INTL- Authorities must arrest ex-archbishop now; SNAP says
For immediate release: Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)
Vatican officials have acted irresponsibly in the case of ex-archbishop Jozef Wesolowski and continue to dissemble about his case even now.
If, as Vatican officials now claim, Wesolowski has been stripped of his alleged diplomatic immunity, why didn't they announce this the minute it happened? Why won't they disclose his whereabouts?
It's irresponsible for church authorities to:
– tell no one when an archbishop faces credible abuse allegations,
– secretly whisk him abroad,
– refuse to turn him over to secular authorities,
– let him walk freely in the literal and figurative center of Catholicism,
– defrock him so they can then claim to be powerless over him, and
– then claim they'll do their own criminal trial against him.
Papal spokesman Fr. Frederico Lombardi claims they have “moved without delay and correctly.” He's half right. Catholic officials were prompt, not in protecting kids or calling police, but in helping a credibly accused child molesting cleric evade justice. If Vatican officials were acting forthrightly in this case, why did they keep child sex abuse allegations against the archbishop secret?
It's disappointing to see Lombardi being as deceptive under Francis as he was under Benedict.
We urge law enforcement officials in Poland and the Dominican Republic to move quickly to arrest Wesolowski. Our fear is that he'll “disappear” before police can nab him. And we urge Vatican officials to do everything in their power to help secular authorities apprehend him before he flees.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have 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, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected])
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 1 comment