MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Abuse victims to leaflet Crookston cathedral
Convicted predator will soon be back on the job
Despite priest’s guilt, Vatican officials have lifted his suspension
Group wants to find other “victims, witnesses or whistleblowers”
SNAP: “Another criminal case is our only chance to protect children”
WHAT
As church-goers leave mass and go to mass, clergy sex abuse victims will hand out fliers at Crookston’s biggest Catholic church. “For the safety of kids,” the leaflets urge
–anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups to call police immediately, especially by a convicted priest who molested kids in northwestern Minnesota but is being put back on the job, and
–parishioners to insist that Crookston Catholic officials help with this “outreach effort.”
The group will also call on “Vatican bureaucrats” to “reverse their decision, re-instate the predator priest’s suspension, and help law enforcement charge and convict him again.”
WHEN
Tomorrow, Sunday, April 17 from 9:40 a.m.-10:10 a.m. and again from 11:40 a.m.-noon
WHERE
Outside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (702 Summit Avenue, 218-281-1735) in Crookston http://www.crookstoncathedral.com/
WHO
Two-three members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including a Minnesota woman who was raped as a child by a Crookston priest and a Missouri woman who is the organization’s long time outreach director.
WHY
Weeks ago, Vatican officials lifted the suspension of a Catholic priest who pled guilty to child sex crimes last year in Minnesota. That move is prompting a support group called SNAP to aggressively seek out other victims in seven MN/ND towns hoping that cleric can be prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned again. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens-woman-shocked-vatican-reinstates-priest-raped-article-1.2542685
Next month, Catholic officials in India say they’ll re-assign Fr. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, despite the fact that he’s accused of molesting two Crookston area girls, was convicted of sexually assaulting one of them, and his bosses settled two civil lawsuits involving his victims (one for $750,000).
“Our goal is to find just one more victim who might be able to file criminal charges and get this proven predator behind bars again,” said Peterson.
“Catholic officials refuse to keep this admitted sex offender away from kids, so our only hope of stopping him is to get him charged and convicted again,” said Dorris. “I’m stunned that top church staff are being so extraordinarily irresponsible, knowing this man is guilty of abusing one girl and is accused of molesting at least two girls.”
The Crookston church hierarchy includes Bishop Michael Hoeppner, Msgr. David Baumgartner (dbaumgartner@crookston.org ), Bonnie Sullivan (bsullivan@crookston.org) and Jim Clauson (jclauson@crookston.org , 218-281-4533, ext. 423).
Fr. Jeyapaul’s current supervisor is Bishop Arulappan Amalraj of the Ootacamund diocese in India (Telephone 0423 2442.366, Fax 0423 – 2441604, 0423 – 2447996,bishopooty@hotmail.com, secretaryooty@yahoo.co.in).
Fr. Jeyapaul has attracted international attention, especially in 2014 when a United Nations panel blasted the Vatican for putting kids’ in harm’s way, citing how the church hierarchy has dealt with the Indian priest.
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