New Zealand Catholic Abuse Survivors Appeal to Pope
Media Release 13/09/2022
For immediate use
New Zealand Catholic Abuse Survivors Appeal to Pope
New Zealand nationwide
Survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and religious of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand have appealed directly to Pope Francis to help initiate an ‘urgent, independent and transparent review’ of the administration of the Church’s in-house national redress scheme.
This follows a failed appeal to the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the New Zealand Government’s exclusion of faith-based survivors from early compensation pay-outs. The Government wants faith-based institutions to continue with their own redress schemes.
However, abuse survivor and spokesperson for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in Aotearoa, Dr Christopher Longhurst, said victims and survivors in New Zealand were not being treated justly under the Catholic Church’s redress scheme.
Longhurst clarified that survivors were calling for a review of the Church’s handling of abuse complaints for reasons of an apparent lack of integrity and competence. He emphasised that the issue was ‘the repeated maladministration of complaints by church officials and the hierarchy’s failure to do anything about it.’ (Attached copy of letter to Pope Francis and translation, also available at link below).
Contact Dr Christopher Longhurst Phone New Zealand 0223440496
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in Aotearoa New Zealand. Web http://www.snapnetwork.org/ | Email [email protected]
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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