TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! THE LATEST LAWSUIT IN THE KANSAS CITY CATHOLIC SEX SCANDAL ALLEGES PRIEST VIOLATED FOUR BOYS IN ONE FAMILY!!!

From the blog: Tony’s Kansas City
Wednesday February 22, 2012

From the Link: TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! THE LATEST LAWSUIT IN THE KANSAS CITY CATHOLIC SEX SCANDAL ALLEGES PRIEST VIOLATED FOUR BOYS IN ONE FAMILY!!!

Father John Tulipana

Unusual new abuse & cover up lawsuit is filed

Accused predator priest violated four boys in one family

The alleged crimes happened in Independence over two decades

WHAT:

For the first time, a KC area Catholic priest is being accused sexually violating four boys in one family, according to a new civil lawsuit. The case will be disclosed and discussed at a news conference today at which clergy sex abuse victims will also hold signs and childhood photos.

WHEN:

TODAY, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Outside the KC chancery (diocesan headquarters) 20 West Ninth Street (at Baltimore) in KC MO

WHO:

Two child sex abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), including a St. Louis man who is the organization’s long-time director

WHY:

A new civil lawsuit charges that Fr. John Tulipana sexually assaulted four boys (ranging in age from 10 – 16) in one family in/around St. Catherine’s parish between roughly 1976 and 1992. Most of the alleged crimes happened between 1979-81, sometimes on camping and fishing trips and sometimes at the family’s home. Some of the boys repressed the memories of the abuse, according to the suit.

Tulipana left active ministry in the mid-1990s because of credibly abuse allegations.

In 1989, Richard Durocher told church officials Tulipana had abused him as a child. The diocese gave him $150,000 but demanded that he sign a “gag order” preventing him from discussing the abuse. Durocher was promised that Tulipana would receive therapy and children would be protected. But Tulipana was allowed to stay in active ministry with access to kids. In 1994, Durocher broke his silence, the KC Star wrote about the case, and Tulipana resigned. Since then, the diocese has admitted that others have come forward with sex abuse charges and they have settled with at least “several” of them.

Tulipana was ordained in 1972 and worked in at least eight parishes including Independence (

“Father” Thomas Cronin

), Grandview (Coronation of Our Lady), Clinton (Holy Rosary), and Kansas City (St. Catherine’s at 4101 E. 105th Terrace; St. Augustine’s at 7801 the Paseo; Christ the King at 85th Street & Wornall Road; Holy Trinity at 934 Norton Ave., and, in the mid-1990s, at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception). He also taught at the University of Dallas.Tulipana is believed to be in his mid- 60s, working as an insurance agent, and living at 301 S. Shrank in Independence. A photo of Tulipana is available at http://bishop-accountability.org/member/psearch.jsp.

According to 2010 lawsuit “multiple priests and lay persons (knew) that Tulipana (and another priest, Fr. Thomas Cronin) were sexually abusing children, providing liquor to children and spending inordinate amounts of time with children.” http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2010/09_10/2010_10_05_Hart_TwoExpriests.htm

That suit also says that the KC diocese “aided and abetted” Cronin and Tulipana “by moving the priests from church to church following reports of his sexual abuse of minors,” by forcing the victims to be silent by representing that the priests were in good standing.

The new suit seeks unspecified damages and is filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.

SNAP worries that others who have been hurt by Fr. Tulipana may still be “suffering in shame, isolation and self blame” and want Catholic officials to “aggressively reach out to others in pain.”

KC attorney Rebecca Randles represents the victim. KC lawyer Jon Haden represents the diocese (which is also named as a defendant.) SNAP doesn’t know if Tulipana has a lawyer.

Earlier this month, similar suits were filed against two other KC priests – Fr. Thomas Ford (who hadn’t been publicly accused of abuse before) and Fr. James Urbanic (who was suspended from active ministry at Sacred Heart parish in Warrensburg last summer).

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2011/07_08/2011_07_05_Thomas_CatholicPriest.htm

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2011/07_08/2011_07_05_Thomas_CatholicPriest.htm

CONTACT:

David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director, SNAPclohessy@aol.com,
Barb Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director, SNAPdorris@gmail.com,
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