SNAP News

Once again, church officials have claimed to be open and honest in cases of clergy abuse. Once again, it is journalists and secular advocates who have shown that claim to be false.

The Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, has released the names of 14 clergy who have been “credibly” accused of abuse. Of those names, four are new names that have not been previously disclosed. But like almost all lists released by Catholic officials, as opposed to secular law enforcement, it is still lacking in completeness and transparency.

As the new year continues to roll on, a report out of Florida has served as an example for other attorneys general around the country who have been investigating cases of clergy abuse.

A coach at a Catholic school within the Archdiocese of San Francisco has been arrested for possessing child pornography. We call on school officials to work to identify any possible victims among their student or alumni population and for church officials within the Archdiocese of San Francisco to do outreach.

In a blow to child protection efforts everywhere, the highest court in Montana today reversed a decision that held church officials from the Jehovah’s Witnesses responsible for failing to report child abuse to the authorities. We are dismayed by this ruling and hope that legislators in Montana will respond by passing new legislation eliminating the clergy-penitent privilege that allowed this case to be overturned in the first place.

A lawsuit that would force a Pennsylvania diocese to release all its records related to sexual abuse of children can move forward, a judge has ruled. We applaud this ruling and the precedent it sets and hope that others across the country will force their own dioceses to release records to the public as well.

A disgraced former Cardinal has left Kansas and moved to a new facility in Florida that is near a school and on a property that doubles as a summer camp. The proximity that this abuser now has to children is disturbing and we call on Catholic officials to publicize his presence to the community so that parishioners and the public are better able to protect children and the vulnerable.

A bizarre lawsuit has been filed against church officials from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but in this case it is the church officials who did the right thing. We hope this lawsuit fails.

A new report by Bloomberg Businessweek has put into plain view the way that Catholic officials abuse bankruptcy court in order to hold tightly to both their secrets and their money, at the expense of survivors and the protection of children. We hope this report will demonstrate to parishioners how their money is being used and will cause more people to examine how they donate to and support their church.

Hundreds of Southern Baptist Convention churches have been subpoenaed in a new lawsuit, a good step forward that will lead to more openness and transparency about how cases of sexual violence are treated by church leaders. We applaud this move and look forward to the results.