An exciting chance meeting!
In one of those amazing moments, we were on the square getting ready to head back up the hill when a reporter rushed up and said come with me. He brought us to meet Francesco Zanardi, a fellow survivor, from Savona.
Francesco has helped to get his predator arrested and convicted. He has recorded dozens upon dozens of conversations with church officials (who have admitted this predator had attacked numerous kids) and the predator who does apologize. He held a 20 day hunger strike and walked 350 miles from Savona to Rome to help publicize the scandal.
He has letters from his bishop to then Cardinal Ratzinger about the predator and so much more. (many of the documents are on our website) he is here in Rome to deliver a petition to Cardinal Sodano asking that Cardinal Domenico Calcagano (the bishop who wrote Ratzinger) be removed from the conclave for protecting the predator rather than the kids. This petition received over 12,000 signatures in just 40 hours.
It's always a wonderful moment when you meet exciting people like Francesco, and getting to hear about his impressive work was one of the highlights of the trip!
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director