Priest Critical of Church’s Handling of Sex Abuse Suspended from Ministry
Once again, Catholic officials show they care more about their reputations than the protection of the vulnerable with their decision to suspend a priest who was publicly critical of the church’s effort to curb cases of sexual abuse. We once again applaud the bravery of this priest and hope that his mistreatment by diocesan leaders will resonate with parishioners across the country.
By choosing to suspend Fr. Mark White from ministry, says to us that Bishop Barry Knestout is incapable of handling criticism in a mature and reasonable way. The simple fact is that Fr. Mark White’s blog is a far lesser threat to the Catholic Church than their continued failures to protect children from sexual abuse. Bishop Knestout’s inability to dialogue with Fr. White and learn from this criticism is emblematic of the arrogance of church officials and shows how out of touch they are when it comes to this issue.
We stand with and applaud Fr. White for his fine example. We believe that it is people like him, who speak truth to power and challenge the status quo, that are going to change the Catholic Church and make it safer for children and the vulnerable. Surely Bishop Knestout’s actions in this case will go down in infamy and will be looked upon with disdain both now and in the future. We hope that Fr. White will continue his crusade of truth in whatever positions come next.
CONTACT: Becky Ianni, SNAP Virginia Leader ([email protected], 703-801-6044), Dottie Klammer, SNAP Richmond ([email protected], 804-347-9974), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(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