Catholic Priest Removed from Ministry in Baltimore over Child Sex Abuse Allegations
A priest from a parish in Baltimore has been removed following allegations of child sexual abuse, and we now call on Catholic officials in Baltimore to do outreach ensuring parishioners at every parish where this man worked are informed of the allegations and survivors and witnesses are encouraged to come forward and make a report to local law enforcement.
According to reports, Fr. Martin Demek was accused of sexually abusing a then-11-year-old boy in 1989 while he worked at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Manchester. Archbishop William Lori should use all of the resources he has available to ensure that parents and parishioners at St. Bartholomew are informed of the allegations. He should also take steps to notify families that were a part of the parish at the time of the allegations but may have moved elsewhere in the years since.
By our internal count, this is the 18th Catholic clergy or staffer that has been suspended, placed under investigation, or arrested for sexual abuse. Clearly, despite rhetoric from Catholic officials, abuse within the Church is not a thing of the past. Given what we know about the delayed disclosure of abuse, we expect to learn more about cases from the late 1980s and 1990s as our current decade rolls on.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, 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)
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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