SNAP Media Events

(For Immediate Release September 28, 2022) 

At a sidewalk press conference outside the Cathedral of St. Mary in San Francisco, SNAP will share a list of 312 men publicly accused of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese

The survivors and advocates gathered will then walk the names and a letter over to the office of the Archbishop

San Francisco is one of the few dioceses in the country who have yet to release their own names, and SNAP wants the Archbishop to remedy this

WHEN

Thursday, September 29, 2022, 1:00 pm

WHERE

On the public sidewalk outside the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 1111 Gough Street (on the Geary Street side of the complex)

WHO

Five to six survivors of clergy abuse, supporters, and advocates who are affiliated with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

WHY

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is one of the few dioceses in the United States that has yet to release its own list of accused. SNAP wants Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to remedy this and hopes that their letter to him, along with their list of 312 men who have been accused of abuse, will finally spur the Archbishop to take this important action.

DETAILS

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, will be hand delivering a letter to Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, again urging him to release a list of those accused of sexual abuse in his archdiocese -- including those names still concealed in the Archdioceses' secret archives -- as most of his peers have done. At the same time, the gathered survivors and advocates will hand him their own list of 312 clergymen, brothers, and laity who have been publicly accused of abuse and who have a connection to the Archdiocese.  

Archbishop Cordileone never responded to earlier suggestions from the survivors' group for him to release his own list. For example, in early 2021, SNAP wrote concerning the lack of a San Francisco list, "Archbishop Cordileone has affirmed that victims need compassion and that the San Francisco Archdiocese stands willing to help them, but he has consistently refused to take this simple step that will both help survivors and their families heal as well as keep today's children safe."

SNAP did extensive research to identify the 312 perpetrators on their list through information from media reports, civil lawsuits, criminal proceedings, and the Catholic Church itself. This task could have been completed with greater ease and with more detail by Archdiocesan officials. However, while the Dallas Charter promised the faithful openness and transparency, the survivors' group maintains that it has seen little of either from the Archdiocese, which is why they embarked on this project.

SNAP hopes that their list of accused will spur Archbishop Cordileone to release his own list. The group also hopes that the Archdiocesan effort will include work histories and photos of the accused, as well as details on when each and every allegation was received and what actions Church officials took in response. SNAP believes that such a list would truly be a step towards openness and transparency.

But whether or not the Archbishop finally takes action, SNAP wants survivors of abuse in the Archdiocese to find comfort in their list, and perhaps even be inspired to come forward and report their own assaults directly to law enforcement.

At the press conference, the survivors and advocates will also address why these lists are important to survivor healing and public safety, the closing California civil window for child sex abuse victims, the California civil window opening in 2023 for survivors of abuse as adults, as well as sharing the insights discerned through the development of their own list. In addition, SNAP will have a Catholic whistle-blower priest who was recently defrocked for supporting survivors to address those gathered.

CONTACT:  Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Joey Piscitelli, SNAP Northern California ([email protected], 925-262-3699), Dorothy Small, SNAP Sacramento ([email protected], 530-908-3676), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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(For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 28, 2022)

Survivors cannot forget the Archbishop’s poor handling of sexual abuse allegations against clergy

WHEN

Thursday, September 29, 2022, 1:00pm

WHERE

On the public sidewalk outside the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Parkway, Houston, Texas

WHO

Several members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, victims of abuse from other Texas institutions, and supporters

WHY

 At a sidewalk news conference in front of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, survivors, and supporters will remind the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston that a public funeral with full honors for Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza rubs salt into the already painful wounds of those who suffered clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese. Archbishop Fiorenza disregarded and minimized some of the worst crimes of sexual assault committed against children when he was at the helm of the Archdiocese.

DETAILS

Survivors of clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston are appalled that Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza is being given a public funeral with full honors. The victims say that the Archbishop covered up clergy sex crimes during his tenure as leader of the Archdiocese and that this rite rubs salt into their already painful wounds. 

For instance, in 1992 Archbishop Fiorenza sent Father Manuel La Rosa Lopez for “examination” following a young boy’s accusation of sexual abuse. Under the Archbishop's watch, Father Lopez was returned to ministry the following year and worked for another 26 years. The priest was finally convicted and sentenced to prison in 2020. As far as SNAP can tell, Father Lopez has yet to be defrocked.

In another mishandled case, in 2003, the Archbishop wrote to a victim of Father John Keller saying the priest denied the abuse “but acknowledged he ‘crossed a proper boundary by holding you in a manner inappropriate for a priest.’" Years later, the Archdiocese turned over two complaints against the priest to law enforcement. After being allowed by Archbishop Fiorenza to continue in ministry for another 16 years, Father Keller has not been returned to ministry since the two complaints were turned over to Houston police in 2019.

CONTACT
Eduardo Lopez de Casas, SNAP Houston and Board Member ([email protected], 832-641-6319), Mike McDonnell, Communications Manager (mm[email protected], 267-261-0578) Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

(For Immediate Release August 15, 2022) 

MEDIA ADVISORY – PRESS CONFERENCE – CHARLOTTE NC

RE: Abuse of Children in Protestant mission schools in Nigeria, West Africa

Abuse victims case is tossed out

But group hopes they will appeal soon

They also seek a federal DOJ investigation

Lawsuit targets Charlotte-based religious organization

It sends hundreds of Protestant missionaries all across the world

Handout given with pictures of victims & pictures of abusers named

Using chalk, victims will also write names of four predators on sidewalk

WHAT
Holding signs & enlarged childhood photos, clergy sex abuse victims and advocates will disclose that a Charlotte judge has just tossed out a civil suit against a Charlotte-based Protestant religious group. It was brought by six adults who were sexually violated as youngsters overseas by missionaries who are from - and in some cases, still live in - the US and Canada.

The victims will
--hand out pictures of at least four proven, admitted and/or credibly accused child molesting missionaries,
--call on the DOJ to launch a federal investigation into the missionary group (like the DOJ did last week with the Southern Baptist Convention) and

And they will urge 
--the victim plaintiffs to appeal the new decision against them,
--everyone who has seen, suspected or suffered sex crimes by US and Canadian missionaries to "come forward, get help, call law enforcement, expose child predators and deter church cover ups and contact independent and effective self-help organizations like theirs

WHEN
Monday, Aug. 15 at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside of the Charles R. Jonas courthouse, 401 West Trade Street in downtown Charlotte NC 

WHO 
Three-four victims of clergy sexual abuse at the hands of clergy &/or religious officials who belong to SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and Missionary Kids Safety Net (MKSN). Both are 30 year old Chicago-based non-profits that work to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.

WHY
The lawsuit was reported by Sara Coello of the Charlotte Observer on 8/1/22.

The primary defendant in the civil case is an interdenominational group called SIM USA.  Some of the alleged abuse happened at two Nigerian schools affiliated with SIM USA – Kent Academy in Miango and Hillcrest Academy in Jos. 

Lawyers for SIM USA claim that these schools are "separate," and "independently operated," which the victims dispute.

The ruling against the victims was handed down late last week by Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin.

The victims are represented by attorneys Boz Tchividijian of DeLand FL (386 682 5540, [email protected]), Peter Janci of Portland OR (888 407 0224, [email protected]) and the Lanier Law Group of North Carolina.

CONTACT 
Abuse victim Letta Cartlige 303 505 9141, Pastor Rich Darr of Missionary Kid Safety Net 815-370-4703, [email protected], David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected]

(For Immediate Release: Tuesday, August 2, 2022)

Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has been investigating institutional child sexual abuse for
almost 4 years

Survivors call for the indictment of individuals who have abused children or covered up cases of
child abuse

Call for the release of the report before the new AG and lead investigator are replaced

Call for openness and transparency on the part of the OAG

WHEN

Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at 11:00 AM

WHERE

On the public sidewalk outside Maryland OAG office in Baltimore
(200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202)

WHO

Several members of the international support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of
those Abused by Priests, victims of abuse from other Maryland institutions, and supporters.

WHY

At a sidewalk news conference in front of the Maryland AG’s office, survivors, and supporters
will call on the Maryland Attorney General, Brian Frosh and the lead investigator, Elizabeth
Embry, to hand down promised indictments concerning child sexual abuse in order to rid the
cities and towns of Maryland of abusers and their enablers. This will protect the children of
Maryland from further abuse. In addition, we will request that, prior to leaving their current
positions at the beginning of the year, Mr. Frosh and Ms. Embry release, at a minimum, a
preliminary report on their 4-year investigation into institutional abuse.

DETAILS

Nearly 4 years ago, following the release of the scathing PA grand jury report on abuse by the
Catholic Church, we sat down with representatives of the OAG’s office to brief them on the
workings of the Catholic dioceses represented in Maryland and to show them the level of abuse
known through public documentation at that time. The OAG promised that they would
thoroughly investigate this issue by contacting survivors and/or their families. They did inform
us at the time that their investigation would be silent. But that was 4 years ago and it took the
PA grand jury half that time to perform their investigation with more than twice as many
dioceses! They have contacted countless numbers of survivors over those 4 years and in the last
year have promised survivors that indictments would be coming in months. Other states have
been carrying on similar investigations and when they have enough evidence to indict an abuser,
they do so in order to make their state safer. We are afraid that the Maryland OAG is stringing
survivors along with no incentive to complete the investigation, allowing known abusers to run
free, and not calling institutions to account for covering up. See the recent article about two
survivors who have been interviewed by the OAG and are frustrated at the silence.

CONTACT
David Lorenz of Bowie, MD. SNAP Maryland Leader ( [email protected] , 301-906-9161,
Becky Ianni, SNAP DC Leader ( [email protected] , 703-801-6044), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP
Survivor Support Coordinator ( [email protected] , 925-708-6175), Mike McDonnell,
SNAP Communications Manager ( [email protected] , 267- 261-0578), Zach Hiner,
SNAP Executive Director ( [email protected] , 517-974-9009

What: Demonstrators will demand that Catholic establishment use their power and influence to DO THE RIGHT THING!
● Demand full and complete list of ALL the names of accused clergy and laity from non-compliant diocese.
● Develop a National Database of abusive priests, foriegn and domestic, through the USCCB.
● Enforce a zero-tolerance policy for clergy and staff.
● Release records pertaining to abuse and cover-up.
● Comply with Attorneys Generals’ Investigations throughout the US.
● Hold bishops accountable.
● Protect whistleblowers.

Who: Survivors of clergy abuse and allies.

When: Saturday morning, July 30th, from 8:30a-10a, as top donors, political supporters, and clergy arrive for the day’s events.

Where: Outside Napa Institute Annual Conference, Napa, California.

 
CONTACT: Dorothy Small, SNAP Sacramento ([email protected], 530-908-3676), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Dan McNevin, SNAP Treasurer ([email protected], 415-341-6417), Joelle Casteix, SNAP California Media Contact ([email protected], 949-322-7434), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected]work.org, 267-261-0578) 

Media Advisory

(For Immediate Release June 16, 2022) 

Clergy Abuse Survivors Gather as Powerful New Documentary on Abuse within the Catholic Church Premieres

THE NEW RATLINE Exposes Ongoing Abuse and Cover-up in the United States and Abroad

“Immigrant women and children are being abused and silenced by the Catholic Church,” says SNAP

WHAT: Holding signs, childhood photos, and posters at a sidewalk press conference, survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their advocates will:

• Share information regarding the case of Fr. Jesus Suarez and other cases of clergy abuse and cover-up that are contemporary with the cases explored in THE NEW RATLINE,
• Draw attention to today’s premiere, and
• Recognize the brave survivors and advocates who helped make this important documentary possible.

WHO: Several members of survivor support and advocacy group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including a Houston-area man who helped with the research for the film and other local California survivors of clergy abuse.

WHEN: Survivors and advocates will gather at 2 PM and the Press Conference will begin at 3 PM on Friday, June 17

WHERE: Outside the TCL Chinese Theater, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood CA 90028

WHY: A powerful new documentary on clergy abuse and cover-up called THE NEW RATLINE is premiering at the Dances with Films festival, and survivors of clergy abuse and advocates are gathering to draw attention to the film, its premiere, and most importantly, the stories that the film details.

From Dogtooth productions, THE NEW RATLINE is “a relentless search into one of our generation’s greatest cover-ups” and tells the story of Fr. Jesus Suarez, a priest from Colombia who is accused of sexually abusing young girls in his home country before being brought to the US – apparently with the full knowledge of local Church leadership – where his crimes were brought to light. After Fr. Suarez fled, investigative journalist John Carlos Frey went to find him and hopefully bring his victims some sense of justice. THE NEW RATLINE is the story of those efforts.

“We are honored to have been able to work with John on this important film that tells a modern story of a problem that so many people think ended long ago,” said Eduardo Lopez de Casas, SNAP Board Member. “If we want to truly put a stop to this problem, we need more people to take the time to learn that it is still happening and that they can be a part of the solution.”

CONTACT: Eduardo Lopez de Casas, SNAP Houston ([email protected], 361-571-7106), John Carlos Frey ([email protected]), Dorothy Small, SNAP Sacramento Area Leader, ([email protected], 530-908-3676), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have upwards of 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org) 

(For Immediate Release January 20, 2022) 

Critical legislation that will better protect Nebraskan children and provide support for victims of sexual abuse will be heard during a meeting of the Nebraska State Judiciary Committee on Friday, January 21, 2022.

Sponsored by Sen. Rich Pahls, LB 833 is a bill that will repeal the statute of limitations for third parties in cases of sexual assault of a child.  To understand why this legislation is so important, look no further than this recent report by Nebraska Attorney General Douglas Peterson, which detailed the stories of 258 victims of Child Sexual Assault committed by church officials alone. The saddest fact is that none of these cases could be prosecuted due to statute of limitations concerns. Even though the average age at which a survivor of child sexual assault comes forward is 52 years old, the Nebraska statute of limitations currently bars civil cases from being brought after a victim is 33 years old.

Fortunately, over the past three years, more than thirty states have reformed their statutes of limitation in cases of child sex crimes to be better in line with medical facts like delayed disclosure. Now, Nebraskans will have an opportunity of their own to start these important changes.

Kathryn Robb, Esq. of Child USAdvocacy, Debbie Dappen, local SNAP Leader and Shaun Dougherty, Board President from SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) will be available to the media and can explain the importance of child sexual assault legislation in Nebraska along with and the broader national trend of repealing statutes of limitation on child sexual assault. Each individual can be available in the morning preceding the hearing. 

CONTACT:

Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President (814-341-8386), [email protected], Debbie Dappen, SNAP Leader, [email protected], Kathryn Robb, Esq. (www.childusadvocacy.org), (781-856-7207),  Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected] Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)