Allegations against the Rev. Terry Cassidy, pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Peoria, date back nearly 30 years ago, according to a news release from the Catholic Diocese of Peoria on Wednesday. The release does not specify a number of victims, when the misconduct occurred or when the allegations were made.
The decision was made after Bishop Daniel Jenky received unanimous advice of the Diocesan Review Commission, according to the release.
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His assignments in the area include serving at 16 churches from 1984 to 2001, with most assignments lasting about two years. From 2006 to 2013, Cassidy served as a spiritual adviser for Teens Encounter Christ, was a spiritual adviser for Cursillo from 2006 to the present and has worked with St. Ann since 1999.
According to SNAP,
We are saddened that Peoria’s bishop says nothing about calling the police about a child sex abuse report against one of his priests.Pastor of St. Ann Church in Peoria removed from public ministry amid sex allegations - News - Journal Star - Peoria, IL
Bishop Daniel Jenky says that Fr. Terry Cassidy has essentially been suspended because of an abuse report. But in his news release Jenky does not urge victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call police. Nor does he say whether or not he has turned over Fr. Cassidy’s personnel files to police.
We hope Jenky gives all of Fr. Cassidy’s records to law enforcement. And we hope every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups in the Peoria area – whether by Cassidy, Jenky or any cleric – will call law enforcement expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
We also hope that Jenky will go to every parish where Fr. Cassidy has worked, begging anyone with information or suspicions about him to call secular authorities. We also hope that Jenky will send this same message through church bulletins, parish websites and pulpit announcements across the diocese.
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