How is it possible for a repeat child molester, using
his status as a priest as a cover-up to stay out on the streets preying on
unsuspecting children? The catholic
church makes it possible and has been doing the same thing for many decades.
Davis Clohessy, St. Louis,
Director of SNAP*, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (http://www.snapnetwork.org)
gave an example how this happened in a Missouri case.
SNAP, started 26 years ago by Barbara Blaine, a survivor
of clergy abuse is the largest, oldest and most active self-help group for
clergy sex abuse victims, whether assaulted by ministers, priests, nuns or
rabbis. SNAP is a confidential, safe place for wounded men and women to be
heard, supported and healed. SNAP works tirelessly to achieve two goals: to
heal the wounded and to protect the vulnerable. The organization has more than
10,000 members and support groups meet in over 60 cities across the U.S. and
the world.
The case was filed more than two years ago (2011). This
week St. Louis City Judge Phil Heagney delayed (until July) this child sex
abuse and cover up lawsuit against St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson and the
priest, Joseph D. Ross (whose whereabouts are unknown). Said Clohessy, “We are saddened by this
callous decision. Once again, justice is being delayed because Catholic
officials refused, time and time again over months, to obey a court order and
because, at the very last minute, they brought in more expensive lawyers…”
From Pope Francis on down the Catholic officials’
hierarchy ladder, they claim to be changing how they deal with clergy
abuse. Not true. For decades, they've
exploited every delay tactic possible, made litigation as tough as possible on
victims, and obsessively held onto their secrets for as long as possible, and
they still do all of the above right now.
Joseph D. Ross walks freely among unsuspecting families
and helpless children. Says Clohessy, “And Catholic officials make no effort
whatsoever to help police or warn parents, choosing instead to focus their
energies and spend their money evading their moral responsibility and hiding
their irresponsible actions.”
The delayed
lawsuit said that the molestation began when the female victim, was just five
to six years old in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She is now 19 years old. The
molestation took place while the victim was in Ross' “care” while her mother was
in choir practice. The suit says the abuse took place in various rooms inside
the church.
In
September 2008 Ross was arrested for this same crime in Arkansas, where he'd
been living since his removal from the priesthood in 2002. In 2010 charges were
dropped just before trial and the civil lawsuit was filed in Oct. 2011.
In 1988,
Ross had pleaded guilty in St. Louis County Circuit Court to sexually abusing
an 11-year-old boy in 1986. Ross had also admitted to
police that he'd been arrested twice previously for sexual misconduct with
adults, and that he was accused of molesting an 8th grade boy at a parish in
the 1970s. He received two years’ probation. The archdiocese sent Ross
to St. Luke Institute, a Maryland treatment center for priests with sexual
disorders. Any psychologist will tell you that pedophilia is not curable. From
there he was assigned to St. Cronan's catholic church. The lawsuit said that
the archdiocese knew that Ross had a history of sexual abuse before he was ever
assigned to St. Cronan's. Parishioners were not
informed of his history of sexual misconduct, including the conviction.
Ross is not
the only priest, ex-priest or nun sexually abusing children in their trust. The
same facts have been repeated over and over. Always the catholic church, under
the leadership of the pope, tries to stop justice for the abused. There are
many more examples in my book and if you set a Google alert for “pedophile
priest” you will get many more examples delivered to your inbox. It’s time we
stop the predators – and that is what the mission of this blog is – to let you
know what they did and what they do to our children and to us. If we don’t stop
them who will?
The DOJ, has all the evidence they need to arrest the Pope, Priest etc. some of the evidence is right under their nose" lets take the lawsuits as evidence; what more do they need to make an arrest on the Catholic Priest who have raped children, and why aren't these Catholic Priest treated like any other rapist ? why aren't they REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS ?
ReplyDeleteI hope that we get the signatures we need" exp. for the Catholic Priest who rape" also (raped) children so they can be Registered Sex Offenders;" like all the other rapist;" because The rapist found a loophole in the religious system.