For immediate release: Friday, Feb. 24, 2006
For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP National Director, (314) 566-9790 cell
The boy who’s alleging he was sexually abused by Vianney’s president will be able to protect his identity, according to a judge’s ruling handed down yesterday afternoon in St. Louis County.
Channel 5 news at 6:00 last night reported the opposite.
“This is a victory for all kids and all abuse victims,” said David Clohessy, national director of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “This family is suffering tremendously and anything that jeapodizes their privacy is just mean-spirited.”
“Judges routinely allow adults who are sexually assaulted to maintain their privacy, and news outlets rigidly do likewise,” said Barbara Dorris, SNAP’s outreach director. “So the notion that a minor, especially one who is a proven victim of an earlier sexual assault, might be forced to disclose his identity is crazy.”
Dorris is referring to reports on Channel 5 that the Vianney accuser was molested by h is mother, who is now behind bars for the assault.
Judge Carolyn Whittington had earlier in the day denied the teenaged victim’s motion to remain a “John Doe” but reversed herself in the afternoon.
Today’s issue of The St. Louis Review, the archdiocesan newspaper, acknowledges that there one “unsubstantiated accusation against (Osborne)” in the 1980s, that he “had acted inappropriately” with a student. Under repeated questioning at a news conference earlier this week, the Marianists’ public relations person admitted this as well.
Osborne is at least the sixth local Marianist in the last few years that has been named as an accused pedophile. The others include Fr. William Christiansen, Brother John Woulfe, Brother William Mueller, Fr. Daniel A.Triulzi, and Brother Tony Pistone. The latter two – Triulzi and Pistone - were exposed, sued and suspended last year. Christiansen and Woulfe are facing a lawsuit that was heard by the Missouri Supreme Court last fall. No decision has been handed down yet.
Osborne also worked Chaminade College Prep and at Our Lady of the Pillar in Creve Coeur, MO.
For a copy of the judge’s order, call Barbara Dorris at 862 7688.
Attorney Ken Chackes of University City 872 8420, 369 3902 cell
|
Archdiocesan newspaper reports an earlier allegation against same priest