DC priest sentenced to life in prison for abuse
A convicted predator priest - who was convicted of molesting a Washington DC area child six years ago has molested again and will now spend the rest of his life in prison.
Fr. William C. Wert was sentenced on last Thursday in Florida for molesting a boy for five months in the Venice diocese.
Wert, a convicted predator priest who headed a Joliet, IL Catholic school in the 1990s, moved to the DC area and was convicted again in 2007 of molesting a Washington DC area child but served only 15 days in jail. In 2011, he was living at a Catholic retirement home in Venice when he was arrested on the more recent abuse charge.
If history is any guide, Catholic officials in DC, Florida and Illinois will now do virtually nothing. They might, in a tiny article in a church newsletter, announce Fr. Wert’s sentence. But they won’t use their tremendous resources – church websites, parish bulletins, and pulpit announcements – to try to find others who were assaulted by Fr. Wert and who are still suffering in shame, silence and self-blame.
Imagine how reassuring it would be to Catholics if Cardinal Donald Wuerl would visit every parish or Catholic institutions where Wert was in the DC area, begging victims to step forward and start healing. That’s what a real pastor would do. But Wuerl will sit comfortably in his lush office and stay silent.
Wuerl surely remembers just a few short years ago when the pope told bishops to “do everything possible” to help abuse victims heal. But he will ignore than admonition.
We hope we’re wrong. We Catholic officials will aggressively seek out others who may have been hurt by Fr. Wert.
A photo of Fr. Wert is available at BishopAccountability.org
For more information, please see:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130516/ARTICLE/130519737
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