A New Hampshire Catholic bishop is the subject of a Church investigation into child sexual abuse; SNAP responds

August 30, 2021

Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley has initiated a Church investigation into allegations that New Hampshire Bishop Peter Libasci groped an altar boy decades ago. The accusations stem from a lawsuit filed against Bishop Libasci in New York under the Child Victims Act. The complaint says that the victim was a 12-13-year-old boy in the mid-1980s when then-Father Libasci worked as a parish priest in Long Island.

When the lawsuit was first publicly disclosed last month, Diocesan officials said that although the matter was reported to law enforcement, “The status of the Bishop remains unchanged."

We find it troubling that the guidelines for removing accused clerics from ministry apparently do not apply to bishops. It seems to us if Bishop Libasci was sincere in launching his ‘restoring trust’ campaign, he would step down immediately while the investigation unfolds. When the accused remains in a position of authority while under scrutiny, it not only deepens the wounds of victims but also discourages others who might come forward if they believed that their allegations would be taken seriously. This tactic is particularly disturbing when it is used to protect a member of the hierarchy.

The lawsuits filed under the CVA have accused numerous high-ranking Catholic officials who worked in NY state of child sexual abuse. It is clear that secular law trumps internal reviews at revealing the true scope of abuse within the Church.

By our count, Bishop Libasci is the 52^ndCatholic prelate to have been accused of sexually abusing children or adults, and New Hampshire is the 34th state led by a Catholic bishop accused of abuse. When the head of a diocese is accused of being a perpetrator, it raises our concern that outcries in that Diocese may not have been appropriately handled. We hope that the New Hampshire Attorney General will take a closer look at Diocesan records from the years that Bishop Libasci has been in charge of the Manchester Diocese.

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP 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)

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Michael McDonnell published this page in Official SNAP Media Statements 2021-08-30 15:09:37 -0500

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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.

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Warmly,

Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.

Interim Executive Director

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