(ITALY)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
March 21, 2025
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) will hold a press conference in Rome on Tuesday, March 25th at 11:00am to release a letter from clergy abuse survivors to be delivered this weekend to Pope Francis. The letter conveys survivors’ urgent appeals to the pope in light of his declining health and the looming transition in church leadership.
At the same time, SNAP will announce the first results of its new Conclave Watch initiative—a global vetting process examining the records of potential papal candidates on clergy sexual abuse and their commitment to zero tolerance. As part of the Conclave Watch initiative, survivors will present several complaints made under the pope’s Vos Estis Lux Mundi decree against prominent cardinals in positions of oversight and leadership of the church’s management of clergy sexual abuse.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 25th, 10:00am
WHERE: Hotel Antico Palazzo Rospigliosi, Via Liberiana 22, Rome, Italy
WHAT: A press conference of clergy abuse survivors and advocates of SNAP speaking about a letter delivered to Pope Francis and a new initiative to vet potential papal candidates on their abuse records and statements
CONTACT: Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President (sdougherty@snapnetwork.org, +1-814-341-8386), Peter Isely, SNAP Global Policy Working Group (peterisely@gmail.com, +1-414-429-7259), Sarah Pearson, SNAP Media and Communications (sarah@natesmission.org, +1-414-366-5403)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)