News Story of the Day
Vatican Tells Bishops to Report Sex Abuse to Police (but Doesn’t Require It)
ROME — The Vatican has told bishops around the world to report cases of clerical sex abuse to civil authorities even where local laws don’t require it — a step that abuse victims and their advocates have demanded over the decades in which the scandal has roiled the Roman Catholic Church.
A Megachurch Reels After Learning Pastor Let His Professed Pedophile Son Work With Kids
The leaders of a California evangelical megachurch are under fire for bungling the church’s response to a youth ministry volunteer’s confession that he was attracted to minors.
Teachers Named In South Bay Sex Probe Continued Working: Report
SAN JOSE, CA — Several teachers named in a sexual abuse report at an elite South Bay Catholic high school have continued to work as educators in the Bay Area, The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Despite abuse allegations, a Jesuit with Alaska ties worked for a prominent Northwest university for years
In 2011, the Jesuit Order in the Northwest settled a bankruptcy case for $166 million. It’s one of the largest settlements in Catholic church history. A small fraction of that money — less than $500 every month — is going to a man who spent most of the last year behind bars at the Anchorage Correctional Center. His criminal history includes a lot of alcohol-related violence and he blames much of his record on an experience he had with a Catholic priest when he was still a child.
AP: After lobbying, Catholic Church won $1.4B in virus aid
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups.
Sarasota County man sues priest, alleging sexual abuse
A 33-year-old man has filed a lawsuit against a retired Catholic priest who lives in Ormond Beach, accusing the priest of sexually molesting him two decades ago when the man was a teenager being held in a juvenile detention facility.
SNAP Asks Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth to Add Names to List of Accused Priests
Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network, are requesting that the names of two clerics be added to the rosters of abusive priests in the Diocese of Fort Worth and explain why they were omitted.
Former Rochester bishop admits to knowing about local priests’ sexual misconduct allegations
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A transcript of the March deposition of former Bishop Matthew Clark of the Rochester Diocese was released Monday.
Victim of clergy abuse says Archdiocese tried to keep settlement details secret, against its own rules
NEW ORLEANS — As the Archdiocese of New Orleans went to court last week to try to bar new claims of sex abuse by priests, a leading voice for victims spoke out anew about his own abuse settlement with the Church.
Abuse victims seek apology from Kurn Hattin
WESTMINSTER — A group of seven men who were sexually assaulted during the 1980s while at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children want to have their stories heard — and they want an apology.
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