NE--Disgraced KC bishop now works in Nebraska; Victims object
For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
A disgraced Missouri Catholic bishop has quietly moved to Nebraska where he works as a chaplain for nuns. This is an outrage. It shows how little has changed in the church hierarchy: clerics who commit or conceal child sex crimes are still being coddled, moved elsewhere and getting second chances instead of being fired.
Last year, Bishop Robert Finn resigned as head of the Kansas City diocese. He was convicted of refusing to report child sex crimes to police. But he now works at the School Sisters of Christ the King in the Lincoln, Nebraska with the approval of Lincoln Bishop James Conley.
Shame on both of Finn and Conley. Ignoring wrongdoing encourages wrongdoing.
If Missouri laws were less predator-friendly, Finn might be in jail. In Kansas City, he knowingly and repeatedly put kids in harms’ way and deceived parishioners. He certainly should not be in ministry. He ought to be defrocked.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Archbishop John Nienstedt, Bishop Robert Finn have new homes outside former dioceses
Brian Roewe | Jan. 14, 2016mai
Two U.S. bishops who prematurely resigned their posts amid clergy sexual abuse scandals each have found new landing spots outside their previous dioceses.
A southern Michigan parish announced over the weekend that Archbishop John Nienstedt, formerly head of the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, will help out temporarily in the coming months, while Bishop Robert Finn, former head of the Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo. diocese, began last month as chaplain for a Nebraska community of women religious.
Within the span of two months last spring, Finn, 62, and Nienstedt, 68, stepped down as shepherds of their respective dioceses, both of which . . .
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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