Rome--Pope preaches “transparency” but practices “secrecy”
For immediate release: Thursday, Feb. 12
Statement by Mary Caplan of New York City, SNAP Leader, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (917 439 4187, [email protected])
A few days ago, Francis was urged to be transparent about sexual abuse. Instead, today Francis talks about bureaucratic transparency.
Less than a week ago, Pete Saunders, a member of the church’s latest abuse panel, wisely and bravely sought transparency.
“The Pope should release all the documents the Vatican has on abusive priests,” Saunders said. “The Holy Father is a supreme monarch and bishops around the world are answerable to him. If he says they must give up the documents, they can’t argue with that.”
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2015/01_02/2015_02_06_Squires_PopeFrancis.htm
The Vatican response? Not a peep.
Imagine how much safer kids would be had Francis practiced, from day one, the transparency he claims he wants. Imagine if he had told his staff “I want the Vatican press office to release the name and whereabouts of one proven, admitted or credibly accused pedophile priest every single day.” By now, parents, parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public would know about more than 700 potentially dangerous clerics.
Shortly after being named pope, Francis sent a very powerful message with a very simple act: he carried his own suitcase.
It’s time he send another very powerful message with a very simple act: carrying a box of church records about predator priests – even one box - to the nearest police station.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy +1 314-566-9790, [email protected], Barbara Dorris +1 314-503-0003, [email protected], Barbara Blaine +1 312-399-4747, [email protected]
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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