Unprecedented lawsuits target Pope’s US representative & USCCB; Sex abuse victims respond

For immediate release:
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008

Unprecedented lawsuits target Pope's US representative & USCCB; Sex abuse victims respond 

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

Today is the six month anniversary of the Pope's visit to America. When the Pope was here last spring, he repeatedly brought up the church's on-going clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis. He made some compassionate remarks. But he also issued some clear directives. One of them still rings in our ears. The full church, but especially bishops, he said, should "do everything possible" to help victims heal.

That's a direct quote: "do everything possible" to help victims heal.

American bishops either weren't listening or don't care what the Pope says. Because over the past six months, we've seen virtually no change in bishops' behavior and no additional efforts to help victims heal.

In fact, in the legal arena, we've seen more aggressive efforts to dodge blame, avoid accountability, and attack victims, rather than help victims.

We're troubled, for example, by what we saw last week in Davenport Iowa. A bankruptcy trustee took unprecedented legal action that may force top Catholic officials to return more than $200,000 to this country.

 Lawsuits filed late last week charge that money was perhaps improperly sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Vatican's US representative. The Davenport diocese made the payments in the fall of 2006 leading up to its bankruptcy filing stemming from more than 100 clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuits.

Church officials have two choices. They can do what bishops have historically and consistently done – further delay healing, hire more lawyers, spend more money and fight this move. Or they can obey the Pope, chart a new course, and voluntarily return the disputed funds now, instead of waiting to do so when ordered by a judge.

The first course guarantees more resentment and suspicion and wasted money, (money donated by generous parishioners). The second course guarantees more healing and confidence and faith in the church hierarchy.

Besides, who needs and deserves those funds more? Distraught and wounded Iowa Catholics? Distraught and wounded Iowa victims? Or high level church bureaucrats? We submit the first two groups are hurting because of the misdeeds of the last group. Catholics and victims need consideration and relief, while high level church bureaucrats need to honor the Pope's wishes.

We're not bankruptcy lawyers or financial experts. We don't know whether these payments were fraudulent or deceptive or illegal. That's for the court to determine.

Here's what we DO know:

- We know that Davenport church authorities have long been deceptive regarding child sex abuse cases and cover ups.

- We know that other US bishops have been accused of steps to hide and protect financial assets, instead of vulnerable children (most notably San Diego and Spokane).

- We know that appearances matter, and that when top church officials hire expensive lawyers to help them exploit every available legal loophole to escape accountability and transparency and responsibility for horrific crimes, it's disillusioning to Catholics and hurtful to victims.

"Doing everything possible" to help victims doesn't mean launching or prolonging hard ball legal struggles. It doesn't mean ducking and dodging responsibility. It doesn't mean scheming to out-fox judges and court officials. It doesn't mean feigning poverty when victims seek justice.

We implore US bishops, especially Davenport's bishop, to search their consciences, reflect on the Pope's words, voluntarily move forward toward justice, healing and prevention, instead of being forced – by persistent victims, frustrated prosecutors, irritated judges and outraged Catholics – to do what's right.

 (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 19 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)

First-ever lawsuits seek money back from Pope's US rep & all US bishops

First-ever lawsuits seek money back from Pope's US rep & all US bishops

They charge that prelate may have deceptively ‘dumped cash’ to pay victims less

SNAP wants church officials to voluntarily return disputed funds as “sign of good faith”

Abuse group makes plea on the six month anniversary of Pope’s springtime visit to DC & NY

American church authorities ignore papal plea to “help victims heal,” self-help organization says

WHAT
At a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will

-- announce and discuss an unprecedented legal action that may force top Catholic officials to return more than $200,000, and

-- urge those officials to voluntarily return the disputed funds, instead of fighting the request.

On the six month anniversary of the Pope’s visit to America, they will also blast

-- US church leaders for ignoring the Pope’s plea to “do everything possible” to heal victims, and

-- an Iowa bishop for “legal maneuvering” designed to reduce payments to dozens of sex abuse victims.

WHEN
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 1:45 p.m.

WHERE
Outside the Papal Nuncio, (Vatican Embassy)  3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in Washington DC

WHO
Several sex abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) including an Illinois woman who is the group’s founder and president.

WHY
For first time ever, legal action is being taken to get more than $200,000 back from two DC-based Catholic institutions. Lawsuits filed late last week charge that money was allegedly sent, fraudulently and deceptively, to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Vatican’s US representative. The Davenport diocese made the payments in the fall of 2006 on the eve of its bankruptcy filing stemming from more than 100 clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuits.

Davenport sent at least $135,800 to the USCCB and nearly $73,000 to the Vatican’s papal nuncio.

The suits were filed by bankruptcy trustee Robert Berger with the cooperation of attorneys Pat Noaker (651 227 9990, 612 817 8665 cell) and Craig Levien (563 326 4491, 563 349 2180 cell), who represent dozens of victims in Iowa.

Rather than delaying justice, challenging the move, spending thousands in lawyers’ fees, and waiting for a judge’s order to comply, SNAP wants the USCCB and papal nuncio to voluntarily, as a ‘sign of good faith,’ return the funds.

Exactly six months ago, the Pope set foot in the US. He repeatedly expressed compassion for abuse victims and directed US bishops to “do everything possible” to help victims heal. But SNAP reports that American bishops have done nothing to honor the Holy Father’s wishes and changed nothing about their continued mishandling of clergy sex abuse cases and cover up.

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/10/10/news/local/doc48f0123f012dd800983555.txt?sPos=3

CONTACT
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP Founder and President (312) 399 4747
Becky Ianni of Burke VA, SNAP Northern Virginia Director (703) 801 6044
David Clohessy of St. Louis SNAP National Director (314) 566 9790 (SNAPclohessy@aol.com)
Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Coordinator (314) 862 7688 home, (314) 503 0003 cell