BishopAccountability.org
	Support Group for Priest Abuse Survivors Heading to Europe By Nancy Cambria St. Louis Post-Dispatch March 21, 2010 http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/7A38DEE319B864A9862576ED006BD9A7?OpenDocument EUROPE -- A U.S. support group for people who have been sexually abused by priests is sending representatives to Europe in response to abuse scandals in the Catholic Church that have recently rocked Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent two of its leaders to Germany on Sunday and plans to fly two others to Rome later this week, said National Director David Clohessy, of St. Louis, one of SNAP's original members. Clohessy said independent investigations of systematic child abuse in Irish Catholic churches, and claims of ineffectual handling of a pedophile priest by Pope Benedict XVI when he headed a German archdiocese, have triggered international interest in SNAP. Hundreds of people in different countries have since come forward with reports of abuse. "We've heard from dozens and dozens of European victims," Clohessy said. In Germany, SNAP Outreach Director Barbara Dorris of St. Louis will work with Chicago-based President Barbara Blaine to establish a support chapter and also travel to nearby countries to advocate for independent legal investigations. In Rome, two SNAP leaders from Wisconsin will conduct press conferences and other events to draw attention to their concerns.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.