Survivor Support Group Calls on Cardinal to Stand with Survivors in Support of Legislation

Survivor Support Group Calls on Cardinal to Stand with Survivors in Support of Legislation

Catholics Call on Church to Not Abandon Survivors

Survivor Stations of the Cross to Be Observed at Cathedral

CONTACT
David Lorenz, SNAP Maryland Director 301-906-9161, [email protected]

Susan Kerin, Maryland Catholics for Action 301-675-9518 [email protected]

WHAT
At a sidewalk news conference outside of the Cathedral, Survivors and Catholic supporters will gather to show support for the Maryland Senate Bill 134, the Hidden Predators Act (HPA).

The HPA will protect future generations of children and will provide justice for all adult survivors of child sexual abuse.  We will ask that the Church take their cue from the events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday and rather than abandon survivors, as the apostles did to Jesus, they stand in solidarity with survivors and support this important legislative effort.  We will also read a ‘Survivors’ version of the Stations of the Cross.

WHO
Several members of the international support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and members from Maryland Catholics for Action. We will be holding signs and calling on Catholics and the Cardinal to support the HPA.

WHEN
Friday, 4/2/2021 Noon to 1:00 PM

WHERE
On the public sidewalk outside Saint Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Ave NW   Washington DC 20036

WHY
The HPA has been proposed legislation in Maryland since 2019. In that first year, it passed through the House unanimously only to be stalled in the Senate when it was revealed that an uncodified change to previous legislation had changed the status of survivors of child sexual abuse to be covered by statute of repose rather than statute of limitations, thereby making survivors fall under the category of product liability rather than injured human being. Even the sponsor of this last-minute amendment, Bobby Zirkin, was unaware of this change in status.

In 2020, the legislation again passed unopposed through the House but before it could get a hearing in the Senate, the Maryland General Assembly was shut down due to Covid.  This year, the bill has been given a hearing in the Senate but has not come up for a vote due to pressure applied by the Maryland Catholic Conference lobbyist, Bobby Zirkin. We are calling on all Catholics to Stand with survivors and not abandon them in their hour of need.

(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)