SNAP: Archdiocese is Targeting Victim in Child Sex Abuse Case
By Maria Keena
April 22, 2014
ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - It’s not the first allegation against Father Joseph Jiang.
The suspended 31-year-old priest is charged with first-degree statutory sodomy, and was previously accused of having improper contact with a teenage girl and giving the family $20,000 in hush money. Those charges were dismissed in November 2013.
But the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) want to know why he was able to live unsupervised, following the first allegation of abuse.
David Clohessy tells KMOX that Archbishop Carlson is deliberately trying to discourage others from coming forward about Father Jiang’s crime by going after the latest alleged victim’s family. He says that Archbishop Carlson claims that the family reported that their son had been bullied at school, and that he only recently made his abuse disclosure.
“Catholic parishes are tightly knit,” he says. “And they’re especially tightly knit when they have a school, like Cathedral has. So, for Archbishop Carlson to disclose information that lets other parishioners know who this family is, and who this victim is—he’s still a boy—that’s just unconscionable.”
Clohessy says it’s common for victims to take a while to come forward, and by releasing that information, Archbishop Carlson essentially outed the victim and his family to the rest of their parish and, potentially, the rest of the schoolchildren.
Father Jiang was removed from the Cathedral Basilica after the first allegation.
He now lives at the Dominican Friars Center on Lafayette. Jiang is not a Friar, he is a secular priest.
Read the story here.
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 2 comments
So what, if is not a friar. It does not mean he can’t live there. There is no such thing as a “secular priest”. At least, get your terminology straight. He was removed from ministry pending the investigation. Isn’t that what you want? Are you complaining about that?
No more innocent humans should be sacrificed to criminal catholic pedophiles and their enablers. NO MORE!!!
Remember: Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, and Luke 17:2