OHIO
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
Kids are safer now because a Columbus predator priest has passed away. We hope this news will bring some comfort to those he assaulted.
We are relieved that Fr. Ronald J. Atwood cannot hurt anyone else. We hope his passing will enable others who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. Atwood or cover ups by his colleagues and supervisors to step forward.
Even though Fr. Atwood can’t be criminally charged, it’s possible that others who ignored or concealed his crimes might be prosecuted. So we urge current and former church members and staff to share whatever knowledge or suspicions they might have about Fr. Atwood or his colleague with law enforcement immediately.
We hope anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered, Fr. Atwood’s crimes, or cover ups by his church colleagues or supervisors, will call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.
We hope that Bishop Frederick Campbell will personally visit each parish where Fr. Atwood worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to speak up. We also hope he’ll do the same at any place where a recently-outed Pennsylvania predator priest, Msgr. Harold J. Burkhart worked. (That predator, Msgr. Harold J. Burkhart, spent a quarter century in Columbus but has virtually never been “outed” in the Columbus area.)
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