Victims of abuse by Catholic clergy call on Ohio attorney general for action
By
It's time for Ohio to investigate sex crimes by Catholic Church clergy. That was the message from advocates holding protests and press conferences around Ohio.
A group called SNAP, short for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, held a news conference at 1 p.m. Monday in front of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's Cincinnati office. Three SNAP protestors showed up holding pictures of children from around the country who say they were abused.
SNAP is calling on DeWine to follow the lead of other states that have recently investigated clergy sex crimes and cover-ups.
Last week, Michigan's attorney general seized abuse records in each of that state's seven dioceses.
But DeWine's office says Ohio law doesn't allow for statewide investigations and grand juries, such as the one that revealed years of abuse in Pennsylvania.
Under Ohio law, local police and prosecutors must investigate crimes – by priests or anyone else – committed in their county.
That happened in 2003 when then-Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk pleaded no contest to charges that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati failed to report child sexual abuse by priests in Hamilton County.
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