Media Statements

For Immediate Release March 6, 2024 

A significant Maryland law that permits survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue regardless of how long ago the alleged assault occurred survived a constitutional challenge on Wednesday. We applaud Circuit Judge Robin D. Gill Bright's ruling today. 

Institutions and the insurance industry have long lobbied against reforms that benefit child victims. We are elated for the many victim-survivors who deserve validation and justice. 'The challenge to constitutionality alone tells us that the catholic church continues to deny accountability. Never should we trust twice what they have shown us once. I am thrilled survivors have again prevailed.' Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director

For immediate release: Tuesday, March 5

Victims’ group also passed out fliers in the Piedmont area recently

“Call law enforcement if you see, suspect or suffer any wrongdoing,” survivors urge

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is urging officials at a southern Missouri faith-based boarding school to fire an employee who is accused of abusing children. The owners of the facility, Larry and Carmen Musgraves, were arrested Friday by the local sheriff’s department on charges of first-degree kidnapping and were jailed without bond.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, recently wrote to top officials at Lighthouse Christian Academy, a.k.a. ABM Ministries, including the Musgraves. In the letter, the survivors’ group begged them to remove Julio Sandoval from the premises and payroll of its facility just outside Piedmont in Wayne County.

Sandoval previously worked at Agape Boarding School in Stockton, Missouri, for 10 years. In August of 2022, Sandoval was arrested on federal charges of violating a protective order issued at the request of a student. Sandoval was accused of taking the student against his will and transporting him from Fresno, California, to Agape the previous August. Sandoval was working as dean of students at the school at the time.

Sandoval has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a jury trial is scheduled for October. He could receive up to five years in prison if convicted.

Also, during Sandoval’s tenure as dean of Agape, the Missouri Highway Patrol launched an investigation into abuse of students at the school. In September of 2021, the Cedar County prosecuting attorney charged five staff members with 13 counts of third-degree assault.

In 2022, The Kansas City Star reported that Missouri’s child welfare agency had substantiated 10 reports of physical abuse at Agape. Multiple sources at the time told The Star that several staffers appealed their findings. They said Sandoval was among them. His case is still pending, and state law allows staffers to work with children while their case is under appeal.

In addition, last fall, Kathleen Britt sued Agape, claiming that her son’s death stemmed from abuse he suffered at the facility. Among those named in the suit was the company that transported students to the school, which is owned by Sandoval.

For immediate release: March 5, 2024

A criminal investigation was launched last month following reports of physical and sexual abuse at a private Catholic boarding school in Betharram, at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains near Lourdes. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, believes and fully supports the former students who have filed dozens of complaints.

For immediate release: March 4, 2024

An Alabama blog, Birmingham Diocesan Watch, anonymously received a copy of a 2007 Flint, Michigan, police report earlier this year. The report indicated that Fr. Steven Raica of the Diocese of Lansing was told by an 8-year-old boy that the child had been brutally assaulted by Fr. Vincent Anthony DeLorenzo from May to June of 1978. The victim said that the assaults stopped after he talked with Fr. Raica.  At the time of the victim’s disclosure, Fr. Raica was a deacon in Michigan. He is now Bishop Raica and leads the Diocese of Birmingham.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, has questions about what Bishop Raica did or did not do after he learned of Fr. DeLorenzo’s assaults on the victim. Michigan’s Child Protection Law, which was enacted in 1975, required clergy to report abuse to the civil authorities at the time of disclosure. The police did not have a report on the assaults prior to the victim’s 2007 disclosure.

For immediate release: March 1, 2024

Former Connecticut State Representative John Metsopoulos reported sexual, psychological, and physical abuse by two Greek Orthodox bishops on the SNAP website in November of 2023. His outcry has apparently produced repercussions for one of the two prelates. We are very happy for John!

John named Metropolitan Athenagoras Aneste (George Angelo Aneste), the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Mexico and Central America, as his primary abuser. A metropolitan is the equivalent of an archbishop or a cardinal. According to the January 24, 2024, issue of Orthodox Times, a new metropolitan was elected for Mexico, and Metropolitan Athenagoras was elected as the new metropolitan of Vize, Turkey. As far as we can tell this is a significant demotion.

For immediate release: February 26, 2024

The Catholic Diocese of Oakland is closing two of its elementary schools, St.Anthony School in Oakland and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Fremont. The Diocese filed for bankruptcy protection last year in the wake of close to 400 lawsuits for child sexual abuse from the 2019-2021 civil window. SNAP believes that the school properties should be sold to help finance settlements with those who were abused in the Diocese as children and who are now seeking restitution and justice.

The reason for both closures was said to be declining enrollment and operating deficits. In St. Anthony’s case, the Diocese also blamed rising homelessness, unemployment and human trafficking in the surrounding neighborhood for the school’s enrollment dwindling to just 65 students. We cannot help but add that both campuses harbored multiple perpetrators accused of child sexual abuse.

St. Anthony, located in a largely Spanish-speaking community, had 11 accused abusers from 1951 until 2001.  In fact, during that 50-year span of time there were only 11 years when there were no accused perpetrators on campus.  It seems clear to us that hundreds of children who attended St. Anthony were endangered for decades, while their parents paid to send them to the campus.

Our Lady of Guadalupe was created from a merger between St. Leonard and Santa Paula. From 1967 until 2016, 49 years, the school's combined campuses were home to 10 accused abusers, many of whom overlapped. There were some years when as many as three accused perpetrators were harbored.

Among the notorious, prolific, powerful, or infamous accused associated with these two schools and parishes were Fr. Stephen M. Kiesle, Fr. Donald Eugene Broderson, Fr. Robert E. Freitas, Fr. John G. Garcia, Fr. Antonio Valdivia, Fr. Alex Castillo, and Fr. Ray Breton. 

Fr. Castillo fled the country in 2019 while being investigated for crimes committed at Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Frs. Valdivia and Garcia are accused in the same lawsuit. (Case # 22CV024008) They worked together at St. Anthony. In addition, they shared the job of Vicar for the Spanish-speaking, likely giving them access to every Spanish-speaking child in the Diocese. Both have multiple victims in multiple decades.

Frs. Broderson, Kiesle, and Freitas have over 100 victims among them, most from their years in Fremont.

Fr. Breton was the Diocesan chancellor while at St. Anthony. He then became Oakland's top canon lawyer. We cannot help but suspect that Fr. Breton, an accused perpetrator, used his powerful positions to cover-up child sexual abuse.

These two school locations, in all, employed at least nineteen priests accused of abusing children. The school sites should be sold, with the proceeds earmarked for the 377 Oakland Diocese victims currently seeking justice and restitution. Bishop Michael Barber should also open his secret files to tell the public about any other abuser at either location who has not yet been revealed.

CONTACT: Dan McNevin, Treasurer, SNAP Board of Directors ([email protected], 415-341-6417), Joey Piscitelli, SNAP Northwest Leader ([email protected], 925-262-3699), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175),  Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Shaun Dougherty, President, SNAP Board of Directors ([email protected], 814- 341-8386) 

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org.)

For immediate release: February 21, 2024

At a press conference on the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ abuse summit, Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability and an attorney for two women who were victimized by Fr. Marko Rupnik, Laura Sgrò, JCD, call on Pope Francis to begin an investigation of who protected the cleric. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, stands in solidarity with this request.

Texas Catholic priest arrested on multiple child sex charges; SNAP urges Church outreach

For Immediate Release, February 15, 2024

A Catholic priest in Brownsville, Texas, has been arrested for multiple sex crimes against a child. The accusations include continuous sexual abuse of a child, continuous trafficking of persons, sexual assault of a child, and sexual performance of a child. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, wants the local bishop to reach out to and encourage any other victims and witnesses, as well as those may have suspected criminal behavior, to come forward to law enforcement.

Fr. Fernando Gonzalez Ortega was removed from active ministry by Bishop Daniel E. Flores on February 3rd, 2024, just one day after the accusations were reported to the Diocese. While we are grateful for the Bishop’s prompt action, we believe he should and could have done more. Specifically, he should have shared the priest’s most recent assignment, as well as his complete history in the Diocese, in his statement. The Bishop also should and could go to each and every location within his Diocese where Fr. Ortega worked and beg the people there who might know something about the charges to contact the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the crimes.

The District Attorney’s Offices identified Fr. Ortega’s most recent parish as St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Brownsville.  Given what we know about child sex crimes, and considering that the victim in this case is now an adult, we cannot help but wonder if there are others out there sitting alone in pain and in silence. At age 52, it seems likely that Fr. Ortega has had a long career in the Brownville Diocese. We have seen time and time again that abusers seek opportunities to perpetrate their crimes in trusting faith communities. We cannot help but wonder if Fr. Ortega joined the priesthood to gain access to children. Only 1 in 9 cases of child sexual abuse is reported while the abuse is ongoing, so there is a clear need for Bishop Flores to initiate outreach. People who may be reluctant to come forward may do so if encouraged by a high-ranking Church official.

By our count, this is the 4th^th arrest of a Catholic cleric or employee this year, which makes two things absolutely plain. First, the clergy abuse scandal is neither over nor a thing of the past, as Catholic officials are wont to say frequently. Second, internal controls and policies do not do enough to prevent dangerous men from becoming clerics, and cannot stop those men from abusing others with their newfound power. Clearly there is a need for a complete overhaul of how the Church handles the problem of sexual abuse.

We believe this starts with complete transparency being forced on these institutions by outside, secular investigations, and by allowing time-barred victims to have their day in court. Parishes, Catholic schools, and even society will become safer with these actions.

CONTACT: Eduardo Lopez de Casa, SNAP Board of Directors, SNAP Houston ([email protected], 832-641-6319); Patti Koo, SNAP San Antonio ([email protected] 956-648-7385); Zac Zepeda, SNAP San Antonio ([email protected] 210-317-7511); Paul Petersen, SNAP Board of Directors, SNAP Dallas ([email protected], 972-569-0995);  Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board of Directors President ([email protected], 814- 341-8386) 

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For Immediate Release February 15, 2024

The office of Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) is actively seeking testimony from victims of child sex abuse in Maryland locations of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, for its ongoing probe into the Catholic Church.

“Our investigations into the Archdiocese of Washington DC and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, are ongoing,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement provided to Maryland Matters this week. “We are grateful to all survivors who have come forward and we encourage those who haven’t yet, but may be ready to do so now.”

We applaud Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown for continuing this important investigation. We know that pursuing justice against these perpetrators would not be possible if it were not for the strength and courage of the brave victims who stepped forward by calling the Office of Attorney General to report these crimes. We understand it’s hard for victims to speak up, but that’s what it takes to see justice, safeguard others, expose predators, and prevent crimes. ‘We must never again trust the institutions twice for what they showed us once.” Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications ([email protected], 267-261-0578) David Lorenz, SNAP Maryland leader ([email protected], 301-906-9161) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 814-341-8386)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 35 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, February 7, 2024

Survivors and advocates have written to Bishop Robert Vasa of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, asking him to release all of the information in his files on convicted child abuser Fr. Mark Kristy, as well as to order Fr. Peter Talcott not to allow Fr. Kristy to serve masses at the Talcott residence, possibly endangering any children who may be in attendance.