TEXAS
KLTV
By Summer Dashe
TYLER, TX (KLTV) –
A former bishop at the Catholic Diocese of Tyler is the only one in the world, according to a victims of sexual assault group, to respond to an incident surrounding sexual assault by a priest.
We told you first last week about Father Robert Poandl, also known as Father Bob. Just over a week ago, Poandl was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy. Poandl had worked for the Catholic Diocese of Tyler during the mid to late ’90s. He also worked as a parish priest in Pittsburg, Tex. However, the boy who was assaulted was not from East Texas.
The Tyler diocese has been reaching out to any other possible victims ever since they heard about Poandl in 2010.
Now, a national victim’s organization called the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, is praising the Tyler Diocese for their assistance. We spoke with both SNAP and the Tyler Diocese and both organizations say this is a big step forward for the church and for victims of sexual assault.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.