NEW MEXICO/INDIANA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Posted by David Clohessy on July 16, 2012
Now that this settlement has come down, we hope that the Alpine Clinic – where Fr. Chuck Cichanowicz worked with teens as a counselor – will finally disclose the whereabouts of their former employee. We believe they have a duty to protect children wherever Cichanowicz may be living by informing the public of the results of these cases and Cichanowicz’s history.
Indiana Catholic officials, especially Lafayette’s bishop, also have an obligation to seek out and help anyone who may have been hurt by Cichanowicz. A decade ago, bishops pledged to be “open and honest” about clergy sex crimes and cover ups. Indiana church officials should honor that pledge by aggressively spreading the word about this dangerous ex-cleric.
We also urge Alpine officials to do an in-depth investigation into their own clinic and discover if any of the teens that Cichanowicz has counseled while employed there may have been victimized by him. Child sex abuse is rarely a one-time occurrence, and victims are typically hesitant to come forward if they believe they are the only victim. Alpine officials should post the facts of this settlement publicly and seek out every teen on record that had contact with Cichanowicz in an effort to encourage anyone else that may have seen, suspected, or suffered his crimes to come forward to police.
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