News Story of the Day
Three common strategies sexual offenders use to discredit child witnesses
By Boz Tchividjian
August 22, 2014
A Texas high school student named Greg Kelley was recently convicted of sexually victimizing a four year old boy. Despite the jury verdict, a small vocal group of supporters have been working hard to convince the public that this sexual offender is innocent.. Marginalizing the powerful voice of the child victim is often at the heart of this disturbing and all too common objective. In my years as a child sexual abuse prosecutor, I discovered that offenders and their supporters use three common strategies to try and convince others to embrace their distorted definition of innocence:
Kansas City is still waiting for the bishop and Catholic diocese to do the right thing
By Kansas City Star
August 19, 2014
The only reassuring news to come out of an arbitrator’s recent finding against the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is that its Victim Advocacy Program, created in 2008 in response to the priest abuse scandal, is operating well.
Priest accused of molesting child in Elizabeth 50 years ago
By Bill Zlatos
August 17, 2014
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh began informing parishioners of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor nearly 11 years after its leaders learned of the accusation.
Justice Denied for Abused Children
By the New York Times Editorial Board
August 13, 2014
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill last week that adds compensated public school coaches to the list of professionals, including teachers, required to report to authorities suspected cases of child sexual abuse and other maltreatment. This leaves uncovered some (but not all) private and parochial school coaches, volunteer coaches and college-level coaches. And it does nothing to elevate New York’s low ranking when it comes to providing justice to the victims of child sexual abuse. That shabby distinction is directly related to the state’s failure to extend its severely short statute of limitations in child-sexual-abuse cases.
Church child abuse victims' group SNAP takes on Poland
By Polskie Radio
August 13, 2014
SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), which was founded in the US in 1989, currently has representatives in 56 countries.
“We want to appoint a local [SNAP] leader in every diocese or region,” said Maria Mucha, who is setting up the organisation's Polish network, in an interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
Priest abuse victims demand Jarrell, Harson release names
By Claire Taylor
August 13, 2014
A national group of priest sex abuse victims is calling on Bishop Michael Jarrell and District Attorney Mike Harson to release the names of 15 credibly accused priests.
New documents show falsehoods in Nienstedt testimony
By Madeleine Baran
August 11, 2014
Documents made public Monday in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis show that Archbishop John Nienstedt made false statements under oath in April about his knowledge of a priest accused of child sexual abuse.
Former deacon, teacher in Mahoning County loses teaching license
BY The Vindicator Staff Report
August 8, 2014
A former deacon and teacher at two schools in Mahoning County has lost his teaching license.
Ernest Formichelli taught at Cardinal Mooney High School from 1976-2013 and St. Christine School from 1971-76, according to diocese records. He no longer is employed by the Diocese of Youngstown and no longer is a deacon.
Attorney releases names of 8 'credibly accused' priests
By Forum News Service
August 5, 2014
ST. PAUL – Plaintiffs' attorney Jeffrey Anderson released the names of eight priests from the Diocese of New Ulm who had been "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors.
Listen to Barbara Blaine on WBEZ's Morning Shift!
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, of SNAP, met in Chicago this weekend for their annual conference. The organization functions as a support group for victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, and works to connect people with the resources to move on from that experience. Now, 25 years after their inception, SNAP’s founder Barbara Blaine explains what the new pope’s formation of commission for the protection of minors means for the group, and how they can work with the Church in order to heal.
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