Catholic Priest Accused of Abuse Chosen to Fly Above Diocese and Spread Prayers, SNAP Reacts
A Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse in a lawsuit by a young seminarian was recently given the honor of flying in a plane above the Diocese of Camden in order to spread prayers from the air for all those affected by the coronavirus. We can only wonder why, out of all the priests in the Diocese, a man who has been accused of sexual abuse was the one chosen.
Situations like these continue to demonstrate how Catholic officials simply do not understand how this looks to survivors. By elevating – literally – a man who has been accused of abuse instead of one of the many clerics who have worked without complaint, Church leaders in Camden appear to show that they care only about allegations of abuse if they are making headlines. It is disturbing that a PR attempt at a feel-good story was centered around someone with a history of allegations of abuse.
As Catholic officials continue to demonstrate their obtuseness, we hope this story will encourage any victim who has yet to come forward to report to police, not Catholic officials.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(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