Archbishop Jose Gomez Elected as New President of USCCB, SNAP Responds
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has elected a new president. We hope that Archbishop Jose Gomez will put ending clergy abuse cover-ups at the top of his do-to list upon taking office.
Even though we did not support Archbishop Gomez for President of the USCCB, we are hopeful that his election will signal a new era of openness and transparency within the USCCB and the Church itself. Archbishop Gomez has the ability to usher in this new era by immediately taking these three steps that survivors and supporters have laid out for him.
But regardless of what Archbishop Jose Gomez or other Catholic officials do or do not do, we believe that this new era will happen anyway. Too many stories have been told and too many crimes have been uncovered to go back to the time of Church secrecy and public deference to hierarchs.
We will continue to look to secular law enforcement officials like attorneys general and state’s attorneys who, by literally opening investigations into cases of clergy sexual abuse, are also figuratively opening closed shutters to let the light into places which have been in the dark for decades.
We will continue to work with the broader advocacy and support community in order to ensure that survivors have a safe place to turn, advocates have resources to use, and members of the public can learn more about this issue and what they can do to help prevent more children and vulnerable adults from being abused.
And we will continue to pay attention to what Catholic officials from the USCCB have done to grapple with this issue. We hope that Archbishop Jose Gomez will be paying attention, too.
CONTACT: Becky Ianni, SNAP Board Member (703-801-6044, [email protected]), Dave Lorenz, SNAP Maryland ([email protected], 301-906-9161), Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [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