ITALY - Victims praise abuse archive; question Vatican censorship
The National Catholic Reporter disclosed today that Vatican servers are blocking users from accessing www.bishopaccountability.org.
The famous author George Bernard Shaw once said that “all censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions.” By blocking the site BishopAccountability.org, the Vatican is proving Mr. Shaw very correct.
BishopAccountability.org provides a valuable service by providing facts about clergy sex abuse. They do this without being partisan and without skewing information. They are archivists of information, not any sort of propaganda organization. It is one thing for Vatican officials to turn a blind eye to these facts, as they have done for years, but it is quite another to attempt to prevent others from seeing them as well.
The very name of this organization shows exactly what church officials are afraid of; being held accountable for their decades of inaction on clergy sex abuse. Today, they finally took action, but once again, it was the wrong one. By refusing to allow themselves to be held accountable, they prove ever more how it is true that it is people, not polices that are the problem.
This is a cowardly move, and it should be known as such. We applaud BishopAccountability.org in their work, and the fact that they are trying to be silenced today proves just how much of an impact they have made, and despite this setback, will continue to make.
(Note: It is still possible to access the website from other servers, only Vatican servers are blocking the site).
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
Showing 1 comment
Serra Catholic alumni asked to come forward
March 7, 2013 12:07 am
Serra Catholic High School is asking former students to come forward if they were abused by Franciscan Brother Kenneth Ghastin, a teacher at the school between 1983 and 1991.
Brother Ghastin was accused of abusing two minors in Boston in the 1970s, according to a letter sent to Serra Catholic alumni.
The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, said there have been no allegations of misconduct against Brother Ghastin during his time at Serra Catholic, and the letter is “part of our procedure.”
Although the letter explains Brother Ghastin was accused of abuse about 20 years ago — and it was reported in the Boston Herald in 2002 — Father Lengwin said “we didn’t hear anything about him until now.”
http://www.bishopaccountability.org/news2009/07_08/2009_08_13_Ference_DonaldWuerl.htm