Group calls on Cleveland Catholic Diocese to be more transparent
CLEVELAND - A national organization that represents clergy sex abuse victims is calling on the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland to release records of an exhaustive 2002 grand jury investigation into the priest-pedophile scandal.
"We think the time is now for church officials in Cleveland to lift the cover of secrecy and release these records to the public," says Zach Hiner, the executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
Last Friday, the diocese released the names of 22 more clerics against whom have been made substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse - most of them are now dead - bringing the total number of names released in Cleveland to 51.
In 2002, as the abuse scandal exploded nationwide , FOX 8 did a series of reports focusing on the Cleveland Diocese.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office then began a painstaking examination that investigated allegations of child sexual abuse within the Cleveland Diocese going back half a century.
A 28 person team spent seven months looking at the scandal, calling people before a grand jury to testify and, according to the prosecutor's office, acquiring roughly 50,000 pages of documents - about 40,000 of them from the diocese.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, a grand jury report last year detailed a troubling history of abuse and cover-ups - one that put pressure on diocese around the nation, as well as Catholic schools and colleges, to relea...
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