News Story of the Day
‘Silence doesn’t work’: Man alleges abuse by two clergymen at East Bay Catholic high school
HAYWARD — A man now in his 50s has filed lawsuit alleging that the Catholic church should have known about two clergymen who abused him as a high school student at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward.
Anniversary of credibly accused clergy list in New Orleans brings lawsuits, calls for investigations
When the Archdiocese of New Orleans published a list one year ago of priests and deacons who had been credibly accused of molesting children, it started a one-year clock for lawsuits by people claiming that seeing the list had rekindled memories of their abuse at the hands of Catholic clergymen.
An accused pastor’s suicide: The pain we see and the pain we don’t
(RNS) — Last week, confronted with criminal charges of having repeatedly raped a teenage girl, the Rev. Bryan Fulwider killed himself while out on bail. At the time of the alleged offenses, he was senior pastor at First Congregational Church of Winter Park, Florida.
SNAP calls for more action in church sex abuse cases
NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests gathered in front of Notre Dame seminary Monday with several demands. They want the list of credibly abused priests expanded and they want more statewide prosecution.
For The Editor Behind The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Investigation, Colorado’s Clergy Abuse Report Is ‘Eerily Similar’
It's a group no one wants to be a part of: communities scarred by abuse in Catholic Churches.
Child sexual abuse inquiry criticises lack of cooperation from Vatican
The Vatican’s repeated refusal to cooperate with official investigations into paedophile priests and its delay in stripping convicted offenders of their clerical status has been condemned by the UK’s child sexual abuse inquiry.
Protesters call for deeper look into Arizona's Catholic church
TUCSON, Ariz. — A group called the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork) gathered outside of the Saint Augustine Cathedral downtown Monday.
From West Virginia to the Vatican: How a Catholic bishop secretly sent money from a church hospital to a cardinal in Rome
The idea came to West Virginia Bishop Michael J. Bransfield while he was in Rome visiting an old friend, a powerful cardinal at the Vatican. Bransfield thought the cleric’s apartment was barren and lacked a comfortable room for watching television.
Accused of sexual abuse, a priest left Colorado for a safe haven: San Diego
SAN DIEGO — In 1953, the Rev. Walter Buetzler was accused of molesting a fifth-grade boy after hearing the child’s confession at St. Joseph Parish in Monte Vista, Colo. After the boy’s father complained to the parish council and later to the Diocese of Pueblo’s bishop, Buetzler left the state.
Former Colorado state senator sexually assaulted children as a priest, report says
A Pueblo priest who served as a Colorado state senator sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl and a high school junior before joining the statehouse, according to a report about clergy sex abuse in Colorado.
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