Pedophile priest case vs. Vatican tossed; SNAP responds
For immediate release: Tuesday, Aug. 6
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
Once again, smart and aggressive lawyering has protected top Catholic officials from having to answer in court for their repeated and reckless secrecy and complicity in a troubling child sex abuse and cover up case.
The 11 year old case of Joe V. Doe v. the Holy See, filed in Oregon federal court, has been withdrawn.
Fortunately, however, a similar case in the UK is proceeding. It involves a woman who was sexually assaulted by Father Wilfred Baldwin.
In response to Doe’s withdrawal, the Pope’s lawyer makes the vague claim that this suit has “factual” difficulties. But here are the real facts:
--After facing child sex abuse allegations or admissions each time, numerous Catholic officials moved this priest from Ireland to Illinois to Oregon.
--Because popes insist on exploiting legal technicalities, more facts about this case will likely remain forever hidden.
--Because popes insist on exploiting legal technicalities, high ranking Catholic officials won’t likely ever face consequences for knowingly putting kids in harm’s way, exploiting unsuspecting parents’ trust, and causing this Oregon man to be sexually violated.
This brave man was able, through this suit, to force Vatican officials – for the first time ever - to turn over records about a pedophile priest. Given the historic and on-going secrecy of the Catholic hierarchy, that’s a huge achievement. We hope he is proud of that accomplishment. We certainly are proud of him.
We hope other victims across the world will continue to pursue more aggressive and creative ways of exposing – and hopefully deterring - the evil deeds of Catholic officials in child sex abuse and cover up cases.
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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