Philly Cardinal is questioned; SNAP responds
While we're grateful that Bevilacqua is being questioned, it's long overdue. And it's time that Catholic officials are treated, by our justice system, just like anyone else - no special privileges or deference.
We suspect the Cardinal will do what many of his colleagues have done - and pretend to recall almost nothing about dozens and dozens of cases of child molesting priests, nuns, seminarians and other church personnel. We hope the judge will see through this ruse.
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
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By Mike Ference
Seems there was a young fellow by the name of Anthony âTonyâ Boom Boom Bevilacqua who, along with fellow thugs, hijacked a delivery truck filled with Halloween costumes coming into Pittsburgh from Jersey. These werenât ordinary costumes; they were religious in nature â mostly gag priestsâ outfits and nunsâ attire. âThere was some good stuff— bishop costumes and cardinal gear,â recalled a priest at St. Lukeâs.
According to the priestly snitch, Tony Boom Boom Bevilacqua showed up dressed as a bishop at an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner at a Catholic church in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh â the rest is history.
Eventually, Bevilacqua opened his own seminary St. Paulâs, near Pittsburgh, where he sold off the priest outfits and nun clothes to persons released from psychiatric treatment centers for sexually dysfunctional men and women. Bevilacqua would then place the pedo – priests in church parishes and the pedo -nuns in Catholic schools where they could prey on little children. But Bevilacqua didnât care because he made sure the âpriestsâ and ânunsâ would kick back a share of the Sunday collection take and school tuition. This brought in a lot of money which Bevilacqua shared with the Vatican. In just a short time, Bevilacqua was up for a promotion to cardinal. Again, according to our sources, Bevilacqua used his position to further his second career as a mobster and became a made-man. Our sources described it as a buy-one-get-one free type of promotion that was offered by the Vatican back in those days.
Eventually, Bevilacqua could see the benefits of partnering with Allegheny County Government. Thatâs why DA Stephen Zapalla would never push for a grand jury investigation into clergy sex abuse cases. Bevilacqua also made friends with the local media including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who often featured him in its Seen Column. The partnership with the PG continued with Bishop Donald Weurl (a.k.a. The Lavender Don) who added his own media partners to the mixâ KDKA radio and television, which are oftentimes referred to as the Catholic Channel.
As for Tony Boom Boom Bevilacqua, youâll find him walking along the streets of Philadelphiaâs Little Italy; stopping occasionally to bless video poker machines in the pizza shops and Philly steak houses. Folks in the neighborhood say he wears pajama pants and mutters something about being the only living felon ever to be canonized a saint. A check with Vatican authorities revealed nothing, although itâs rumored that canonization as a living saint for a felon may cost upwards of ten-grand, a figure many say is peanuts compared to what Boom Boom was bringing in during his glory years as a bishop and cardinal.
According to Vegas bookies, odds are 5 to 1 Boom Boom Bevilacqua is a saint (not necessarily in good standing) years before JPII.