PA--Grand Jury Report Released: SNAP Responds
For immediate release: August 14, 2018
Statement by Tim Lennon, President of SNAP, the Survivors Network (415-312-5820, [email protected])
Today a redacted version of the Pennsylvania grand jury report was released.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/08/clergy_abuse_of_children_in_pa.html#report
SNAP commends all those brave victims who came forward and shared their heartbreaking truths. Without their great courage, this day would not have been possible. We also applaud Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who fought so hard to insure that those truths would be made public.
After reviewing the entire document, Judy Jones, Becky Ianni and I will be holding media events in the six dioceses covered in the report (Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Scranton) to highlight the findings.
However, without even examining the almost 900 page report we know from Pennsylvania Chief Justice Thomas Saylor that it will depict more than 300 clergymen as “predator priests.“
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-pa-priest-sex-abuse-predators-20180727-story.html
We also know from Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III, who supervised the grand jury, that the jurors investigated “allegations of child sex abuse, failure to make a mandatory report, acts endangering the welfare of children, and obstruction of justice by individuals associated with the Roman Catholic Church, local public officials and community leaders.”
The ominous warnings from these two judges tell us that the grand jury report will describe horrific crimes and the most callous disregard for the safety of innocent children, with the foreseeable consequence of grievous harm to those young lives.
But knowledge of past crimes is only valuable if it is translated into actions that will help prevent future sexual abuse and cover-ups. Toward that end:
--We urge Catholics to wake up and hold church officials accountable. Believe victims when they come forward, and never tell them to "get over it."
--We call on police and prosecutors in Pennsylvania, across the United States and around the world to recognize that cover-ups are the rule, rather than the exception in both Catholic dioceses and other institutions. Law enforcement can play a crucial role in protecting the vulnerable and comforting the abused when they aggressively investigate these old crimes.
--We need Pennsylvania lawmakers specifically and all lawmakers in general to make sure that the courthouse doors are open to all survivors of these heinous crimes and cover ups, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. PA legislators need to lift the civil and criminal statute of limitations for child sex crimes and open a window of opportunity for older victims to file a lawsuit to expose the truth and obtain justice.
--We challenge bishops and other officials to do more than just say they are being open and transparent, and actually start doing it. Those who have not already done so should post the names of all church workers who have been found guilty, who have admitted, or who have been accused of the sexual abuse of children. In the interest of public safety and for the healing of victims, these men should also reach out to all of the communities where known predators worked and beg survivors to come forward and report to law enforcement.
--We appeal to people of good will everywhere to insist that churches and other institutions voluntarily divulge the kind of secret records that Pennsylvania bishops were forced to produce during the grand jury investigation.
(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 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - Tim Lennon (415-312-5820, [email protected]); Judy Jones (636-433-2511, [email protected]), Becky Ianni (703-801-6044, [email protected])
PENNSYLVANIA PRESS EVENTS AND SUPPORT GROUPS
Harrisburg PA Becky Innai, (703) 801-6044 [email protected]
Press event
Monday, August 20th
12:30 pm
Diocese of Harrisburg offices
4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA.
Support meeting
August 20th
3-4:30 pm
McCormick Riverfront Library at 101 Walnut St, Harrisburg, PA 17101.
Scranton PA Tim Lennon, President, (415) 312-5820 [email protected]
Press event
Monday, August 20th
11 am
Cathedral of St. Peter, 315 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503
Support Group
Monday, August 20th
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Albright Memorial Library, 500 Vine Street, Scranton PA 18509
Allentown PA Tim Lennon, President, (415) 312-5820 [email protected]
Press Event
Tuesday, August 21st
11 am
Cathedral of St Catharine of Siena, 1825 W Turner St, Allentown, PA 18104
Support group
Tuesday, August 21st
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Allentown Public Library, 1210 Hamilton St, Allentown, PA
Pittsburgh PA Judy Jones, [email protected], (636) 433-2511
Press Event
Monday, August 20th
11 am
Pittsburgh diocese headquarters (chancery office), 111 Boulevard of the Allies (corner of Stanwix) in Pittsburgh, PA
Greensburg PA Judy Jones, [email protected], (636) 433-2511
Press Event
Monday, August 20th
1:30 pm
Greensburg diocese headquarters, 723 E Pittsburgh St, in Greensburg, PA
SNAP Support Group
Monday, August 20th
6-pm to 8-pm
Meeting at Carnegie Library-Southside Branch, Pittsburgh
2205 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA
Erie PA Judy Jones, [email protected], (636) 433-2511
Press Event
Tuesday, Aug 21st
11:30 am
Erie diocese chancery office, St. Mark Catholic Center, 429 E. Grandview Blvd Erie, PA
SNAP Support Group
August 21st
6 pm to 8 pm
Public library -- Blasco Memorial Library
160 East Front Street, Erie, PA
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