BishopAccountability.org
	Bend Deacon Accused of Covering up Child Sex Abuse KOHD January 31, 2010 http://kohd.com/news/local/160922 BEND (OR) -- Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, are claiming a deacon, who now works at St. Francis of Assisi church in Bend, helped cover up child sexual abuse. Deacon Joseph Levine used to work for the society of St. John in Scranton, Pennsylvania. According to SNAP, he helped two priests to cover up child sexual abuse while there. During Sunday mass, SNAP put over 100 fliers on cars in the St. Francis parking lot, alerting parishioners to the issue. The church says it removed the fliers, because they contained inaccurate information. The church also says it has made Levine's past known to the parish. But SNAP says that's not enough. "He had absolutely nothing to do with any of the troubles in the Society of St. John; I strongly resent that SNAP sneaks around in our parking lot putting damaging and false information on people's windshields," says Father Joe Reinig, Pastor at St. Frances of Assisi church. "We need the bishop to completely expose all the documents about Deacon Levine, we need to know why he was not ordained, and exactly he did to cover up for men who sexually abused kids," says Joelle Casteix, SNAP Western Regional Director. Both SNAP and the church say Levine has never been accused of sexual abuse himself. But SNAP insists that he poses a possible safety threat.
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