Survivors Group wants action, not another apology, from Pope Francis
For immediate release Monday, January 22, 2018
Statement by Joelle Casteix of California, Volunteer Western Regional Leader of SNAP, the Survivors Network (949-322-7434, [email protected])
Now it seems that the Pope is parsing words in an attempt to fix the damage of his earlier statement.
Too late.
The Vatican runs its “trials” and keeps its “evidence” under shrouds of secrecy. We don’t know what kinds of evidence the Vatican has, what the Pope knows, what kinds of “proof” and testimony already exist, and how much of it is being kept hidden from victims and civil authorities. If France or the United Kingdom ran trials like that, there would be international outrage. Why do we allow the Vatican to engage in such subterfuge?
Pope Francis has made his true feelings known. He would rather not be bothered with questions about abuse and would prefer to scold cloistered nuns about gossip. Now it is time for the Vatican to end centuries of secrecy and cover-up and make public all of its secret sex abuse files, turn over all evidence to secular authorities, and name every cleric who has abused children or covered up abuse.
Anything less—including continued apologies without action—is not acceptable.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 members. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
CONTACT
Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), Melanie Jula Sakoda (925-708-6175, [email protected]), or Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director (314-503-0003, [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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