Media Statements

An appellate court in Canada has upheld a ruling that holds the Archdiocese of St. John’s responsible for cases of child sexual abuse that occurred at an orphanage within its boundaries. We applaud this decision and appreciate that the court chose to put a nail in the coffin of one of the Catholic Church’s oldest arguments to avoid accountability for cases of abuse.

SNAP Leaders from New Orleans will hold a press event Friday, July 31, 2020, in front of Notre Dame Seminary at 2901 S. Carrollton Ave at 10 am. 

The New Orleans Chapter of SNAP is extremely interested in knowing what the Archdiocese of New Orleans has shared with the Vatican regarding pedophile clergy. When Archbishop Aymond released the names of fifty-seven credibly accused clerics to the public on November 2, 2018, Canon law required all bishops to provide information to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and the Vatican. 

A Queens-area priest has been arrested for grooming and sexually abusing a teenage boy. By our count, this is the ninth arrest of a cleric or Catholic employee this year, a fact that shows the clergy sexual abuse scandal is not a thing of the past as Church officials want the public to believe.

Allegations of sexual abuse against a former Missoula pastor have been found credible, and now SNAP is calling for Catholic officials in every location where he lived or worked to update their lists to include his name.

The Archdiocese of Newark has revised their policies around assisting survivors with sexual abuse and made them significantly more restrictive, especially for survivors who are seeking truth and justice via the court system. We think that this change is a strikingly un-Christian move and call on Catholic officials in Newark to undo these new restrictions.

A man who volunteered within the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, has been arrested on charges related to child pornography and the sexual abuse of an animal. Catholic officials now must share this information at every location where this volunteer worked and urge anyone who saw or suspected wrongdoing by the man to come forward and make a report to law enforcement.

The San Diego branch of a national chain of Christian youth theaters has been shut down following extensive allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by former staffers at the theater. We call for the attorney general of California to investigate this situation and determine if there are any crimes that can still be prosecuted and if there are any abusers hidden among the community.

A prominent pastor from Chicago’s south side has been accused of grooming and abusing at least three women. We applaud these brave survivors for coming forward and we hope their example inspires others who may have been hurt to come forward and make a report to police and prosecutors.

This month Catholic officials in Houston showed their willingness to take money that was not originally meant for them. But last year, our local SNAP leader learned that those same Catholic officials would be willing to bend the rules the other way in order to deny him his job, his income, and his stability.

A Catholic diocese in Illinois saw its new bishop ordained yesterday. We hope that this new prelate will make the protection of children and the vulnerable his highest priority and we suggest two immediate steps he can take when he is formally installed as bishop.