CA--Victims challenge Presbyterians in child sex case
For immediate release: Friday, March 6
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])
A Santa Barbara Presbyterian church and high ranking church officials are being sued for concealing and enabling child sex crimes.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/03/06/socal-church-accused-of-covering-up-abuse.htm
We applaud this brave young woman for having the strength to take action against the man who assaulted her in Santa Barbara and the Presbyterian officials who enabled those crimes to happen.
By her bravery, she is no doubt sparing other kids horrific trauma and deterring other officials – in churches, hotels and elsewhere – from acting so recklessly and callously in the future.
We challenge Presbyterian officials to show real courage and compassion by aggressively seeking out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered Louis Bristol’s crimes, either at Carpinteria Community Church or elsewhere.
It’s important that anyone with information or suspicions about his crimes or church cover ups to call law enforcement, expose wrongdoing, protect others, deter cover ups and start healing.
And it’s important that both law enforcement officials and church officials pursue those who hid Bristol’s crimes. Too often those who commit child sex crimes are punished while those who conceal child sex crimes are ignored.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have more than 20,000 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, [email protected], Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, [email protected], Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, [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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