Pope Sends Prelate Known to Downplay Abuse to January Retreat
In 2010, a Vatican priest considered to be the 'papal preacher' made international headlines when he likened accusations of abuse and cover up against Catholic officials to “a collective violence suffered by the Jews.”
Now, the pope is sending this same prelate to meet with all US bishops. We call on Pope Francis to change his mind.
The Associated Press reported that Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa's precise quote was the current "violent and concentric attacks" on the church and then Pope Benedict were "reminiscent of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism."
According to the Irish Times, "the incident sparked off a series of indignant replies from Jews worldwide." Ironically, just a day before Fr. Cantalamessa's comments, another high ranking Vatican official said that the Catholic faithful will not be swayed by "petty gossip" about child sex-abuse allegations.
Given this pattern of downplaying the abuse suffered by survivors across the world, we believe that Pope Francis could do far better in sending a different official who hasn’t repeatedly demeaned victims and survivors (of both sexual abuse and the holocaust). If Pope Francis really wants to show that he is taking this crisis seriously, he should send someone else to the U.S. in January.
(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)
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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