Bidding War Taking Place in Santa Fe Shows Catholic Archdiocese Is Wealthier than It Claims
"Bidding war" and "bankruptcy" do not normally go hand in hand, but they do in the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
This proposed property transfer is a small example of the wealth owned by the Archdiocese. The Archbishop admits to owning hundreds of surplus and underused properties. We wonder why he declared bankruptcy when instead he could have met with survivors and their representatives, hammered out fair compensation for each victim, and then proceeded with insurance and property sales while not under the constraints of a bankruptcy.
The only reason we can think of is secrecy. Catholic officials have misused the bankruptcy court for years to keep information about perpetrators and enablers hidden and we believe that this is the case in Santa Fe. What led to this filing, we believe, was the desire of Santa Fe Archdiocesan leaders to keep that information from parishioners and the public.
Regardless, we now call on Archbishop John Wester to open up his files and to fully reveal who knew what, when they knew it, and what actions were taken with this knowledge. It is not just abusers who should be outed, but also those who protected the perpetrators, and the system that shuffled them in, around, and out of the Archdiocese as the abuse of children continues unabated. The best way to prevent future boys and girls from suffering is to know what went wrong in the past. We hope the secrets that the Archdiocese is hiding do not remain bottled up in this unnecessary bankruptcy.
CONTACT: Dan McNevin, SNAP Treasurer ([email protected]), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]),
(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)
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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