PEORIA -- From a news release, shocking info, but not really a surprise, as religion is used for all kinds of awful purposes:
Ex Peoria bishop in trouble on abuse; SNAP responds
For immediate release: Monday, May 6
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
Peoria’s former Catholic bishop is now in hot water in New Jersey.
Newark Archbishop John Myers – who headed the Peoria diocese for more than a decade (1990 to 2001) - may face criminal charges of violating an agreement to keep an admitted predator priest away from kids.
He’s essentially behaving in New Jersey the same way he behaved in Illinois – recklessly, callously and deceitfully.
In 2001, Fr. Michael Fugee admitted to police in New Jersey that he molested a boy several times.
In 2003, Fr. Fugee recanted, was tried, and was found guilty of child sex crimes.
In 2006, a higher court reversed the verdict due to improper jury instructions.
In 2006, Myers agreed to keep Fr. Fugee away from kids (in a written deal with prosecutors).
But a Newark newspaper has disclosed that Archbishop Myers put Fr. Fugee in a hospital chaplaincy and a parish. Facebook photos also show that Fr. Fugee heard kids’ confessions, went on retreats with kids and even took kids to Canada.
Now, the Bergen County NJ prosecutor is investigating. Two newspapers are calling for Myers’ resignation.
Myers acted much the same way in Peoria.
A year after he left Peoria, Myers’ successor had to oust seven predator priests who were still on the job.
Consider that while in Peoria, Myers’ reportedly tried to “buy the silence” of a church archivist.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_06_02_McRoberts_BishopOn_John_Anderson_1.htm
And consider the case of Fr. Francis Engels, who was accused of abusing a child in 1973. A victim complained directly to Bishop Myers in 1992. But Myers did not put Engels on leave until the family went to the new media in 1993.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_06_02_McRoberts_BishopOn_John_Anderson_1.htm
We hope these latest New Jersey revelations – which show that Myers is still irresponsible about protecting kids – will prod others in Peoria who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes during his tenure to step forward. We hope that every single victim, witness, or whistleblower that knows or suspects wrongdoing by Myers – or his successors – will speak up, expose wrongdoing, protect kids, call police and start healing.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, [email protected]), Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), Judy Jones (636-433-2511, [email protected])
Archbishop John J. Myers may have blatantly broken the law, let alone the fact that he broke his own "zero tolerance" child protection policy. He keeps making up his own rules just to cover himself, it is no wonder that Myers can not be trusted by victims, parents, and parishioners to tell the truth or to care one bit about the safety of innocent children
It is extremely rare that a child predator has only one victim. Some have many. Child predators need to be kept far away from kids forever, and "the church officials know this".
So let's hope that every person who saw, suspects or may have been harmed by Michael Fugee, will find the courage and strength to speak up and contact police, no matter how long ago it happened.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. [email protected],
"SNAP (The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
Posted by: Judy Block-Jones | May 07, 2013 at 05:51 PM
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
Posted by: Private operating foundation | May 14, 2013 at 11:23 AM