Three members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) asked the Denver Roman Catholic Archdiocese on Tuesday to divulge names of abusers within its clergy.
The three spoke outside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver, calling on parishioners to join them in pressuring the archdiocese to post on its website the names of “all proven, admitted and credibly accused abusive priests.”
“This is not a witch hunt,” said Barbara Blaine, SNAP’s president and founder. “This is about protecting children.”
The Denver Archdiocese has been named in nine civil lawsuits regarding allegations against a former priest, 72-year-old Harold Robert White , and one involving allegations against the late Rev. Leonard Abercrombie.
Since July, 19 men and one woman have told The Denver Post that White molested them.
The Denver Post has found that the archdiocese was warned about White as early as the 1960s but continued to reassign him (the abuse claims run from the early 1960s to the early 1980s). The archdiocese will not discuss specifics about White but emphasizes it is committed to pursuing healing.
In response to public pressure, bishops in at least eight other cities over the last three years have disclosed names of abusive priests, said Jeb Barrett, director of Denver’s SNAP chapter.
“Denver is way behind,” he said.
The group also faxed a letter to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. The archdiocese’s chancellor, Fran Maier, declined to comment, saying the archbishop does not publicly discuss private correspondences.
