PA- Priest suspended for child sexual abuse; SNAP responds

For immediate release: Monday, May 19, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-503-0003, [email protected])

A Pennsylvania priest has been suspended after child sexual abuse allegations surfaced. We are glad action has been taken and law enforcement has been notified, but we are worried there might be other victims suffering in silence and self-blame.

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/x1667057889/Priest-suspended-over-alleged-80s-sex-abuse

We also worry that Catholic officials may have kept these allegations quiet for weeks or months before disclosing it. The church hierarchy almost always discloses when the abuse allegedly happened but almost never discloses when they got the abuse report. Catholics deserve to know this. 

Fr. Michael Lewandowski (who has been at St. Anne Parish in Davidsville since 1997) is accused of sexual misconduct with a minor in the 1980s. The allegation was reported to the Altoona- Johnston diocese from the Franciscan Order that Lewandowski is a member of. 

Bishop Mark Bartchak and officials from the Franciscan Order should visit every parish Lewandowski worked and post Lewandowski’s work history and photo on the dioceses website and parish bulletins.  Children are kept safe when suspicions about predators are reported immediately.

We hope anyone who saw, suspects or suffered child sexual about by Lewandowski or any other church officials will call police, get help 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 (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])


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