Detroit Archbishop Elected as Vice-President of USCCB, SNAP Reacts
The head of the Archdiocese of Detroit has won the vice presidency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. We are deeply disappointed at the message this choice sends to wounded victims and betrayed parishioners.
Earlier this year, our group pointed out that Archbishop Allen Vigneron left about 30 names of accused child molesting clerics off his list, even though they live/lived or work/worked in his archdiocese. That was almost nine months ago. The archbishop does not appear to have added any of them to his list.
Six years ago, we urged Archbishop Vigneron to aggressively seek out victims of Br. Stephen Baker. A Franciscan, Br. Baker is said to have sexually abused "dozens, if not hundreds" of students, mostly male.
As best we can tell, the archbishop never did.
Given his advanced age and his awful track record, we hope Archbishop Vigneron will upend tradition and NOT try, in three years, to ascend to the presidency of the USCCB. If he does run, we hope he is soundly defeated.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org.)
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