A message from SNAPDFW’s facilitator, Lisa Kendzior
Acknowledge your courage
;)
It takes courage to acknowledge that we’ve been abused and it is not easy to even admit it to ourselves. Just browsing this website is a big step.Know that you are not alone!
If you’ve been victimized by clergy, please know that you are not alone. You can get better. You can reach out to others who’ve been hurt just like you have.
Together, we can heal one another.
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Minnesota house and senate pass bill allowing lawsuits against churches who covered up sexual abuse for years
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would allow lawsuits against churches, schools and other organizations that may have covered up child sexual abuse decades ago.The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 66-0. A similar bill overwhelmingly passed the House last week. Katharine Tinucci, a spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Dayton, said in an email that she expects the governor will sign it.
Past victims of child sexual abuse said the vote was a relief after years of similar yet unsuccessful efforts to achieve it.
Read more about this monumental achievement in survivors' rights and Justice:
Read Senate OKs bill easing lawsuits for child sexual abuse in the MPR News
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Posted by Juan Carlos Cruz on March 13, 2013
"Many bishops in Latin America have covered up and have denied having abuse in their countries. ... a secret kept by the Catholic hierarchy and that is repeated in many countries in Latin America. ...
"In Chile there are 32 bishops and at least half of them have covered up abuse. ... They are still not taking it seriously.
"It is very difficult in Latin America because of the culture of reverence to the Catholic Church and the power that it has in the region ... it is very difficult to bring something up and not have it crushed by judges that are easily dominated by these groups.
"There are reports of abuse in several Latin American countries but the power and control that the Church exercises there is so much that they are constantly crushed and denied.
"We need a Pope that deals with the powerful and secretive bishops like the ones in Latin America and has the courage to confront them and let so many good priests take the reins of a ship that is sinking in the region."
Read the entire post on the SNAP Network website ...
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by David Clohessy
13 March 2013
"It is always hopeful when someone new takes office. We often assume that the new person will be better than the last person, especially in a scandal ridden institution.
But that assumption is reckless. There’s no guarantee that a new person means a new direction.
Our hope is that the new Pope is that he will be bold and courageous in tackling the centuries-old and ongoing abuse and cover up crisis in the church. It’s long-standing, deeply-entrenched and tragically pervasive. Real reform may well take decades.
To help the institution he loves, Pope Benedict resigned. We hope that this pope will take similarly radical steps to protect children.
Actions, not words protect kids. While long on words, apologies and promises, Benedict was short on decisive action. We hope his successor will be different. We strongly urge him to start by harshly disciplining prelates who are enabling or have enabled child molesting clerics, be they priests, nuns, seminarians, bishops or cardinals.
And we urge Catholics to judge him on the concrete steps he may take to stop the abuse and cover-up, not on the vague pledges he may make about the crisis.
We in SNAP will continue to do everything in our power to safeguard children, expose wrongdoing and heal victims. We will keep working to hold those who commit and conceal heinous crimes against children responsible, and see that they are prosecuted and convicted and kept away from kids. We will vigorously push to reform predator friendly abuse laws, so that more wounded victims can warn families and protect kids through the justice system. We beg compassionate and concerned Catholics to join us in this struggle.
No one man caused this crisis; no one man can remedy it either. Every single person who sees, suspects or suffers child sex crimes in the church must report, and preferably to secular authorities, not church figures. Complacency protects no one. Only vigilance protects the vulnerable."
Read the post on the SNAPNetwork website ...
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Vatican censors Bishop Accountability public information about priest sexual abuse and coverup, calling it 'Hate/Racist'
The National Catholic Reporter disclosed yesterday that Vatican servers are blocking users from accessing www.bishopaccountability.org.BishopAccountability.org provides a valuable service by providing facts about clergy sex abuse. They do this without being partisan and without skewing information. They are archivists of information, not any sort of propaganda organization. It is one thing for Vatican officials to turn a blind eye to these facts, as they have done for years, but it is quite another to attempt to prevent others from seeing them as well, particularly by lying about its content.
The very name of this organization (BISHOPS ACCOUNTABILITY) shows exactly what church officials are afraid of; being held accountable for their decades of inaction on clergy sex abuse. Today, they finally took action, but once again, it was the wrong one. By refusing to allow themselves to be held accountable, they prove ever more how it is true that it is people, not polices that are the problem.
This is a cowardly move, and it should be known as such. We applaud BishopAccountability.org in their work, and the fact that they are trying to be silenced today proves just how much of an impact they have made, and despite this setback, will continue to make.
(Note: The report says It is still possible to access the website from non-Vatican controlled servers. Only Vatican servers are blocking the site).
Read 'Access to clergy sex abuse site limited at Vatican' in the National Catholic Reporter ...
Read 'ITALY - Victims praise abuse archive; question Vatican censorship' on the SNAP national website
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UK cardinal and opponent of gay rights admits sexual abuse he first denied that led to withdrawal as papal elector
Keith Patrick O'Brien, the Scottish cardinal archbishop who resigned last week following accusations of sexually abusive conduct with priests, has said that "my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal." O'Brien previously denied the allegations through his spokesman. On Saturday, he released a statement acknowledging the abuse and asking forgiveness.
As a Roman Catholic cardinal, appointed by Benedict XVI, O'Brien was entitled to take part in the secret vote to determine the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church
However, he recused himself from the conclave following news reports of allegations of abusive and unwanted sexual contact with three priests and one former priest. The incidents are reported to have occurred over the past 30 years.
Read the full account in 'Scottish cardinal admits improper sexual conduct' on the National Catholic Reporter website ...
Read 'Don't call it an affair. Call it what it is - the illegal and dehumanizing abuse of professional religious power ' here on the SNAPDFW website ...
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UN Committee on Rights of the Child demands answers from Vatican on its handling of epidemic sexual violence in the church
The SNAPDFW website has been reporting since 2010 about the Vatican's blatant ignoring of the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets international standards for the care, treatment and protection of all individuals below age 18.Like all UN member states signing the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Vatican is required by international law to submit regular reports on its efforts to safeguard child rights, well-being and dignity.
But the Vatican has ignored these repeated UN requests to file their report for over 15 years.
The UN committee has summoned the Vatican to answer questions about its record of ensuring children are protected from sexual violence. This is the first time the Holy See will have been called to account for its actions on these issues before an international body with authority. The first meeting will take place in Geneva in June.
SNAP FILES ALTERNATE REPORT
On 28 February 2013 the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed an alternate report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child documenting the ongoing worldwide sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
“When the Committee on the Rights of the Child meets in June and demands answers from the Vatican on its handling of the epidemic of sexual violence in the church, it will be a historic day for survivors. The church has put itself and its reputation above the welfare of children at every step, in many cases knowingly moving a pedophile priest from one congregation to the next to keep things quiet, allowing the priest to continue to operate and have contact with children. This UN body has authority to determine whether the Holy See has violated the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It’s a long overdue calling to account.” -- Pam Spees, Senior Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
According to the UNICEF website Unite for Children, filing the report is a legally binding, international responsibility:
""The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too." Unite for Children, UNICEF
RELATED
- NSAC Editorial: Yet Another Deadline Passes, Still No Report
- Vatican 13 years delinquent in submitting legally required UN report on 'Rights of the Child'
- SNAP petitions international court to investigate the pope and top Vatican officials for possible crimes against humanity
- Amnesty International human rights report lists Vatican for failure to protect children
- Vatican 2010 priorities: protect assets; ignore 'Rights of the Child'
- Moral bankruptcy of Roman hierarchy read into record of United Nations Human Rights Council
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Will the Roman church run the risk of shrinking into an increasingly irrelevant sect, asks theologian Küng
"Under the two most recent popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, there has been a fatal return to the church’s old monarchical habits.So writes one of only two (the other being Benedict XVI) still living Vatican II Roman Catholic theologians, Hans Küng.
Writing in the New York Times this week, Küng speculates on the future of the Roman church. He also reflects on the broken papacy of his one time colleague, Joseph Ratzinger:
"The major scandals during his papacy are known: there was Benedict’s recognition of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s arch-conservative Society of St. Pius X, which is bitterly opposed to the Second Vatican Council, as well as of a Holocaust denier, Bishop Richard Williamson.
There was the widespread sexual abuse of children and youths by clergymen, which the pope was largely responsible for covering up when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. And there was the “Vatileaks” affair, which revealed a horrendous amount of intrigue, power struggles, corruption and sexual lapses in the Curia, and which seems to be a main reason Benedict has decided to resign."
If the next conclave were to elect a pope who goes down the same old road, the church will never experience a new spring, but fall into a new ice age and run the danger of shrinking into an increasingly irrelevant sect.
-- Vatican II theologian Hans Küng in the New York Times
Read 'A Vatican Spring?' by Vatican II Theologian Hans Kung in the NYTimes ...
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Don't call it an affair. Call it what it is - the illegal and dehumanizing abuse of professional religious power
When persons in positions of power — counselors, pastors, physicians — attempt to engage in sexual relationships with those over whom they have authority, the relationship is not consensual ... the act is legally defined as abuse because of the authority the professional holds.
-- Diana Garland, Dean of Baylor University School of Social Work
SNAPDFW not only supports and advocates for survivors of clergy abuse occurring in childhood, but for adults abused by clergy as well.
In an article published in the Waco, Texas Tribune on January 24, 2010, guest columnist Diana Garland, Dean of Baylor University School of Social Work, addresses the highly misunderstood issue of abuse perpetrated upon adults who trust in the care of their clergy.
"Clergy sexual misconduct with adults is a more nuanced issue than the sexual abuse of children. Sexual involvement of an adult with a child is always wrong because we know that children are not developmentally able to give consent. Because adults always have authority over children, children cannot “just say no” to adults.
When the sexual offense occurs between adults, however, we assume that if there is no physical coercion, the relationship is consensual. In fact, however, when persons in positions of power — counselors, pastors, physicians — attempt to engage in sexual relationships with those over whom they have authority, the relationship is not consensual. The feelings or willingness of the victim are irrelevant; the act is legally defined as abuse because of the authority the professional holds."
Read More...
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Renowned Zen teacher Joshu Sasaki accused of misusing his position for sexual favors from female students
Sweeping Zen, an online news outlet for the Zen community, reports that 105 year old Zen teacher Joshu Sasaki purportedly misused his position as a Zen teacher for his own sexual gratifications with many of his female Zen students.According to a report by an independent council of Zen teachers assembled to hear the stories of those affected, these sexual encounters were often initiated "in the formal setting, privacy, and 'face-to-face' encounters of the sanzen room."
I have decided to come forward now because to allow this kind of abuse to go unacknowledged, when so many of us know it has been happening is, in my opinion, inexcusable. I will not be silent any more. -- Eshu Martin, former Zen Student of Sasaki
Sanzen is a ritualized private meeting between a Zen student and Zen teacher. Their report also stated that there were reports of coercion and that Sasaki would at times frame the sexual contact as being a form of Zen teaching, or otherwise beneficial to the student.
SNAP PROVIDES INDEPENDENT SUPPORT CONTACT FOR SURVIVORS OF ZEN ABUSE
Barbara Dorris of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has graciously offered to serve as an independent contact person for women who experienced the behavior of Joshu Sasaki currently under discussion.
An item on the Sweeping Zen website says, "Barbara (Dorris of SNAP) has been dealing with people who have been involved with clergy for many many years and is completely trustworthy. She also is not a Buddhist cleric or affiliated with any Buddhist institution that might have vested interest in whatever reports might be received."
Barbara can be reached at: (314) 862-7688.
Read the Sweeping Zen Article 'Everybody Knows' by former Sasaki student Eshu Martin
Read the report by independent council of Zen Teachers
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New pope must insure that era of secrecy and coverups end and make genuine amends to survivors, says SNAP leader
In a statement released yesterday, the Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a Chicago-based nonprofit that has helped victims worldwide, said that the Catholic Church must elect a new pope that protects children from clergy sexual abuse after Pope Benedict XVI resigns."For the Church to truly embody the spiritual teachings of Jesus Christ, it must be led by a pontiff who demands transparency, exposes child-molesting clerics, punishes wrongdoers and enablers, cooperates with law enforcement, and makes true amends to those who were hurt so greatly by Catholic priests, employees and volunteers." -- Barbara Blaine, president of SNAP
Blaine said that the era of secrecy and coverups must end, and that victims of sexual abuse want to ensure that other children never experience what they did.
SNAP, which has more than 12,000 members, is the largest support group for clergy abuse victims. Victims include those who were molested by religious leaders in all denominations, including priests, nuns, rabbis and Protestant ministers.
Read the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
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LA Catholic archdiocese Mahoney drained cemetery fund begun in 1890s to pay for sexual abuse stonewalling
The Los Angeles Times reports that censured LA cardinal Roger Mahoney all but drained a cemetery fund to pay sexual abuse by priests settlements. The diocese then, for 6 years, stone-walled a court order to release the 12,000 documents -- part of the settlement agreement . The documents were eventually released, and showed what Mahoney's predecessor called 'evil' machinations by Mahoney and his administration to cover up years of sexual abuse by priests.The Archdiocese under Mahoney did not inform relatives of the deceased that it had taken the money, which amounted to 88% of the fund. Families of those buried in church-owned cemeteries and interred in its mausoleums have contributed to a dedicated account for the perpetual care of graves, crypts and grounds since the 1890s.
Mahony and other church officials also did not mention the cemetery fund in numerous public statements about how the archdiocese planned to cover the $660-million abuse settlement. In detailed presentations to parish groups, the cardinal and his aides said they had cashed in substantial investments to pay the settlement, but they did not disclose that the main asset liquidated was cemetery money.
Read the full story in the LA Times
Read 'Cardinal Mahoney Used Cemetery Money to Pay Sex Abuse Settlement' on the Jeffery Anderson, PA website
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Roger Mahony ex-cardinal of LA - censured for sexual abuse coverup - and Irish cardinal Sean Brady will vote for the next pope
In a BBC opinion piece today, former Catholic Rod Dreher says Pope Benedict failed contain and correct the sexual abuse crisis the Roman church.Benedict never adequately confronted the depths of the crisis. Under this Pope, no bishop, however badly implicated in a cover-up, ever had to fear that Rome would hold him accountable for what he did, or failed to do, in the crisis.
It is telling that Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh and retired Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, who failed dismally to act against abusers in their midst, remain eligible to vote for Benedict's successor.
-- Rod Dreher, BBC News
Read the full article on the BBC News website
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