SNAP News

For immediate release: July 7, 2025

Metropolitan Athenagoras Aneste, former Greek Metropolitan of Mexico and Vize, died on July 1, 2025. His funeral service will be held at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Des Plaines, Illinois, on July 9^th. As best as SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, can tell, the metropolitan will be buried with all the honors accorded a clergyman in good standing.

Our hearts break for John Metsopoulos, who told us in 2022 that he was sexually harassed by the Metropolitan in 2019 in Mexico. John also reported ongoing physical and psychological abuse from 2017 to 2019. In addition to the harm he suffered personally, John said that he had direct knowledge of fraud by the metropolitan. SNAP had received similar accusations against Metropolitan Aneste years earlier from a now deceased Orthodox priest who worked in Haiti, Fr. Michael Graves.

Studies show that false claims of abuse are extremely rare. We also know that adults abused by clergy can suffer significant harm. Moreover, John is a former Connecticut state representative (132^nd district, 1984-94), as well as a former first selectman (mayor) of Fairfield, Connecticut (1999-2003). He comes from a devout family long involved with the Greek Orthodox Church.

It looked like John’s accusations against Metropolitan Aneste, while never directly acknowledged or addressed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, had borne fruit early last year, when a new metropolitan was elected for Mexico. Metropolitan Athenagoras became the head of the Metropolis of Vize, Turkey. These changes were made under the leadership of Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (Dimitrios Archontonis). According to Pew Research, the Orthodox population of Mexico is 110,000. There are almost no Greek Orthodox faithful in Turkey. Politico noted in 2020 that even the larger city of Istanbul numbered no more than 600 families. So, this appeared to be a significant demotion. It seems to us that being moved to a much smaller metropolis in the wake of accusations is very similar to the practice of shuffling accused priests from place to place that has been employed by the Catholic Church. 

For Immediate Release: July 1, 2025

After announcing their intention to file for bankruptcy last May, the Diocese of Fresno finally did so today. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, wonders at the timing. Just yesterday, liaison counsel for the plaintiffs in the coordinated NorCal clergy cases, Rick Simons of Furtado, Jaspovice and Simmons ([email protected], 510-917-2169), made a motion asking the court to sanction the diocesan attorney, Mart Oller, for the unacceptable delay in starting the bankruptcy process. Attached to the motion was Rick's Declaration, an 83-page document, including 12 Exhibits. 

At the time of the initial bankruptcy announcement, there was a global mediation in progress between the Diocese and its survivors, and twelve cases had been identified for bellwether trials. The announcement disrupted the progress of the mediation, even without ever being filed. Plaintiffs’ attorneys suspect that the Diocese may have used the delay to move assets, thus protecting them from distribution to survivors of child sexual abuse. If true, the final payouts for these heinous crimes will be correspondingly reduced.

Delaying the settlement of lawsuits is a well-known tactic of the Catholic Church. When the Diocese announced its intention to file for bankruptcy last year, SNAP issued this statement, outlining the downside of this decision for survivors, particularly for those who are too young to come forward before the deadline to file claims closes. We stand by it. 

In addition, the life-long impact of child sexual abuse already makes victims more at risk of an early death than the general population, and delayed disclosure means that many of the survivors who filed lawsuits in the recent civil window are likely to be older in any case.

Out of the 153 victims who filed lawsuits against Fresno, Rick's declaration includes information about the death of three of them in Exhibit 12. We suspect that more deaths have occurred. SNAP believes that this is exactly why the Church drags its feet in resolving these cases. For every victim that is no longer alive, information about their abusers and the enablers may be lost, and the subsequent settlements are, again, likely to be less.

Karen Lowart's son Jason, who was sexually abused by Fr. Donald Flickinger, when Jason was only 4 years old, is among those who did not live to see even a small measure of justice. Jason died from an accidental fentanyl overdose on November 5, 2023, and Karen reached out to SNAP shortly after. The bereaved mother came into possession of a chilling video earlier this year that supports Jason’s outcry against the clergyman. Jason' death certificate is among the three included in Rick's Exhibit 12. He was only 27 at the time of his death. 

For Immediate Release: June 18, 2025

On June 12, 2025, a Catholic priest from San Diego was arrested for the sexual assault of three children. The crimes occurred over 30 years ago. From 1991 through 1999, the clergyman reportedly brought the children, who were all under 14 years old, to the Central Coast. He is accused of committing oral copulation on all three and sodomy on one.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is grateful that the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office is pursuing this case. We hope that the victims will finally receive a measure of justice through the courts for all their years of suffering.

The accused,  Fr. Theodore Edward Gabrielli, worked at churches, schools, and ministries in San Jose, Los Gatos, and Los Angeles. His past assignments include Most Holy Trinity Parish in San Jose, Dolores Mission in Los Angeles, and Social Ministries in Los Gatos. Prior to his arrest, the clergyman was a member of the Loyola High School of Los Angeles' Board of Directors.  He was also working with the Dolores Mission in Los Angeles. Fr. Gabrielli remains in jail without bail until his arraignment on July 8th.

For immediate release: June 16, 2025

The New Jersey State Supreme Court ruled today that a grand jury may examine accusations of Catholic clergy sexually abusing children. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is elated with this decision. Mark Crawford, SNAP’s New Jersey leader, said, “Decades of crimes against children will finally be exposed.”

Time and again, it seems to us, that the only path towards transparency when dealing with the abuse of children by Catholic priests and staffers is through the free press and the secular courts. In fact, at every turn, powerful Church officials, with millions of dollars at their disposal to hire the best law firms, oppose the very openness they pledged in 2002 in the Dallas Charter.

Hundreds of priests have already been identified as abusers because of the courage of survivors. According to the Pew Research Center, New Jersey is one of four states where Catholics made up a plurality of the population. We believe that a robust, subpoena-driven grand jury investigation in the style of Pennsylvania’s may well expose hundreds more perpetrators, and will make the New Jersey Catholic Church a safer place for today’s children.

For immediate release: June 13, 2025

Cindy Clemishire, who accused Robert Morris of child sexual abuse, and her father have filed a lawsuit against the former pastor, his wife and several current and former Gateway church leaders. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, believes that their action will help to protect today's and future children. We stand with Cindy and her father in their fight for justice and accountability. 

To us, the fact that Cindy’s father is part of this lawsuit highlights an important element of the sexual abuse of children by religious leaders that is often overlooked: the entire family is harmed, not just the victim. We hope that the elder Clemishire gains a measure of healing by participating in this process.

For immediate release: June 10, 2025

SF Gate reported today that a former longtime teacher at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School filed a lawsuit last week accusing the school of firing him for reporting another teacher’s "alleged sexual misconduct." SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is very disturbed by the claims in the complaint.

Ted Curry worked in the drama department at St. Ignatius from 2000 until his termination on February 11^th. The lawsuit claims that the school retaliated against Mr. Curry because his 2006 report on another drama teacher, Peter Devine, revealed that the school had “covered up” the accusation.

Mr. Curry’s 2006 report resurfaced when a former St. Ignatius student accused Mr. Devine of sexually abusing him in 1996. During the school’s internal investigation into that accusation, Mr. Curry informed the investigator about his report. 

Following this disclosure, the suit claims St. Ignatius began to retaliate against Mr. Curry “almost immediately.” The student accusing Mr. Devine of sexual abuse in 1996 subsequently filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court in 2023. Mr. Curry is expected to testify in the trial on Sept. 9th. 

For immediate release: June 6, 2025

The head of a Kansas City Kansas Catholic school has been suspended because of "recent reports" questioning his ability to "oversee a safe environment" for kids.

To SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, it seems pathetic that Catholic officials continue to be so secretive about Phil Baniewicz, his recent behavior, and the child sex abuse report against him from Arizona.

While his suspension is welcome, in our opinion, he should never have been hired in the first place two years ago.

For Immediate Release: June 2, 2025 

On May 29, 2025, Bishop Michael Martin of the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, announced that the Vatican had affirmed his predecessor’s removal of Fr. Patrick Hoare from ministry for “boundary violations with minors.” Fr. Hoare was placed on administrative leave from his position at St. Matthew Parish by Bishop Peter Joseph Jugis in December of 2019. Bishop Martin wrote that he can now appoint a new administrator for the church.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, applauds the Diocese’s decision to remove Fr. Hoare from St. Matthew's while his appeal to Rome was pending. However, we are puzzled why his name still does not appear on Charlotte’s list of “Credibly Accused Clergy.”

We first asked this question back in 2021. It is especially concerning to us that Fr. Hoare continues to post “Daily Reflections with Fr. Pat," featuring a picture of him in clerical garb. We are afraid that this apparent representation of Fr. Hoare as a priest in good standing, rather than one who was removed for  “boundary violations with minors,” may endanger other children. 

For immediate release: May 22, 2025

The survivors' committee in the Archdiocese of San Francisco's bankruptcy yesterday released Claims Data, which pulled information from individual reports filed in the proceeding. According to this data, 71 of the 88 parishes in the Archdiocese (81%) were named in the abuse claims. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called this and the other revelations from the report  "wrenching," and added, "There was no good news to be had  in this data."

The survivors' group also again emphasized that no archbishop of San Francisco had ever released a list of accused perpetrators. However, by SNAP's count, about 150 people were accused of abuse in the bankruptcy. Adding this information to the data already collected by the group, over 500 perpetrators lived or worked in the Archdiocesan territories of Marin, San Mateo, and San Francisco County. In addition, because the Oakland, Santa Rosa, San Jose, and Stockton dioceses were at one time a part of the Archdiocese, its tentacles reached to state lines and into central California. In all, hundreds of parishes and schools were the locations of abuse. 

SNAP Board Member and Treasurer, Dan McNevin stated, "These abusers truly had absolutely shocking and widespread impact that defied the imagination and that deserved attention from Catholics, secular law enforcement, and the public." Dan went on to add that while 81% of the parishes in the Archdiocese were identified as sites of abuse in this bankruptcy, because so few victims ever come forward, and because SNAP's records show 98% of parishes housed or employed known perpetrators, there is no doubt that nearly every parish in the Archdiocese was the site of crimes against children.

The best legal settlements offer survivors a sense of closure and justice. Unfortunately, the proposed bankruptcy settlement from the Archdiocese of New Orleans offers neither. Survivors have the right to vote “no” on this settlement and force the Archdiocese of New Orleans to come back with a better offer—one that truly reflects the full extent of the harm it has caused to survivors and their families.