PA- New Penn State president wants to go slow on Paterno; SNAP responds
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 17, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
It's politically smart for the new Penn State university president to beg for patience in dealing with the legacy of Joe Paterno.
But we urge him to move quickly and decisively to publicly urge others who may have seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or cover ups to call police right away. And we hope he immediately shows clear sympathy for those hurt by Jerry Sandusky's crimes and Joe Paterno's complicity.
It will be tempting for Mr. Barron to worry more about many football-obsessed alums and to downplay the pain of a much smaller number of child sex abuse victims.
But leadership is about more than placating majorities. It's also about maintaining a proper moral compass and about deterring future misdeeds. For those reasons, Barron should approach his new job like a doctor would, focusing on “first, do no harm,” especially to those who have been truly hurt the worst – those young men who were raped and sodomized by a football coach while others in power turned a blind eye to the crimes. And he should use his resources and bully pulpit to help prosecutors convict complicit school officials who face upcoming criminal trials.
Many of us are skeptical that the alleged reforms adopted by university officials after the school's child sex abuse scandal have really taken root. We hope Mr. Barron will prove us wrong.
(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 (314-862-7688 home, 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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