This would be
url for the first and the
url for the second, but "access is denied."
Has it been deleted? Google Cache still has a copy of the two statements, and the second was apparently copied by Google on April 22 even though CM has it dated for April 25. April 22 is also the date the
Church Militant story was published. CM tagged
articles on the SSPX.
Steve Skojec's
video on the CM article doesn't have anything substantive to say about the Church Militant story itself; he merely criticizes CM for undermining its own credibility with its "editorializing" and "bias," while agreeing that there should be an investigation done if necessary in order to ensure that justice is done. He has an article on
1P5 to explain his perspective further, and responses in the combox to the CM story has been mixed.
Whether those within Roman Catholic mass media should examine themselves for some form of Latin triumphalism, even if it finds refuge in a "remnant mentality"...
Whatever some Latins may think, there is more to the Church Universal than the patriarchate of Rome, and even if other jurisdictions are not free from problems, arguably the institutional problems besetting the patriarchate of Rome, exacerbated by Latin theological opinions about the office of the pope, are arguably more severe.
The SSPX statements after the jump.
First statement, from Google cache:
U.S. District Responds to Church Militant
On April 22, 2020, the website Church Militant published a story against the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) with the inflammatory title, “SSPX—Sympathetic to Perverts.” The story, among other things, purports to expose a culture of coverups regarding sexual abuse and immorality within the Society. This is false, and the SSPX calls on Church Militant to withdraw this slanderous piece of yellow journalism.
The SSPX’s Commitment to Investigation and Cooperation
As a primary and essential matter, the SSPX is committed to investigating all allegations of sexual misconduct by its clergy, religious, and lay employees. The Society also cooperates with all police or other official investigations into said misconduct when it violates the law, whether civil or ecclesiastical. Though no mention of this fact is made in Church Militant’s article, the SSPX publicly informed them of this fact in a press release issued last year. Regrettably, Church Militant failed to make any mention of it. Church Militant also failed to respond to the SSPX after they asked the SSPX questions.
Instead, Church Militant repeatedly relies on hearsay, conjecture, and factual misstatements to paint the SSPX in a false light. For instance, it alleged that U.S. District Superior Fr. Jurgen Wegner is scheduled to be transferred to Austria later this year “far from the reach of criminal prosecutors[.]” Not only has Fr. Wegner never been investigated, charged, or convicted of any criminal wrongdoing, but the United States has mutual legal assistance treaties with both Austria and the European Union. Any transfer of clergy across borders, which is a routine practice of the Society to carry out its worldwide apostolate, would not place them beyond the law, and Church Militant is wrong to insinuate otherwise and that the transfer has that purpose. Fr. Wegner’s six-year term as District Superior ends in August, and his transfer has been foreseen for months before this hit-piece saw the light of day.
Similarly, Church Militant implies, without evidence, that there are numerous investigations against SSPX clergy currently underway in the United States. Justice and charity demand that the Society not disclose publicly the nature of any investigations, both to protect the good names of the innocent and the privacy of alleged victims. An accusation is not evidence, and for the SSPX or any other ecclesial or public entity to approach an investigation believing otherwise would lead to more harm than good. When criminal wrongdoing is uncovered, however, the Society’s policy is to refer the matter to the appropriate public authorities.
Individual Cases of Abuse
The SSPX does not deny that there have been serious and tragic individual cases of abuse committed by a discrete number of clergy and employees. Some of these cases are decades old, occurring before a time when a number of the SSPX’s districts, including the U.S. District, had the infrastructure in place to readily record, investigate, and report accusations promptly. That situation has since been rectified, and the U.S. District continues to update its internal policies to put them in line with best practices.
However, Church Militant again implies otherwise, noting, for example, the case of a priest in Belgium. What Church Militant fails to report is that the District Superior of the Society reported the priest to the police, collaborated with the Belgian authorities and stands by the results of the priest’s trial. This is true in other instances as well, though Church Militant neither bothered to report on such matters nor made inquiries on this matter to any official organ of the SSPX.
Prudence, Not Cover-up
Through Church Militant’s story, it wishes to expose a culture of coverup in the SSPX. Instead, it exposed its own gross lack of ethics when it took private internal correspondence, which was accidentally sent to it and quoted from it out of context. Even so, as the quoted passages make clear, the discussion did not center on covering up any public wrongdoing but focused instead on how best to respond to Church Militant’s inquiries.
It is well-known that Church Militant is not a serious journalistic enterprise but a repository of sensationalized stories, hit pieces, and videos featuring the opinions of its controversial founder, Michael Voris. Further, Church Militant has repeatedly used the SSPX’s name to generate web-clicks and revenue while hoping to stoke the fires of public controversy by baiting it into a war of words. Prudence dictates caution when dealing with a tabloid, and we will not be so baited.
The SSPX is committed to full transparency in all of these cases. We will be releasing detailed responses to every allegation.
Second statement, from Google cache:
Toward Transparency, Repentance, and Healing
As promised in the Society of Saint Pius X’s (SSPX) April 23, 2020 communique regarding allegations that it has covered-up instances of sexual abuse and impropriety, the U.S. District of the SSPX takes the essential first step toward addressing this painful but important topic.
As stated at the closing of its communique, the SSPX is committed to full transparency regarding recent allegations involving its current and former clergy, religious, and employees. The Society has cooperated with, and continues to work with, all civil and ecclesiastical authorities investigating accusations of abuse. Some of this cooperation, including the U.S. District’s cooperation with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, will be addressed in due course. As stated in the April 23 communique, if an investigation is ongoing, the SSPX cannot comment. However, those with information about potential criminal activity are encouraged to contact the proper authorities.
Most importantly, for the victims of sexual or any other type of abuse in particular, the SSPX offers its sympathy, prayers, and support. How can one abuse the trust God has given certain people? How does the Church confront true evil? As an apostolate of the Catholic Church, the SSPX wants justice for everyone.
Plan to Protect
As much as the SSPX wants to prevent abuse from happening in the future, it cannot neglect to help those who are already victims. The Society has been learning about the extent of this evil for years and have been in contact with survivors of abuse. The Society’s priests have listened to their grief and have a grasp of their suffering. It takes great courage for a person who has experienced abuse to develop trust again. Time and patience are needed before a survivor can open up, and the SSPX is committed to helping.
If you have been abused and you are still alone with your pain, the Society implores you to reach out, especially if you have suffered from a priest, religious, employee, or volunteer of SSPX. You are encouraged to come forward and to do so with whatever spiritual, medical, or professional assistance you need. In cooperation, the SSPX wants to make things right, ensure that justice is done, and help you overcome this evil.
Please visit the SSPX’s Plan to Protect website. If you have chosen this initial step to look at this site, the Society invites you to contact us at protection@sspx.org or its toll-free number (833)-727-7779.
(Plan to Protect Website >)
For abuse in the State of Kansas: victims and witnesses of abuse by the SSPX or other clergy can contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at clergyabuse@kbi.ks.gov or they can call 1 (800) KS-Crime (1-800-572-7463).
The Sloniker Case
Mr. Kevin Sloniker grew up in Post Falls, ID. He and his family attended several SSPX chapels. His childhood gave no reason to suspect any improper conduct would be committed by Mr. Kevin Sloniker. He entered the Brothers’ Novitiate in El Paso, TX as a postulant in 2004 with the intention of becoming an SSPX Brother. In 2005, he was sent to the seminary in Winona, MN, as the postulants were sent there to complete their formation as brothers.
During Mr. Sloniker’s time in Winona, Fr. Patrick Abbet (who is not related at all to the accused and convicted Fr. Abbet in Belgium) was the spiritual director of Mr. Sloniker at the seminary. The superior of the seminary was Fr. Yves le Roux. In October 2005, Mr. Sloniker attempted to circumcise himself while at the seminary. He was rushed to the local hospital where he underwent surgery to stabilize his self-mutilation and was examined by a psychiatrist while at the hospital. The day Sloniker was released from the hospital, he was asked to leave the seminary and he complied with no objection.
It was believed that he went home to his family who at that time were living in Wahington State. All the priests at the seminary knew of Mr. Sloniker's irrational behavior, but a report was never made and sent to the U.S. District. This was clearly an error, resulting from an absence of a robust reporting infrastructure within the U.S. District at that time. As such, Mr. Sloniker eventually became a camp counselor on or around 2006-07 at the Society’s Post Falls, ID summer camps. The priest in charge of the summer camps at that time was Fr. Patrick Crane who had not been made aware of the self-mutilation incident at the seminary.
Mr. Sloniker left his position as a camp counselor when he was about 20 years old. He next surfaced in Dickinson, ND, where he attended the Society chapel and helped as a sacristan. The chapel was sporadically served by SSPX priests. One priest, while making a monthly visit to Dickinson, ND, was approached by a parishioner who said that he believed his child had an inappropriate relationship with Mr. Sloniker. Mr. Sloniker denied the allegation, but immediately left the area. The U.S District subsequently found out that Mr. Sloniker became a truck driver. At this time the Society was advised by their then legal counsel that they did not have a duty to report the allegations regarding Mr. Sloniker.
The U.S. District had no record regarding Mr. Sloniker until 2015, when the Society was contacted by law enforcement. Legal authorities were investigating Mr. Sloniker and eventually arrested him on September 14, 2015, in Menomie, WI. He was extradited to Kootenai County, ID, where he was charged with multiple counts of child molestation for conduct he engaged in over the prior decade.
At the time of Mr. Sloniker’s arrest, he was a truck driver and was approximately 30 years old. He admitted to having had numerous unlawful sexual encounters with underage children. To the best of the SSPX’s knowledge, he is currently serving an extensive prison sentence.
The U.S. District has conducted an in-depth investigation into its handling of the Kevin Sloniker matter. The Society has concluded that although none of the alleged crimes occurred on Society property or while Mr. Kevin Sloniker was affiliated with the SSPX, the Society fell short in not making his conduct known internally between the seminary and the District, and then reporting him to authorities when the allegations arose in Dickinson, ND. Procedures have subsequently been put into place to report deviant behavior among individuals affiliated with the SSPX to all Society priests. The Society also adopted the Plan to Protect in 2018 which requires Society personnel to document every incident that might be a warning-sign for abuse and to report all credible claims of abuse to their superiors and to legal authorities.
Fr. Todd Angele
Fr. Todd Angele vehemently denies the reported allegations of Mr. Kyle White concerning his supposed advice not to report abuse.
Contrary to accusations made on April 22, 2020 by the website Church Militant, the clergy-penitent privilege most certainly does apply to discussions in the course of ministry outside the confessional, and, more crucially, the obligation of professional secrecy applies in conscience to such “internal non-sacramental forum” conversations. If the other party to the conversation releases Fr. Angele from this secrecy, he will provide his side of how the conversation actually developed and the advice he gave. Until then, Mr. White’s accusation places Fr. Angele in an impossible position.
Fr. Laurent Desautard
The SSPX learned of three allegations against Fr. Laurent Desautard of inappropriate contact with boarding students at St. Mary’s Academy while he was stationed there. Fr. Desautard allegedly engaged in grooming behavior with teenage boys in his dormitory office.
Fr. Gerard Beck, then rector of St. Mary’s Academy and College, after having been informed of the allegation by U.S. District Communications Director James Vogel, interviewed one of the students on July 28, 2016. Fr. Beck was told that the grooming behavior had started in 2014 but that the victim, by then an adult, had no interest in pressing charges. Fr. Desautard was then in the process of being transferred to Australia.
Fr. Beck turned everything over immediately to the civil authorities. A complete disclosure was made. The civil authorities decided not to file charges. The SSPX, after a canonical investigation, has placed Fr. Desautard under restrictions to have non parish role, especially with minors.
A Concluding Statement
Any allegation that the SSPX stonewalled any investigation is false. The SSPX has identified and produced files from the past 30 years involving its clergy, religious, and employees while working under time frames and parameters agreed to by Sherri Schuck, Pottawatomie County Attorney and Agent Nick Pipkin of the KBI. The SSPX currently is in close contact with both entities regarding both closed and any ongoing investigations.
The SSPX agrees that if anyone possesses any relevant information concerning ongoing or future investigations, they should contact:
Sherri Schuck, Pottawatomie County Attorney
108 N. First; PO Box 219
Westmoreland, Kansas 66549
(785) 457-3511
(785) 457-3896 (fax) schuck@pottcountyatty.org
Nick Pipkin
Special Agent
Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Special Operations Division
(785) 250-9780
This statement is the beginning, not the end, of a process of transparency. More information is forthcoming.
The scourge of sexual abuse must be driven from the Catholic Church, including the SSPX’s apostolate. The Society asks in all humility for your prayers. Pray for the SSPX. Pray for those who have fallen into sin that they may repent. Most of all, pray for the victims of these heinous and unspeakable crimes against natural and divine law.
We invite you to unite in this prayer to St. Rita for those who have been hurt by those who have betrayed their trust.
Please join us in our prayers >
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