On March 8, 2002, Bishop Anthony J

On March 8, 2002, Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell, first bishop of Knoxville, admitted publicly sexually molesting at least two teen boys. Yesterday, Bishop Thomas Bumbleton, current bishop of Detroit, admitted publicly that he was sexually molested by a priest as a teenager. We have come full circle in the clergy sexual abuse scandal in this country—from admission of the crime of abuse by O’Connell and other bishops to the admission by Bishop Gumbleton of having been abused.

This is a first in the ranks of the bishops, acknowledgement that there are priests who were abused by priests. This is something that the victims community knows very well. We thank Bishop Gumbleton for breaking the code of silence of the bishops and priests and speaking out.

The clergy abuse scandal in Tennessee has been kept secret across the state, but the scandal is very much there and very much waiting for the truth to be told.

Beginning yesterday, Bishop Gumbleton ushered in a new chapter in this scandal. He has challenged his fellow bishops to tell the truth and to end the silence and secrecy.

Today we of SNAP are asking Bishop Joseph Kurtz to make radical changes in his approach to this scandal in Tennessee. Tell the truth, Bishop Kurtz. Tell the people the scope of how many victims there are in East Tennessee. Tell the people the names of the 18 priests that have been identified as clergy sex offenders.

Bishop Kurtz has been asked repeatedly in person and by letter to cooperate with the diocese of Nashville and Memphis and tell the names of the 18 priests reported to the John Jay Study. We call them the “Secret 18.” If you walk into the building behind us, Father Vann Johnston will tell you that because of “privacy issues” he cannot tell you the names. He will tell you that Knoxville has only one credibly accused priest, and he will not tell you the name. When SNAP asked Bishop Kurtz in early May 2005 to cooperate with the other two Catholic bishops in Tennessee and tell us the names of these sex-offending priests, we were told that he would do “what was required by the norms.” Apparently telling the truth to the people is not required. We disagree. Apparently telling the names of these offenders is not required for the safety of children. We disagree. Apparently telling the names of these offenders is not required for the peace of mind of adult survivors of clergy sexual abuse. We disagree.

Many of these “Secret 18” were assigned to parishes across the entire state of Tennessee. The abuse of the “Secret 18” is a statewide issue and not confined to geographical dioceses.

For instance, did you know that the Memphis diocese has asked the Vatican to defrock one of their priests for sexual abuse of boys? And did you know that that priest’s first assignment was here in 1967 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Has Bishop Kurtz told the people of Sacred Heart that Father Paul St. Charles is being defrocked? Does Bishop Kurtz care that abuse may have occurred here by Paul St. Charles? Has he stood in the pulpit and asked that any victims of Paul St. Charles who may be out there to come forward and get help? Has he asked Bishop Steib of Memphis to share the information he has about Paul St. Charles? Has he asked bishop-elect Choby of Nashville to join him in telling the people that Paul St. Charles has been retired in the city of Nashville for about 18 years? Paul St. Charles has three active law suits against him at this moment.

We could ask this series of questions about many others. What about Edward J. McKeown? What about Frank Richards? What about James W. Murphy? All these are names in the public domain. All of these priests abused in East Tennessee. Where is the concern for children? Where is the concern for adult survivors?

A church that has kept these terrible secrets of the past cannot be trusted to tell the truth about what is happening in the present.

We encourage all victims of sexual abuse to contact the proper law enforcement officials. Sexual abuse is a crime. All these abuses by priests in the past were hidden from the law. They waited out the statutes of limitations. Priests were passed from parish to parish without identifying that they were abusers. The church helped them evade the law, and now the church must do the right thing and tell us who they are.

We as an advocacy group are here to help victims of all clergy sexual abuse. Contact us through our website at www.rememberthesurvivors.com.