After a hasty and quiet investigation into Fr. Illo’s interactions with summer school children, Dr. Nina Russo issued the following letter on October 26, 2016. Its findings are completely unacceptable, for the following reasons:
The Archdiocese knew Fr. Illo’s history before they sent him to us. They know what he did upon his arrival, which was bad enough to warrant his removal. They know how he has continued to foster divisions since then. We find it disgraceful that the Archdiocese continues to prioritize Fr. Illo’s position over the well-being of our community and the safety of our children.
Reconciliation with Fr. Illo is simply not possible since we feel that our children are not safe with him.
The letter is published below.
- None of the children who were brought into the church were interviewed.
- Most of the affected parents were not interviewed.
- The response finds zero fault with Fr. Illo’s ill-considered actions and makes no assurances that this won’t happen again.
- The findings ignore the larger context that Fr. Illo was removed from school authority for well-documented reasons, making his recent actions especially onerous.
The Archdiocese knew Fr. Illo’s history before they sent him to us. They know what he did upon his arrival, which was bad enough to warrant his removal. They know how he has continued to foster divisions since then. We find it disgraceful that the Archdiocese continues to prioritize Fr. Illo’s position over the well-being of our community and the safety of our children.
Reconciliation with Fr. Illo is simply not possible since we feel that our children are not safe with him.
The letter is published below.