CHILE- Victims blast cowardly Chilean bishop
For immediate release: Thursday, March 19, 2015
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312 399 4747, [email protected])
In a cowardly move that shows how little Pope Francis is doing to protect kids, Chile’s Catholic bishops are rallying around a complicit colleague. Shame on them for backing Bishop Juan Barros.
Moves like this rub even more salt into the already-deep and still-fresh wounds of thousands of abuse victims. Worse, they endanger kids because they increase the chances that other Catholic employees – high and low – will keep sheltering predators. And they deepen the pain and disillusionment of millions of caring Catholics who want and deserve bishops who haven’t helped predator priests.
It’s clear that the Catholic hierarchy remains an “old boys’ club” in which members support one another no matter how severely or often kids are put in harm’s way.
Our heats ache for the brave victims of Fr. Fernando Karadima, to whom this move must feel like another stab in the back by callous church officials. Our hearts also ache for the families of the Osorno diocese who should be celebrating, but must be dreading their new bishop.
Most of all, our hearts ache for every boy or girl across the world who will be sexually violated by a predator priest because that priest’s bishop kept quiet about child sex abuse reports believing that his clerical career will be advanced by doing so.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We were founded in 1988 and have 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, [email protected], Barbara Dorris 314-503-0003, [email protected], Barbara Blaine 312-399-4747, [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
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