CA--Vatican "clears" twice accused predator priest
For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 10
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, western regional director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434, [email protected])
A twice-accused priest who helped conceal child sex crimes under Cardinal Roger Mahony has reportedly been “cleared” of child sex charges by Vatican officials, despite at least two allegations. We are deeply worried by this bizarre decision.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-priest-20141109-story.html
Does anyone really believe that Vatican bureaucrats, as Catholic officials claim, really spent more than ten years investigating the child sex abuse allegations against Msgr. Richard Loomis?
Does anyone really believe that a long-time aide to the widely-discredited Mahony who helped protect predators and endanger kids, deserves to be restored to a position of trust and authority, regardless of whether he himself committed heinous crimes against children.
We call on Archbishop Jose Gomez to use his vast resources – church bulletins, parish websites, pulpit announcements, and archdiocesan publications - to prod anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups by Loomis to come forward, expose wrongdoers, and protect kids.
We also call on Gomez to put Loomis in a desk job far away from families and to be completely honest with his colleagues and supervisors about Loomis’ past.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 18,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [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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