PA--Victims blast Altoona bishop
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 8, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003,[email protected])
Two more central Pennsylvania priests have been suspended because of child sex abuse reports. This means that 31 Altoona-Johnstown Catholic priests are publicly accused of sexually assaulting kids.
Fr. David Arsenault (AR’-sen-oh) and Fr. James Coveney are on leave due to allegations that they molested kids.
Bishop Mark Bartchak’s announcement about this move was troubling.
First, he minimizes the horrors and promotes dangerous complacency by stressing that the alleged crimes happened years ago. That’s self-serving but wrong. He should be urging vigilance, not complacency.
Second, Bartchak says he must “re-examine” these abuse reports.” That suggests that he’s known about them for some time. Bartchack must honor his pledges of “openness and transparency” and reveal how long he’s been aware of these abuse reports and why he’s “re-examining” them now.
Third, he deceptively describes child sex crimes as “sexual misconduct involving young people.” Again, he’s mischaracterizing and minimizing sexual violence against children. Shame on him.
Fourth, the odds that both reports were made or deemed credible at the same time are very slim. So Altoona Catholic officials very likely delayed one announcement so they could minimize the bad public relations by disclosing them both simultaneously. That, of course, is reckless. It kept police, prosecutors, parents, parishioners and the public in the dark for days, weeks or months about a likely predator priest.
We urge Catholic officials in central Pennsylvania to use church websites, parish bulletins and pulpit announcements to aggressively seek out anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by these clerics and beg them to call police. This is the very least that church officials should do.
All too often, when clergy sex crimes emerge, church staff pretend to be powerless. They are not. They have both the resources and the duty to spread the word and actively help police and prosecutors build a strong case against predatory preachers.
We hope every single person who has information or suspicions about these clerics will summon the courage to call law enforcement, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing. Our hearts go out to the brave individuals who have already stepped up and spoken up and shed light on these child molesting clerics.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 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]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Altoona-Johnstown bishop puts 2 on leave over abuse claims
Associated Press - Monday, February 8, 2016
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania bishop has placed two priests on leave over child-sex abuse allegations more than 20 years old.
Altoona-Johnstown Bishop Mark Bartchak says he’s put the Revs. David Arseneault (AR’-sen-oh) and James Coveney on leave while the diocese “re-examines allegations of sexual misconduct involving young people.” The priests could not immediately be located for comment Monday.
The 70-year-old Arsenault has been pastor of Most Holy Trinity Parish in Huntingdon since 2001. Coventry, who is 79, has been retired since 2011.
The bishop isn’t detailing the allegations other than to say . . .
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
Showing 2 comments