Canadian Jesuits to Release Names of Abusive Clerics, SNAP Responds
The Jesuits in Canada have committed to publicly releasing the names of clergy who are “credibly accused” of abusing children, a long overdue move that will hopefully prompt other religious orders and dioceses throughout Canada to follow suit.
The Canadian Province of the Jesuits lag behind their American counterparts, who have already done so. We hope that when they do finally release their list that it is more complete than those released by the Jesuits in the US. They can achieve this by not only listing the names and work histories of those priests accused, but by also including critical information about when the allegations were first received and, most importantly, what steps Catholic officials took in response to those allegations.
Communities are safer when parents and parishioners are informed of not only who the abusers are, but also who the people are who covered for those abusers and enabled their crimes. This information is valuable for both the healing of survivors and also for the protection of children and the vulnerable.
When the list is ultimately released, the answers to two crucial questions for each name should also be posted:
- For how long have Jesuit officials known about the allegations and potentially endangered others by keeping the name of this abuser hidden?
- Which Jesuit officials will now personally visit the places where these men worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call law enforcement and report their abuse?
We hope that these questions will be answered when the lists are released, but we suspect that it will take much more than this initial disclosure to get to the bottom of this scandal – fully independent law enforcement officials must be involved. We hope that government offices throughout Canada will look closely at these names to determine if there are any crimes that can be prosecuted, so that today’s children can be spared from the devastating effects of sexual abuse.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009), Brenda Brunelle, SNAP Ontario ([email protected])
(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)
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