Disgraced Catholic Priest Francis Trauger Pleads Guilty, SNAP Reacts

Trauger Guilty SNAP Reacts

Title: Disgraced Catholic Priest Francis Trauger Pleads Guilty, SNAP Reacts

Authors: SNAP

Contact: Michael McDonnell & Zach Hiner

Publisher: SNAP

Date: 08JUL2020

A former Catholic priest and serial child abuser from Levittown, Francis (Frank) X. Trauger, will plead guilty to charges he sexually assaulted two boys. We are grateful to the police and prosecutors who pursued this case and secured some measure of justice for Trauger’s victims. We are confident that without their involvement, children would still be at risk.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia knew that Trauger was an abuser in the early 1980s. Ultimately, it is because of secular law enforcement professionals, not Catholic officials, that Trauger can no longer hurt children. We hope that today’s plea will bring comfort to his survivors and also remind parishioners and the public in Pennsylvania that all cases of abuse should be reported to police and prosecutors, not the Church.

This story is an example of the power that survivors have when speaking publicly about their abuse. Two of the victims involved in this case came forward after hearing Mike McDonnell speak publicly about being abused by Trauger and his fight for justice. When one survivor speaks truth to power, it can be an example to others, and thanks to Mike’s willingness to speak out and demand justice, others came out of the woodwork to join that fight. We are grateful to Mike and to every abuse survivor who speaks out because their bravery helps prevent future cases of abuse from occurring.