PA: Survivors’ group reacts to the release of the PA grand jury report
For immediate release May 24, 2018
Statement by Tim Lennon, Volunteer President of the Board of Directors of SNAP, the Survivors Network (415-312-5820, [email protected])
We are extremely grateful to the State of Pennsylvania for investigating its Catholic Dioceses and for making the report public next month. Each of the six dioceses under investigation have copies of the report now.
http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/05/catholic_dioceses_receive_copy.html
Based on history and past experience of the Altoona-Johnston and Philadelphia dioceses grand jury reports we are afraid that it will show that Catholic Church officials continuously and callously ignored the danger of grievous harm to innocent children and covered up sex crimes by clergy and other Church workers.
However, knowledge of past crimes is only valuable if it is translated into actions that will help prevent future sexual abuse and cover-ups. Toward that end:
~~We call on police and prosecutors in other jurisdictions across the United States and around the world to recognize that cover-ups are the rule, rather than the exception in both Catholic dioceses and other institutions. Law enforcement can play a crucial role in protecting the vulnerable and comforting the abuse when they investigate these old crimes.
~~We call on Pennsylvania lawmakers to eliminate or reform the archiac statute of limitation laws that enable predators to remain free and without consequence.
~~We call on Pennsylvania lawmakers specifically and all lawmakers in general to make sure that the courthouse doors are open to all victims of these heinous crimes and cover-ups, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.
~~We call on people of good will everywhere to insist that churches and other institutions voluntarily divulge the kind of secret records that Pennsylvania bishops were forced to produce during the grand jury investigation.
(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 - Tim Lennon (415-312-5820,[email protected]); Judy Jones, [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