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Survivors Urge Wisconsin AG to Investigate Green Bay Diocese PDF Print E-mail
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Written by Peter Isely, Founding Member, SNAP   
Friday, 18 January 2019 11:15

clergy-sexual-abuseClergy abuse survivors group claims additional sex offenders known by Bishop Ricken not named in Thursday's release, and that former Bishop Zubik destroyed abuser priest files before leaving for Pittsburgh in 2007.


GREEN BAY, WI - Wisconsin leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Friday that the statewide investigation of cover up by Wisconsin bishops was "long overdue", but did not go far enough.

In Thursday's release, the Diocese of Green Bay omitted the names of abusive priests who served time in his diocese. According to the Diocese's own publication, 16 Norbetine Order priests that served time in Green Bay had been accused of abuse but were omitted from yesterday's release. Victims are calling on the Diocese to update their list to include these additional names and to urge the Wisconsin attorney general to open an independent investigation into clergy sex abuse throughout the state.

According to Bishop Accountability the following order priests who have been accused of abuse and spent time in Green Bay but are not disclosed in today's release: Fr. Angelo Feldkamp, Fr. Camillus Frigo, Fr. Eric Middlecamp, Fr. Rudolph Nocinski, Fr. Loren Nys, Fr. James Stein. An article from The Compass in 2004 also recognizes that at least 16 Norbertine priests had been accused of abuse as well.

Because bishops have pledged to be open and transparent about clergy sex crimes, SNAP believes that all priests who have been the subject of sex abuse allegations and also spent time in Green Bay should be posted.

David ZubikThe Diocese of Green Bay has previously come under fire for clergy sex abuse cover-ups, most notably in 2007 when then-Bishop David Zubik destroyed files related to allegations of sex abuse before leaving to lead the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Given this history of secrecy, SNAP is calling on Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to launch a full investigation into clergy sex crimes throughout the state. Other states, including Illinois and New Jersey, have launched similar probes and SNAP believes that parishioners and the public in Wisconsin also deserve to know the full extent of sex abuse and cover-ups in their state.

At a sidewalk news conference on Friday on the front steps of the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier in Green Bay, Wisconsin leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), plan to:

  1. Release a letter sent to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to launch a statewide investigation of clerical sexual abuse and cover-up
  2. Insist Green Bay Bishop David Ricken name the additional abusive priests known by church officials to have operated within his diocese
  3. Urge the AG to investigate the destruction of abusive priest files revealed in court testimony by former Green Bay Bishop David Zubick in 2007
  4. Discuss evidence of cover up in Wisconsin's other dioceses, including over 100 still unnamed alleged abusers from the Milwaukee Archdiocese detailed in Federal Bankruptcy documents.

WHEN

Friday, January 18 at 11:30 a.m.

WHERE

On the front steps of the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, 139 S. Madison, Green Bay

WHO

Wisconsin leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including SNAP's founding member from Milwaukee and longtime SNAP Green Bay volunteer director.

*****

Editor's note. We erroneously reported Friday that St. Francis Xavier was in Madison. It is on Madison street in Green Bay.

Last Updated on Saturday, 02 March 2019 13:26
 
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