SNAP blasts upcoming papal meeting with German victims
VaticanInsider.com reports that later this week, Pope Benedict will again meet with a small hand-picked group of abuse victims, this time in his native Germany.
We urge him not to.
Such a meeting will, no doubt, make the few participants, and many Catholics, feel better in the short term. But in the long term, it will likely only add to the sense of betrayal and disappointment that millions – inside and outside of the church – feel about this pontiff and this crisis.
And such a meeting won’t protect a single child who’s being molested now by a priest, nun, seminarian, bishop or other church staffer anywhere on the planet.
Adults who were assaulted as kids by clerics can heal themselves. Kids who are being assaulted by clerics cannot protect themselves. The former don’t’ need the Pope’s decisive action. The latter do.
Pope Benedict has met with a small group of hand-picked victims four times before – in the US, the UK, Australia and, most recently, in Malta almost exactly a year ago. But the pope's top priority right now should be protecting vulnerable kids, exposing dangerous predators, helping law enforcement, and ending cover-ups, not setting up more “feel good” media opportunities that don’t prevent preventable crimes.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 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 (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [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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