KY--New Lexington bishop may be named tomorrow
For immediate release: Wednesday, March 11
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-503-0003, [email protected])
A noted Vatican observer and blogger, Rocco Palmo, says that tomorrow the Vatican will name a new Catholic bishop for the Lexington Diocese.
We call on him to immediately take practical steps to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded and expose and punish those who commit and conceal clergy sex crimes and misdeeds. Specifically, we hope he will permanently and prominently post, on diocesan and parish websites, the names, photos, whereabouts and work histories of every proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting cleric who lives or works (or has lived or worked) in the diocese in any capacity.
Roughly 30 US bishops have done this. It’s a bare minimum public safety step. It should have happened long ago in Lexington. We hope it will happen soon.
Bishop Ronald Gainer, Lexington’s last prelate, has a dismal record on children’s safety.
http://www.snapnetwork.org/ky_bishop_promoted_to_pa_post
But Lexington citizens and Catholics should not assume the new bishop will be better. Complacency protects no one. Only vigilance protects kids.
No matter who fills this slot, we urge anyone who sees, suspects or suffers clergy sex crimes or cover ups in eastern Kentucky to call the independent, experienced professionals sin law enforcement, not the self-serving amateurs in church offices.
According to BishopAccountability.org, an independent, Boston-based archive group, there are seven publicly accused Lexington diocese predator priests: Fr. William J. Fedders, Fr. Stephen Gallenstein, Fr. John B. Modica, Edward Francis Murray, Fr. Leonard B. Nienaber, Fr. William G. Poole, and Fr. Carl C. Schaffer. We suspect there are at least a dozen more whose crimes remain hidden.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have 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, [email protected], Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, [email protected], Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, [email protected]
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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