IL--SNAP: Fire one Bethalto minister & suspend his boss over sex case
For immediate release: Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
Lutheran officials should fire a Bethalto minister accused of helping an accused sex offender and suspend his boss, the pastor. They should also aggressively denounce the minister’s actions and do everything possible to help police investigate the wrongdoers.
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article53719630.html
David L. Von Bergen faces two charges. First, he allegedly videotaped a 13-year-old girl and a 63-year-old man in church. And he’s accused of conspiring to destroy evidence of his crimes, with the help of Zion Lutheran Church assistant pastor Rev. Kale W. Hanson (618-377-8314, [email protected]).
We see no evidence that Zion officials have taken any action against Hanson. We believe he should be fired.
We see no evidence that Zion officials have taken any action against Hanson’s boss, Zion pastor Rev. Mark Hofferber (618-377-8314, [email protected], [email protected]). We think he should be suspended.
With Hanson, some may say “He’s charged but hasn’t been convicted. He’s innocent until proven guilty.”
We say, however, that “innocent until proven guilty” is the standard for incarcerating someone. And that’s appropriate. The standard for firing an employee, however, is considerably lower, especially an employee who purports to be a caring shepherd. By virtue of the fact that Hanson’s been accused of a deliberate criminal act, and has (as best we can tell) not denied it, we believe he should be fired.
With Horrerber, some may say “there’s no evidence that he knew of the crimes of Von Bergen and Hanson.” That may be true. But we find it very hard to believe that he was completely ignorant of them, especially of Hanson’s wrongdoing. By virtue of the fact that “the buck stops” at the senior pastor’s desk, we believe he should be suspended.
And consider the reverse. Consider the signal sent if Zion officials discipline neither minister. That says – to families, kids, police, prosecutors and the public – that Zion officials don’t especially take crimes like that seriously. Is this the signal that Zion officials want to send?
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Son of alleged Bethalto church videotaper is facing child-sex charges
BY BETH HUNDSDORFER, [email protected], Belleville News-Democrat, January 8, 2016
The man accused of planting surveillance cameras in a Bethalto church around Christmas Eve joined his son in the Madison County jail on Friday morning.
David L. Von Bergen, 59, was charged Thursday with videotaping a 13-year-old girl and a 63-year-old man and then conspiring to destroy evidence with Zion Lutheran Church assistant pastor Rev. Kale W. Hanson. On Friday, Von Bergen found himself behind bars with his son, David J. Von Bergen, who . . .
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Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article53719630.html#storylink=cpy
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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