Another "Independent Commission" to investigate clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
The Portuguese Episcopal Conference has set up an "Independent Commission" to document the scope of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy during the period 1955 to 2022. In doing so the Portuguese follow in the footsteps of the CIASE report which uncovered the shocking extent of sexual abuse in France over the last 50 years. The commission's motto is to "Give voice to silence," which captures the painful reality that most victims will be intimidated and threatened into not reporting the crime to their parents or civil authorities.
The Portuguese interdisciplinary commission of seven is headed by Pedro Strecht, a child psychologist, and includes sociologists, judges, and psychiatrists. They will collect "testimony" and "complaints" through online surveys and by searching through legal, diocesan, and media archives. However, Strecht emphasized that the goal is to "study" what happened, not "investigate" - even though findings may be forwarded to the Attorney General's office. This leaves us worried and wondering whether this will be one more exercise in obfuscation and the minimization of crimes by which some clergy abuse their moral authority to satisfy their depraved sexual urges.
CONTACT: Marc Artzrouni, SNAP Europe, ([email protected], +33 - 6 95 73 65 92), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager, (267-261-0578 [email protected]),Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected] ), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President (814-341-8386, [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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