OH-WV--SNAP responds: Steubenville & Wheeling-Charleston Diocese do not release names of accused priests

For immediate release: Monday, April 23, 2018

Statement by: Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Regional Leader, 636-433-2511, [email protected]

We are always grateful when a diocese releases the names of accused priests. But the Steubenville Diocese and the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese say they have no intention of releasing the names of their priests who are credibly accused of child sex abuse. 

http://www.weirtondailytimes.com/news/local-news/2018/04/dioceses-wont-name-sex-offenders/ 

They do not plan to follow the example of the Diocese of Erie, PA, to be more open and transparent. The Erie Diocese posted their names on accused priest earlier this month.

http://www.eriercd.org/policyupdate.htm

We will never know how many children have been put at risk because of the Steubenville Diocese and the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese decisions to conceal the names of accused priests like have been posted on over 30 other US diocese. We will never know how many were harmed because these two diocese chose to protect itself instead of innocent children. 

In the meantime, we urge anyone who has been victimized in the Steubenville Diocese or the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese to protect children by calling police, getting help by calling therapists, and receiving comfort by calling support groups like ours. 

(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 almost 30 years and have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have survivors who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contacts -

Judy Jones ( 636-433-2511, [email protected]), Tim Lennon, (415-312-5820,[email protected] ),  

SNAP Network is a GuideStar Gold Participant