SPRINGFIELD (MA)
Daily Hampshire Gazette
By KATHLEEN MELLEN, Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 1, 2003 -- When the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal broke in Boston just over a year ago, for many local residents the reality of that abuse seemed a world away. But, as survivors have been emboldened by the public frankness of other victims, it has become clear that the local community has not been spared.
As more local victims of sexual abuse by priests have come forward, organizers of the national support and advocacy group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), have organized a local chapter of the group to address the needs of area survivors. The first meeting will be today in Springfield.
Founded in Chicago in 1989 by abuse survivor Barbara Blaine, SNAP is a self-help group for men and women sexually abused by spiritual leaders in the Catholic church.
Local coordinator Peter Pollard of Hatfield said he has been traveling to Boston for months to attend SNAP meetings. He said in an interview Friday that the group has helped him deal more effectively with his own abuse in the 1960s by his parish priest in his hometown of Marblehead.
