KY- Priest suspended for second time, SNAP responds
For immediate release: Monday, May 12, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790 [email protected])
A Kentucky priest has been placed on leave after a second abuse allegation was reported. We are grateful to the brave victim for stepping forward and reporting their abuse.
Fr. Joseph Hemmerle, who is the pastor at two parishes in the Louisville diocese, has now been twice accused of abusing children in the 1970s. After the first allegation was made, the diocese claimed the accusation was "unsubstantiated," and put Fr. Hemmerle back in a parish.
This is a perfect example of why church "abuse investigations" are so inadequate and why letting accused priests return to ministry is dangerous. Catholic officials usually do the absolute bare minimum when an abuse report is made. Then, they claim the report can't be "substantiated," and put the alleged child molesting cleric back on the job.
Instead, church officials should be open and work hard to find others with information that could prove or disprove the allegation. They should announce the accusation in church bulletins, parish websites and on the archdiocesan website. But they refuse.
And more often than not, there are other victims.
Now, Archbishop Kurtz should immediately visit every parish Fr. Hemmerle worked and beg anyone who saw, suspects, or suffered child sex crimes to come forward, report to police, and start healing.
Those who ignored or concealed Fr. Hemmerle’s crimes - whether current or former church employees or members - should find the courage to speak up, so that other innocent people can be protected and other guilty people can be prosecuted.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 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]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]) Colleen Powell (502-479-0246, [email protected]) Kim Richardson ([email protected]), Jeff Koenig (502-608-2738)
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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