CA - Mahony and Pope concelebrate mass in Rome - Victims react
For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, western regional director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434,[email protected])
Pope Francis just rubbed salt into the wounds of LA clergy sex abuse victims and Catholics.
Maybe more than any of his predecessors, Pope Francis is keenly aware that images and gestures matter. So why did he concelebrate mass and privately meet with America’s least deserving and most polarizing retired Catholic official – Cardinal Roger Mahony, on whose watch hundreds of children were raped, sodomized, fondled and assaulted by hundreds of priests, nuns, brothers, seminarians and other Catholic employees, many of whom were deliberately and repeatedly moved and protected by Mahony and his top aides?
Mahony’s years of self-serving secrecy forced Archbishop Jose Gomez to forbid Mahony from doing ‘public ministry’ in the LA archdiocese. How ironic that he’s persona non grata in LA but welcomed in Rome. How ironic that Mahony’s predecessor basically bans him but Catholicism’s head honcho embraces him.
It should go without saying that the pope is the world’s most powerful Catholic. He can meet with anyone he likes. And he can deny anyone the chance to appear with him in public.
Yet he chooses to say mass publicly and meet privately with Mahony.
There are plenty of prelates across the globe who understand immigration issues. Few prelates, however, understand public relations and image-burnishing more than Mahony. And even when he retires, he’s remorseless and fixated on trying to rebuild his well-deserved shattered reputation. It’s sad that Pope Francis is complicit in this selfish and insensitive effort.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [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