News Story of the Day
Granger pastor removed from position following accusation of sexual abuse
By Veronica Padilla, June 12, 2017, NBC Right Now
GRANGER, WA - The pastor of the Catholic Church in Granger is permanently taken out of his parish by the bishop of the diocese of Yakima after an allegation of abuse that was found by the Diocese to be credible. This is the first abuse allegation against a priest in the diocese of Yakima in 18 years, and they are taking it seriously.
On the dark trail of Fr Joseph Maskell, subject of 'The Keepers' documentary who fled US amid child abuse allegations
John Meagher , June 11 2017, Independent
The green fields and high hedgerows in the Wexford countryside around the villages of Castlebridge, Screen and Curracloe must have felt utterly alien to Joseph Maskell.
Born and bred in the blue-collar city of Baltimore, Maryland, Maskell found himself in his mid-50s - after a completely urban life - in the rural heartland of the country of his father, who hailed from Limerick.
Former Annapolis Bible study instructor charged with sexually abusing child
By Phil Davis, Capital Gazette, June 9, 2017
A former Bible study instructor at an Annapolis church was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a child, Anne Arundel police said Friday.
The police department said Erick Ernesto Granados-Zeledon, 39, was arrested without incident at his home in the 1700 block of Oldtown Road in Edgewater on Thursday.
Catholic Church sent paedophile priests away 'for them to be fixed': Prosecutors turned blind eye to abuse
The Catholic Church in Scotland has admitted it made a 'huge mistake' by sending paedophile priests away to be 'fixed' rather than prosecuting them.
A senior cleric said yesterday that abuse was seen as a 'sin' and the church focused more on 'treating' child molesters than on helping their young victims.
He said there were occasions when prosecutors turned a blind eye and agreed not to bring charges on the condition abusers received therapy, with their crimes seen as a 'moral fault that could be fixed by prayer and retreat'.
Assembly passes child sex abuse bill, now up to Senate
By Michael Gormley, June 7, 2017, Newsday
ALBANY — The Assembly overwhelmingly passed a measure Wednesday that would allow sexually abused children many more years to try to prosecute or sue their abuser.
Archbishop Philip Wilson failed in third bid for permanent stay against conceal charge
By 6 Jun 2017, Newcastle Herald
FORMER Hunter priest Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be charged with concealing the child sex crimes of another priest, has failed in his third bid to stop the case against him from proceeding.
The NSW Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed Archbishop Wilson’s latest appeal, rejecting claims from his barrister Bret Walker, SC, that the charge against him was invalid because of changes to the law since 1971, when Hunter priest Jim Fletcher is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 10-year-old boy at Maitland.
HSE says it has no record of priest at centre of Netflix documentary working in Kilkenny
By MaryAnn Vaughan, June 06, 2017, KCLR
Fr Joseph Maskell is alleged to have sexually abused tens of students in Baltimore, USA before coming to the South East.
The HSE says it has no record of an American priest, suspected of child abuse, ever having worked in Kilkenny.
Mother and son reunite — almost 50 years after she says an Omaha priest forced her to give up her baby
By Michael O'Connor, World-Herald, Jun 5, 2017
Her hands trembled as she held the letter.
“Hello,” the note began. “I apologize for sending this to your office — it’s the only address I found.”
Her body shook as she read the next words in a message she’d awaited for decades and wondered if she’d ever receive: “I’m the person you were looking for.”
Archbishop accused of hiding pedophilia
Mexico News Daily | Saturday, June 3, 2017
A senior official of the Catholic Church in Mexico announced his resignation yesterday, the same day that a former priest filed accusations that Cardinal Norberto Rivera had concealed 15 cases of pedophilia by priests.
Rivera presented his resignation as Primate Archbishop of Mexico to church authorities, complying with regulations that require prelates to retire upon reaching the age of 75.
State Assembly announces revised child sex abuse victims bill could pass by next week
BY KENNETH LOVETT, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, June 3, 2017
ALBANY — The state Assembly Friday introduced a reworked bill designed to make it easier for child sex abuse survivors to seek justice as adults — and it’s expected to pass as soon as next week.
The bill goes slightly further than a previous version that had been criticized by abuse survivors, who now support it.
Bill sponsor Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) said the plan is to move the bill through committee starting Tuesday and then have a full floor vote later in the week.
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