MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)
Tomorrow, the diocese once headed by the disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law will be headed by Bishop Edward Rice. We are disappointed by Rice’s promotion. But we hope he’ll take quick action against three predator priests.
Rice comes from the St. Louis archdiocese, which has a troubling track record on abuse. An admitted predator priest (Fr. Vincent Bryce) is still on the job in St. Louis, along with a priest who’s faced three accusers (Fr. Alex Anderson).
It’s an archdiocese that has, for years, quietly let bishops from across the US to send their predator priests here where those priests have sometimes molested again.
It’s an archdiocese that is letting a twice accused predator priest (Fr. Joseph Jiang) live with virtually no supervision near the parish where he allegedly molested a boy just a few years ago.
Throughout all of this, Rice has been conspicuously and irresponsibly silent.
So we are not confident he’ll be any more honest or proactive in Springfield than he’s been in St. Louis. In a worldwide institution, surely Francis could have found a more courageous and compassionate man for this job.
There’s a ton of work Rice must do in Springfield to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.
—Last year, three priests who worked in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic diocese were publicly identified for the first time as credibly accused child molesters. They are Fr. Thomas Meyer, Fr. James Vincent Fitzgerald and Fr. Michael Charland.
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.