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| Media Release - June 14, 2017 - for Immediate Release
Catholic Whistleblowers
June 14, 2017
http://www.catholicwhistleblowers.com/
Organizations dedicated to the protection and safety of children in the Catholic Church; namely, the National Survivor Advocates Coalition, Catholic Whistleblowers, and Road to Recovery, Inc. will call on Pope Francis and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to fulfill a promise made by Pope Francis in 2015 that he would establish a Vatican commission “with teeth” that would hold accountable those bishops who mishandled and covered up cases of childhood sexual abuse by priests and deacons. Pope Francis’ refusal to set up the commission to hold bishops accountable and instead allow members of the Vatican bureaucracy to determine the culpability of fellow bishops is outrageous and unacceptable.
What - A demonstration by advocates for victim/survivors of childhood, teenage, and vulnerable adult sexual abuse protesting Pope Francis’ suspension of the commission he promised to establish in order to hold bishops accountable for their mishandling of sexual abuse cases in their dioceses.
When - Wednesday, June 15, 2017, from Noon until 1:30 PM
Where - On the public sidewalk outside the JW Marriott Hotel, headquarters of the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 10 South West Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Who - Members of the National Survivor Advocates Coalition, Catholic Whistleblowers, and Road to Recovery, Inc.
Why - Demonstrators will call on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Cardinal Sean O’Malley, President of the Vatican commission on child protection, to support the Catholic Whistleblowers requests of 2015 and 2016, contained in extensive credible documentation, that it act in a timely manner on the removal of four American bishops who were particularly egregious in their handling of childhood sexual abuse cases: Cardinal Raymond Burke (formerly of St. Louis, MO, and La Crosse, WI; Archbishop Justin Rigali (formerly of Philadelphia, PA); and, Archbishop John Myers (formerly of Peoria, IL, and Newark, NJ). Added to this list for the first time is Bishop W. Francis Malooly, currently bishop of Wilmington, DE, who was exposed recently for covering up and mishandling cases in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, MD, including the unsolved murder of a Catholic nun as featured recently in the Netflix seven-episode series, “The Keepers.”
Contacts - Kristine Ward (Ohio), Chairperson, National Survivor Advocates Coalition, 937-272-0308; Ginny Hoehne (Ohio), Member, National Survivor Advocates Coalition, 937-726-9360; Mary Heins (Indianapolis), Member, National Survivor Advocates Coalition, 317-359-7128; and Robert Hoatson (New Jersey), President, Road to Recovery, Inc., and Member, Catholic Whistleblowers
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