MN - Another Twin Cities priest tries to handle abuse “in house”
For immediate release: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013
Statement by Bob Schwiderski of Wayzata, Minnesota SNAP director (952 471 3422, [email protected])
A police report reveals that yet another Twin Cities priest who suspected child sex abuse refused to call the police and tried to handle it quietly and “in-house.”
He’s at St. Thomas University. He’s the uncle of accused predator Fr. Michael Keating. And when he suspected that his nephew, Fr. Keating, might be molesting a girl, he arranged a meeting between the suspected predator and his prey.
Shame on this priest.
This happened, according to the police report, in 2005, three years after America’s bishops adopted an allegedly binding national policy requiring clerics to promptly call police when child sex crimes were suspected.
This St. Thomas priest can’t “un-do” his unbelievably callous and hurtful deed. But he can – and should – speak up now.
Obviously, Fr. Keating is a popular, charming and charismatic cleric. And at this point, he formally faces only one accuser (thought the police report mentions an Italian girl who reportedly was also abused by Keating.)
So there will be some (perhaps many) who will assume Fr. Keating is innocent. Since Fr. Keating is not in jail, and since Archbishop John Nienstedt refuses to house and monitor his proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics, Fr. Keating still has access to kids.
So for the sake of children’s safety, this St. Thomas priest should speak up now. He should publicly explain what made him suspicious that Fr. Keating was abusing a girl. And he should explain why he didn’t call the police.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [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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