CT--Cleric won’t “ever be a priest again?” We doubt it.
For immediate release: Friday, Nov. 20, 2015
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
A prosecutor claims she’s been told that a Hartford priest will ‘never be a priest again.’ We doubt that’s true.
Earlier this week Fr. Paul A. Gotta was convicted in a plea bargain of second-degree breach of peace. Next month, he faces firearms charges. He’s accused of molesting a child.
Now is no time for complacency. We’ve seen far too many other priests – both credibly accused of crimes and proven guilty of crimes – who’ve been kept in or returned to parishes. (Remember: the Catholic church continues to experience a severe shortage of priests and seminarians. The pressure to keep them in the job, no matter how egregious their wrongdoing may be, is tremendous.)
http://www.snapnetwork.org/usa_accused_predator_priests_still_on_the_job
We repeat what we said yesterday: Hartford Archbishop Leonard Blair should take Fr. Gotta’s passport so he can’t flee the country (as Fr. Augusto Cortez of the Rockville Centre diocese and dozens of other predator priests have done).
http://www.snapnetwork.org/ct_victims_priest_should_give_passport_to_bishop
And we hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered Fr. Gotta’s crimes will call police, protect others and expose wrongdoers.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Former East Windsor priest’s plea deal may end his career
Posted: Friday, November 20, 2015 - By Alex Wood - Journal Inquirer
Although the sexual-assault case against the former administrator of East Windsor’s two Roman Catholic parishes ended this week with his conviction only of a misdemeanor not involving sexual misconduct, the conviction should end his career as a priest, a prosecutor says.
The Rev. Paul A. Gotta, who formerly served at . . .
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
Showing 2 comments
In the case of this young man, father provided emotional support to a boy who lost his mother, grandfather and was about to lose his home before finishing school. Though the boy was struggling with authority at school, father lead with trust, provided employment to help him through, a listening ear and guidance. He was rewarded with sick lies from an entitled, ungrateful and emotionally unstable young man. My personal experience of this young man were disturbing, erratic, and violent in nature with a disrespect of life and authority that runs deep withinin his psyche. Years of counseling were ineffective to his grandfathers dismay.
If this young man sees this article, I have no doubt he will lash out at me as well. It is awful that we live in fear to speak the truth In father’s name. The system did a grave disservice in not providing the help this young man needed and instead turned this into a Catholic priest scandal.
Father did his best to help, and is now paying a high price for his charity and kindness.
All the facts should be made public before slandering and condemning. Angry people possessed by deep hurts lose perspective. The hurt doesn’t get better destroying the innocent.