Netherlands- Dutch bishop molests kids
For immediate release: Friday, April 11
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
Catholic officials admit that a controversial Dutch bishop sexually assaulted at least two boys. Our hearts ache for their victims. And we are outraged that church officials hid the bishop's crimes so long and describe them in such vague, self-serving ways, saying he “had violated the privacy of a former student grossly.
We hope that every single person who sees, suspects and suffers clergy sex crimes and cover ups will find the courage to speak up, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 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]), 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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Incest, sexuality and Catholic family culture
Langlois, Patricia Pryde (1996) Incest, sexuality and Catholic family culture. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
http://research.library.mun.ca/5975/1/Langlois_PatriciaPryde.pdf 256 pages
Abstract
Much scholarly activity has centered around sexual abuse of children perpetrated by Catholic clergy. However, comparatively little work has focused on sexual abuse of children within Catholic family contexts. This thesis explores the social construction of sexuality and gender relations within Catholic families in which incest has occurred. Particular attention is paid to: first, the significance of the gendered division of labour endorsed by Catholic ideology; second, Catholic ideology’s rigid regulation of sexuality; and third, the importance of Catholic identity in the construction of gender and sexual identities. — The theoretical framework assumes that women’s experiences of oppression within a dominant patriarchal order provide an epistemically advantageous starting point for sociological research. Starting from the standpoint of women incest survivors, the thesis tracks the “points of rupture” along an emergent “line of fault” between Catholic ideology and the women’s actual experiences within Catholic families (Smith, 1987; 1990). — A feminist, qualitative, participatory action methodology is employed. The methods include a process of multiple, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions designed to encourage interaction and feedback among the participants and researcher, and textual analysis of official writings on Catholic marriage, family life and sexuality. — Study findings suggest that a variety of practices reinforced Catholic family and sexual ideology. A gendered division of labour in families contributed to the dis-empowerment of women and children. Shame about sexuality, combined with the silence about and fear of sexuality in these families, contributed to the onset and continuation of incest. The thesis concludes by drawing upon the incest survivors’ reconstructed gender, sexual and, in some cases, Catholic identities to generate a vision of gender and sexual relations which are more empowering for women and children.
Theresa Meehan – Ex wife of victim of CSA by priest in El Paso Texas, Parochial High School/ turned perpetrator
Silver City, NM
[email protected]
575 388-4670