Media Statements

For immediate release: Monday June 15

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003, [email protected])

A pedophile priest will soon be let out of jail. We fear he’ll strike again.

Fr. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul - who worked in two Minnesota dioceses: St. Paul and Crookston - has been sentenced to “time served” for child sex crimes. He’ll be deported to his native India where kids are ever more vulnerable to savvy predators than kids are here.  

For immediate release Monday, June 15

Statement by Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, 314-503-0003 [email protected]

Vatican officials claimed that the arrest of Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, the first inside the Vatican related to allegations of sexual abuse, in order to send a strong signal that even high-ranking Church officials would be held accountable. We dispute this claim. We believe that Wesolowski’s case is being handled internally by church figures for public relations reasons – to give the impression of “getting tough” while actually concealing cover ups and minimizing publicity.  

For immediate release: Monday, June 15

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])

A Minnesota Catholic archbishop whose archdiocese faces criminal charges for endangering kids has resigned. But this should be just the beginning of a long process of exposing and punishing clerics who put kids in harm’s way.   

For immediate release: Monday, June 15 

Statement by Mark Crawford, New Jersey SNAP leader, 732-632-7687, [email protected]

The new head of the Twin Cities archdiocese defended a controversial colleague who spent extravagantly on an opulent home for himself.

In an op ed last year, Bishop Bernard Hebda defended the residence that Archbishop John Myers is building for himself.

http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-focus-on-archbishop-s-commitment-to-serve-1.744589  

For immediate release Monday, June 15

Statement by Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, 314-503-0003, [email protected]

With this recent flurry of movement on clergy sex abuse, we suspect that Francis' public relations advisors are trying hard to burnish his imagine prior to his US trip. But over the course of a long clerical career, Francis has ignored and concealed heinous crimes against kids and promoted or tolerated other clerics who are doing the same. One or two or three small steps doesn't erase decades of complicity.  

For immediate release Monday, June 15

Statement by Frank Meuers, Southern Minnesota SNAP Leader, ([email protected] 952-334-5180)

Finally, more than a year and a half after the breaking of the story of widespread abuse and cover up in the St. Paul/Minneapolis Diocese, Archbishop John Neinstedt has finally resigned. This is a tiny but belated step forward.  

For immediate release Monday, June 15

Statement by Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Though he has resigned, we still believe Neinstedt should be punished for enabling a predator to hurt kids.   

For immediate release Thursday June 11, 2015

Media Statement by Nicky Davis, Leader, Australia Leader for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ([email protected], 0422 538 440)

For immediate release: Wednesday, June 10 2015

Statement by Becky Ianni, VA/Washington DC area Leader of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (703 801 6044, [email protected])

Sound isn’t necessarily music. Motion isn’t necessarily progress. And a “process” isn’t necessarily prevention, especially if that process involves clergy sex crimes and cover ups and the Catholic hierarchy.

FACT SHEET – Accused predator priests still on the job

NOTE – One of these (Bryce) is an admitted molester. One is a bishop (Bransfield). Another one (Anderson) faces three accusers. One of them Yacyshyn has been sued within the last six months and those cases are pending. One of them (Stolzman) was put back on the job three months ago.