Vatican Trial Begins Eight Years After Church Officials Made Aware of Abuse Within their Walls
Eight years after church officials within the Vatican were contacted by a whistleblower regarding ongoing sexual abuse within its walls, a trial has finally begun. We applaud the brave whistleblower who stepped forward as a child and hope that this trial will expose hidden abusers and the men who enabled them.
It is a farce that it took Pope Francis and his colleagues eight years to act on the information provided by a then-15-year-old child who witnessed his roommate being raped at a Vatican seminary. In apparent retaliation for reporting abuse, whistleblower Kamil Jarzembowski was kicked out of the seminary. While we are not surprised that the wrong person faced consequences in this case, we are disappointed and angered that Vatican officials attempted to silence the whistleblower instead of confronting the abuser.
This retaliation and the long delay in the trial are examples of tactics from the age-old Catholic playbook, designed to ensure that secrets stay hidden and any progress towards uncovering those secrets happens at a snail’s pace. It is beyond disturbing – yet oh so typical – that no progress on this case was made until the whistleblower took his story to the media in 2017. We applaud Mr. Jarzembowski for his bravery in coming forward not once, but multiple times, and are also grateful to the journalists that exposed this story.
Regardless of the outcome of this trial, it is clear to us that Pope Francis’s flowery words about an “all-out battle” against clergy abuse are very rarely backed up by concrete action. This case is a perfect example of why we believe it is up to secular society, and not church officials, to investigate and root out abusers within the Catholic Church.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(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
Showing 1 comment