Survivors and Supporters Demand Investigations in Every State
For immediate release: August 22, 2018
For more information: Tim Lennon, SNAP President, [email protected], 415-312-5820
Victims & advocates urge more investigations into church
Groups wants every state attorney general to "act now"
"Exposing cover ups will prevent more cover ups," SNAP says
Even if no charges are brought, groups say kids will be safer
We find in Pennsylvania that the church hierarchy will only report child sex abuse by when forced to clergy when forced to by outside agencies like a grand jury. We are outraged at the new information of historic and systematic sexual abuse of children
Therefore, we are urging survivors and supporters to demand every state’s attorney general follow Pennsylvania's lead and launch formal investigations into how US bishops deal with victims and predator priests.
"These probes protect kids by exposing those who commit and conceal abuse. They help victims heal and make institutions safer. And they deter similar reckless and callous behavior in the future," said Tim Lennon, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
At least ten US jurisdictions, mostly county prosecutors from New York to Ohio, have used grand juries to investigate charges against child molesting clerics and their supervisors. Most have issued scathing reports that are highly critical of the church hierarchy.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/reports.htm
At least two states, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, empaneled similar, statewide investigations. New Hampshire law enforcement officials won a five-year commitment from the Diocese of Manchester to allow AG oversight as to how the diocese dealt with abuse.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/reports/NewHampshireAgreement.pdf
Governmental bodies in Australia and Ireland have completed probes as well ending with detailed reports being made public.
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PB09000504
SNAP says the findings, in nearly every case, are "almost identical," and conclude that church officials time and time again put protecting clergy ahead of protecting kids.
"Catholic officials themselves estimate that 100,000 US children have been violated by priests," said Lennon. "But only a handful of complicit church hierarchy have ever been prosecuted. That's a tragedy and that's why these devastating crimes keep happening." (Lynn in Philly, Finn in MO, and Wilson in Australia)
"Archaic statutes of limitations and other predator-friendly laws enable church officials to ignore and hide credible abuse reports and to evade prosecution," said Melanie Sakoda, also of SNAP. "Until these laws are reformed, grand jury reports are a terrific tool for cutting through the dangerous secrecy that still shrouds child sex crimes in the church."
"Kids are safest when predators and enablers are jailed. But when that can't happen, kids are safer when predators and enablers are publicly exposed," said Lennon. "Nothing does this better than an impartial investigation by professionals in law enforcement."
SNAP is notifying the 25,000 survivors and supporters of its network and asking them to contact their attorney general and demand a grand jury in their state.
"It's time that everyone who cares about kids turn their attention to prodding secular authorities instead of church figures," Lennon stressed. "And who better to safeguard kids than each state's top law enforcement official?"
In addition to this initiative with state attorneys general, SNAP and Center for Constitutional Rights (CCRJustice.org) wrote an open letter to the Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein at the Department of Justice calling for a nationwide investigation into historic and systematic abuse of children. This letter says the “Department of Justice must step up and conduct a thorough, full-scale investigation into this system-wide network of sexual violence and cover-up.”
SNAP will also ask the survivors and supporters in their database to write letters to the DOJ.
(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 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - Tim Lennon (415-312-5820, [email protected]); Melanie Sakoda, (925) 708-6175 [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
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“That’s the only way I see something happening,” she told National Catholic Reporter.
Meanwhile, officials in Pennsylvania said their investigation is not over. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro said his office’s hotline and email accounts for abuse survivors have “lit up” with more than 550 calls since the grand jury report was published.
Tim Lennon
President