NEW ORLEANS -- A local support group for those abused by priests and other religious figures is going on the offensive tonight.
The group wants to let the public know about a former New Orleans priest who was recently charged in another state. And it's releasing new information in a separate high-profile local case.
Members of the survivors network of those abused by priests, known as SNAP, gathered at the office of the Archdiocese with complaints. The first was to alert the community that a priest who used to be in New Orleans was now under indictment for alleged sexual abuse of a child in West Virginia.
"We also want to ask Archbishop Aymond to use all of the resources available to him the archdiocesan website, parish bulletins, the archdiocesan newspaper the "Clarion Herald" to please inform the general public and local roman catholic community of the fact that Father Robert Poandl is under indictment for the sexual abuse of a child in 1991 in West Virginia," said SNAP spokesman Michael Kuczynski, who is also an abuse victim.
Archbishop Aymond agreed to do so.
"SNAP has asked us, which we will definitely do and feel an obligation to do, we will release this priest, this former priest's name, and the situation in our pastoral bulletin in the catholic newspaper, and we will put it on our website and ask if there are any more victims to please come forward. "Because I certainly would want to meet with them personally and to talk to them, as well as to give them the opportunity to enter into some healing, as well as some counseling," said Archbishop Gregory Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Secondly, SNAP members are angry that, for months now, the archdiocese has not released the names of people who allegedly abused children at local catholic orphanages. SNAP did release the names to the media, a list of a dozen and a half priests, brothers, nuns and employees ranging from kitchen and maintenance workers to a band leader.
"I do not believe that it would be just for me to do that, and in conscience I can not release names of people who are accused but never necessarily proven of sexual abuse. Some of these go back 50 or 60 years. Many of them are deceased. None of them are in active ministry at the present time."
"In October in 2009, the Archdiocese announced a $5 million plus settlement in 20 cases of child sexual abuse and other kinds of physical and psychological abuse at Madonna Manor/Hope Haven Catholic Orphanages run by the Catholic Charities Association in Marrero, Louisiana," said Kuczynski.
When the Archbishop was asked if the archdiocese admits that there was fault on the part of some employees and clergy by paying the $5 million plus settlement, he said:
"In many of those cases we are so removed from the situation, there was no way of proving whether it happened and so we took the people who came forward at their word and trusted them and believed in their pain and wanted to be a part of their healing and reconciliations," said Aymond.
SNAP is considering publishing the names on its website, but www.snaplouisiana.org is not up and working right now.
If you want to get in touch with SNAP call 504-889-8828.
