News Story of the Day
From West Virginia to the Vatican: How a Catholic bishop secretly sent money from a church hospital to a cardinal in Rome
The idea came to West Virginia Bishop Michael J. Bransfield while he was in Rome visiting an old friend, a powerful cardinal at the Vatican. Bransfield thought the cleric’s apartment was barren and lacked a comfortable room for watching television.
Accused of sexual abuse, a priest left Colorado for a safe haven: San Diego
SAN DIEGO — In 1953, the Rev. Walter Buetzler was accused of molesting a fifth-grade boy after hearing the child’s confession at St. Joseph Parish in Monte Vista, Colo. After the boy’s father complained to the parish council and later to the Diocese of Pueblo’s bishop, Buetzler left the state.
Former Colorado state senator sexually assaulted children as a priest, report says
A Pueblo priest who served as a Colorado state senator sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl and a high school junior before joining the statehouse, according to a report about clergy sex abuse in Colorado.
What’s Inside The Colorado Attorney General’s Special Report On Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse
The independent review of Colorado church records from the dioceses of Colorado, Denver and Pueblo was announced in February by Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Attorney General Phil Weiser. The goal was to determine which priests had credible allegations of sexual abuse against them.
Abuse claims put Catholic Church in New York City under scrutiny
Names marked with an asterisk* have been changed to protect identities.
Gabriel* was a young Catholic student when Father John Paddack arrived at his school in 1984. The priest taught at Incarnation School, said mass at its parish and was involved with the altar boy programme. Before long, Gabriel says Paddack began calling him into a secluded place in the church, where the boy was instructed to confess his sins.
Duluth diocese concludes bankruptcy
Scores of child sexual abuse victims in the Diocese of Duluth will soon share tens of millions of dollars in compensation, following a federal judge’s final approval Monday of a bankruptcy reorganization plan for the diocese.
More time to file bankruptcy plan, clergy abuse survivors could get paid by early 2020
Guam's clergy sex abuse survivors could start getting compensation from the Archdiocese of Agana by early to middle of 2020, now that parties are set to go into mediation will that be followed by a reorganization plan.
45 years later, 'Uncle Raggy,' ex-youth minister, indicted in sexual abuse case
A former youth minister has been indicted on a sexual abuse charge stemming from an alleged incident that took place nearly 45 years ago. Dural Reece Ragsdale, 71, known as "Uncle Raggy" on his now shuttered YouTube channel, turned himself in to the Tishomingo County Jail Monday afternoon. He was charged with fondling, a felony.
Catholic parents must stand up to church leaders and reject them for sex abuse cover-ups
Former Diocese attorney Frank Vollor referred to me as having a vengeance. I take issue with that assessment. I and many other survivors of sex abuse do have grievances.
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