MN - Archdiocese wants more secrecy, SNAP responds
Statement by Megan Peterson, Twin Cities SNAP leader, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (218-689-9049 cell,[email protected])
For immediate release: Friday January 3, 2014
The foxes who have for decades ‘guarded the chicken coop’ want to keep doing so. Corrupt St. Paul Catholic officials who for decades have protected proven and accused predator priests are asking a judge to let them keep doing so. Shame on them.
http://www.startribune.com/local/238601601.html
We doubt that documents about “rumors spread by a mentally unbalanced individual, by a disgruntled parish employee” are kept in church files. We believe that now, as before, claims of concern about allegedly wrongly accused clerics are a ruse. St. Paul Catholic officials are worried about themselves and their reputations and their power.
We imagine it must be very hard for an adult to be wrongly accused of child sexual abuse. But we don’t have to imagine something much harder: to be sexually assaulted as a child and watch your perpetrator be protected and hidden for decades and keep on assaulting kids thanks to allegedly spiritual figures who you were taught to believe were Christ’s representatives on earth.
For decades, we as a society have given Catholic officials every benefit of the doubt in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases. It’s time that innocent kids and wounded adults are given the benefit of the doubt.
We hope this judge will rule in favor of openness and against secrecy. We hope he will show that vulnerable children's safety trumps deceitful adults' preferences.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]) Bob Schwiderski, SNAP Minnesota director (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