FATHER Victor Rubeo left Doveton overnight because he was having sex with a number of women in the parish, while his "bizarre and lunatic" successor Father Peter Searson told a girl he indecently assaulted in confession "the Lord forgives you".
News Story of the Day
Sex-abuse survivor, former R.I. man depicted in 'Spotlight' movie, tells his story
By Karen Lee Ziner, Journal Staff Writer, Posted Nov. 28, 2015, Providence Journal
PROVIDENCE — You won't hear Jim Scanlan's name in the film "Spotlight." But you will see him portrayed as "Kevin from Providence," who suffered sexual abuse by a Boston College High School priest in the late 1970s.
The film is a fact-based drama about the Boston Globe Spotlight Team's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2002 investigation of the Catholic Church's cover-up of clergy sexual abuse.
Victims of Catholic Sex Abuse Cite Impact of ‘Spotlight’
Posted to Politics November 25, 2015 by Graham Vyse, Insidesources.com
The new movie Spotlight is generating Oscar buzz for its depiction of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prizewinning investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. In the nation’s capital, the film is also encouraging advocates for abuse victims who want religious institutions — and the D.C. government — to do more for their cause.
“It’s very motivating to myself and other leaders,” said Becky Ianni, the D.C. and Virginia director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). Ianni told InsideSources she’s seen an increase in phone calls from victims since Spotlight has been promoted and released in the past few months.
Church let 'lunatic' loose in poor parish
BY MEGAN NEIL, AAP, NOVEMBER 25, 2015, The Australian
THE Catholic Church let a "raving lunatic loose" and sent a string of pedophile priests to a disadvantaged Melbourne parish with no concern for the parishioners, an inquiry has heard.
Vatican puts journalists, employees on trial as media cries foul
By Philip Pullella, Tue Nov 24, 2015, Reuters,
* Journalists groups condemn trial as violation of press freedom
* OSCE urges Vatican to drop charges against journalists
* Pair wrote books alleging mismanagement and greed in the Vatican
VATICAN CITY , Nov 24 Five people, including two Italian reporters, went on trial in the Vatican on Tuesday, to outrage from rights' groups, on charges arising from publication of books in which the Holy See was portrayed as mired in mismanagement and corruption.
'Spotlight' highlights abusive El Paso priest
Victims of a predatory priest who served in El Paso and Alamogordo helped provide the impetus for the Boston Globe investigation that revealed a widespread cover-up by the Catholic Church highlighted by the movie “Spotlight.”
The film’s all-star cast focuses on the newspaper’s investigation “Spotlight Investigation: Abuse in the Catholic Church,” which garnered the daily a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. The new movie by Open Road Films is showing in theaters across El Paso and the nation.
Prosecutor: Hibbing MN priest aggressively targeted girls
By Tom Olsen on Nov 19, 2015 at 7:23 p.m., Duluth News Tribune
A prosecutor has fired back against a Hibbing priest who is seeking to have his child sexual abuse charges dismissed, alleging that evidence shows the Rev. Brian Michael Lederer demonstrated a pattern of targeting young girls.
Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Jeff Vlatkovich said in a 13-page letter to 6th Judicial District Judge David Ackerson that allegations of inappropriate touching made by four girls, along along with suspected child pornography recovered from Lederer's computer, point to "an aggressive and/or sexual intent."
AP Investigation: Child sex crimes in armed forces shielded by opaque military justice system
By RICHARD LARDNER and EILEEN SULLIVAN, 11/18/15, The Republic
WASHINGTON — More inmates are in U.S. military prisons for sex crimes against children than for any other offense, an Associated Press investigation has found, but an opaque justice system prevents the public from knowing the full scope of the crimes or how much time the prisoners spend behind bars.
Of the 1,233 inmates confined in the military's prison network, 61 percent were convicted of sex crimes, according to the latest available data, obtained through the federal open records law. Children were the victims in over half of those cases.
Long Island Family Sues Catholic Order and Diocese in Molestation Case
NOV. 16, 2015, The NY Times
In 2009, Augusto Cortez, a Roman Catholic priest, pleaded guilty to forcible touching of a 12-year-old girl in Brooklyn. He was sentenced to six years of probation but was allowed to remain a member of his religious order.
Former Navy chaplain pleads guilty to making child porn
Jessica Masulli Reyes, The News Journal, November 16, 2015
A former U.S. Navy chaplain and Catholic priest from Millsboro has pleaded guilty to taking pornographic pictures of a teen boy and then distributing the images.
John Thomas Matthew Lee, 50, entered the plea before Judge Leonard P. Stark in U.S. District Court in Delaware on Monday morning.
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