For immediate release:
Monday, January 31, 2005

For more information:
David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP National Director (314) 566-9790 cell
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP President (312) 399-4747 cell
Peter Isely of Milwaukee, SNAP Regional Director (414) 429 7259 cell

Chicago Catholic Cardinal Discusses Sexual Abuse At Vatican

Victims Urge No More Backsliding But Fear The Worst

A support group for clergy molestation victims is urging Francis Cardinal George and other American Catholic Church leaders to prevent further backsliding of the US Bishops’ already vague and weak sexual abuse guidelines.

George and several other top US bishops are meeting in Rome today and tomorrow for discussions with Vatican officials about the guidelines. “The policy is already very flawed and is sporadically enforced,” said Barbara Blaine, President of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “Our suspicion is that Vatican Bureaucrats want to water it down even further. We hope Cardinal George and his colleagues will fight hard to put kids first.”

SNAP is a nation-wide, Chicago based, support network for clergy abuse survivors with over 5,100 members. SNAP holds self-help support meetings in 54 cities, including Chicago.