Blog

If Pope Francis is to make a real impact on clergy abuse, he will need to have heard from survivors first-hand about what they experienced. In order to help him understand, Dottie Klammer and Frank from Virginia had this great idea: the Pope Blast Project. From February 21-24, the Pope is holding a major summit on abuse, and before that summit begins we are going to make sure he hears from survivors around the world by filling his mailbox with survivor stories. To read more about this idea and why it is important, read the letter from Frank below.

Have you been hurt by a priest or the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings?  We’d like you to share your story.

Mary Sue Barnett and Debra Meyers are working on a collection of personal stories coupled with scholarly articles for publication in a book titled The Implosion of the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformation of True Spirituality.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota has announced that they will be filing for bankruptcy and opening a claims process for anyone who was abused by a priest, nun, or any other church-affiliated individual within their diocesan borders.

At SNAP, we believe that transparency is a critical element to ending the clergy sex abuse crisis, restoring public faith in religious institutions, and helping survivors heal. We are grateful when church officials take steps towards transparency, and even moreso when that transparency is forced by brave whistle-blowers. Today, we were lucky to have experienced the latter.

A recently founded organization aims to force the Catholic Church to truly reckon with the clergy abuse crisis during this Advent season, and we like their creative approach. 

We recognized All Survivors Day on Saturday, November 3 with events around the world and online! Check out the Wakelet below for a brief highlight of the many different voices that were raised, events that occurred, and calls-to-action to support survivors around the world.

The below speech was delivered by Tim Lennon at the inaugural All Survivors Day event on November 3, 2018 in Philadelphia's Independence Mall.

We gather in solidarity with victims and survivors sexual abuse and assault. We honor the courage of those who have come forward and shared their story. They have provided leadership and guidance to the many victims who suffer alone and in the dark.

SNAP Austin Leader Carol Midboe is calling for change in the Lutheran church. Add your voice to hers by signing this petition that is calling on Lutheran clergy to end child rape and hold abusers accountable!

Reporters have a tough job. They need to churn out content quickly, accurately, and often on several different subjects over the course of the day. Reporters also have a powerful job in that their writing can affect the way people think about issues of the day and the way readers talk about those issues, whether gathering around the water cooler or dinner table.

One of SNAP's impressive volunteer leaders was recently profiled for the "Alumni Spotlight" for her Alma Mater. Way to go, Claudia!

Meet Claudia Vercellotti
Tiffin University MS in CJ Graduate
Advocate for Victim Rights

Could you tell us about your background? (hometown, education, etc.)
I was born, adopted at 3 weeks of age and raised in Toledo, Ohio in a loving family, where I was the middle child and only girl. Fortunately, raised with two brothers, I was pushed at a young age to believe that I could do anything the boys could do.