NM--Bishop must stop secrecy
For immediate release: Wednesday, November 26
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])
Bishop James Wall must stop the secrecy and disclose immediately what he knows about the suspected crimes and misdeeds of the Rev. Ravi Kiran. Kiran, originally from India, worked at St. Anthony’s Mission on the Pueblo of Zuni.
We urge every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or cover ups by Kiran to call police and prosecutors. Known or suspected child sex crimes or cover ups should be reported to the independent professionals in law enforcement, not to biased, secretive Catholic bureaucrats.
When the Rev. Ravi Kiran, a visiting Catholic priest from India, abruptly left his mission assignment in the Pueblo of Zuni on Oct. 9, he left behind a number of allegations and unanswered questions. The community has been left with more questions than answers by the Diocese of Gallup, the Zuni tribe and federal law enforcement officials.
There have been allegations of abuse of a girl and the misuse of church funds. Repeated questions from parishioners and the media have gone unanswered despite multiple requests and months of tension within the parish. The Rev Kevin Finnegan, the chancellor for the archdiocese assured parishioners the diocese was investigating Kiran’s abrupt departure and promised them answers, That was two months ago.
The Diocese of Gallup has filed for bankruptcy. Kiran failed to publicize the diocese’s bar date which allows clergy sex abuse victims to be included in the proceedings.
(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 18,000 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] )
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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