Ramsey County and Archdiocese of St. Paul / Minneapolis Reach Settlement on Failure to Report Charges
Prosecutors in a Minnesota county have reached a settlement deal with church officials from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on charges stemming from the archdiocese’s failure to report allegations of child sexual abuse. We hope that the deal reached today will make children in Minnesota safer and believe that this deal is further evidence of the need for secular intervention into cases of clergy abuse.
The agreement between Ramsey County prosecutors and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis never would have come about if it weren’t for the fact that survivors in St. Paul had reported their abuse to police, not just church officials. Similarly, the reform to policies and procedures being forced on the archdiocese never would have happened if those reports hadn’t been made in the first place. We applaud the survivors in this case whose bravery and courage has made children in Minneapolis and St. Paul safer.
This story is yet another example of the importance of secular law enforcement when it comes to preventing future cases of abuse. On their own, church officials have done the bare minimum to keep children safe, but when forced to do so by outside watchdogs, change can happen and children and communities can be safer.
We hope that this story will encourage others who have reported their abuse to church officials to also make a report to law enforcement. Similarly, we hope that this news will encourage other prosecutors and attorneys general around the country to use the powers of their office to take up investigations into cases of clergy abuse and take steps to keep the vulnerable in their communities safe.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [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