Wednesday, May 25, 2005
IT MUST BE BAD TO BE ON 60 MINUTES
Whatever BishopAccountability.org has, it must be shocking. I've just received this email from Lee:
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Malachi Martin, call your office!
Lee
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Murder, Sex Ring, Destroyed Files: Allegations in Springfield MA Diocese
May 25, 2005
Dear Friend,
At 8PM tonight, CBS-TV's "60 Minutes Wednesday" will examine a former priest's role in the murder of an altar boy in the diocese of Springfield MA.
The Springfield situation is especially sordid. Allegedly, some of the diocese's highest-ranking officials not only tolerated child molestation by priests but were guilty of it themselves. BishopAccountability.org has just posted a special section of formerly sealed Springfield documents as well as news articles. To view them, click here.
In this Monitor:
Murder of an altar boy
Alleged sex ring included Springfield priests and diocesan officials
Reports of destroyed abuse files
Brave acts by victims and a lone priest
Why do law enforcement officials believe that ex-priest Richard Lavigne murdered 13-year-old Danny Croteau? To read a gripping narrative, click here.
Were Lavigne and other Springfield priests involved in a child abuse sex ring? A professional investigator believes they were. To read more, click here.
Corruption at the top: High-ranking church officials in Springfield, including former Bishops Dupre and Weldon, have been accused of molesting minors. Read this informative article.
Did diocesan leaders destroy files? Yes, according to whistleblower priest James Scahill. In the winter of 2002, Scahill heard former Bishop Dupre say that the Boston church scandal wouldn't happen in Springfield because former Bishop Weldon had destroyed incriminating files. To learn more, click here.
Virtue before obedience: Father James Scahill apparently is the only priest in the country who has withheld, as an act of conscience, his parish's mandatory 6% financial contribution to the diocese. To read more about this unusual priest, click here.
None of the corruption in Springfield would have been exposed if victims hadn't come forward. The damage done to a child when she or he is used to gratify the sexual appetite of a trusted priest is staggering -- as is the strength one must draw on to come public to cite the abuse and name the abuser.
To read the story of how a Lavigne victim found the courage to speak out, click here.
Announcement: Posting of once-sealed Springfield files: In coming weeks, keep checking our new Springfield section.
Today, BishopAccountability.org posted files from the Danny Croteau murder investigation. You'll also find firsthand accounts by Lavigne's victims -- nearly unbearable to read but important to preserve. To read them, click her e.
This collection marks the beginning of our Springfield MA diocesan abuse archive. BishopAccountability.org is obtaining thousands of pages of priest personnel files from the Springfield church archive, showing how the various bishops handled abusers. We'll be putting them online as soon as we can.
BishopAccountability.org will be the only place on the Internet where you can view this crucial Springfield archive. Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Paul Baier
BishopAccountability.org
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email: staff@bishop-accountability.org
phone: 781 910 5467
web: http://www.bishopaccountability.org
