Here come the diocese ‘bankruptcies’: How New Yorkers seeking justice under the Child Victims Act should approach new pleas of poverty
For years, we’ve fought hard for the Child Victims Act (CVA), transformative legislation that is already helping survivors secure justice while increasing transparency for the public. Both are sorely needed to end the epidemic of child sexual abuse.
In the process of passing this legislation, we heard from many large, well-funded institutions that lobbied against the legislation claiming that they’d go bankrupt if the CVA were to pass. Now that the CVA is the law, one such institution — the Rochester Diocese — has filed for bankruptcy and others may well follow. (The Rockville Center Diocese is suing to have the law overturned entirely.)
In order to truly help survivors of child sexual abuse, it’s important to get the facts straight about how bankruptcy proceedings would impact their cause.
First, the institutions that are threatening bankruptcy aren’t short of funds. The Rochester Diocese filed a federal Chapter 11 action, which exists for the purpose of protecting assets. It did not file a Chapter 7 proceeding, which occurs when an entity is broke.
In other words, the Rochester Diocese is attempting to shortchange survivors and frustrate justice. That is wrong, especially after survivors spent so long fighting in Albany for their opportunity to access justice.
Judges who oversee these cases should treat institutions filing for bankruptcy just like any other debtor by demanding absolute transparency about their holdings. Doing so will help survivors get a fair shot in court. Federal tax law permits religious entities like the Catholic Church to maintain non-profit status with the privilege of keeping their financials secret. The upshot is that many of these non-profit entities rarely disclose to the pu....
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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I continue my lobbying for survivors in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese not for their professed “sins” but their denied criminality.
Rich