ARIZONA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Friday, Nov. 27, 2015
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
More than 600 pages of long-secret records about a child molesting Catholic priest who spent years in Arizona have been released. Arizona church officials should tell parents, parishioners and the public about him.
He’s Father Bruce Wollmering. Twice, he was a graduate student (1969-70, 1975-78) at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In 1976, he had an internship at U of A hospital and family clinic in Benson, AZ. In 1985-1986, he was granted “academic leave” from U of A.
In 2004, two individuals made allegations against him of “sexual misconduct in the 1980s.” In 2009, two civil lawsuits were filed against him and his church supervisors alleging abuse in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2011, cases against him were settled. Last year, his name was included on a list of monks likely to have offended against minors by St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota.
Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas should personally visit the parishes near where Fr. Wollmering lived or worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward. He should also use parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements across the entire diocese to seek out others who may have been assaulted and are still suffering. And he should permanently post on his diocesan website the names, photos and whereabouts of every child molesting Arizona are cleric, whether alive or dead, diocesan or religious order, or admitted, proven or credibly accused. (About 30 US bishops have done this. It’s the bare minimum a bishop should do to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.)
We hope that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups in Arizona will summon the strength to speak up. Kids are safer only when victims, witnesses and whistleblowers are courageous enough to act. Silence is tempting but it only helps wrongdoers.
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