NE--Victims want new Nebraska bishop to focus on kids' safety
For immediate release: Wednesday, Jan. 14
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])
Soon the Vatican will appoint a new bishop for the Grand Island diocese in Nebraska.
Children’s safety should be his top priority. We urge him to disclose the names, whereabouts and work histories of any cleric who is a proven, admitted or credibly accused predator and to permanently and prominently post this information on his diocesan and parish websites.
In the past, Western Nebraska Catholic officials have claimed there have been no predator priests in their diocese. We find that extremely hard to believe. We strongly urge anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or misdeeds – as an adult or a child – to get help, call police, expose wrongdoers, protect others, deter cover-ups and start healing.
Look at other dioceses in the area. There are three publicly accused Lincoln diocese predator priests (Fr. Robert C. Hrdlicka, Fr. Paul Margand and Fr. Jerome C. Murray) and 13 such clerics in the Omaha Archdiocese (Fr. Robert Allgaier, Fr. Richard Colbert, Fr. Franklin “Frank” A. Dvorak, Fr. John M. Fiala, Fr. Daniel P. Herek, Fr. Jay L. Kruse, Fr. Duane W. Lukes (Lucas), Fr. Anthony Palmese, Fr. Charles Potocki, Fr. Anthony Petrusic, Fr. Alfred J. Salanitro, Fr. Thomas P. Sellentin, and Fr. John C. Starostka). Two of them – Fr. Palmese and Fr. Potocki - were just “outed” for the first time in November. http://www.snapnetwork.org/ne_advisory
Neighboring dioceses include Denver (with 16 publicly accused priests), Cheyenne (with two) and Rapid City South Dakota (with eight).
We strongly suspect that at least a few of these clerics spent time in Grand Island diocese, even if just “filling in” briefly for a brother priest who was sick or on vacation. And if so, the new Grand Island bishop should use his resources – parish bulletins, church websites, pulpit announcements and personal visits – to beg anyone with information or suspicions about him or them to step forward. It takes just seconds for a child molester to shove his tongue in a girl’s mouth or down a boy’s pants. So why not err on the side of caution and aggressively seek out anyone who might have been sexually assaulted by a priest, nun, brother, seminarian or other church employee and who may still be suffering in shame, silence and self-blame?
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/usccb/natureandscope/dioceses/grandislandne.htm
Often when a new bishop takes office, parents and parishioners assume he’ll do a better job of protecting kids than his predecessor did. That’s irresponsible. We must insist that bishops earn our trust by taking tangible steps to expose those who commit or conceal child sex crimes. And we must find the courage and strength to report anything we know or hear about clergy wrongdoing to the independent professionals in law enforcement, not the biased amateurs in church offices.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have 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, [email protected], Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, [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
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