Media Statements

For immediate release: Friday, March 4, 2016

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])

An Alaska bishop is posturing on children’s safety instead of preserving children’s safety We urge him to stop making promises and start making progress toward exposing and punishing Catholic clerics who commit and conceal child sex crimes.

http://www.usccb.org/news/2016/16-026.cfm

Juneau Bishop Edward Burns claims it’s “shocking to hear of the (Altoona) grand jury report about more than 50 priests assaulting hundreds of kids in central Pennsylvania. That’s baloney.

For immediate release: Friday, March 4, 2016

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])

In the new issue of his church newsletter, Archbishop Joseph Naumann is finally admitting that two of his priests are accused of sexually exploited adults. 
http://issuu.com/theleaven/docs/leaven_02-26-16/7?e=17554527/33886202

But there’s another Kansas City Kansas archdiocesan predator – Fr. Paul Hosler – who has committed the same devastating, manipulative self-serving sexual misconduct. Naumann continues, however, to keep silent about Fr. Hosler, as he done for years.

For immediate release: Friday, March 4, 2016

For more information: Judy Jones, 636-433-2511, SNAP[email protected], David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected]

Support group to be held to clergy abuse victims

A self-help group for men and women who were abused by clergy will hold a confidential support meeting in the Altoona area next week.

The organization is SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The meeting will be Tuesday, Tuesday, March 8th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Antis Public Library, 526 Main Street in Bellwood (just north of Altoona, PA).

For immediate release: Friday, March 4

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])

In the new issue of his church newsletter, Archbishop Joseph Naumann is finally admitting that two of his priests are accused of sexually exploited adults.

http://issuu.com/theleaven/docs/leaven_02-26-16/7?e=17554527/33886202   

For immediate release: Thursday, March 3, 2016

Statement by Judy Jones, Associate Midwest Director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (636-433-2511, [email protected]) 

At least one of the 50+ wrongdoers just exposed by Pennsylvania authorities attended a Columbus Catholic seminary (the same one recently-arrested seminarian Joel Wright attended). We urge Bishop Frederick Campbell to tell his flock about the predator and actively seek out and help anyone he may have hurt in Ohio.

The child molesting cleric is Msgr. Harold J. Burkhardt of the Altoona PA diocese. He worked at the Pontifical College of Josephinum in Columbus for almost a quarter century (between 1947 and 1971).

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane released a scathing 147 page grand jury report that detailed decades of abuse involving hundreds of children by Catholic officials. It exposed Msgr. Burkhardt as a predator for the first time. (Catholic officials knew of or suspected his crime long ago, however.)

For immediate release: Thursday, March 3, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])

No one with a bit of sense should believe Altoona bishop when he, once again, pledges reform about child sex crimes and cover ups.

http://www.wpxi.com/ap/ap/pennsylvania/clergy-abuse-hotline-getting-scores-of-calls-after/nqcgM/

For centuries, Catholic officials have dealt with abuse reports. In the US, for more than 30 years, these scandals have surfaced publicly. The first Altoona priest was sued in the mid-1980s. Bishop Mark Bartchak and his predecessors have had years to “reform.” But they haven’t and they won’t.

For immediate release: Thursday, March 3, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home,[email protected])

Maine Catholic officials have scheduled a “healing mass” for abuse victims. At worst, this is a cynical public relations move. At best, it misses the mark. (See details below.)

http://www.portlanddiocese.org/content/bishop-deeley-announces-cathedral-mass-day-prayer-and-penance-march-4 

For immediate release: Thursday, March 3, 2016

Statement by Philadelphia SNAP leader Karen Polesir (267-992-9463, [email protected])

We are thrilled that a hotline for reporting abuse and cover ups by Altoona clerics is flooded with calls. We hope this will continue because each call potentially leads to more wrongdoers being exposed or punished and more kids being protected.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/03/tips_leads_flooding_into_altoo.html#incart_article_small

We firmly believe that across Pennsylvania, hundreds of men, women and teens who’ve been assaulted by Catholic clerics continue to suffer in silence, shame, hopelessness and self-blame. So every call represents a troubled person heading towards help and potentially exposing more priests, nuns, bishops, seminarians and other church staff who have committed or concealed heinous crimes.

For immediate release: Thursday, March 3, 2016

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell,[email protected])

Saginaw Catholic officials are keeping secret the whereabouts of a priest who’s been deemed guilty of sexual harassment and is accused of sexual exploitation. Because of this secrecy, Bishop Joseph R. Cistone is breaking his promises and the US church abuse policy. 

NOTE – One newspaper is blasting Cistone on its editorial page:

http://www.cm-life.com/article/2016/02/priest-follow-up

When he became the head of the Saginaw diocese, Bishop Cistone told the Midland Daily News he would not approve the transfer of any priest, accused or known to have committed sexual abuse, to anywhere within the diocese. 

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2016/01_02/2016_02_24_Smith_NationalExpert.htm

PRESS STATEMENT   March 3, 2016, For immediate release

Statement by Barbra Graber, Leader, Anabaptist-Mennonite Chapter of *SNAP, 540-214-8874, [email protected]

After a Mennonite university official was accused of soliciting prostitution, our group urged anyone who might have seen, suspected or suffered any misdeeds by him to come forward. We have since heard from others who he hurt.

He is Luke Hartman, a former Vice President at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. In January, he was arrested and he resigned his post. Days later, the Anabaptist-Mennonite Chapter of SNAP responded with a public statement urging anyone with more information to speak up.