Canada- Predator priest case settles, SNAP responds
For immediate release: Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Statement by Brenda Brunelle of Windsor , Canadian SNAP leader, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (519 903 7503 (cell), 519 800 3492 (SNAP line), [email protected])
A settlement has been reached with the Diocese of London regarding a now deceased predator priest. We are grateful to the brave victim who fought for justice despite delays and mean-spirited legal tactics and deceptive public relations tactics used by London Catholic Bishop Ronald Fabbro.
We hope the brave survivor finds some healing and peace from this settlement.
According to the London Free Press, London diocesan officials say “any damages Grenier suffered 'arose from mental or physical conditions that existed prior to the assaults or were acquired by her after the assaults.'”
That's appalling and incredibly callous. Imagine: a bishop is actually claiming – through his lawyers – that ANY harm that this brave woman has suffered stems from other sources and NONE stems from her repeated childhood assaults by a trusted Catholic priest.
It's also deceptive for Bishop Fabbro to claim that, in the words of his lawyers, if a victim chooses to file a lawsuit, “we have to follow the legal process they adopted.” Victims sue when they've been repeatedly betrayed, not just by a priest but also by his supervisors. For a bishop to pretend to be powerless is both laughable and insulting.
(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 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 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
Showing 2 comments
The church leadership and its lawyers are practicing an age old tactic of blaming the victim.
By blaming the victim, they justify the sexual assaults in order to avoid punishment and shift blame from the perpetrator.
The justification for their actions and the sexual abuse stems from a sense of entitlement and their desire to have power over women and children .