MN - Predator priest’s emails raise Qs re church abuse board
For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
It’s sickening to read multiple seductive and manipulative emails from a then 44-year-old priest to a then 15-year-old girl.
http://www.startribune.com/local/228208861.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue
Here’s the real question raised by these disturbing emails: What’s wrong with the six or seven Catholics on Archbishop John Nienstedt’s anonymous abuse board? They claimed the abuse allegations against Fr. Keating were “unsubstantiated” even after reading these emails and peppering this brave girl with repeated questions?
These adults, presumably some of them parents, apparently find little wrong with an allegedly celibate “man of God” repeatedly writing sexually suggestive comments to a teenager.
These adults, presumably some of them parents, apparently are somehow unmoved by the very credible abuse report – in person and via video – of a brave, wounded girl and her family.
Nienstedt has obviously done a great job of packing his panel with die-hard church loyalists who will ignore a victim’s compelling evidence and testimony and side with an accused priest no matter what.
We urge every single person who has gone before any archdiocesan abuse panel to step forward again, this time to independent sources of help. We urge them to also call police.
Reporting child sex crimes is always hard. It’s harder if you were treated poorly when you first reported. But it’s the path toward prevention and recovery. So even if you have been betrayed twice – once by a trusted cleric and again by his supervisors or colleagues – we beg you to take a deep breath, pick up the phone, and share your burden with someone who can and will truly help you heal.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Bob Schwiderski (952 471 3422, [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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