News Story of the Day
Cardinal takes leave from Vatican after sex assault charges
By Kristen Gelineau, June 29, 2017, Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — Cardinal George Pell, one of Pope Francis' top advisers, took a leave of absence as the Vatican's financial czar on Thursday to fight multiple criminal charges in his native Australia that allege he committed sexual assault years ago.
Why We Protested In Midwood Last Sunday – ZAAKAH
June 27, 2017, Asher Lovy, Hareiani.com
This past Sunday, ZA’AKAH took the issue of child sexual abuse and Agudah’s horrendous record on it to the heart of the Jewish community in Midwood, Brooklyn. We started outside the home of Chaim David Zweibel, and after an hour moved to Landau’s Shul, a block down. A lot happened during that protest, and I want to try and break it down, answer some of the more common questions we got, and talk about my experiences as the organizer.
Brooklyn priest sexually abused woman who sought spiritual guidance: lawsuit
BY JAMES FANELLI, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Monday, June 26, 2017
A Catholic priest preyed on a vulnerable Brooklyn parishioner by twisting church theology in order to pressure her into performing sex acts on him, a lawsuit charges.
Father Andre Bain is accused of sexually abusing the young woman, who came to him for counseling shortly after he became the head of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in East Flatbush in July 2014.
The Silence of the Lambs: Are Protestants concealing a Catholic-size sexual abuse scandal?
By June 20, 2017, The New Republic
It was a hot day in July, a Saturday afternoon, and Kim James was bored. Her older sisters had taken her to a church event in their small hometown in Indiana, where the girls were spending their summer. Her parents were back in Bangladesh, working at the remote Baptist missionary compound where the family had lived, on and off, for five years.
For an adventurous and high-spirited 13-year-old like Kim, Indiana seemed dull compared to Bangladesh. She missed her friends, the dozen or so missionary kids everybody called “MKs.” She missed the menagerie her parents let her keep: goats, cows, a parrot, a monkey. She missed the jackals that called in the distance at night, and the elephants that sometimes crashed through the compound fence.
Benedictines ‘can’t accept’ blame for child abuse at school
By CHRIS MARSHALL, 24 June 2017, The Scotsman
The head of a religious order has expressed “sorrow” that monks abused boys at Fort Augustus Abbey School but said his congregation cannot be held responsible for what happened.
Dom Richard Yeo, abbot president of the English Benedictine Congregation, said he believed the allegations of former residents who say they were abused at the fee-paying Highland boarding school, which closed in 1993.
LDS bishop arrested by Mapleton police on reports of sexually abusing two underage males
Kurt Hanson, Daily Herald, June 22, 2017
Officers with the Mapleton Police Department arrested a man Wednesday on reports of sexually abusing two underage boys.
Police reports state on April 20, a now 18-year-old man told police he was sexually abused by a man about three years ago.
The young man said Erik Hughes, 51, was at first very friendly and provided him with what the male thought was melatonin to help him sleep. But it made him disoriented and Hughes told him he must’ve given him the wrong pill.
Lord Carey criticised by damning report which finds Church 'colluded' with disgraced bishop Peter Ball to cover up sex offences
By Olivia Rudgard, June 22, 2017, The Telegraph
Senior Church of England figures "colluded" with a disgraced bishop to conceal evidence of his sex offences, a report has found.
The report, the result of an 18 month-long enquiry by Dame Moira Gibb, found that senior clergy "trivialised" the actions of the disgraced bishop and sought to protect its reputation by failing to pass on evidence of further abuse.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey was heavily criticised by the damning report which condemns the Church of England over its handling of the case of bishop Peter Ball, who was convicted of sex offences in 2015.
State Senate Republicans kill the Child Victims Act again as majority leader says bill won't get a vote this year
By Glenn Blain, Kenneth Lovett, June 20, 2017, NY Daily News
ALBANY — State Senate Republicans once again turned their backs on child sex abuse victims.
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan responded “yes” when asked Tuesday afternoon if the Child Victims Act is done for the year.
Research identifies four dimensions of risk of child sexual abuse in institutional settings
By Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, June 19, 2017
Research identifies four dimensions of risk of child sexual abuse in institutional settings
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released a new research report that identifies four dimensions of risk of child sexual abuse in institutional settings.
Professors Patrick Parkinson and Judy Cashmore from the University of Sydney were contracted by the Royal Commission to establish a means of differentiating between types of institutions in terms of level of risk of child sexual abuse according to their characteristics and the services they provide.
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