Diocese of Buffalo and NY Attorney General Reach Agreement; SNAP responds
(For Immediate Release October 25, 2022)
After years of investigation, today New York’s highest law enforcement official settled a case against Catholic officials from Buffalo. We are disappointed in the lack of results from this settlement and hope that justice for survivors and accountability for enablers in Buffalo will still come.
According to statements from both A.G. Letitia James and Church officials from the Diocese of Buffalo, the settlement as agreed to does not result in any public disclosures of abusers or enablers does not involve any perpetrators facing trial and does not make any changes to the status quo that ease the effects of trauma in Buffalo survivors or make any children in Buffalo safer.
In practical terms, the settlement adds a new staffer to the hierarchy in Buffalo, a Child Protection Policy Coordinator. We are concerned that the person appointed to this role is someone who already works within the Diocese itself and would have greatly preferred to see a truly independent, non-church-related individual take over this office. Similarly, two previous bishops have been prevented from serving in roles with fiduciary responsibility, but, as pointed out by Catholic officials themselves, are not barred from serving in ministerial or pastoral roles. For two men who were accused of covering up decades of sex crimes against children, such a “punishment” does not even qualify as a slap on the wrist.
CONTACT: Judith Burns-Quinn, SNAP Leader, Buffalo NY, ( 716-826-4554 [email protected] ) Michael McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267) 261-0578 ), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(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 www.SNAPnetwork.org)
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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
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