SNAP Media Events

MEDIA ALERT (page 4 en français)

[For Immediate Release, January 25, 2023; http://bit.ly/3vSuVnq ]

Current Clergy Sex Abuse Cases in DRC Exposed

Historic Press Conference to be held on Eve of Pope’s visit to the DRC on Clergy Sex Abuse

Clergy sex abuse victims in Kinshasa call on Pope to help

Survivors and Advocates in DRC call for Zero Tolerance for Clergy Sex Abuse

For the first time in Africa, international activists will join with Congolese survivors and advocates in a press conference to highlight the failure of the Catholic Church to protect survivors and whistleblowers. 

Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo the week of January 31 to February 3, 2023. On Monday January 30, survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their advocates from the Congo, U.S. and Europe will be in Kinshasa to hold a press conference in order to:

1. Share information regarding a current case of clergy sex abuse and cover-up in the DRC, including details on how the victim and her family have been silenced and the harm done to her advocates.  The victim and a witness are scheduled to testify by Zoom during the press conference.
2. Expose corruption within the DRC judicial system that has benefitted church officials and perpetrators at the expense of the abused; 
3. Insist Pope Francis enforce his recently enacted "apostolic letter"  by immediately removing and sanctioning abusive priests and their bishop enablers to send an important message to the continent of Africa that there is zero tolerance for clergy sex abuse and coverup.

Press conference details: 

WHEN: Monday January 30, 2 PM, West Africa Standard Time (and CET/Paris); 1PM London,  8AM US Eastern Time (New York),  5AM US Pacific Time (Los Angeles). Midnight, Sydney Time.  

WHERE: Hotel Leon, 41 avenue Luambo Makiadi, Gombe, Kinshasa (“Délices” room)

HOW:  In person and by Zoom (open to all) , link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bj731M10TXqUVi2EK2IfkA

 (contact Marc Artzrouni (address below) for any question).   

WHO: 

LANGUAGE: French with interpretation in English 

MORE INFO: In July 2022, the Washington Post published an extensive exposé  of an ongoing case in the DRC of clergy rape of a 14yr-old girl and the retaliation against whistleblowing nuns and a priest. The article shows how Catholic Church officials worked together in violation of recently enacted Church law to protect the accused rapist at the expense of his young victim and of the whistleblowers who are now in hiding in a nearby country in fear of their safety.

BIOS:

Tim Law is the co-founder of Ending Clergy Abuse and an attorney in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is a Catholic, and in 2014, he became active at the local level to confront his archdiocese on the issue of clergy abuse. In 2015, he met Barbara Blaine, founder of SNAP, and was introduced to the national and international dimensions of clergy abuse in the Catholic Church. In 2017, Barbara Blaine, Tim and others conceived what became ECA in Geneva, Switzerland in 2018. ECA is an international association of survivors and advocates from 20+ countries and 6 continents whose mission is to compel the Vatican/Roman Catholic Church to protect children from clergy abuse and to promote justice for survivors. ECA played an important role in Rome at the 2019 Pope’s Summit on Clergy Abuse coordinating the voices of the international survivor/activists before the bishops and the world press promoting Zero Tolerance as an universal law of the Church.

Denise Buchanan

Denise Buchanan who is a Jamaican survivor of clergy sexual abuse, is a founding member of Ending Clergy Abuse and a board member.  She is a Psychoneurologist, University Professor, Child Protection Advocate, Sacred Garden Designer, International Speaker and Author. Denise has presented her case before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the UN Committee Against Torture and was one of a few individuals who met with the Pope’s top Cardinals on the Clergy Sexual Abuse Issue. She is also the co-founder of the Get Business Smart Foundation in Jamaica which was created to train young people to develop a holistic approach to life through integrating mind-body-spirit.

Benjamin Kitobo was born and raised in Likasi, Zaire (now, the DRC). In 1980, at age 13, he began attending the minor seminary in the diocese of Kolwezi, with the hope of becoming a priest. He was raped and sexually assaulted there for four years by his teacher, Fr. Omer Verbeke, a Belgian missionary. In the 1990s, Kitobo emigrated to the USA and became a nurse. In 2002, he discovered that Verbeke, who had been sent back to Belgium, was still working with children. Kitobo filed a lawsuit, the priest admitted to the abuse, and the Belgian diocese of Ghent paid Kitobo a settlement of $25,000. Kitobo lives today with his wife and family in  St. Louis, Missouri.

Come Musuluku is a lawyer in Kinshasa, who defends victims of sexual violence and their families in the DRC.  He is the founder of "Club des Orateurs Majeurs Excellentissimes" ("Club of Major and Outstanding Orators"). COME is a newly established Congolese NGO whose goal is to provide legal and other assistance to victims of sexual abuse regardless of the setting: family, civil society, churches, etc.  Musuluku is working  with  ECA and SNAP  to bring up with the UN Human Rights Commission the case of victims of sexual abuse in the DRC.

Marc Artzrouni is SNAP’s Europe Representative,  based in France. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is the largest, oldest and most active US support group for women and men wounded by religious authority figures (priests, ministers, bishops, deacons, nuns and others). Marc is a French-American university professor emeritus who works closely with French and Swiss survivors organizations. He is particularly interested in improving the flow of information between such associations in Europe and those in America, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. 

Media Advisory

(For Immediate Release January 25, 2023) 

New California law has opened a window to justice for those sexually assaulted as adults

Survivors and advocates will gather at the State Capitol today to call attention to AB 2777

Whether the abuse occurred in a religious institution or elsewhere, SNAP urges victims to take advantage of this opportunity

WHAT: At a sidewalk news conference, abuse survivors and advocates who are part of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, will gather to draw public attention to The Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act (Assembly Bill 2777), which went into effect on January 1^st. SNAP will urge those who were the victims of sexual assault as adults to consider filing civil lawsuits for damages against those who abused them and the institutions that covered up for the perpetrators.

WHEN: January 26, 2023, at 1 PM

WHERE: California State Capitol, 1315 10th St (between L and N Streets), Sacramento. We will gather on the lawn to the left of the steps.

(For Immediate Release January 19, 2023) 

Victims back reform bill & seek predators' names

They blast ex-Kansas AG for 'weak, vague' report

Group files "Open Records Act" request to publicly ID abusers

Survivors want more time to 'seek justice & expose molesters.’

WHAT

Holding signs at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will ask the Kansas attorney general to protect kids by:

--publicly naming dozens of unknown child molesting clerics recently investigated by the KBI, and
--releasing the full abuse report, not just a 21-page summary.

They will also give out copies of an Open Records Act request they're sending to the new AG to learn the identities of those 'who committed or concealed child sex crimes' and blast his predecessor for issuing a "weak, vague and short abuse report" that "protects wrongdoers, not children."

WHEN

Friday, Jan. 20 at 1:15 p.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside the Johnson County Courthouse on Santa Fe Street (north of the administration building and west of city hall) in Olathe Kansas

WHO

One-two Kansas state legislators, a former Kansas cleric, a Kansas abuse survivor who testified before a panel in Topeka, and three-four abuse survivors (some who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)

WHY

1) Earlier this month, then-AG Derek Schmidt refused to publicly name even one proven, admitted, or credibly accused child molesting Catholic cleric when he released what SNAP calls a "short, weak and vague" report into the church's ongoing abuse crisis. (Other state AGs across the country have done far more thorough reports and disclosed names of abusers.)

SNAP is asking Schmidt's successor Kris Kobach to voluntarily reveal the names of dozens of Kansas Catholic clergy who have perpetrated, ignored, or hid child sex crimes and release a longer, more detailed report that 'will deter other institutions from similar cover-ups.'
And the group is filing a formal Open Records Act request for the names.

2) The victims strongly support a measure, now pending in the Kansas legislature, that would make it easier for child sex abuse victims to "expose those who commit or conceal crimes against kids" in civil courts. It is sponsored by Sen. Cindy Holscher (D-Overland Park) and Rep. Bob Lewis (R-Garden City) and relaxes the state's "archaic, arbitrary and predator-friendly" statute of limitations, SNAP says, which both "helps protect vulnerable children and heal wounded adults."

CONTACT: David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected], Tom White  913 927 2859, [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)

(For Immediate Release December 12, 2022) 

At a sidewalk press conference outside the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, SNAP will share its list of those publicly accused of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Oakland

Following the press conference, SNAP will hand deliver a letter and a copy of its list to Bishop Michael Barber, asking him to expand his list

The list published by the Diocese of Oakland contains 65 names

SNAP's list is currently at 227, with more names anticipated to be added before the 3-year civil window opened by California Assembly Bill 218 closes at the end of the month

WHEN

Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at noon

WHERE

On the public sidewalk outside of the Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison St. in Oakland, CA

WHO

5-6 survivors of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Oakland, supporters and advocates

WHY

The Diocese of Oakland released its own list of abusers in 2019. That list now includes 65 names. However, SNAP's list of accused perpetrators has 227 names. The survivors' group will be asking Oakland Bishop Michael Barber to examine our list with the expectation that he will then expand the Oakland list to include the missing names.

DETAILS

Following a sidewalk press conference, members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, will be hand delivering a letter to Oakland Bishop Michael Barber, along with its list of abusers in the Diocese which has been painstakingly developed by culling public information, including lawsuits filed so far during California's civil window for child sex abuse victims. The text of the letter is pasted below. Copies of the letter and the SNAP list will be available at the event. 

SNAP did extensive research to identify the 227 perpetrators on its list, culling through information from media reports, civil lawsuits, criminal proceedings, and the Catholic Church itself. The group also hopes that when the Diocese makes appropriate additions to its list, it will also take the time to include work histories with dates, as well as details on when each and every accusation was received, where it originated from, and what actions Church officials took in response. SNAP believes that such a list would truly be a giant step toward openness and transparency.

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.

SNAP's LETTER to BISHOP MICHAEL BARBER is linked here <<

SNAP's List of Accused - Diocese of Oakland 

CONTACT
Dan McNevin, SNAP Treasurer ([email protected], 415-341-6417), 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)

(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)

                                                                                                                  ###

(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 ([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