MICHIGAN
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
A criminal prosecution of a Catholic youth minister and school employee is proceeding and Detroit’s archbishop should aggressively seek out others with information or suspicions about the alleged predator.
Joseph Sturza, a former director of admissions at Austin Catholic High School in Ray Township, and a former youth minister at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Macomb Township, is charged with four felony counts of sex offenses against a child.
Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron will likely hide behind his desk, his lawyers and his public relations team and do nothing. That’s irresponsible. As shepherd of the Detroit area flock, Vigneron has a civic and moral duty to help law enforcement learn as much as possible about the truth of these allegations. That means using pulpit announcements, church bulletins and parish websites to beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call police and prosecutors. That’s what a caring shepherd or responsible citizen would do.
If Vignernon refuses to take these quick, simple and inexpensive steps to protect kids and help prosecutors, other Catholic officials at Austin Catholic High School, St. Isidore Catholic Church and the archdiocese should show courage and compassion and do outreach like this.
We hope that every single person who saw, suspected crimes by Sturza or cover ups by his colleagues will find the courage to step forward, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
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