OH--Columbus predator priest passes; Victims respond
For immediate release: Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])
Kids are safer now because a Columbus predator priest has passed away. We hope this news will bring some comfort to those he assaulted.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/04/26/Accused-priest-dies.html
We are relieved that Fr. Ronald J. Atwood cannot hurt anyone else. We hope his passing will enable others who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. Atwood or cover ups by his colleagues and supervisors to step forward.
Even though Fr. Atwood can’t be criminally charged, it’s possible that others who ignored or concealed his crimes might be prosecuted. So we urge current and former church members and staff to share whatever knowledge or suspicions they might have about Fr. Atwood or his colleague with law enforcement immediately.
We hope anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered, Fr. Atwood’s crimes, or cover ups by his church colleagues or supervisors, will call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
We hope that Bishop Frederick Campbell will personally visit each parish where Fr. Atwood worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to speak up. We also hope he’ll do the same at any place where a recently-outed Pennsylvania predator priest, Msgr. Harold J. Burkhart worked. (That predator, Msgr. Harold J. Burkhart, spent a quarter century in Columbus but has virtually never been “outed” in the Columbus area.)
http://www.snapnetwork.org/oh_victims_urge_bishop_to_do_outreach_about_predator
Fr. Atwood worked at seven places in Columbus and one in Johnstown.
No matter what church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
(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]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Columbus priest accused of sexual abuse dies of cancer
By JoAnne Viviano - The Columbus Dispatch - Tuesday April 26, 2016
A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a minor when he worked at a Columbus school and two parishes in the 1970s has died, according to a spokesman for the Diocese of Columbus.
George Jones said that the Rev. Ronald Atwood, 72, died on Sunday. He had cancer.
Atwood was placed on administrative leave by Bishop Frederick Campbell in July 2013, a day after . . .
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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