MEDIA ADVISORY:

Sex Abuse Victims Challenge Upcoming National Catholic Church Reports at Monday Press Conferences in Washington, D.C., St. Louis and Los Angeles

New National Survey of Bishops Called "Flawed"

SNAP Wants More Participation In Second Study in February"

Support Group To Victims: "Stay Hopeful" & "Report Crimes To Police"

What:
Upcoming new reports on the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis in every American diocese (to be released Tuesday morning) will be challenged at a news conference

When: (See bottom of page for Los Angeles and St. Louis times)
Monday, Jan. 5 at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)

Who:
Several leaders and members of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the nation's largest self-help group for clergy abuse victims, including the organization's founder Barbara Blaine of Chicago

Where:
Phoenix Park Hotel Ballroom, (First Floor) 520 North Capitol Street NW, in Washington DC

Visual:
A large map of the US will be shown with 'push pins' highlighting 50+ cities where SNAP has local support groups. Only three SNAP members (our of 4,600 nationally) were allowed to talk with members of the so-called "audit team."

Details:
SNAP maintains that the results are largely "glorified, voluntary self-reporting" that show little substantial progress by bishops. The group also worries that victims and their supporters will be further disillusioned by bishops' public relations efforts to mischaracterize the reports as "independent audits," when they are neither.

In Feb., a second church report will be released, estimating numbers of abusers and victims and costs. SNAP will urge church officials to aggressively reach out and solicit information from victims and parishioners through parish bulletins, diocesan newspapers and websites to help ensure a more accurate accounting.

Contact:
Mark Serrano of Leesburg (SNAP National Board Member) 703 771 9606
Barbara Blaine of Chicago (SNAP Founder and President) 312 399 4747
David Clohessy of St. Louis (SNAP Natrional Director) 314 566 9790

Events in other states:

Los Angeles, CA at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, call Mary Grant 626 419 2930

St. Louis, MO at 9:30 a.m. Central Time, call Barbara Dorris 314 862 7618 or Bob Swart at 314-865-2112