Donald W. Trautman, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Erie has died
In retirement, Trautman was entangled in the clergy abuse scandal that traveled with him during his work as bishop.
We hope Catholic officials will show compassion to abuse victims and betrayed Catholics by avoiding a funeral service with full honors. Restraint would be appropriate unless the church hierarchy wants to deepen already deep wounds.
In our view, Trautman’s serious wrongdoing is already ignored and minimized by the church’s hierarchy. Trautman long kept silent about clergy sex crimes and subsequent cover-ups. The 2018 grand jury report, which identified nearly 300 priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses who had abused more than 1,000 children, coincided with an unraveling clergy abuse scandal in the Buffalo Diocese, where Trautman was second-in-command in the 1970s and 1980s when several priests faced molestation accusations.
Trautman told The News in 2019 he didn’t cover up for any abusive priests when he worked as chancellor and vicar general in Buffalo. He declined to comment on an allegation that in the early 1980s he had blamed a teenage boy for being abused by a priest.
We know many victims may have certain feelings regarding the death of Bishop Trautman and we would encourage each individual to seek support with trusted friends and family. Our support groups are open to survivors and groups can be found here.
CONTACT: Michael McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], (267 -261-0578 ), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 814-341-8386 ), Zach Hiner, SNAP 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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