barron said they filed the suit to hold the diocese
accountable and to spur changes regarding who it accepts as priests and
how it handles priests who might be unfit to serve.

Any monetary awards from the lawsuit would have gone to the James
Ellison Foundation for the Protection of Children, an organization to
protect children from sexual abuse and provide aftercare to those assaulted.
James Ellison, 22, and Dan O'Connell, 39, were shot to death Feb. 5,
2002, inside the O'Connell Family Funeral Home in Hudson.

O'Connell was a co-owner in the family business, while Ellison was a
mortuary science student who was interning there and was expected to
join the business full time after graduating from the University of
Minnesota.

The murder remained unsolved for years. Erickson was removed from St.
Patrick Church in Hudson, moving to Ladysmith and then Hurley, where he
hanged himself outside that parish in December 2004, according to court
and police records. He was 31.

St. Croix County Judge Eric Lundell ruled in October 2005 Erickson
murdered both men because he was afraid O'Connell would report
Erickson's obsession with young boys, alcohol and firearms to church
officials.

The Ellisons' lawsuit was filed in St. Croix County Court. Lenz was
assigned the case. The suit requests unspecified damages for loss of
society and companionship, funeral costs and medical expenses.
"We are obviously disappointed," said attorney Richard Jasperson of St.
Paul, who represented the Ellisons in the lawsuit, adding it was
premature to discuss appealing the case. "We will do whatever is in the
best interest of the Ellisons."

Attorney Kyle Torvinen of Superior, who represented the diocese, said
Tuesday that Lenz's decision was appropriate and "justice was done, and
we're glad of that. It has been a long road."

The Ellisons did not participate in a lawsuit filed by O'Connell's
relatives against all 194 U.S. Catholic bishops. That suit demanded
names of predatory priests be made public.

Washburn County Judge Eugene Harrington threw that case out earlier this
year, saying the Superior diocese can't be forced to release information
about how the church deals with sex abuse by its priests.

Harrington called the O'Connells' lawsuit an "ambitious request" and
dismissed the case.

The injunction the family sought "has no foundation under Wisconsin
law," Harrington wrote, and to force the church to change its policies
"infringes upon the First Amendment."

Rupnow can be reached at 830-5831, 800-236-7077 or chuck. rupnow@ecpc.com.

Clergy sex abuse victims to leaflet Harlem church

Clergy sex abuse victims to leaflet Harlem church

Pastor was recently ousted for molesting children

Group reaches out to "others suffering in silence and shame"

SNAP blasts archdiocese for "moving slowly & secretly" in the case

In last 5 years, at least two pedophile priests worked at prominent
Catholic parish

What:
As parishioners leave & enter mass, clergy sex abuse victims will hand
out fliers about their recently suspended pastor who was accused of
molesting boys. The leaflets urge Catholics to
– ask everyone they know if they were molested by two pedophile priests
who worked here,

– urge victims and witnesses to call police and get independent help, and

– defend their accused pastor privately, so other victims aren't
intimidated from speaking up

The fliers will also be highly critical of New York church officials
who, the group feels, mishandled the case, moved too slowly, and should
be doing aggressive outreach to others who've been hurt.

When:

Sunday, Sept.14, 11:00 a.m. & again at 12:30 p.m.

Where:

In Harlem, outside Church of St. Charles Borromeo, 211 W. 141st St. ( W
114st St. & 7th Ave. )
i

Who:
Three men who were molested by priests and are leaders of a support
group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
(SNAPnetwork.org), including a Missouri man who is the organization's
long time national director. (His brother is a predator priest.)

Details:

Last month, the New York archdiocese suspended a high-profile,
politically-connected priest, Msgr. Wallace A. Harris, from his post in
the wake of allegations that he molested at least two boys. Harris, a
popular and veteran pastor, has allegedly denied the charges but won't
speak publicly. He helped organize the Pope's spring visit to New York,
chairs the archdiocesan priests' council, gave the invocation at Gov.
Paterson's inauguration, and has been called 'a rising star' within the
church.

SNAP feels the archdiocese moved too slowly and 'severely mishandled'
the case.

Another priest assigned to the parish was convicted of molesting a
12-year-old girl in 2003, and sentenced to a prison term of four months,
according to the NY Times.

At least one Harris victim has contacted the Manhattan district attorney
office. Another is a former cop, Eric Crumbley, who now pastors the
Harlem Faith Center in NY (646-552-7660).

Harris was ordained in 1972 and Crumbley's allegations stem from that
time period when Harris worked at the Church of St. Joseph of the Holy
Family on 125th Street. Other accusations involve students at Cathedral
Prep, where Harris taught. The school has since closed.

SNAP is the nation's largest and oldest support group for clergy
molestation victims.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/nyregion/15harris.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Contact:
David Clohessy of St. Louis MO SNAP national director (314) 566-9790,
Bob Hoatson 862 368 2800

Archdiocese disparages family member of victim of abuse

For Immediate Release: Friday, September 12, 2008

Statement by: Barbara Dorris, SNAP Outreach Director, (314 503 0003)

Disclosing anything about relatives of a 3-year-old victim is, at best,
inappropriate and more accurately, morally wrong. The Archdiocese should
never have made disparaging statements about a family member of a victim
of sexual abuse.

This family has suffered enough. It's wrong and hurtful in any way try
to deflect blame from the pedophile priest on to any of them.

We believe this is a deliberate effort by the Archdiocese to try and
silence other victims and witnesses. It's wrong and we hope it will
backfire.

We frankly don't believe church officials were powerless to stop this
predator from fleeing the United States. Church official should have
insisted he give them his passport the minute the police were notified.

The Archdiocese leaders also should have notified the public and
parishioners immediately as soon as they knew the police were involved.
They should have begged any other victims and witnesses to come forward.

Instead, the officials of the Archdiocese did what they always do: they
kept everything secret.

We are here to state the obvious. The Archdiocese should take
responsibility for allowing Fr Montero to flee the United States when he
was facing allegations of sexually abusing a 3-year-old child. They
should reach out to others who might have been hurt. And they should
tell parishioners that it is their civic and Christian duty to report
any information or suspicions to police.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the largest
and oldest support group for those abused by clergy. Website:
SNAPnetwork.org.

Contact:
David Clohessy of St Louis, SNAP National Director, 314 566 9790
Bob Schwiderski of Wayzata, SNAP Minnesota Director, 952 471 3422
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP President, 312 399 4747
Email: SNAPdorris@gmail.com