Another Clergy Abuse Lawsuit Filed in Florida
A priest who was in charge of four Catholic schools on Florida's gulf coast is being sued for the first time for alleged child sexual abuse.
Brother Robert F. Siccone was the principal at St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples, Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota, St. Charles Borromeo School in Port Charlotte and St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton.
Br. Siccone is identified in a lawsuit filed under the New York Child Victims Act accusing him of sexually abusing a child in the Archdiocese of New York, according to the website of clergy abuse victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson.
Originally from Bloomfield NJ, he also spent time at Catholic institutions in Miami and Boston. He belonged to a religious order known as the Christian Brothers and spent the last ten years of his life in Bradenton.
We in SNAP hope both Florida and New York City Catholic officials will, for the healing of victims, spread the word about this abuse report against Br. Gaffney and turn his personnel file over to law enforcement in case other clerics who may have concealed his crimes might be prosecuted.
We hope every single person who may have information or suspicions about Br. Siccone will find the courage to call independent sources of help – like police, prosecutors, therapists, support groups – not church officials.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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