Serial Abuser in France Sentenced to Five Years in Jail
An abusive French Catholic priest who admitted to abusing at least 80 boys was sentenced today to five years in prison. While we are grateful that this dangerous man will now be kept away from children, we worry about the message being sent by this sentence.
Fr. Bernard Preynat has been accused of abusing “at least 80 boys” while he worked as their Boy Scout Chaplain. Fr. Preynat himself admitted perpetrating these crimes. There was no doubt about Fr. Preynat’s guilt, nor any mitigating factors that would have lessened his charges. He is, by all accounts, an extremely dangerous serial abuser.
We cannot help but feel that the sentence imposed by the courts in this case is far too short for the nature of these crimes. As survivors of sexual abuse know, being abused as a child carries a lifetime sentence. Yet in this case, Fr. Preynat will serve less than 23 days for each child he admits abusing.
Not only does the serial nature of Fr. Preynat’s abuse make him likely to re-offend when he gets out of prison, but the sentence barely registers as a deterrent. In putting Fr. Preynat behind bars for such a short amount of time, we worry that other abusers will be emboldened instead of concerned about serving time.
At the end of the day, we are grateful that this dangerous man is behind bars. We hope that this news will encourage other victims to come forward and make a report to police so that their abuser can also see the inside of a jail cell.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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