By H. Wicai, KWMU
St. Louis, Mo. – SNAP's National Director David Clohessy, of St. Louis, says lawmakers, police, and lay Catholics are doing more to protect children than the bishops are.
Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating resigned this week from the national lay oversight board. Clohessy says SNAP wants the bishops to appoint a prosecutor to head the board.
One of the reasons we're in this mess is because Bishops have failed to consider this is a crime," Clohessy said. "So having someone on the panel who says wait a minute fellas we're talking about sex crimes here. Having that kind of perspective will help both the effectiveness of the committee and credibility of the bishops themselves.
Clohessy says SNAP now has more than 45 support groups for victims of abuse around the country. SNAP's conference will focus on support group training.