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	New Anger at Seminary Housing Admitted Sex Offenders KGO [Oakland CA] December 8, 2004 Seminary officials are refusing to attend a town hall meeting arranged by an Oakland city councilwoman to address neighbors' concerns about the sex offenders living there. The I-Team has an update to an investigation. The basic problem is that neighbors didn't know the seminary was bringing in seven admitted sex offenders. The I-Team broke that story a week ago, and now, seminary officials are being criticized for not being open about who's living there and the steps they're taking to protect children. Oakland city councilwoman Jane Brunner was as shocked as St. Albert's neighbors last week, when the I-Team revealed that seven priests -- admitted sex offenders -- were living at the seminary just four doors down from Claremont Middle School. Brunner took action. She scheduled a town hall meeting for Dec. 16th. Jane Brunner, Oakland city councilwoman: "I'd like the leaders of the seminary to hear the neighbors and to see what the neighbors think. Is there support for this, are they opposed to this? And then, try to solve it together." The Dominican order of priests runs the seminary, but they are refusing to attend Brunner's meeting. Jane Brunner: "I'm disappointed because I think it would have actually calmed everything down." Brunner tells us, the head of the Dominicans' western province, Father Roberto Corral, didn't want to face our cameras again or members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). Dan McNevin, SNAP: "Father Corral is circling the wagons, he's limiting information, he's keeping out anybody who might criticize his point of view and he's not telling the truth." Father Corral refused to speak with us today. We stopped by his office next door to the seminary. But we received a copy of the letter he's sending out to some neighbors. He confirms the seminary is "housing several friars with histories of sexual misconduct," and he "sincerely apologizes for not having informed you earlier." He invites some of the neighbors to a meeting at St. Albert's next week. Annette Floystrup, St. Albert's neighbor: "It's difficult to criticize people in their own house, and I believe they're counting on that." Many neighbors are upset that the seminary will address the controversy only on their own terms -- no media, no survivors of clergy abuse, and no city officials present. Annette Floystrup: "I find that reprehensible. What they're saying is we want to stage manage this meeting, we want to be absolutely sure that we control all of the information." Late today, we received an e-mail from Father Corral through the seminary's PR firm. He writes, in part, "we feel strongly that we owe it to our neighbors to meet with them privately and hear what they have to say." Corral also says he invited Councilwoman Brunner to the meeting at the seminary next Tuesday. But he knows that's the same time the city council meets, so Brunner and other public officials will not be able to attend.
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