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  Predator Priest, Worked in Cleveland, Is Ousted; SNAP Responds

Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
June 24, 2011

http://www.snapnetwork.org/snap_statements/2011_statements/062411_predator_priest_worked_in_cleveland_is_ousted_snap_responds.htm

Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Bishop Lennon should use his vast resources – diocesan website and newspaper – to aggressively seek out others with information about Fr. Murray's crimes, so he might be prosecuted, convicted and kept away from kids.

He shouldn't split hairs, make excuses and be silent. It doesn't matter whether a predator is a diocesan or religious order cleric, alive or dead, still in Cleveland or moved elsewhere. Lennon is the shepherd and has a duty to protect his flock, help law enforcement, warn unsuspecting families and work hard to find and help others who've been wounded.

Let's hope that every person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Cleveland will find the strength and courage to step forward, call police, protect kids, expose wrongdoing and start healing.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 members. 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, SNAPclohessy@aol.com), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, peterisely@yahoo.com), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/jesuit_who_had_served_in_cleve.html

Jesuit who had served in Cleveland removed from ministry over allegation

Published: Thursday, June 23, 2011, 6:00 PM Updated: Thursday, June 23, 2011, 11:58 PM

By Michael O'Malley, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Jesuit priest who served in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland for 18 years, was removed from ministry this month after an allegation that he improperly touched a child was found to be credible.

The complaint involving the Rev. J-Glenn Murray stems from the early 1980s when he was teaching at a Catholic high school in Baltimore.

The allegation was made to the Jesuits' Maryland Province in 2005 when Murray was an administrator in the Cleveland diocese, directing its Office of Pastoral Liturgy.

Murray was here from 1989 to 2007, also serving as associate pastor of St. Henry parish on Harvard Avenue in Cleveland, which has since closed.

A statement by diocese spokesman Robert Tayek said, "the diocese received no calls to our victim assistance coordinator or our response services hotline" regarding Murray.

A statement by the Jesuit province said the Baltimore allegation was immediately reported to civil authorities, but the person making the allegation declined to talk to civil investigators, so the inquiry was closed.

A province board that reviews sex-abuse allegations found the allegation not to be credible, the statement said.

But this spring, as the province was considering transferring Murray from his position as associate pastor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church in Washington, D.C., to a new assignment, the province reviewed his file and decided to open a new inquiry.

After getting additional information, the allegation was found to be credible, according to a province spokeswoman.

Neither the spokeswoman nor the statement said whether the accuser was male or female. The statement, which provided no other details, said it was the only allegation the province has received against Murray.

The priest, who was ordained in 1979, was removed from ministry June 8. The statement said Murray "now resides in a monitored residence with his Jesuit community."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: momalley@plaind.com, 216-999-4893

 
 

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