MN - New assistant MN bishop isn’t reform, SNAP says
For immediate release: Friday, Oct. 11, 2013
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
The St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese is getting a new assistant bishop, Fr. Andrew H. Cozzens. This isn’t reform.
Catholic bishops and church lawyers are causing this scandal. So this week, the archdiocese is getting an extra bishop and more church lawyers. (The head of the new abuse ‘task force’ is a lawyer, as are several members of the panel. The person Archbishop John Nienstedt picked to pick the ‘task force,’ Fr. Reginald Whitt, is also a lawyer.)
The church faces a clergy sex crime and cover up crisis, and has for decades. As best we can tell, Bishop Cozzens has done virtually nothing in his clerical career to deal with this crisis. So in our desperation to see things improve, let’s not leap to optimistic conclusions that have no basis in reality.
It’s also discouraging that he’s a local guy. If anything can be done internally to expose and punish wrongdoers, it will take a courageous outsider, not a popular insider.
When predator priests are in trouble, bishops often shuffle him elsewhere. And when a complicit bishop is in trouble, often other church staff and titles and offices get shuffled. That’s what’s happening here. So this move in no way represents progress.
Whether Nienstedt brings on more advisors or the Vatican sends more bishops, little will change unless victims speak up, prosecutors act aggressively, and men who commit and conceal child sex crimes are convicted and jailed. The solution is external, not internal. The solution is church officials obeying secular laws, not church officials bringing in more church officials.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Bob Schwiderski (952-471-3422, [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
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