ALABAMA
WALA
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A victims’ advocacy group is critical of Mobile Archbishop Thomas Rodi and his response to the announcement that Rev. James Havens, the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church faces an accusation of sexual abuse of a minor. In response, the Archbishop said, “We have been faithful to the promises the Archdiocese of Mobile has made to take accusations seriously.”
In a news release , SNAP or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Archbishop Rodi “basically kept the accusation and suspension secret” until FOX10 News anchor Bob Grip posted a series of tweets about it. The only public intimation of a problem came when the Archbishop himself tweeted on Monday evening, May 13 that he was “About to begin a parish meeting dealing with a painful matter. Please say a prayer for all concerned.”
“Even now, there’s no notice on Rodi’s archdiocesan website about the suspension. Then, when Rodi finally ‘came clean’ about the accusation against Fr. James Havens, he tried to minimize the alleged horror by citing the year of the possible crime and the claim that it didn’t happen at a church (as if somehow, it’s less devastating for a child to be molested on one side or the other of an invisible property line),” continued SNAP.
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