NY--Archdiocese pays 3 men $250k each, maintains secrecy, and covers for abuser priest
For immediate release Monday, December 11, 2017
Statement by Kate Bochte SNAP leader 630-768-1860, [email protected])
Three Hudson Valley men have bravely disclosed years of sexual abuse by a since-defrocked Catholic priest, Gennaro “Jerry” Gentile, leading the Archdiocese of New York to pay each man $250,000 in compensation.
We commend these men for coming forward. Doing so will likely help prevent child abuse, help others who have been or are being abused share their own accounts, and help hold those who commit or enable sexual abuse accountable for their actions.
We also commend the Westchester County prosecutors who went the extra mile and contacted these men, whose names remain anonymous, and provided them an opportunity to expose what happen to them as children and seek some form of long-overdue justice.
While Gentile is no longer an “active priest,” it is disturbing he could remain at-large and free from criminal investigation and prosecution given the gravity of the many accusations of heinous crimes made against him. We urge prosecutors in each jurisdiction in which he has lived to seek more facts, victims, and witnesses, as well as his whereabouts, so that the pursuit of justice can reach its full extent.
We hope anyone who has experienced, witnessed, or suspects abuse by Gentile or anyone else to contact law enforcement immediately.
Lastly, according to the Times Herald-Record article, there were complaints about Gentile as far back as 1971. The three individuals mentioned above claim abuse spanning from 1987-2000. There have been other complaints, as well, according to the article. Gentile was assigned to nine parishes in 32 years in the archdiocese. The archdiocese now refuses to disclose the number of other complaints against Gentile.
So, the looming question is this: Who in the archdiocese has been fired, punished, or investigated by civil authorities for the crime of child endangerment?
Paying out millions of dollars to survivors of clergy sexual assault is a cheap and easy cop-out without any real consequence to the individuals who have acted recklessly and criminally, causing many devastating effects of childhood sexual abuse. These archdiocesan payouts are no different than those by Congress, done with secrecy and anonymity on the part of the accused. As long as this process is allowed to continue, children will be at risk and abuse survivors will continue to unnecessarily carry the burdens of these crimes.
And the New York Archdiocese will have no business claiming to care about abuse victims or protecting children from future crimes.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested in all institutional settings, including churches, schools, clubs, and homes. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact – Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected]), Melanie Sakoda, (925-708-6175, [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