Media Statements
We are SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. We are the largest, oldest and most active support group for women and men wounded by religious authority figures (priests, ministers, bishops, deacons, nuns and others).
Laicized Priest found to be a credentialed Marriage and Family Therapist; SNAP reacts
SNAP has recently learned that a former priest, Andrew Gabriel Encinas, who worked in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is now listed as a Marriage and Family therapist in Pomona, CA. Encinas is named on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles website as a cleric with “substantiated” allegations of sexual misconduct with a child followed by removal from the clerical state.
Brooklyn Bishop DiMarzio is cleared of charges by the Vatican, SNAP responds.
In a press release issued September 1, 2021, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio announced the conclusion of an investigation into sexual abuse allegations made against him. A portion of the statement from DiMarzio’s attorney states, “ As the language of the decision stated, the allegations against Bishop DiMarzio have been found to have no semblance of truth.” Notably, Bishop DiMarzio did not offer one prayer for a single victim in his press release. This statement was clearly the preservation of his reputation in the plague-filled diocese.
SNAP applauds a courageous Catholic survivor, demands that her abuser be included on Diocesan lists
Along with three other survivors, Rose Wiseman accused Fr. Joaquin Resma of child sexual abuse in a lawsuit. That case was settled out of court, but another one has recently been filed alleging abuse by the priest. Rose's parish, Our Lady of Health in Las Cruces, New Mexico, belonged to the Diocese of El Paso at the time, but became a part of the Diocese of Las Cruces in 1982. Fr. Resma is not included on the lists of "credibly accused" clergy from either Diocese.
A New Hampshire Catholic bishop is the subject of a Church investigation into child sexual abuse; SNAP responds
Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley has initiated a Church investigation into allegations that New Hampshire Bishop Peter Libasci groped an altar boy decades ago. The accusations stem from a lawsuit filed against Bishop Libasci in New York under the Child Victims Act. The complaint says that the victim was a 12-13-year-old boy in the mid-1980s when then-Father Libasci worked as a parish priest in Long Island.
Iowa churches are asked to stop Boy Scout Troop charters; SNAP denounces Methodist Bishop’s remarks.
Bishop Laurie Haller, head of the Iowa Area of the United Methodist Church, sent a message to parishes in the state to stop chartering Boy Scouts troops because of child sex abuse lawsuits by former scouts. This directive is intended to shield the churches from further liability since it has been discovered that the Boy Scouts of America do not have sufficient insurance to cover sponsoring parishes. In 2020, more than 3,000 United Methodist churches chartered over 9,000 scouting units serving more than 300,000 youth, according to United Methodist Men, which oversees the denomination’s scouting ministries.
Two Diocese of Sacramento priests recently accused of child sexual abuse; SNAP urges public outreach
CONTACT: Dorothy Small, SNAP Sacramento Area Leader, ([email protected], 530-908-3676 ), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), 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 SNAPnetwork.org)
Buffalo is bad, but not unique; SNAP breaks it down
According to an analysis by The Buffalo News, Child Victims Act lawsuits accused 230 local Catholic clergy of sexually abusing vulnerable and unsuspecting children over the past 75 years. The complaints covered nearly every parish in the Diocese. Since 1950, more than 2,300 priests have been assigned to the Buffalo Diocese. By our accounting, that indicates that about 10% of the ordained in the Diocese were abusive. That is nearly double what the Catholic Church acknowledged in 2004.
Ex youth pastor faces multiple charges of pornography and child sexual abuse, SNAP calls for church outreach
Mark William Heotzler was a youth pastor at Grace Chapel Community Church in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, from May 2014 to April of 2019. He is accused of a total of 53child sex crimes from between 2015 and 2021, including making sexual advances towards minors and sending inappropriate images by text and through social media to individuals under the age of 18. The criminal complaint alleges that Heotlzler made sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy. The former youth pastor is already a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, following a guilty plea on March 4 to unlawful obscene contact with a minor. He is currently in jail on that charge.
Catholic High School coach accused of child sexual abuse, SNAP commends the victim for coming forward and urges all dioceses to include lay perpetrators on their lists
We applaud the courageous woman who has filed the lawsuit in this case alleging repeated sexual assaults at the hands of a former water polo coach at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. The survivor has named the coach, the school, and the Archbishop of Chicago as defendants. We believe that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops should mandate that all of those accused of abuse in Church institutions - whether clergy or lay - should be included on the diocesan lists.
The complaint alleges that the abuse occurred while the victim was a student at McAuley between 2012-2016. She was only 13 when she first met the coach. False accusations of child sexual abuse are extremely rare, so we believe this woman. Since the allegations are recent, we hope that local law enforcement will open their own investigation, subpoena or seize school and Archdiocesan records, and urge anyone who experienced, witnessed, or suspected the coach of abuse to come forward.
Two School Administrators Charged with Failing to Report Abuse, SNAP Applauds
Two Virginia school administrators are facing charges after choosing not to report to police allegations of sexual abuse that had been levied against their school's volleyball coach. We applaud the filing of these charges and are grateful that police and prosecutors are sending a message to others who might ignore or conceal allegations of child sex crimes.