PITTSBURGH (PA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Victims to leaflet Catholic cathedral
They draw attention to one more predator
He abused elsewhere but also worked in Pittsburgh
His presence & crimes have not been publicized here, group maintains
SNAP to bishop: “Come clean now about your own child molesting clerics!”
SNAP: “Every Catholic should ask their loved ones ‘Did any priest hurt you?’
WHAT
As parishioners leave mass, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will hand fliers out that;
–-disclose the name of one more child molesting cleric who was in Pittsburgh but has never before been exposed locally, and
–-urge local Catholics to “overcome their fears” and ask all their relatives if they were ever hurt by any of these nine recently “outed” child molesting Pittsburgh clerics (and, if so, to call police immediately).
The leaflets also urge parishioners to insist that Catholic officials;
–send “outreach” letters to graduates of every parochial school in the Pittsburgh diocese, begging those who were abused to step forward and call law enforcement, and
–permanently post on the diocesan website the names of all proven, admitted and credibly accused predatory priests, nuns, brothers and seminarians.
WHEN
TODAY, Friday, May 16 at 12:20 p.m.
WHERE
Outside St. Paul Catholic Cathedral (stpaulpgh.org), 108 N. Dithridge Street (corner of Fifth Ave.) in Pittsburgh
WHO
Two-three members of a self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)
WHY
While eight child molesting Marianist clerics have recently been exposed in Pittsburgh, SNAP will warn citizens and Catholics about one more credibly accused child molesting cleric who has also worked in Pittsburgh but has never been “outed” or exposed in Pittsburgh before.
He is Fr. William Wehrle from Baltimore who worked in Pittsburgh in 1988, 1990, and 1995. (He was accused of sexual abuse in the mid 1980s, was removed, but went on to work at other parishes in Maryland and Pittsburgh. He died in 1995.)
Wehrle’s abuse and presence in Pittsburgh has never been exposed in the Pittsburgh area before. Details about him can be found at BishopAccountability.org.
He is NOT among the eight Marianist brothers who have been publicly accused for the first time in recent weeks and who worked at North Catholic High School.
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.