SNAP calls on Diocese to release additional priest names

A national clergy abuse survivor group is urging Wisconsin's Attorney General to investigate the Diocese of Green Bay after the church released names of 46 priests with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.

On Friday, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) held a news conference in front of the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier on Madison Street in Green Bay.

to watch the full news conference.

SNAP is urging Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to initiate a statewide investigation of church sexual abuse and cover up.

"There are 15 states now and the US Department of Justice that have open investigations of Diocese like this one where there has been demonstrable evidence and proof that there has been a history of decades of covering up child sex crimes," says Peter Isely, founding member of SNAP.

Green Bay's police chief, too, is calling on organizations with evidence or records of sexual abuse to turn them over (read Chief Andrew Smith's complete letter at the end of this article).

SNAP is asking for Bishop David Ricken to name "additional abusive priests known by church officials to have operated within his diocese."

"That list is partial, it is biased and it is incomplete," Isely says.

"When you release that list, you have a duty and a responsibility and an obligation to let the public know, and to let survivors know, in particular, that you know which clergy and which priests have sexually assaulted and raped children, because you know who they are."

The Diocese list of names does not include religious orders such as the Norbertines or Franciscans.

Isely says bishops in other states have included the names of priests in religious orders.

"These are not minor crimes. These are crimes against children. You have that information, you have those identities. And you have to release those names and identities. You have the authority to do it. And we insist, as survivors, and we think the public is insisting that you do that," Isely says.

He argues, "Any cleric that has worked or lived in this Diocese is ultimately under the authority of this bishop."

SNAP is asking the AG to look into the destruction of files about sex abuse by former Bishop David Zubik in 2007. Isely says the evidence was destroyed because the church was about to face civil action.

"This has been proven and demonstrated by admissions by church officials here in 2007. And these are admissions in court depositions, that Bishop Zubik ordered the systematic destruction of criminal evidence of child sex abuse by clerics in this Diocese," Isely says.

On Thursday, the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay announced that an investigation found 47 clergy members with "substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor."

The list dates back to 1906, which is the earliest documented allegation of abuse against a minor, according to the Diocese.

"The release of these names may open up old wounds and may create new hurt. For this, I am profoundly sorry. But I want to thank victims and survivors for their strength over the years for coming forward to tell their stories. The hurt they endured at the hands of their perpetrators cannot be undone," Ricken says.

Last September, the Diocese hired independent investigative firm Defenbaugh & Associates to review files of all of its priests and deacons.

Bishop Ricken says the firm made several visits to the Diocese in fall. The firm reported handed over their findings to the Diocese Independent Review Board and the chancellor on Dec. 17. The IRB recommended Bishop Ricken release the names in the report.

The review was conducted after retired Bishop Robert Morneau withdrew from public ministry for failing to report the abuse of a minor by a priest in 1979. The priest, David Boyea, would go on to abuse at least three other children.

Boyea was convicted of 1st Degree Sexual Abuse of a Child in 1986 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He is on the Wisconsin sex offender registry for life.

Boyea's victims filed a $12 million lawsuit against the church, which was settled.

Going forward, Peter Isely and survivors want to know the details to be found in those unanswered questions.

"The only authority that we have any confidence in to vet that list of names, how these cases have been investigated, who is not on that list--is the attorney general of this state," Isley says.

"Religious orders, we've known historically, have routinely transferred these sex offenders. That's what attorney generals are finding out. That's what these investigations are discovering."

The Diocese has announced Catholic Charities will have two workshops for clergy and mental health professionals to more effectively work with survivors of abuse. The workshops on January 31 and February 1 are led by Trauma Recovery Associates.

The workshop on January 31 is for clergy and pastoral leaders from 1 to 5 p.m. at St. John the Baptist, 2597 Glendale Ave., in Howard. There is no cost to attend and no limit on attendance.