Cincinnati Auxiliary Bishop Should Be Removed from USCCB Committee
Vatican officials may be investigating Cincinnati’s top Catholic official, but regardless of what Vatican officials do, we believe church officials in the US should act now to remove one of Cincinnati’s bishops from a key national committee.
Assistant Cincinnati Bishop Joe Binzer has a seat on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’s (USCCB) abuse committee. He should not be serving on this committee in any capacity unless it is to be an example of what not to do. For at least six years, Bishop Binzer minimized and ignored allegations made against Fr. Geoff Drew, taking no disciplinary action against the priest despite the fact that he had been the subject of multiple complaints.
In fact, Bishop Binzer has been called out by law enforcement officials in Cincinnati for his “absurd” handling of the Drew case. We believe that he should be called out by his brother bishops as well, and immediately removed from this committee. It is clear to us that, based on his handling of abuse cases, Bishop Binzer is not someone who should have a voice in how other church officials handle cases of abuse.
If the USCCB wants this committee to have any semblance of legitimacy, Bishop Binzer should be removed immediately.
CONTACT: Dan Frondorf, SNAP Cincinnati ([email protected], 513-706-7403), 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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During the period of time of the Father Geoff Drew investigations there were ordained individuals in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that called out the actions of Father Jeff Bacon concerning his activities with minor children. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr threatened one with the removal of his faculties and another was accused of being disobedient to his bishop.
A priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati met with Chancellor Father Steve Angi on September 11, 2018 concerning the actions of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati concerning this situation. It was reported to the family that based on his conversation with Chancellor Father Steve Angi, this was investigated thoroughly. Unfortunately , there was not enough evidence to pull the Dallas Charter into affect. Sadly it seems it is very difficult to assess what constitutes ‘grooming’ of a young person.
When questioned about Father Bacon on August 6, 2019, during a question and answer session at St. Maximilian Church attended by hundreds, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr responded they had given help to this person and she was very appreciative to them. He also stated that Father Bacon had been laicised.
Difficult to assess ‘grooming’ of a young person?? A laicised priest never reported to the laity or listed on the Archdiocese website?? Archbishop Schnurr did not know about civil authorities investigating Father Drew??? There is either blatant incompetence controlling the Archdiocese of Cincinnati or there is criminal behavior. This is not absurd behavior and Bishop Binzer is not the only one who needs to be removed.