Former Michigan Catholic Priest Charged With Sexual Abuse Thanks to AG
A Catholic priest who spent time in Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois was arrested today on charges related to sexually abusing a minor. This is the latest example of how empowering survivors to come forward and make a report to law enforcement can help protect other children and get dangerous abusers off the street. We applaud the work done by the Michigan attorney general and her team and hope this news encourages others to come forward and make their own reports.
Fr. Gary Berthiaume, a former Michigan priest, has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct for abusing a then 14-year-old at Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington in 1977. He had previously served time in jail for abusing two children and we are grateful to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel for pursuing this charge. We believe children are safer thanks to this arrest.
The most incomprehensible fact to come out of this story is that after Fr. Berthiaume was convicted, Catholic officials in Detroit simply transferred him to the Diocese of Cleveland. Still later, he was moved to the Diocese of Joliet. Transferring a known abuser in this way is clearly something that the Church has done repeatedly over the years, but it seems especially egregious to us to transfer a priest who had already gone to jail for sexual abuse. We can only wonder how many others Fr. Berthiaume was able to hurt due to this reckless behavior by Catholic officials.
Attorneys General in Ohio and Illinois should follow A.G. Nessel’s lead and look into Fr. Berthiaume’s history in their state and investigate whether he hurt any children there. We know that abusers often strike more than once, and especially given how his assaults were treated with indifference by Catholic officials, we fear there are other victims who are still silent.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP 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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