Sexual abuse survivors group asks San Antonio archbishop to add 12 names to list of accused predators
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- Members of SNAP gathered outside of the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s headquarters on Wednesday.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has demanded that the Archdiocese of San Antonio add 12 more Marianist clergy members to a list it maintains of priests accused of sexual abuse.
SNAP is also asking Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller and St. Mary’s University President Thomas Mengler to search for possible victims of the accused abusers. The abuse-survivors group gathered Wednesday outside the archdiocese’s headquarters to present its demands, according to an Express-News report.
“Archbishop Garcia must include these 12 new names on the archdiocese list and its website, parish announcements and newsletters,” SNAP said in a news release shared with the Current. “He should be speaking at every school, parish and retreat center in the San Antonio area where these Marianist priests worked.”
SNAP’s statement also called on Mengler to contact St. Mary’s alumni who attended the campus during times when accused predators worked there.
In a statement, the archdiocese said it’s not received allegations against the 12 Marianist priests identified by SNAP. It urged anyone with information about such allegations to contact the police and the archdiocese’s Office of Victim Assistance and Safe Environment.
In a separate online statement, Mengler said St. Mary’s has taken action to address abuse issues and included SNAP in its efforts. He also said the university has twice written to all alumni to make them aware of concerns about the accused Marianists.
A list of the 12 accused Marianist clergy is available on a website maintained by the religious order. All worked in San Antonio at some point during their careers, and six have since died, SNAP officials told the Express-News.
In his statement, Mengler said only three credibly accused Marianists have served at St. Mary’s. Of those, two are deceased.
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