Media Statements

A Catholic priest who was sentenced to prison in Michigan after multiple men came forward to accuse him of sexual assault and grooming is being released early from prison. Given this man’s apparent pattern of criminal sexual conduct, we hope that Church officials will keep tabs on him and inform the communities where he will live and work about the danger he represents.

Yesterday, the Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, issued a statement that rationalizes his attempt to deny justice to all victims of sexual abuse, not just Catholic survivors. His justification is logically inconsistent at best and outright manipulation of the facts at worst.

The volunteer leader of SNAP New Orleans has agreed to resign his position as SNAP leader after developments with the Archdiocese of New Orleans created a conflict of interest through a paid consultation.

In a story that should surprise absolutely no one, Catholic officials in New York apparently used sneaky and underhanded transfers of cash and assets in order to protect their pile of gold after the passage of New York’s Child Victims Act. Given that this has been the modus operandi of the Church for years, this article is as expected as it is disturbing.

A Minnesota diocese has settled with scores of victims to the tune of $21 million over cases of clergy sexual abuse and cover-up. We hope the conclusion of these bankruptcy proceedings will lead to peace and healing for the brave survivors whose willingness to come forward forced a reckoning within the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

We applaud the decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to stand with a survivor of clergy sexual abuse over the powerful, monolithic institution that is the Catholic Church. The record shows that the Diocese of London, ON, not only enabled Irene Deschenes' abuse but also misrepresented to her when it first learned of allegations against her perpetrator. Irene’s victory in court is a win for everyone who believes in transparency and justice and we are grateful that she has prevailed.

In the cold winter of 2020, one of SNAP's board members was contacted by a survivor with whom she shared a sad connection: decades ago, while students at different schools in the metropolitan Detroit area, they had been abused by the same priest. 

A Catholic bishop in Kansas is stepping aside from his post while an allegation of sexual abuse against him is investigated. We hope that this story will encourage others who may have knowledge or suspicions about abuse in the Diocese of Dodge City to come forward and make a report to local police and prosecutors.

A priest assigned to the Archdiocese of New Orleans has been convicted of abuse-related charges. Now, Catholic officials must use every resource at their disposal to ensure that parishioners at each parish and facility where this cleric was assigned are aware of the conviction and to urge others who may have seen or suspected abuse to come forward and make a report to law enforcement.

It appears that Catholic officials in the US plundered the American taxpayer  by accepting payroll protection program funds in dioceses that had billions in assets and cash.