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Media Advisory

(September 3, 2010)

• Nationwide coalition of supporters of clergy sexual abuse victims/survivors to Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy:  Set up special trust fund to aid clergy sexual abuse victims
• Coalition will hand-deliver 20,000 pennies and accompanying letter to Bishop Murphy

A nationwide coalition led by Tucson, AZ-based Send the Bishop a Message will deliver 20,000 pennies to Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy. The 20,000 pennies are a seed or starter donation for a proposed Diocese of Rockville Centre Good Samaritan Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims’ Trust. The coalition represents over 25,000 people, including victims/survivors of clerical sexual abuse and groups and individuals supporting victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Four groups are the principal sponsors of this initiative: Send the Bishops a Message; Victims’ Voice (Hammondsport NY; Road To Recovery, Inc. (West Orange, NJ); and the National Survivor Advocates Coalition [NSAC] (Dayton, OH). 

The trustees of the proposed trust must be independent of the Church. The principal sponsors propose that the bishop and the sponsors jointly nominate the trustees. The trustees must have relevant, significant, and proven skills and expertise in trust administration and management, financial management, the medical healing arts and sciences, and the civil justice system.

The proposed victims’ trust will be fully funded by the diocese of Rockville Centre. The trustees will distribute, in accordance with well-publicized procedures, grants and other support to help victims and their families recover and heal from the trauma that resulted from the abuse.

WHERE AND WHEN

On the public sidewalk near St. Agnes Cathedral, 29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 (corner of Quealy Place and Clinton Ave.)

On Sunday September 5, 2010 at 9:45 a.m. 

WHY

The number 20,000—the number of pennies being donated--represents a conservative (low) estimate of the persons in the USA who experienced, as children, sexual abuse by Catholic priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, and other church employees since 1950. (We believe the actual number of sexual abuse victims in the USA since 1950 is well over 100,000).

A significant number of these 20,000 clerical sexual abuse victims were violated are in the diocese of Rockville Centre. Others who were violated elsewhere now reside in the diocese.

CONTACT 

Frank Douglas, Send the Bishops a Message, (520) 404-2489 or frankdouglas62@yahoo.com

Dick Regan, Victim's Voice, Victim/Survivor   (607) 368-0463

Richard Tollner, Victim's Voice, (518) 428-5000

Fr. Bob Hoatson, Road to Recovery, (862) 368-2800

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Letter to Bishop Murphy

(September 5, 2010)

Send the Bishops a Me$$age

September 5, 2010

Most Rev. William Murphy

Diocese of Rockville Centre


50 North Park Ave. (PO Box 9023) 

Rockville Centre, NY 11571-9023 
        

Enclosure: 20,000 Pennies

Dear Bishop Murphy:

In the parable of the Good Samaritan in the tenth chapter of Luke, Jesus tells us what it means to love our neighbor. Here is an update to the Good Samaritan story to make it more relevant to the present crisis of credibility. A child was on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell prey to a pedophile priest, who stripped the child, viciously violated him, and departed, leaving the child half dead. Another priest saw the violated child but passed by on the other side. Similarly a bishop saw the child and passed by on the other side. But a Good Samaritan saw the violated child and was moved with compassion. He bound up the child’s wounds, and took care of him. The next day the Good Samaritan took the child to an inn and gave his own money to the host of the inn and said, “Take care of the child. I will repay whatever you spend.”

Bishop Murphy, are you a Good Samaritan?

We, the undersigned, on behalf of the four organizations identified below--and on behalf of over a dozen co-sponsor partners--donate to you and the diocese of Rockville Centre 20,000 pennies as a seed or starter donation for a proposed Diocese of Rockville Centre Good Samaritan Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims’ Trust. The trust will distribute grants to victims of clerical sexual abuse that occurred in the Rockville Centre diocese since 1950. The grants will help victims and their families recover and heal from the trauma that resulted from the abuse. The number 20,000 represents a conservative (low) estimate of the persons who experienced, as children, sexual abuse by Catholic priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, and other church employees since 1950. (We believe the actual number of sexual abuse victims since 1950 is well over 100,000).

The trustees of the trust must be independent of the Church. We propose that you and we jointly choose the trustees, who will collectively have proven skills and expertise in trust administration and management, financial management, the medical healing arts and sciences, and the civil justice system. We suggest that we meet with you in the next 6o days to start discussing the details of the proposed trust and how it will work.

Best regards,

Frank Douglas, founder/president, Desert Voices, Inc.; 7850 N Silverbell # 114-178, Tucson, AZ 85743; (520) 404-2489; also national director of Send the Bishops a Message, www.sendthebishopsamessage.com and publisher of the Voice from the Desert, www.reform-network.net

Richard Tollner, associate director, Victims’ Voice

Rev. Robert Hoatson, president/founder, Road To Recovery, Inc.

Kristine Ward, chair, National Survivors Advocates Coalition (NSAC)

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Story in the Long Island Herald

A message for the Rockville Centre diocese

http://www.liherald.com/stories/A-message-for-the-Rockville-Centre-diocese,27396?sub_id=27396&print=1

By Judy Rattner

http://www.liherald.com/uploads/original/1283956414_da37.jpg

Members of a national coalition led by Send the Bishops a Message delivered 20,000 pennies and a letter to Bishop William Murphy last Sunday morning during a sidewalk "press conference" outside St. Agnes Cathedral.

The group, which claims to represent over 25,000 people, called upon Murphy to use the money as a seed for a special fund to aid clergy sexual abuse victims.

The coalition, which also includes Victims' Voice, Road to Recovery and the National Survivor Advocates Coalition, is calling for a proposed Diocese of Rockville Centre Good Samaritan Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims’ Trust fund to be overseen by independent trustees who would distribute grants and other support to help victims and their families recover and heal from the trauma they say resulted from the abuse.

The number of pennies being donated, the group said, represents a conservative estimate of the number of people in the United States who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other church employees since 1950.

"The event is an ill-conceived publicity stunt that trivializes sexual abuse," said diocese spokesman Sean Dolan. "The group is more interested in gaining publicity for itself than it is in protecting children and young people. They don't understand or choose not to understand all the church does to care for victims of sex abuse."

Comments about this story? RVCEditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.

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Letter to the Editor of the Long Island Herald

(Challenge to Bishop Murphy)

Bishop Murphy’s spokesperson says our seed donation [of 20,000 pennies] earmarked for a Church-funded trust to help victims of clergy sexual abuse, and their families, heal from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse was “an ill-conceived publicity stunt that trivializes sexual abuse." That statement is offensive and intimidating and cries out for an apology. Our donation is real. It is authentic. Does the diocese accept donations only from pray, pay, and obey Catholics?

Publicity? Yes!...Stunt? no!

Publicity is exactly what is necessary! To keep kids safe, the Church must list on diocesan websites the names of credibly accused priests. Contrast this approach with VIRTUS, which hoodwinks parents into believing that their kids are safe. Often other victims come forward following publicity of an allegation of abuse against a priest.  If it were not for publicity, the other victims may have not have had the courage to speak out. Exposure, not secrecy, is required. The Church must no longer use secrecy as a cruel tool to protect its image, because that same damnable secrecy facilitates crimes against little kids, crimes that often result in life-long disabilities. The Church's record of protecting children from harm is appalling, as Grand Juries across the USA have consistently determined.

The parable of the Good Samaritan requires us to help the wounded, no matter when or how the wound was inflicted, no matter who inflicted it. No Christian should strive to protect the Institution's reputation and assets at the expense of suffering abuse victims. The Institution's reputation is beyond repair, thanks to shortsighted, ham-handed Church officials like Bishop Murphy, who cover up crimes like former corporate CEOs now serving jail time. One cannot help but wonder just how much cash, bonds, stocks, real estate, and fine wine—products of generous donations of working-class people—are listed as assets on the diocese’s secretive balance sheet.

I repeat: There are a number of priests still in ministry in the Rockville Centre diocese who are credibly accused of heinous crimes against kids. Pedophiles very seldom strike just once. If there were no statutes of limitations on childhood sexual abuse, many unindicted clerical felons would be consecrating bread and wine in jail. 

If Bishop Murphy disagrees with any of my assertions, I invite him or his spokesperson to debate, on live, unedited television, either me or my delegate, with an unbiased moderator presiding.

---

Frank Douglas, Tucson, AZ; national director of Send the Bishops a Message; www.sendthebishopsamessage.com; frankdouglas62@yahoo.com; (520) 404-2489

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Letter from the General Counsel of the Diocese of Rockville Centre

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 Response to the General Counsel's Letter by Send the Bishops a Message

Send the Bishops a Me$$age

7850 N Silverbell #114-178

Tucson, AZ 85743

(520) 474-4027

frankdouglas62@yahoo.com

September 14, 2010

Mr. Thomas G. Renker

General Counsel

Diocese of Rockville Centre


50 North Park Ave. (PO Box 9023) 

Rockville Centre, NY 11571-9023 
        

Subject: Our proposal for a Diocese of Rockville Centre (DRVC)-Funded Good Samaritan Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims’ Trust

References:

(1) My letter, same subject, September 5, 2010, to Bishop William Murphy, accompanying 20,000 pennies, which are our seed donation for the subject trust

(2) Your letter to me, same subject, September 10, 2010

Dear Mr. Renker:

I am in receipt of Reference 2, in which the DRVC declined to accept our donation of 20,000 pennies as a seed donation for the proposed Diocese of Rockville Centre Good Samaritan Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims’ Trust. The proposed trust (see Reference 1 for details), to be administered by trustees independent of the Church, will distribute grants to victims of clerical sexual abuse that occurred in the Rockville Centre diocese since 1950. The grants will help victims and their families recover and heal from the trauma that resulted from the abuse.

Reference 2 states the DRVC provides substantial and compassionate assistance to victims of abuse. Who determines what is “substantial” or “compassionate?  Bishop Murphy? The Victims? Reference 2 also states the DRVC “anticipates to do so [provide assistance to victims] for as long as such assistance is needed.”  Who determines what is needed? Bishop Murphy? The Victims? An Independent Board? A Vatican finance official? How much has the DRVC budgeted for victims’ assistance over the next 25 years? There are still, today, priests in ministry in the Rockville Centre diocese who are credibly accused of sexual crimes against children. Does the DRVC budget for victims’ assistance take into account the likely number of currently undisclosed victims and the assistance they will need? I await the answers to my questions.

Sincerely,

Frank Douglas, national director