CA--Cardinal Mahony removed from event; Victims respond
For immediate release: Friday, April 8, 2016
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Orange County, SNAP volunteer western regional director, 949 322 7434, [email protected]
We are glad that an archbishop is forcing his corrupt predecessor to withdraw from a church service. And we are deeply grateful to concerned parishioners who are speaking out against honoring a prelate who ignored and concealed heinous sex crimes against kids.
http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/150835/
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez is reversing himself and not letting Cardinal Roger Mahony preside over confirmations at Saint Kateri Catholic Church on April 29.
This is a step forward. But the broader question is why do Catholic officials let their disgraced and complicit colleagues keep ministering in public and ignore their horrific and deceitful wrongdoing? Why do they let men like Mahony keep rubbing salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of thousands of clergy sex abuse victims and hundreds of thousands of betrayed parishioners?
Gomez could and should have done more sooner to prevent Mahony from presenting himself in churches as an honorable person. Still, we are glad Gomez is acknowledging the pain of St. Kateri Catholics by removing Mahony.
Disciplining those who conceal child sex crimes deters others from concealing child sex crimes. But it takes courage to do this, and sadly, precious few in the Catholic hierarchy seem to be able to summon such courage.
We urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions in the LA area protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling journalists, get justice by calling attorneys, and get comfort by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Mahony ousted from Saint Kateri confirmation
L.A. Archdiocese replaces cardinal, following Saint Kateri request
By Martha Garcia Posted: April 8, 2016 1:00 a.m. Updated: April 8, 2016 1:00 a.m.
After heightened media attention and backlash from the community, the L.A. Archdiocese has replaced retired L.A. Cardinal Roger Mahony at Saint Kateri Catholic Church’s April 29 confirmation ceremony.
Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar, who conducted the ceremony at Our Lady of Perpetual Help last week, will conduct the ceremony, Saint Kateri officials said.
“We want to focus on the confirmation candidates and celebrate the rite of confirmation,” explained Renee Fields, Director of Operations at Saint Kateri. “We want them to have a joyous experience as they complete their initiation into the Catholic Church.”
Some parishioners were . . .
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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