ILLINOIS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, July 30, 2016
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, national president member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests(312-399-4747, bblaine@SNAPnetwork.org)
Local Catholic officials have kept hidden the passing of Fr. Robert Stepek, a predator priest who sued his victims and who died last week. Shame on Archbishop Blasé Cupich for his hurtful secrecy.
Fr. Stepek was permanently removed from active ministry in 2006 when two brothers reported having been sexually assaulted as kids by him. Then-Cardinal Francis George let Fr. Stepek sued the brothers for defamation. The brothers then sued George and Stepek. Inexplicably, Vatican officials insisted that Fr. Stepek’s status be restored, despite the credible accusations against him.
[SNAP]
We believe that local Catholic officials ignored and enabled Fr. Stepek’s crimes and then compounded their callous actions by ignoring and tolerating his hardball legal tactics.
We call on Archbishop Cupich to spread the word of Fr. Stepek’s death through church bulletins, parish websites and pulpit announcements and beg others who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes to come forward.
Once again, Catholic officials are staying silent about a predator. Once again, the feelings of his victims are disregarded while the comfort of church officials are protected. The people Fr. Stepek violated deserve to know that he can no longer hurt anyone.
We hope Fr. Stepek’s passing will bring some comfort to those he assaulted and will prompt others he hurt to finally get help, speak out and start healing.
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