Hawley's investigation overlooks the obvious in church abuse scandal
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley and his staff said they were conducting an inquiry into clergy sex crimes and cover-ups. But neither of us have heard from them.
One of us is an advocate who has, over the past 30 years, spoken with more clergy sex abuse victims than perhaps anyone anywhere. The other is an attorney who has, over the past 25 years, represented more than 300 people assaulted by Catholic priests, nuns, brothers and seminarians, and has talked to roughly 300 more.
But we’ve essentially gotten silence from the attorney general’s office.
A St. Louis attorney we know, Ken Chackes, has represented more than 100 victims of Catholic predators. He too has not heard from Hawley.
The three of us know nearly all of the nationally recognized experts in this field, including priests, former priests, researchers and writers. None of them, as best we can tell, have gotten a call or email from Hawley’s people.
We think the attorney general’s refusal to respond or reach out to us speaks volumes about his intentions. It’s hard to give Hawley the benefit of the doubt when he refuses to even make a simple phone call to those with considerable knowledge of the scandal in Missouri and have spent years trying to improve it.
Our skepticism about Hawley is apparently shared by others. The New York Times reports that “even some Republicans in Missouri have accused him of being a political opportunist uninterested in his official duties.” And the Post-Dispatch recently quoted a high-ranking veteran of the attorney general’s office as saying “When you yell (investigation announcements) from the mountaintops, it makes one wonder, ‘Is this about yell...
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