Child sex abuse survivor blasts SF bishop
Victim speaks out now for the first time
He was molested at local Catholic school
Diocese knew and did nothing, his attorney says
SNAP also urges diocese to release a list of accused clerics
What:
At a news conference, a local child sex abuse victim (who is NOT revealing his name or face) who was sexually violated by a San Francisco priest will speak for the first time publicly about his abuse at a San Francisco Catholic school by a priest.
An advocate and victim’s attorney will urge the Archdiocese of San Francisco to immediately release its list of clerics accused of sexually abusing children, as most US Catholic dioceses, including nine of the twelve in CA, have done.
When:
Thursday, June 6 at 10:45am
Where:
Outside of St. Finn Bar Catholic Church, 415 Edna Street in San Francisco
Who:
John Doe, a survivor of clergy childhood sexual abuse
A Sacramento attorney (who represents the sexual abuse victim) and
A Bay Area woman who is a long-time leader of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
Why:
1) A northern California man (identified only as John Doe) has just filed an official abuse report with the California Attorney
General’s office disclosing that he was sexually violated as a child in a San Francisco Catholic school.
He will talk about the abuse he suffered and how the Diocese knew and did nothing.
He wants to let other victims know “you are not alone. You do not have to continue to suffer in silence."
The accused is Father John Kavanaugh, a former priest at St. Finn Barr church who has never been disclosed or acknowledged as a credibly accused predator, although the archdiocese received a report 14 years ago.
Doe is a 52-year-old man who was an altar boy from the 4th through 8th grades while he attended St. Finn Barr Elementary School in the Sunnyside District of San Francisco. Doe reported the abuse to his teacher who was tearing up and reported the abuse to Sister Eta and Sister Anne when he was in the 5th grade. He was told that they would talk to Father Kavanaugh and nothing was done to end the child abuse, according to his attorney.
In 2004, Doe reported his abuse to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The archdiocese sent an investigator to interview John Doe at his house. The archdiocese subsequently offered Doe counseling. The Archdiocese never reported the perpetrator to Child Protective Services or law enforcement. The Archdiocese never reached out to the other potential victims of the perpetrator by publicizing the credible allegation in St. Finn Barr’s newsletter or in any publication.
2) Most US Catholic dioceses, including nine of the twelve in CA, have released lists of accused clerics. SF has not, nor has it even indicated an intention to do so.
Yet for each new diocese that does this, names that have never been publicly associated with the sexual abuse of children or vulnerable adults are revealed.
These lists can be a source of healing for survivors, to know that they are not the only victim. Seeing their abuser's name exposed can give victims the courage to break their silence, to come forward, and begin to heal.
Parents who have lost a child to suicide, or to substance abuse, may find on these lists an answer to the nagging question of "Why?"
Naming the names also serves to protect today's boys and girls. These men may still be living around or even working with children, without parents or employers being aware that they are a threat to young lives.
Every day that an abuser’s name is hidden, children are at risk, and the repercussions of those violations echo through an entire lifetime, SNAP says.
The group will urge Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to release a list immediately, or at the very least, a list of those men who are still among the living.
Until the San Francisco Archdiocese names predators, SNAP is urging the faithful to donate elsewhere AND give to organizations that protect children and fight abuse.
In the meantime, SNAP also urges Catholics and citizens to look to outside sources for information, especially:
Contact: Dr. Joseph C. George (916) 802-7949 cell, (916) 641-7300 office, Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator 925 708 6175 cell, msakoda@snapnetwork.org email