MO- Victims blast Catholic officials over new ruling
For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 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])
An appeals court says a clergy sex abuse and cover up suit against a Kansas City Catholic bishop and priest must be tossed out because the alleged crimes did not happen directly on church property.
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/11/12/4616191/missouri-appeals-court-affirms.html
Congratulations again to Bishop Robert Finn for successfully finding and using another legal loophole to keep the cover ups of Fr. Michael Tierney's crimes covered up.
The "take away" is frightening here: Elementary teachers should molest students while parked on the street, not in the school lot. Middle school coaches should molest their players after "away" games, not "home" games. And ministers should molest their flocks on retreats, not in the church itself.
It's hard to know what's more outrageous: that secular officials permit this loophole or that allegedly religious officials exploit this loophole.
The 1997 Missouri Supreme Court ruling - Gibson v. Brewer - on which part of today's ruling is based, will not stand. Catholic officials will, however, exploit it as long as they possibly can.
The only real question is whether our justice system will fix it quickly or slowly. Let's hope it doesn't take the rape of a judge's daughter or a lawmaker's son to get this remedied so that those who commit and conceal heinous crimes against kids
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])
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