The Archdiocese of Washington DC (ADW) wants to thwart the will of the people of Maryland by declaring the CVA unconstitutional.
The Archdiocese of Washington DC (ADW) wants to thwart the will of the people of Maryland by
declaring the CVA unconstitutional.
ADW speaks out of both sides of its mouth after relying on funds obtained by the retroactive
application of asbestos civil cases.
The CVA was passed unanimously in the Maryland legislature and rapidly signed by the governor
WHAT: A sidewalk news conference, abuse survivors and advocates who are part of SNAP, the Survivors
Network of those Abused by Priests, will demand that the ADW stop their immoral and unethical
practices of re-abusing and re-traumatizing survivors by attempting to have the Child Victims’ Act (CVA)
declared unconstitutional. In 2017 the ADW, along with the other two dioceses in Maryland quietly
snuck in a provision to the child abuse statutes that seemingly treated child abuse under statute of
repose restrictions. This seemingly prevented the ability for child abuse lawsuits from EVER being
resurrected through any retroactive changes in the statutes. However, even first year law students
understand that you can pretend to call a pig a duck, but that doesn’t make it a duck. Child abuse simply
does not follow the definition of repose. The ADW is doing this despite the fact that about 25 years ago,
they not only benefited from but actually encouraged the legislature to amend the existing statute of
repose for asbestos so that they, the ADW, could sue for retroactive damages, which they did.
WHEN: Wednesday 3/6/24 at approximately noon (immediately following the hearing scheduled to start
at 10 AM)
WHERE: In main entrance of the Prince George Circuit Courthouse - 14735 Main St, Upper Marlboro,
MD 20772. The main entrance is around the back side of the building where the shuttle buses drop of
passengers
WHO: Abuse survivors and advocates, including the Maryland SNAP member Teresa Lancaster and
Maryland SNAP Director David Lorenz, who call out the lies and half truths being promulgated by the
AOB
WHY: Specifically, SNAP is requesting the following:
The ADW should drop its immoral and two-faced opposition to the CVA
Urge the court reject the the appeal from the ADW and uphold the legislative intent.
Encourage the court to recognize that child abuse is NOT an issue of repose and children should not be
treated as a product liability
Call on Archbishop Gregory to call off his legal hound dogs and treat victims as human beings instead
of a monetary liability
CONTACT: Dave Lorenz, SNAP Maryland ([email protected], 301-906-9161), Teresa Lancaster,
SNAP Member, 410- 703- 9122. [email protected] Mike McDonnell, Interim Executive Director
([email protected], 267-261-0578
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional
settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network.
Our website is SNAPnetwork.org.)
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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