SNAP to Pope Francis: Let an independent panel review the case against Bishop Barros
For immediate release Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of California, Volunteer Member of SNAP’s Board of Directors (925-708-6175, [email protected])
During his recent trip to South America Pope Francis twice told reporters that there is no evidence that Bishop Juan Barros Madrid knew about Father Fernando Karadima’s sexual abuse of children. In doing so the prelate not only ignored the testimony of those men who were victimized by Karadima, he also slandered the victims by accusing them of calumny.
We say: if Pope Francis insists that Barros is innocent: let him put his money where his mouth is.
It seems to us that rather than continuing to make statements that are offensive to abuse survivors, Pope Francis should submit the case to public scrutiny.
We propose that the pope allow an independent five person panel to investigate the charges against Barros. The group should be composed of current or former UN or ICC officials.We further suggest that half of the panel be chosen by victims, the other half by the Vatican, with one additional person chosen by the panel. The complete findings of the group must be made public.
Pope Francis would also need to turn over to the panel all the information on Barros and Karadima in the Vatican’s possession. In addition, he would need to pledge to remove Barros from his position in Chile if the bishop is found to have known about Karadima’s abuse, as the victims have reported.
Pope Francis insists that Barros is innocent. The Karadima victims say Barros knew.
Let an independent panel decide.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 members. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
CONTACT
Melanie Jula Sakoda (925-708-6175, [email protected]), Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), or Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director (314-503-0003, [email protected])
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