SNAP calls for better reporting of clergy abuse

By Sydnie Holzfaster
FOX 42 KPTM
May 20, 2019

https://fox42kptm.com/news/local/snap-calls-for-better-reporting-of-clergy-abuse

For nearly 50 years Tim Lennon was silent about his allegations of abuse. He said he was assaulted by a priest when he was only 12 years old.

“At the time I froze. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t do anything, I didn’t tell anyone,”Lennon said.

Now Lennon is the president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). Monday morning members of SNAP held a demonstration in front of the Archdiocese of Omaha to shared their own personal stories of abuse.

Dee Thompson spoke about her sons accusations of abuse. She said her son was groomed and then sexually abused by a priest while he was serving as an alter boy in their church, but he didn’t tell his family until he was 42 years old.

“He went through a really hard time adjusting to what he was going through and we had no clue that he was being sexually abused,” Thompson said. “They are destroying lives and it doesn’t just destroy it when they are little boys; it continues.”

Now Thompson and other members of SNAP are calling for the removal of Nebraska’s statute of limitations for all sex crimes.

“Child molesters rape and abuse for decades and by having a limited statute of limitations, or any limitations on child sex abuse, it limits the ability of society to hold those accountable,” Lennon said.

In Nebraska there is no statute of limitations for first degree sex assault or any sex assault on a minor.There is a statute of limitations on misdemeanor third-degree sex assault, but there are no limitations on allegations involving sexual penetration or minors.

Andrew Wolfe said he was sexually assaulted by a priest at Boys Town in the 1980s, Wolfe said he didn’t tell anyone about the abuse until he was 47, but he says the trauma caused him to be pushed away from pursuing college athletics.

“I refused to take a shower with anybody. I didn’t want another male to look at me in that way and therefore I never went to college,” Wolfe said. “ All I ever wanted to do was play football, play basketball and I feel that that was taken away from me, because of a dysfunctional way of thinking.”

Angela Roeber, director of communications for Project Harmony, said about one in ten children in the United States will be sexually abused before turning 18, but by starting conversations early,

“The best way to protect our children is having those open conversations with our children and knowing that they can come to us when there is something wrong or when someone is hurting them. Often times children will keep it a secret,” Roeber said.

Roeber said between the ages of two and three, parents should start teaching their children body terminology to avoid confusion if parents need to talk with their young children about possible abuse.

“If something is happening to that child then they can fully disclose to what is happening; if someone is touching them or where they are being hurt, and we are not misinterpreting or misunderstanding what they are trying to tell us,” Roeber said.

Deacon Tim McNeil said the Archdiocese of Omaha did not want to comment on the SNAP demonstration Monday, but would encourage anyone suspicious of child abuse to report it immediately.

Project Harmony hosts free prevention training programs to teach adults how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse. The next Darkness to Light program will be June 20, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. For more information contact Project Harmony at training@projectharmony.com.

If you believe a child is being abused call 1-800-652-1999 to report to the Nebraska Attorney General hotline.