NM--Clergy sex victims blast the Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s new secrecy move
For immediate release: Thursday, April 27
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Managing Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network (314 503 0003, [email protected] )
Santa Fe’s Catholic archbishop is doing the "same old, same old," - fighting in court to keep clergy sex crimes and cover ups covered up.
Several years ago, when speaking of the crisis, the then Pope told Irish bishops, "It is important to establish the truth of what happened." And under intense international pressure, the Pope pledged to "do everything possible" to prevent future child sex crimes. But apparently, Archbishop John Wester wasn't listening or disagrees. He's battling to prevent the truth from being exposed and potentially enable future child sex crimes by keeping secret about those who committed and concealed such horrors.
https://www.abqjournal.com/994164/judge-asked-to-review-gag-order-sought-by-church.html
Wester continues the same, devastating and reckless practices that Catholic officials have engaged in for decades. We hope he'll read and heed his boss' promises and then reconsider his aggressive and expensive legal maneuvers.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested in all institutional settings, including churches, schools, clubs, and homes. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact – Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected]), Melanie Sakoda, (925-708-6175, [email protected])
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