Clergy sex victims blast Springfield MO bishop
On Friday, in the National Catholic Reporter, Springfield Bishop James V. Johnston made this callous comment about a recently deceased Jeff City cleric who was an admitted molester:
“I knew Bishop (Anthony) O’Connell for 10 years…he brought many gifts to this time of service. (Later), news emerged from his past of which I was unaware. I look at his life in light of both realities, and I pray now for his soul.”
Notice what's missing. Even now, almost 30 years after the first pedophile priest case made national headlines, Bishop Johnson can't bring himself to:
-- say phrases like "child sex abuse," "child molestation," or "child sex crimes"
-- apologize, on behalf of the church hierarchy, for the harm his colleague did,
-- urge anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered his colleague's crimes to come forward, get help, expose wrongdoing and start healing.
America's Catholic bishops must find the courage to stop using euphemisms and start using accurate words to describe these heinous crimes. They must also be brave enough to say something negative about one of their child molesting colleagues. And they must be compassionate enough to acknowledge the deep and often still-fresh pain of thousands of wounded victims and millions of betrayed Catholics.
Until they do, this on-going crisis will continue to fester.
Read the story here: http://ncronline.org/news/people/bishop-who-had-resigned-because-sex-abuse-dies
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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