PA--SNAP responds Erie Priest being charge for child abuse.
For immediate release: Tuesday, May 8th
Statement by: Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Regional Leader, hm: 636-433-2511, cell: 314-974-5003, [email protected]
Thanks to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro for taking action to expose the truth and protect kids today.
Priest accused of abusing 2 boys, making 1 confess afterward
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/priest-accused-of-abusing-2-boys-making-1-confess-afterward/2018/05/08/68a201a6-52d4-11e8-a6d4-ca1d035642ce_story.html?utm_term=.21bb97de5db2
The survivors of the SNAP network are thankful for the PA Grand Jury investigation of the Erie Diocese.
Church officials had received complaints about what they say were Fr David Poulson’s “sexual predator tendencies” as far back as 2010 and they did not report it to police. They knew, yet the accused priest remained in ministry. So much for zero tolerance. How many more kids were put in harm’s way because of this reckless inaction. It is time for church officials to be held accountable for enabling and covering up these crimes.
It is heart wrenching to learn that a young boy was made to go to confession. The guilt did not belong to the boy, it belonged to the priest.
Hopefully any others who may have knowledge or may have been harmed by Poulson or any other Erie Diocese personnel, will find the courage to come forward and contact law enforcement no matter how long ago it happened. Child predators need to be kept far away from kids forever.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world's oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 supporters. Our website isSNAPnetwork.org )
Contact - Judy Jones, (636-433-2511, cell 314-974-5003, [email protected]), Tim Lennon (415-312-5820, [email protected]), Becky Ianni (703-801-6044, [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