CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, February 6, 2014
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com)
Four years ago, a priest was reported to Catholic officials for alleged child sexual abuse. Eight months ago, that priest was sued for alleged child sexual abuse.
Now, finally, Cardinal Francis George discloses that allegation. But he won’t say why he kept the accusation secret for years and the lawsuit secret for months.
Making a bad situation worse, as best we can tell, Fr. Wilk has not been monitored and could have preyed on other children or be preying on them now.
We desperately hope that, over the past four years, Fr. Wilk has not assaulted another child.
Where is the archdiocesan lay review board? Why are they not up in arms about this reckless and hurtful delay? Imagine if Fr. Wilk were accused of stealing money from the church. Think it would have taken four years for archdiocesan staff to resolve it?
Our hearts ache for both Fr. Wilk’s victim and for that victim’s father. Four years of irresponsible behavior by Catholic officials – who kept this serious allegation hidden – must have been very tough to take.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.