SNAP stands in solidarity with the French actor who disclosed the abuse he suffered as a young boy at the hands of a Catholic priest
Laurent Martinez, a French actor who wrote a play about his sexual abuse at age eight forty years after the crimes, is to be commended for speaking out. Just last week, a massive report out of France estimated that 330,000 children were sexually abused in the Church since 1950, and that Catholic officials covered up these crimes in a “systemic manner,” Laurent deplored that “there is no — absolutely no — sense of urgency” within the Church despite the devastating results of this investigation.
We applaud Laurent for his willingness to be public about the abuse he suffered because of a Catholic priest. His disclosure that the clergyman was moved after his parents alerted the diocese is part of the playbook that has been used by Church officials around the world. The shame he expresses so eloquently, including his difficulty with intimacy, speaks to the thousands, and perhaps millions, of men and women like him who were sexually molested as youngsters by the men they thought were shepherds.
This problem of abuse is not in the past. The French report itself noted a resurgence in the 1990s. Moreover, delayed reporting of child sexual abuse is common. The average age for a survivor to come forward is 52. Because of this, we likely will not know for decades what the numbers are for the 2000s and beyond. But we do know that since the Catholic Church and its leaders still refuse to take action to address the systemic causes of the scandal, that future numbers will probably be just as ugly. More importantly, more children will be destroyed.
We echo and stand in solidarity with Laurent’s statement, “there is no — absolutely no — sense of urgency” within the Church to reform. It is long past time for secular authorities to exert their powers of governance to monitor the Catholic church. This is not just a problem of systemic child sexual abuse. This is a problem of the systemic cover-up of the sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of boys and girls.
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