Survivors Call for Justice and Opening the Secret Archives of the Church
SNAP Leaders from New Orleans will hold a press event Friday, July 31, 2020, in front of Notre Dame Seminary at 2901 S. Carrollton Ave at 10 am.
The New Orleans Chapter of SNAP is extremely interested in knowing what the Archdiocese of New Orleans has shared with the Vatican regarding pedophile clergy. When Archbishop Aymond released the names of fifty-seven credibly accused clerics to the public on November 2, 2018, Canon law required all bishops to provide information to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and the Vatican.
In December 2019, Pope Francis abolished the Pontifical Secret. This should equate to every survivor being able to obtain files on his or her abuser. Survivors and victims have a right to review the results of the local and Vatican review of the accusations and outcome of the Church processes.
We call on victims and survivors of those sexually abused to support this action to open the books even if your case was settled.
We have a right to view any documents the Archbishop provided to the Vatican. Such information will reside in the Vatican secret archives. If no documentation was provided to the Vatican, we have a right to know that also. We look forward to hearing back from the CDF as to whether the last several Archbishops of New Orleans have fulfilled their duties to make reports to the Vatican.
Our press event will be held in front of the residence of Archbishop Aymond. We hope that he comes out and answers our questions.
CONTACT: Kevin Bourgeois, SNAP New Orleans ([email protected], 504-376-5445), Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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