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Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
Tue May 6, 2014, 12:46 PM May 2014

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests



Q&A About SNAP




(Note: These remarks are the personal opinions of Mr. David Clohessy, Executive Director of SNAP, and not necessarily the official views of the SNAP Organization.)

1. What is SNAP and what is your involvement with the organization? SNAP has the word "survivors" in it - does this imply that some victims of child abuse by priests do not survive the experience?

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (www.survivorsnetwork.org) is a self-help group that supports people who have been victimized by clergy, and helps them try to pick up the pieces of their lives, heal and move forward. We also try to cooperate with the news media and provide reliable information when we can, as a way to help ourselves recover and prevent future abuse.

Like most people, my life largely revolves around my family and my full time job. But in my "off hours," I've had the honor of being SNAP's national director for the past decade.

Unfortunately, some men and women do not survive childhood sexual abuse. While every victim's experience is tragic, the stories of those who commit suicide as a result of abuse are among the most heart wrenching. Recent articles by Stan Finger of the Wichita Eagle, for example, chronicle the trauma of Janet and Horace Patterson, whose son Eric was molested by a priest. Many of us in the survivors movement consider ourselves fortunate to have endured our victimization and remained alive and sane. Some have not been so lucky.

2. Some parishioners in St. Louis and elsewhere have described the recent torrent of revelations about pedophile priests as "pack journalism" and a "witch hunt." Why are so many stories about abuse all coming out now?

It saddens me when a few misguided parishioners "shoot the messenger" and attack the news media for simply doing its job. The flood of stories emerging in recent weeks is attributable, we believe, to three factors:

First, some survivors feel hopeful. When survivors are heard and validated in the courts and the media as we have been in Boston, we gain the strength and courage to come forward to heal ourselves and protect others.

Second, some survivors feel desperate. For a decade, bishops have reassured us that they take abuse allegations seriously, investigate them thoroughly, remove suspected priests, and no longer reassign molesters. The revelations of the past few weeks prove that these reassurances were largely untrue. So, despite the risks of further pain, some survivors are now "going public" because they feel compelled to do whatever they can to make sure no other child suffers as they did.

Third, as Martin Luther King said, "No lie lives forever." A tidal wave of stories is splashing across the news media now largely because a huge "back log" of frustrated, fearful survivors can no longer keep suffering in secrecy, silence and shame.

Sexual abuse is probably the most underreported crime in the nation, due to the severity and duration of the trauma. Most victims will never seek help or make there experience public. For those who do, the time between the abuse and disclosure can be anywhere between ten to twenty years-sometimes longer.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/q_a_about_snap
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pinto

(106,886 posts)
1. Sounds positive and supportive. As with rape, it seems the more who feel comfortable "going public",
Tue May 6, 2014, 01:17 PM
May 2014

the more it encourages others who may choose that way of dealing with abuse.

Or find mutual support among others who've shared the experience in a protected space.

pinto

(106,886 posts)
3. Hi Warren. I'm not very interested in intramural skirmishes. Differences of opinion,
Tue May 6, 2014, 02:29 PM
May 2014

fine with me. Even when pointed. They are to be expected and welcomed. Here's my take -

The reason I'm here is to "Discuss religious and theological issues. All relevant topics are permitted. Believers, non-believers, and everyone in-between are welcome". I find it interesting.

I'm one of four siblings, the only one who had any interest in religion of any kind. The other three had no interest whatsoever. No big deal. Either among ourselves or with our parents. I continue to be interested, though a few big steps out of practicing a religion. And they remain totally uninterested.

My niece has a very spiritual side, by her own account. Once said to me that she wished she had been exposed to some sort of religious tradition. Mainly out of curiosity, I guess. She's one of the "nones" in current demographic terms. There's room for all.



 

truebrit71

(20,805 posts)
4. Probably a huge group...
Tue May 6, 2014, 05:05 PM
May 2014

Considering how few of those damaged by that massive crime-wave have actually stepped forward.

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