Former Vicar General in Steubenville Removed from Parish
A former Vicar General from the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville has resigned in disgrace from his parish position due to a financial scandal that dates back to his time as Chief Financial Officer in the diocese.
Msgr. Kurt Kemo resigned his position in late May and the move was publicly announced by Bishop Jeffrey Monforton in mid-June. While his financial misdeeds are what finally got the attention of Catholic officials, we are glad that Msgr. Kemo has resigned due to his previous inaction on cases of clergy abuse.
Notably, a victim of Msgr. Mark Froehlich reported her abuse to Msgr. Kemo when he was the Vicar General in January of 2018. Despite this report, no action was taken until the victim reported her abuse again in May, after Msgr. Kemo had moved on from this position. The fact that the monsignor chose to take no action on a case that was quickly acted on by his successor is disturbing. We are grateful he is no longer in a position of power in the diocese.
This story is a reminder of the need to report all crimes, be they financial or abuse related, to police and prosecutors, not Catholic officials. We hope that others who reported their complaints to diocesan leaders like Msgr. Kemo in the past will be encouraged to come forward to secular authorities today.
CONTACT: Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Regional Leader, (636-433-2511, [email protected]), 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