IA--Victims urge outreach in accused priest case
For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 5, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])
A trial has ended and a judge is pondering the fate of an accused sex offender priest. Now is not the time for complacency. We beg Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates, his staff, and all church staff and parishioners to aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Fr. Paul Monahan – or might have information disproving the allegations, who worked at seven locations throughout the state.
http://blog.dmdiocese.org/posts/diocese-awaits-verdict.cfm
Now more than ever, it’s crucial that those who may have seen, suspected or suffered any of this cleric’s crimes or misdeeds come forward to police.
It’s very hard to believe that all five of these kids, with no apparent motive, would make up serious allegations against any adult, much less a powerful and popular and well-educated one like a priest.
We are disappointed that Fr. Monahan’s friends rallied to his defense Wednesday during a trial stemming from allegations that he looked at several boys’ genitals in a bathroom.
We applaud Assistant Iowa Attorney General Doug Hammerand for bringing this case to trial and the brave boys who testified. We are highly skeptical of the defendant’s medical claims, in part because we’ve seen hundreds of proven, admitted and accused predator priest’s try to dodge blame by citing alleged health conditions that supposedly played a role in their crimes (addictions, dementia, back pain requiring massages, etc.)
No matter what courts or church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in churches, schools or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
According to the diocese, Fr. Monahan worked at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines and St. Albert High School in Council Bluffs. He worked at the following parishes: St. Columbanus in Weston, St. Mary in Avoca, St. Patrick in Walnut, Holy Family in Council Bluffs, St. Mary in Portsmouth and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Glenwood. http://www.dmdiocese.org/news.cfm
(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])
Friends defend retired Council Bluffs priest accused of eyeing teens' genitals
By Mike Bell / World-Herald News Service
COUNCIL BLUFFS — Friends and colleagues of the Rev. Paul Monahan came to his defense Wednesday during a trial stemming from allegations that he looked at several teens’ genitalia while using the restroom during a track meet in Treynor, Iowa.
Monahan, 83, is a retired Council Bluffs priest and former principal at St. Albert Catholic School. He faces five counts of invasion of privacy.
District Associate Judge Gary Anderson of Pottawattamie County will decide if . . .
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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