Alleged church sex abuse victims tell Fox 8 they feel betrayed by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priest, or SNAP, after one of the group’s leaders met with the New Orleans Archbishop.
SNAP’s Kevin Bourgeois and Archbishop Gregory Aymond released a joint statement this week saying while the two groups have appeared at odds over how the Archdiocese has handled sexual abuse claims by clergy in the past, they have common goals for healing victims and their families.
“What Mr. Bourgeois and I are doing together is for the good of people and for the healing of those who have been hurt and once again I deeply apologize to those who have been hurt by the sexual abuse of minors,” said Aymond.
“What I am responding to is his ability to reach out to me and my fellow survivors and it’s not a requirement for my fellow survivors to meet with him but know that it is available, on the table when they are ready and when it is appropriate to,” said SNAP New Orleans leader Kevin Bourgeois.
But, some sex abuse survivors we spoke with say they are upset after learning of the meeting.
“We can’t have somebody going in, having these joint meetings and statements together with the same people that destroyed our lives to begin with,” said alleged church sex abuse victim, John Anderson.
Some of the alleged church sex abuse victims we spoke with say they are now considering breaking with SNAP New Orleans and forming their own survivors group. The leader of SNAP New Orleans says he doesn’t see a need for that.