Victims Ask College to Rescind Bishop's Honor

SNAP
December 24, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/il_victims_ask_college_to_rescind_bishop_s_honor

A Joliet college should end its practice of honoring a disgraced, just-deceased Catholic bishop.

[patch.com]

Each year, University of St. Francis officials give a "Bishop Joseph Imesch award" to a teacher. But Imesch clearly, repeatedly and deliberately concealed and enabled horrific clergy sex crimes. Honoring him rubs salt into the already-deep and still-fresh wounds of both clergy sex abuse victims and Catholics.

College officials should re-name this award and apologize to all who have been hurt by this callous decision. Honoring those who conceal child sex crimes only encourages others to conceal child sex crimes. It's both hurtful and unwise, insulting the wounded and endangering the vulnerable.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 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, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, SNAPclohessy@aol.com), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org)