Illinois' Catholic bishops win court to protect pedophile priests

John Paul II and Benedict XVI and the Opus Dei covered-up the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army for over 26 eyars and all those Cardinal clones are continuing their legacy until today.

Candlelight vigil TONIGHT bemoaning ruling that protects predators

Illinois' Catholic bishops win huge victory at state Supreme Court

New decision makes it much tougher to expose molesters & safeguard kids

Sex victims also worry about a Joliet pedophile priest who got freed today

A different convicted serial predator priest could be released this weekend

WHAT
Holding candles, signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, concerned Catholics and clergy sex abuse victims will hold a one hour vigil because
-- bishops have won a new IL Supreme Court decision that protects predators,
-- a Joliet predator priest IS walking free now, having just gotten out of custody, and
-- a Chicago serial predator priest MAY soon walk free

The victims will
-- express sadness and worry for the safety of Illinois children,
-- harshly condemn Catholic officials for endangering kids and exploiting technicalities, and
-- prod anyone who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by clergy to call police immediately so the 2 Chicago area predator priests might be prosecuted again.

WHEN:
TONIGHT, Thursday, Sept. 24, 8:30-9:30 pm

WHERE:
Outside the Cardinal’s mansion, 1555 N. State Parkway, (corner of State and North Ave)

WHO:
10 – 15 clergy sex abuse victims who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

VISUALS
The group will hold posters, childhood photos and pictures of the predator priests, and give copies of their July letter to the Illinois Attorney General urging that McCormack be permanently kept in state custody.

WHY
-Today the Illinois Supreme Court released a ruling making it easier for sexual predators to conceal their crimes and more difficult for victims to expose their predators. Once again Catholic officials have succeeded in protecting pedophiles rather than kids. This decision is a massive victory for dangerous predators and irresponsible employers, especially corrupt church officials.

This ruling will make it very hard for many child sex abuse victims to safeguard others, expose predators, and seek justice. It gives employers and molesters strong incentives to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten whistleblowers, discredit witnesses, conceal crimes and 'run out the clock' on child sex cases. This ruling will also encourage church authorities to keep playing legal hardball with victim’s lives and with children’s safety, using hundreds of thousands of dollars from generous parishioners.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2009/09/ill-supreme-court-snubs-abuse-lawsuit-against-former-bville-priest/

- Tomorrow morning at 9 am a hearing will be held regarding whether Fr Dan McCormack, Chicago’s most notorious priest predator, will be declared a sexually violent person and continue to be held or be released after serving just a little over two years in custody.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-mccormack-24-sep24,0,6292530.story

- A Roman Catholic priest, Fred Lenczycki, the first priest in the country to be declared a “sexually violent person” was released from custody this morning in DuPage county and will now be living in Cook county. He abused as many as 30 boys, many from Chicago's suburbs, some of whom he forced to dress in “revealing baby Jesus costumes.”

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/09/ex-priest-convicted-of-abuse-leaves-prison.html

Despite this dreadful news, we hope deeply wounded child sex victims will continue to find the strength to come forward, get help, start recovering and do what they can to warn families about dangerous sex offenders.

Contact:
Barbara Blaine, SNAP President, 312 399 4747
David Clohessy, SNAP National Director, 314 566 9790

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org

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SNAP Press Release

Sex abuse victims blast archdiocese

St. Louis archbishop helped stop IL victims from suing

New court ruling yesterday is "dangerous for children," SNAP says

Group to 2 bishops: "You're protecting predators & jeopardizing kids"

Victims are also upset that bizarre "sexually violent" priest is released

Bizarre cleric, who abused dozens, worked here for ten years in the 1990s

Despite his colleague's warning, St. Louis archdiocese let him work here at 5 places

He gave boys naked ‘massages’ & dressed them in “revealing baby Jesus’ costumes”

WHAT
Holding signs at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will
-- harshly criticize St. Louis' new archbishop for helping to stop Illinois victims from suing, and
-- urge him to fight cases against pedophile priests on the merits, not on technicalities.

They will also announce that a bizarre cleric, who may have molested 30 kids,
-- is now free, having just completed his sentence as America's first "sexually violent predator" priest,
-- gave boys naked ‘massages’ and dressed them in ‘revealing baby Jesus costumes’ as part of an alleged ‘research project’
-- worked at five St. Louis locations in the 1990s: three Catholic parishes and two hospitals

SNAP will urge
-- his former employers here to do outreach to others who may have been hurt by the convicted priest.
-- anyone who saw, suspected or suffered his misdeeds to call police, so the predator can be charged for other crimes.

WHEN
TODAY, Friday, Sept. 25, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE
Outside the St. Louis archdiocese headquarters, 4144 Lindell (near Taylor) in St. Louis' Central West End

WHO
Three victims of clergy sex abuse, including leaders of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY
1) Yesterday, St. Louis' archbishop and Belleville's bishop prevailed when the state Supreme Court ruled in their favor and against a St. Louis area firefighter who was molested as a boy by a priest with ties to both dioceses. The two bishops' legal moves now stop dozens of pedophile priest lawsuits in Illinois and will prevent, SNAP predicts, hundreds of victims of other, non-clergy child molesters from exposing their predators and seeking justice in the court.

SNAP condemns allegedly spiritual figures who take advantage of every possible legal maneuver to defend proven pedophile priests. The group will urge St. Louis Catholic officials to fight child sex abuse victims on the merits, not on legal technicalities.

2) Yesterday, America's first-ever priest to be deemed a "sexually violent predator" was freed from a Rushville IL facility. He's Fr. Fred Lenczycki who was convicted in 2004 of molesting three boys. He was to be released from prison in May 2006. But prosecutors felt the chance of him re-offending was high, and they successfully fought to have him kept in state custody and be declared "sexually violent" under a relatively new state law.

For roughly ten years throughout the 1990s, he worked at five St. Louis locations: DePaul and Deaconess (now Forest Park) hospitals and three area parishes: St. Blaise Parish in Maryland Heights, North American Martyrs in Florissant and St. George’s in south St. Louis County.

Lenczycki was originally a priest in the Joliet diocese. Joliet's now-retired bishop has publicly said he sent Lenczycki to treatment because of abuse allegations and warned then-St. Louis Missouri Archbishop John May about Lenczycki's crimes. Nevertheless, May let Lenczycki move to St. Louis and work here.

Two years ago, SNAP asked hospital and archdiocesan staff to reach out to others who may have seen, suspected or suffered Lenczycki’s sex crimes. Though he remains under state supervision, SNAP feels kids will be safer if Lenczycki is charged, convicted and imprisoned again for other crimes he's committed.

Between assignments in Joliet and St. Louis, Lenczycki was sent to San Francisco, where he allegedly molested three other kids.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-lenczkcki-priest-released-25sep25,0,6059553.story

CONTACT
David Clohessy 314 566 9790 cell, Barbara Dorris 314 503 0003

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org

====


SNAP Press Statement

For immediate release: Thursday, September 24, 2009

Pedophile priest case tossed out, Sex abuse victims respond

Statement by Peter Isely of Milwaukee, SNAP Midwest Director (414) 429 7259 cell

We are very distressed that Catholic officials have succeeded in protecting pedophiles rather than kids. This decision is a massive victory for dangerous predators and irresponsible employers, especially corrupt church officials.

This ruling will make it very hard for many child sex abuse victims to safeguard others, expose predators, and seek justice. It gives employers and molesters strong incentives to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten whistleblowers, discredit witnesses, conceal crimes and 'run out the clock' on child sex cases.

It stands in stark contrast to the long-standing trend across the US to open court house doors, not slam them, on men and women who are devastated by horrific child sex crimes.

All sex crime victims want is the same option other crime victims have - the chance to use the time-tested, open, impartial American justice system to alert others about wrongdoing. When the victims of awful sex crimes are given their ‘day in court,’ predators can be exposed, unsuspecting parents can be warned, vulnerable children can be protected, and wounded victims can be healed. Now, however, Illinois Catholic officials have, in large measure, denied hundreds of suffering individuals this basic right.

It is a tragedy that Catholic bishops even try to use legal technicalities like this to try and evade their molar responsibilities. This callous ruling will just encourage church authorities to keep playing legal hardball with victim’s lives and with children’s safety, using hundreds of thousands of dollars from generous parishioners.

It’s heart-breaking that there’s apparently no justice for this brave, compassionate man, and there are no consequences for this priest's child sex crimes or his supervisors' complicity.

Despite this dreadful news, we hope deeply wounde child sex victims will continue to find the strength to come forward, get help, start recovering and do what they can to warn families about dangerous sex offenders.

(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 21 years and have more than 9,000 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 of St. Louis, SNAP National Director (314) 566-9790 cell
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP Founder and President (312) 399-4747 cell
Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director (314) 503-0003

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org