Philadelphia Area Catholic Grade School Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Crimes
(For Immediate Release January 18, 2023)
Todd Philip Napolitano was arrested on January 13, 2023, on charges he disseminated sexually explicit photos and film of child sex acts, child pornography, and criminal use of a communication facility. Napolitano started teaching middle schoolers at St. Charles Borromeo School, a private Catholic school in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, roughly five months ago.
Child pornography is illegal to view, own, share, or produce, and for good reason. The boys and girls in the pictures are victims of sexual abuse and likely do not know it yet. These poor, helpless children will endure anguish and misery for the rest of their lives. Additionally, it is not unusual for people who own child porn to abuse sexually.
We urge Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia to take aggressive steps and reach out directly to the parents/guardians of students at St Charles. Also, it is incumbent upon Church officials to publicly share the work history of Napolitano. It is highly unlikely that this horrific crime was the first time for this defendant, and we are concerned that Napolitano has worked in other local schools in the tri-state area.
No matter what the courts or Catholic officials do or do not do, we implore everyone who witnessed, suspected, or suffered from child sex crimes and cover-ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect children by calling the police, expose predators by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and receive help by contacting therapists and support groups like us. In this way, children will be safer, people will recover, criminals will face justice, cover-ups will be discouraged, and the truth will come to light.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected] 267-261-0578) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President, (814-341-8386 [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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
Showing 1 comment