Abuse victims blast Catholic officials

By Susan Vance, Zach Hiner
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
June 10, 2019

http://www.snapnetwork.org/abuse_victims_blast_catholic_officials_in_memphis

Abuse victims blast Catholic officials

They ‘out’ 2 more local abuser clerics

Both worked in Memphis but are ‘under the radar’

But the diocese won’t post a ‘credibly accused’ list

Most other bishops in the US have already done so

“Include a serial predator who was at a local school,” SNAP says

And group urges Tennessee’s AG to investigate all TN dioceses

WHAT:

Holding signs at a sidewalk news conference, clergy molestation victims will disclose the names and information about two more credibly alleged pedophile priests who were in Memphis, neither of whom have attracted any public or media attention in the area.

They will also blast Memphis Catholic officials for refusing to

--post names of credibly accused clerics and

--disclose a predator priest who was at a Memphis school.

They will call on Memphis’ bishop to reveal these alleged offenders’ names, photos, whereabouts and work histories immediately.

And they’ll call on current and former Catholic employees to ‘speak up’ about suspicions of child sex crimes and cover ups, in light of a new global church policy that says it’s their duty to do so.

WHEN:

Monday, June 10 at 200 p.m.

WHERE:  On the sidewalk outside Memphis Catholic High School, 61 N. McLean Blvd, Memphis, TN (901-276-1221)

WHO:

Two-three members of a support group for clergy molestation victims called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), including a Missouri man who is the group’s former long time executive director

WHY:

---1) The vast majority of the nearly 200 US Catholic bishops have posted the names of credibly accused child molesting clerics on their diocesan websites. Every diocese abutting Memphis (including Nashville) has done this, some as long ago as 2002. Yet Memphis church official refuse, which “puts kids at risk, deceives parishioners and rubs salt into the already-deep wounds of abuse victims” SNAP says.

They want newly-installed Memphis Bishop David Talley (901 373 1200) to do this immediately, starting with two clerics who were in Memphis but who have attracted no attention whatsoever in western Tennessee. They are:

--Br. Ralph August Mravintz, a Marianist brother who worked at several locations in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In 1985, he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage student from 1984 to 1985 while teaching at a Catholic school in Pittsburgh.

While Br. Mravintz faced the charges of indecent assault and corrupting a minor, he was allowed to keep teaching at the school. Eventually, he received a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, because the boy didn’t want to testify. Br. Mravintz pled guilty.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2014/05_06/2014_05_14_Bill_Tribune-Review_Number_of.htm

From 1985-1988, he was at Memphis Catholic High School

https://www.andersonadvocates.com/Documents/posts/Anderson%20Report%20-%20Sexual%20Abuse%20in%20the%20Diocese%20of%20Rockville%20Centre%206-3-2019.pdf

--Fr. Thomas Joseph Dove, who was ordained in 1961, suspended from ministry in 2014 and now lives in San Francisco, CA. He spent time in Boston, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, New York City, Toronto, Chicago and at Notre Dame University in Indiana. In the 1970s, he reportedly abused a child in Los Angeles and his name appears on the ‘credibly accused’ list in that archdiocese.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/diocesan_lists/los_angeles/2018_12_06_LA_2018_Update.pdf

From 1992-1994, he was in the Memphis diocese at St. Patrick’s parish.

https://www.paulist.org/app/uploads/2019/03/List-of-Paulist-Fathers-Credibly-Accused-of-Misconduct.pdf

---2) At least 100 people report having been molested by Fr. Paul Frederick Haas, who worked at Memphis Catholic High school. SNAP wants him added to the Memphis diocese’s ‘accused list’ and ‘aggressive outreach’ done by church officials to find and help more people he hurt.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news/2004_02_17_Lewis_FiveHave.htm\

https://www.rememberthesurvivors.com/haaspaul.htm  

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2005_01_06/2005_06_30_Spragens_RapeOf.htm

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/diocesan_lists/Nashville/2018_11_08_Corrected_List_of_Priests_Accused_Nashville.pdf

Fr. Haas was ordained in 1959, ousted from the priesthood in 1977 and died in 1979 after being in at least five dioceses (Memphis, Knoxville, Little Rock,Owensboro and Louisville).

Fr. Hass was also at Sacred Heart Church in Memphis, a Boy Scout chaplain and a teacher at Father Ryan High School in Nashville.

-----3) SNAP is urging Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery to emulate his colleagues in 18 states who are conducting investigations into clergy sex crimes and cover ups. Slatery claims he lacks authority, but SNAP is convinced there are “helpful steps” he could and should take now. The group also says he should prod the legislature to give him more authority in this realm.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2019/04/07/priest-abuse-nashville-james-arthur-rudisill-kathleen-lisle/3214001002/

https://www.rememberthesurvivors.com/Letter%20to%20government%20officials%20-%20Susan%20Vance.pdf

The Memphis Catholic diocese which spans 21 counties and includes 42 parishes.

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2019/03/05/memphis-bishop-vatican-appoints-david-p-talley-catholic-diocese/3063869002/