45 states looking to pursue Catholic church for documents on abuse by priests, Pennsylvania attorney general says
By Kevin Johnson, USA Today
WASHINGTON – Law enforcement officials from up to 45 states have sought assistance from Pennsylvania authorities in pursuit of alleged misconduct by Catholic priests and related efforts to conceal that abuse by the church, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.
Shapiro, in an interview with USA TODAY, said the surge of outside inquiries has come just in the past four months since a landmark state grand jury investigation found that more than 300 "predator" priests had abused at least 1,000 victims across six decades.
Since August, the attorney general said, Pennsylvania authorities have joined forces with their counterparts across the country, helping them craft search warrant applications and grand jury subpoenas.
Fourteen state attorneys general so far have publicly acknowledged that they have launched separate clergy abuse inquiries, while the U.S. Justice Department is in the midst of a broader review disclosed in October by church officials who had received demands for documents.
At the same time, Shapiro said, 1,450 calls have poured into a Pennsylvania hotlin...
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 3 comments
In my clinical experience this kind of trauma involving “a man of the cloth” (the Catholic Church") is even more devastating to youth victims. I have 3 articles published on Brain Blogger in this regard. Just search Richard G Kensinger, MSW and BB should appear first. And when the trauma is unresolved, it passes down to the next generation, unfortunately. We call this process, “intergenerational transmission”.
In essence this trauma is so severe that some victims commit suicide. For others it is a 4th stage of the deconstruction of a self = mortification or what I refer to as psychosocial death.
Please find my articles on BB and if you have additional ?’s, please let me know.
I wish you well,
Rich, MSW
Two of the more recent accused clergy killed themselves to avoid prosecution.
I continue my clinical advocacy for those in this diocese.
Rich, MSW