SNAP responds: Wheeling-Charleston diocese release accused names of clerics
The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston has announced that they will release the names of "credibly" accused priests in their diocese. While SNAP is grateful that yet another diocese will be releasing the names of those they have found to be "credibly accused," we believe that this should have been done years ago. We also hope that the list will include those who have had allegations of abusing vulnerable adults, such as former head of the Diocese, Bishop Michael J. Bransfield.
Hopefully the West Virginia attorney general will be investigating the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese. He should subpoena all the "secret archives" of these entities and also set up a hot line for victims to call, just as was done in Pennsylvania. As we have seen in places like Buffalo, church officials cannot be trusted to release all the records they have. Outside law enforcement needs to get involved.
The list should be kept permanently on the Diocesan website and run at least quarterly in every parish bulletin. It should include every single proven, admitted and "credibly accused" church employee: bishops, priests, seminarians, brothers, nuns, and lay people, no matter who supervised or ordained them or where the abuse took place.
Parents, parishioners, police prosecutors and the public should ask two questions about every name. When did the Diocese first learn she/he was accused, and why the secrecy of decades, years, months or weeks before this crucial information was released?
CONTACT: Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Regional Leader, (636-433-2511, [email protected], 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