MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014
Statement by Mary Caplan of New York City, SNAP Leader, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 917 439 4187, mcaplan682@aol.com )
Another Indian court has ruled that a fugitive predator priest must return to the U.S. to face criminal child sex abuse charges, according to the Associated Press.
Twice this year, United Nations panels have harshly criticized Vatican officials for their refusal to help law enforcement apprehend this dangerous cleric, Fr. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, who molested girls in the Crookston, MN diocese and worked at one event (maybe more) in the St. Paul Archdiocese.
We’ve long worried about the safety of girls in India near Fr. Jeyapaul, especially since his bishop put him in charge of overseeing schools, knowing full well that he was a fugitive from US criminal authorities.
Fr. Jeyapaul is one of an increasing number of accused predator priests who are allowed to flee to other countries despite credible child sex abuse allegations or sometimes arrest warrants.
According to BishopAccountability.org, Minnesota Catholic officials “knew of rumors about inappropriate behavior by (Jeyapaul) in 8/04” but Jeyapaul “suddenly returned to India in 9/05.”
We applaud Fr. Jeyapaul’s brave victims. We are grateful to law enforcement – in the US and in India – for pursuing this dangerous predator.
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