SNAP DFW http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php Virginia pastor extradited to Ft Worth on charges of sexual assault on minors; reports bring others forward http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130528-070529
Geronimo Aguilar ran a large church in Richmond, Virginia, called The Richmond Outreach Center and was arrested this week to face justice in Texas. Recent TV news reports in Virginia uncovered a string of alleged inappropriate sexual relationships Aguilar had with young church members.

Those reports led two more adult women to come forward.

Read the full story on the WFAA website

From 'Psychological Effects of Abuse Why it is not an affair' on the SNAPNetwork website:
  • A true consenting adult relationship can only occur between more-or-less equally empowered individuals. It is never a relationship between equals when one half of the relationship refers to the other half as Father or Reverend.
  • Secret, sexual relations between a cleric and congregant are circumstancially and psychologically akin to incest and therefore as emotionally damaging of adult as child victims. (sources: Rutter, Sex in the Forbidden Zone: Plante, et al, Bless Me Father, for I Have Sinned; Carnes, The Betrayal Bond, Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune, FaithTrust Alliance)

Read 'Psychological effects of abuse - Why it is not an affair' on the SNAP national website]]> Minnesota house and senate pass bill allowing lawsuits against churches who covered up sexual abuse for years http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130509-060802
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
]]> More resignations In controversy surrounding NJ pedophile priest accused of defying order to cease ministry to children http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130506-164528
The shake-up comes a week after it was disclosed that Michael Fugee, a priest of the neighboring Archdiocese of Newark, had been involved with a youth group in defiance of an agreement that bars him from ministering to children or holding any position in which children are involved. Fugee, 52, agreed to the terms in 2007 to avoid retrial on charges that he abused a 13-year-old boy. The Newark Archdiocese also signed on to the agreement, pledging to supervise Fugee and to keep him away from children.

But the supervision was, at best, lax, allowing the priest to interact with minors not only at St. Mary’s but at Holy Family Catholic Church in Nutley, N.J., where Fugee is friends with the pastor.

Read the full story in the Huffington Post]]> 7,000 documents detailing priest sexual abuse released in what victim's attorney calls 'most abusive process of discovery I've ever seen' http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130322-050541
Release of the material was due largely to the determination of a boy (now 38) who was sexually abused when making his first confession at the age of 8 in his home parish in Mokena, Ill. His lawyer, Terrence Johnson, said getting the records "was the worst, most abusive process of discovery I've ever seen."

"Sure. Sex and the priests, let's blast it all over the place. Never let it go." -- Joseph Imesch, Joliet bishop during the abuse, after being confronted by the Tribune
"(This) was the worst, most abusive process of discovery I've ever seen." -- Terence Johnson, victim's attorney

Read 'Files detail decades of abuse in Joliet Diocese' in the Chicago Tribune ...
Ready 'Major sex abuse uncovered in Joliet, Ill., diocese' in National Catholic Reporter ...
]]> South American SNAP spokesman comments on new pope http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130314-073655
"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 ...]]> New Pope elected, SNAP responds http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130313-141340 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 ...
]]> Vatican censors Bishop Accountability public information about priest sexual abuse and coverup, calling it 'Hate/Racist' http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130309-070028 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
]]> USA Catholics in NYTimes, CBS and Pew polls see sex abuse crisis as biggest problem in church with leaders out of touch http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130308-035213
A new survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life indicates that American Catholics see sex abuse by clergy as the church's biggest problem.

In addition, Roman Catholics in the United States say that their church and bishops are out of touch according to a New York Times/CBS News poll.

Despite the church's claims of reform in this regard, Catholics polled said the Vatican and the pope have done a worse job handling reports of sexual abuse (69%) compared to 2010 (55 %), when the scandal flared in Europe.
Read 'Sex Abuse Biggest Problem In Catholic Church, U.S. Catholics Say In New Surveys' in the Huffington Post ...
Read ' U.S. Catholics in Poll See a Church Out of Touch' in the NYTimes ...
]]> UK cardinal and opponent of gay rights admits sexual abuse he first denied that led to withdrawal as papal elector http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130304-111712
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 ...
]]> UN Committee on Rights of the Child demands answers from Vatican on its handling of epidemic sexual violence in the church http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130301-124118 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
]]> Will the Roman church run the risk of shrinking into an increasingly irrelevant sect, asks theologian Küng http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130301-045317
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 ...
]]> Benedict XVI named in sexual abuse lawsuit by woman whose son committed suicide after sexual abuse by a priest http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130227-151630
Barbara Boehland said her son killed himself after suffering sexual abuse from a priest while he was a student.

Boehland is the director of the San Antonio chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). The organization has asked the international crime court to open up an investigation requesting the prosecution of high-level Vatican officials, including Pope Benedict XVI and several of his cardinals, as criminally responsible for aiding and abetting these crimes.

This includes moving priests to different locations after an alleged sexual incident has happened.

Boehland hopes that this investigation can stop any other families from going through the pain that she is dealing with.
Read the full story 'Pope Benedict named in sexual abuse lawsuit' on the San Antonio CBS affiliate website ...

]]> Don't call it an affair. Call it what it is - the illegal and dehumanizing abuse of professional religious power http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130224-161719
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."


The woman, caught off guard by her trust in a “man of God” and told that God wants her to be in this relationship, is victimized.
Read 'Don't Call It An Affair. Call It Abuse of Power' in the Waco Tribune ...

]]> Vatican seclusion for ex-pope will provide protection from prosecution in connection with sexual abuse, say Vatican sources http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130224-134312
"'Pope Benedict's decision to live in the Vatican after he resigns will provide him with ... legal protection from any attempt to prosecute him in connection with sexual abuse cases around the world,' Church sources and legal experts say."
-- Reuters, 15 February 2013

The 12 square block tract in downtown Rome became recognized as an international "nation" by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in a 'concordat' between Italy and the Vatican signed in 1929. The "Concordat" has been honored by the Italian government ever since.

And the Vatican has 'honored' the Concordat ever since as well, never failing to take full and unequivocal advantage of the international diplomatic immunity of its most notorious evaders of "the world's" legal systems. Such a fugitive from justice living under Vatican diplomatic immunity is Bernard Law, former cardinal of the Boston archdiocese, considered the most notorious hierarch in the American Roman priest abuse crisis.

Now Joseph Ratzinger, who has spent his career crushing every interpretation of Catholicism other than his own since he came to power under the Karol Wojtyla (aka John Paul II) regime, will join Law occupying a position of "dignity" in the little island sanctuary of protection from the realm that Catholic doctrine considers Satan's playground, 'the world.'
Read 'Pope will have security, immunity by remaining in the Vatican' on Reuter's news service ...


]]> Reports of Vatican gay lobby influencing pope abdication strikes a nerve as spokesman responds with angry rebuke of the media http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130224-134000
This apparently struck a deep nerve in the Vatican, as papal spokesman Federico Lombardi accused the media of "gossip, misinformation and sometimes slander."

The Italian newspaper broke the story that the report, which was commissioned by Pope Benedict in the wake of Vatileaks and prepared by a trio of cardinals, concluded that "various lobbies within the Holy See were consistently breaking" the sixth and seventh commandments, "thou shalt not commit adultery" and "thou shalt not steal."

Hitting back hard, Lombardi spoke out on Vatican Radio Saturday morning by questioning the motives and method of the newspapers that reported the story and implying that the media is seeking to influence the election process of the next pope.

Lombardi also questioned the moral authority of the media. "Those who present themselves as judges, making heavy moral judgments, do not, in truth, have any authority to do so," he said. "Those who consider money, sex and power before all else and are used to reading diverse realities from these perspectives, are unable to see anything else."

The long-time Vatican spokesman, however, did not deny the report's existence or dispute the description of its findings -- nor has anyone else in the diplomatically immune little 'nation.'
Read 'Pope Benedict XVI Resigned Partly Because Of Powerful Vatican Gay Lobby, Italian Paper Claims' in yesterday's Huffington Post ...
Read 'Vatican Slams Media Reports Of Gay Scandal' in Saturday's Huffington post ...
]]> Two US cardinals, one the head of American bishops, deposed in law suits over sexual abuse and coverups will vote for next pope http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130224-055314
Dolan is one of two American cardinals who were deposed in sexual abuse lawsuits last week, and who plan to travel to Rome this week in advance of the proceedings to elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who announced last week that he was resigning Feb. 28.

The other American cardinal is Roger M. Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles. He was deposed on Saturday in Los Angeles, and he has been under fire since the court-ordered release last month of over 12,000 pages of internal church files revealing his role in shielding accused priests from the law.

Again, both of these men are implicated in sexual abuse coverups - with Mahony's involvement clearly seen in the released documents -- and both will join 115 other men to vote for Ratzinger's successor.
Read the Dolan deposition story in Wednesday's NYTimes ...
Read the Mahony deposition story on the Southern California Public Radio website ...

]]> Renowned Zen teacher Joshu Sasaki accused of misusing his position for sexual favors from female students http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130217-110310
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

]]> Washington Post says LA's Mahony being prominent in election of next pope reflects 'culture of impunity' in RCC http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130214-050125
Mahony will be one of some 118 electors who will meet in secret conclave at the Vatican in March to elect the successor to the current (until 28 Feb) pope, Joseph Ratzinger, a.k.a. Benedict XVI.

The Washington Post in an article today titled 'The Sins of Cardinal Mahony' says the following:
"(Mahony's) continued prominence reflects the culture of impunity in the Catholic Church a decade after its tolerance and complicity in the abuse of children was exposed. The church has adopted policies intended to avoid fresh outrages, but it also has fought to protect supervisors who shielded criminal molesters." -- Washington Post, 14 Feb 2013

Read 'The sins of Cardinal Mahony' in yesterday's Washington Post
]]> New pope must insure that era of secrecy and coverups end and make genuine amends to survivors, says SNAP leader http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130212-041303
"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
]]> LA Catholic archdiocese Mahoney drained cemetery fund begun in 1890s to pay for sexual abuse stonewalling http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130211-163125
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]]> Roger Mahony ex-cardinal of LA - censured for sexual abuse coverup - and Irish cardinal Sean Brady will vote for the next pope http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130211-152212

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
]]> 8,000 instances of sexual abuse by mostly priests alleged in Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy hearing http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130211-150104
An Archdiocese spokeswoman said she did not have enough information to respond to the assertion, made by attorney Jeffrey Anderson during a pivotal hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley. Anderson represents about 350 of the 570 victim-survivors who have filed claims in the case.
How can there be 8,000 crimes committed by over 100 offenders and there be no accountability?"
-- Peter Isley, SNAP

Peter Isley of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said in a news conference on Saturday, "This is a public safety crisis, a child safety crisis that needs to be investigated. We need to know who they are and where they are. How can there be 8,000 crimes committed by over 100 offenders and there be no accountability?"

Read the full story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal]]> Ratzinger Resignation - articles from the SNAPDFW archives http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130211-115813
Should the pope resign? BBC raises questions about pope's resignation 

Saturday, March 27, 2010, 02:51 PM - News, Abuse Crisis, Commentary

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Pope's credibility plummets; Vatican cites papal mishandling "of the media" as cause 

Friday, March 26, 2010, 11:42 AM - News, Abuse Crisis

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Internal church documents show that Ratzinger was copied on memo that transferred German pedophile priest 

Friday, March 26, 2010, 06:13 AM - News, Abuse Crisis

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]]> International criminal court case against Ratzinger on behalf of priest sexual abuse survivors will be easier after resignation http://www.snapdfw.org/index.php?entry=entry130211-105519 In response to news that Pope Benedict XVI plans to resign, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued a statement saying that Pope Benedict's resignation will make international prosecution easier.

The Center for Constitutional Rights filed a case with the International Criminal Court on behalf of the organization Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) against the pope and other high-level Vatican officials for crimes against humanity in September 2011 and provided additional documentation in the case in April 2012. The prosecutor is currently reviewing the evidence.

For more information on the case, visit http://ccrjustice.org/icc-vatican-prosecution-0]]>