ALBANY, NY, March 30, 2026 – SNAP decries the paltry amount that the Diocese of Albany proposes as a settlement to hundreds of abuse survivors who had filed lawsuits under the state’s Child Victims Act of 2019. Those who participated in these bankruptcy proceedings have endured years and sometimes decades of therapy only to receive just over $300K as recompense for a lifetime of emotional trauma. 

Although the long-awaited $148 million to survivors is one of the largest settlement payments in the state of New York, it took years of negotiations while many alleged victims were dying before they could see justice or any compensation for the abuse they endured. The delayed settlement appears to be more about erasing accountability instead of acknowledging survivors’ suffering.

Moreover, the process itself is inherently flawed. Allowing churches to hide behind bankruptcy denies survivors the right to have their voices heard in a court of law and demand accountability from their perpetrators as well as the institutions that protected them. These institutions are effectively using bankruptcy laws to avoid legal and financial consequences for ignoring or covering up child sexual abuse.

SNAP urges continued accountability for every clerical official – Catholic or otherwise – whose actions allowed abusers to harm children and vulnerable people.

“When institutions try to absolve themselves of a history of systematically concealing child sexual abuse with dollars, then the process is broken,” said Angela Walker, SNAP Executive Director. “Survivors deserve more to help them rebuild their lives.”

SNAP stands with all survivors of Albany as this process continues to unfold, and we applaud their ongoing courage and resilience.

We urge federal lawmakers to reform bankruptcy legislation so that survivors across the country can get the justice they deserve, Walker said.

WASHINGTON, DC, March 23, 2026 — SNAP Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests is committed to our core values of protecting the vulnerable, healing the wounded, preventing abuse and fighting for justice for all survivors. 

SNAP is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice and no survivor stands alone. 

Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions and lives, said SNAP Executive Director, Angela Walker.

Many of our members have been part of SNAP for many years – some for decades. Your dedication and compassion helped to build this community of 15,000+ survivors and allies. You all are deeply valued and remain at the heart of our work.

Today, some volunteers chose to resign from SNAP. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors to support survivors.

NEW YORK, NY, March 19, 2026 – SNAP is outraged to learn of the violent abuse perpetrated by Cesar Chavez against women and girls for years, as reported in investigative coverage by the New York Times and other media outlets. And it strengthens our resolve to support all those victimized, no matter how long ago the crimes occurred.

Decades of silence to protect men in power is a toxin that is simultaneously destructive and common. We stand with all survivors against this pernicious history of secret-keeping.

In addition, the fact that Chavez was receiving posthumous medals of freedom and memorials  named after him has made it even harder for victims to come forward. Every time a park, street or school bore his name, the victims felt revictimized and unable to name him as their abuser. SNAP believes that no pedophile deserves to be honored, whether priest or politician.

“The power of one man–even a so-called hero–is no match to the wall of survivors standing tall against him,” said Angela Walker, SNAP Executive Director. “Every voice must be heard so we can dismantle the structures in place to protect the guilty.”

SNAP believes that when the silence is broken, true healing can begin.

You can read the full New York Times investigation here. 

PROVIDENCE, RI, March 4, 2026  – SNAP applauds the courage and perseverance of every survivor and witness who came forward to share their testimony with investigators in the Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha’s investigation into clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence. 

“Survivors’ willingness to speak the truth made this report possible,” said Angela Walker, SNAP’s Executive Director, at today’s report launch in Providence. “SNAP stands in solidarity with all Rhode Island survivors, including those who were unable or chose not to participate. This report has been years in the making and proves the tenacity and perseverance of Rhode Island’s survivors who would not remain silent and demanded accountability.”

The Attorney General’s findings confirm what survivors have said for decades: leaders of the Catholic Church in Rhode Island repeatedly endangered their congregations, giving known sex offenders full access to children and the vulnerable and moving them from parish to parish, resulting in a prolonged campaign of preventable sexual violence.  

SNAP strongly condemns church officials who obstructed justice by refusing to be interviewed and by withholding their full cooperation to investigators. Claims that the Church has now “cooperated” with this investigation are highly questionable when investigators were only permitted access to documents curated by the diocese, limited to a self-selected list of priests the Church had already publicly named, while critical evidence of criminal abuse and institutional cover-up was withheld. The Attorney General stated that 10 new names were revealed during their investigation, and four arrests were made.  

SNAP also strongly urges immediate action by the Rhode Island General Assembly to address the unfinished business of justice. Last year, the House passed legislation to open a civil window for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse to seek accountability from institutions that enabled their abuse. The Senate’s previous refusal to take up this legislation denied survivors their day in court. In light of the Attorney General’s findings, there can be no justification for further delay in the new legislative session. 

SNAP actively believes that survivors, their families, and the people of Rhode Island deserve complete transparency and a full accounting of what happened, who knew and how abuse was allowed to persist. 

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You can find the link here to the press release published today by the Rhode Island State’s Attorney’s Office. 

You can find a link to the presentation delivered today at the press conference by Rhode Island State’s Attorney, Peter Neronha, as well as the full report. 

A dedicated clergy abuse hotline has been set up by the Rhode Island State Police Special Victim’s Unit: 401-764-0142. In their own words at today’s press conference, “It’s never too late” to report. 

SNAP Survivors Network is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice, and no survivor stands alone. Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions, and lives.

SYRACUSE, NY, February 26, 2026 – SNAP extends its steadfast support to all survivors of the Diocese of Syracuse, both those who participated in the bankruptcy proceedings and those whose voices were never heard in court. 

The process remains profoundly unjust, allowing those responsible for decades of abuse to hide behind the shield of debt without exposing the truth of what happened to every single one of the 411 survivors in this case. By removing these cases from the hands of justice officials and placing them before a bankruptcy judge, the church forces victims into a traumatizing, degrading, and drawn-out legal battle that severely limits their ability to seek reparations and achieve some measure of accountability.

Although an independent arbiter will be in charge of distributing the $176 million to survivors, SNAP is dismayed that the ability to declare bankruptcy gives “control” to the institution that enabled the abuse in the first place. We urge continued accountability for every official – Catholic or otherwise – whose actions allowed abusers to harm children and vulnerable people.

“It is ludicrous to convert years of pain suffered by hundreds of abuse survivors into a dollar figure,” said Angela Walker, SNAP Executive Director. “As every survivor is destined for a lifetime full of anguish, any complaint by the Catholic Church of financial hardship brought by a settlement is insensitive at best.”

SNAP stands with all survivors of Syracuse on this important day, and we applaud their ongoing courage and persistence.

SNAP Survivors Network is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice, and no survivor stands alone. Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions, and lives.

CAMDEN, NJ, February 18, 2026 – After years of legal battles and initial resistance from the Diocese of Camden, a $180 million settlement has been agreed to covering the cases of 330 survivors. 

The agreement was announced today in a letter to parishioners by Bishop Joseph Williams. The settlement is pending approval by a US Bankruptcy Court judge. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 after the state expanded its statute of limitations on clergy abuse claims resulting in lawsuits spanning decades of abuse. 

“SNAP applauds the determination and strength of the many survivors who saw this through, demanding accountability, justice and the truth about those that have abused our trust,” said Mark Crawford, who leads SNAP’s work in New Jersey and is himself a survivor of clerical abuse. 

The resolution announced by the diocese and its insurers marks an important step toward long-overdue accountability and healing. For years, survivors endured painful court proceedings while carrying the lifelong burden of abuse inflicted upon them as children by trusted members of their faith community. SNAP deeply respects the courage of the survivors who came forward to tell their stories of profound betrayal.

Crawford recognized the leadership of Bishop Williams, whose commitment to resolving this matter helped bring these protracted negotiations to a conclusion. While no financial settlement can erase the trauma suffered, this agreement represents a meaningful effort to provide some measure of justice and to affirm that the suffering of survivors will not be ignored.

Equally important are the nonmonetary commitments, including the promise to release all the files of clerics credibly accused of abuse. SNAP hopes that this resolution contributes to continued transparency and accountability by the church as well as the continued healing of survivors. 

SNAP Survivors Network is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice, and no survivor stands alone. Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions, and lives.

NEW YORK, NY, February 12, 2026 – SNAP condemns the Diocese of Brooklyn’s intention to pursue a global resolution of all of its approximately 1,100 remaining cases. This effort to settle more than a thousand cases in one fell swoop is merely a mechanism designed to block accountability through the courts, shielding church records from disclosure and church officials from sworn testimony. 

SNAP rejects Bishop Robert J. Brennan’s premise that summary resolution will protect victim-survivors from the strain of individual court cases. This effort’s true aim is one of damage control, capping liability and suppressing the full truth about decades of abuse and cover-up. 

The legal process of summary settlements shuts out survivors entirely from being heard, compounding their trauma and forcing them through mass dismissal. Survivors are reduced to claim numbers, their testimony muted, and their pain negotiated behind closed doors. SNAP stands in unwavering solidarity with all those harmed in New York, those who have long been waiting for accountability only to see proceedings that prioritize the institution’s assets over human dignity and no path to justice.

“Global settlement cannot repair the trauma inflicted by sexual abuse or decades of institutional cover-up,” said Angela Walker, SNAP’s Executive Director. “Courts must hold the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York fully accountable under the law. Survivors deserve more than summary settlements – they deserve justice, transparency, and consequences for institutions that permitted clergy to commit devastating acts of sexual violence with impunity.”

SNAP Survivors Network is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice and no survivor stands alone. Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions, and lives.

WASHINGTON, DC, February 11, 2026 – The  DOJ document release reveals that SNAP was a topic of discussion between Epstein and economist, Larry Summers, in early 2013. 

Their conversation concerned SNAP’s work to initiate an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the pope and three Vatican officials over sexual abuse.

That these two men of privilege were tracking our efforts shows how they perceived SNAP as threatening to their own wrongdoing. 

“It is clear that when those in power have something to hide, they closely watch global efforts to bring abuse into the light,” said Angela Walker, SNAP’s Executive Director. “SNAP continues the fight to hold abusers and their protectors accountable so that no one–not even the elite–can feel free to continue their crimes.”

SNAP stands with all survivors hurt by Epstein and his rich and powerful cronies, Walker said. No one is above the law, and all those who abuse children and women must be held to account. We will continue to ally with them, and all survivors, as they fight to bring their perpetrators and those that protected them, to justice. 

The US Department of Justice’s full Epstein library can be accessed here. 

You can read more about SNAP’s important advocacy with its partners and the International Criminal Court on our website under 2011 history. 

SNAP Survivors Network is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice, and no survivor stands alone. Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions, and lives.

ROME, January 7, 2026 – As Pope Leo convenes his first extraordinary consistory in Rome, the world’s Catholic cardinals – the men who have overseen, enabled, and concealed the largest institutional sexual abuse scandal in modern history – will formally gather behind closed doors. These are the men who transferred known offenders, concealed criminal evidence from the public, obstructed justice, and facilitated hundreds of thousands of sexual assaults across generations. Absent from the consistory’s agenda is any plan to hold themselves accountable, dismantle the systems of secrecy they created, or take any concrete action to end the ongoing cycle of abuse and cover-up they have perpetuated.

On the day of Pope Leo’s election, SNAP delivered a letter outlining a clear and actionable roadmap to stop sexual abuse and institutional concealment within the Catholic Church. Instead of embracing that mandate, Pope Leo has moved the Vatican backwards. In his first interview, he dismissed the need for major reform, rejected instituting a universal zero-tolerance law, emphasized the rights of accused priests over the safety of children, and appointed a known enemy of transparency to succeed him in one of the Vatican’s most powerful offices overseeing bishops worldwide.

Since then, new whistleblower information has emerged, further demonstrating Pope Leo’s failure to comply with Vos estis lux mundi, the policy allegedly promulgated by Pope Francis to ensure accountability for bishops who mishandle abuse. Evidence shows that while serving as a diocesan bishop in Peru, Pope Leo failed to respond appropriately to reports that two priests sexually assaulted young girls – precisely the kind of conduct Vos estis was meant to address. 

“Justice is not on the agenda,” said Peter Isely, a SNAP spokesperson and himself a survivor. “This consistory brings together the very men who engineered the global cover-up of clergy sexual abuse, yet there is no plan to discipline perpetrators, no transparency, and no accountability for bishops who protected abusers.”

Survivors are no longer willing to wait for internal reform that never comes. This consistory will not bring justice, transparency, or safety for children. That is why SNAP survivors believe it is essential for the courts, lawmakers, and governments of civil society to step in and hold the Vatican accountable for its actions. Until church leaders face real consequences beyond their own closed systems, the abuse and cover-up will continue.

GRAND RAPIDS, December 18, 2025 – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Monday the release of a report on clergy abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, the fifth of seven reports released as part of the Michigan’s statewide investigation into abuse and cover-up in Catholic dioceses that began in 2018.

The 335-page report names 51 priests who have been accused of sexual assault of a child or vulnerable adult. The Diocese of Grand Rapids is one of the few Catholic dioceses in the United States that has not published a list of “credibly accused” clergy. 

The horrific assaults described in the report are not isolated crimes committed by individual priests; this is a preventable catastrophe in which diocesan leaders knowingly allowed dangerous men to hold positions of authority over children and vulnerable people, resulting in decades of repeated acts of sexual violence.

In the diocese’s response, Bishop Walkowiak attempted to minimize the findings of the report, claiming that there are no priests accused of abusing minors in active ministry, ignoring the fact that, until very recently, Walkowiak allowed several accused priests to remain in ministry in Grand Rapids: 

• Fr. Rock James Badgerow is listed on the Diocese of Grand Rapids website as “retired” after receiving senior priest status in 2023, despite having been accused of sexually assaulting a high school boy in a 1993 report. The victim alleged that when he reported the abuse to former Bishop Rose, he was told there had been other allegations against Badgerow. In 2004, an adult man reported being inappropriately massaged by Badgerow. In 2018, a witness made a complaint, saying that Badgerow had said of a tenth-grade altar boy, “the older I get, the younger I like them. I can’t help myself.” 
• Rev. Richard J. Host is listed on the Diocese of Grand Rapids website as retired with senior priest status. In 1988, a mother accused Host of abusing her two sons, aged four and six.  
• Fr. Peter Omogo is currently listed as a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki in Nigeria despite several reports of sexual assault in Grand Rapids. In 2017, a woman called the diocese to report that she and several other women had been subjected to kissing, groping, fondling, and other unwanted sexual advances. In December 2024, another woman contacted the diocese reporting that Omogo had repeatedly raped her between 2019 and 2024. After the allegations were reported to law enforcement, Omogo fled to Nigeria. In January of this year, there was a large celebration in honor of Omogo’s 20th anniversary as a priest.

Several priests who are now deceased or laicized were permitted to remain in ministry for years after serious allegations of sexual assault: 

• Fr. William Allen Langlois was accused in 2014 of sexual abuse of an adult woman from 2008-2013. The woman had been seeing Langlois and another spiritual director as she disclosed she feared she was struggling with mental illness and experienced the death of family members and several miscarriages. As the woman confided in Langlois, he fondled her and masturbated in the confessional. Langlois admitted to this conduct and was put on a six-month leave of absence in 2014. In 2016, a parish staff member reported that Langlois had touched her inappropriately without her consent on more than one occasion. In 2018, a woman called the diocese to report having been abused by Langlois as a minor, resulting in his restriction from ministry. Langlois was laicized in 2021.
• Fr. Reinhard J. Sternemann died in 2024. In 2007, a man reported having been assaulted by Sternemann while a 15 or 16-year-old student at St. Augustine Seminary in Saugatuck, Michigan. An obituary published in Midwest Augustianian Magazine mentions Sternemann’s assignments at Austin Catholic High School, St. Monica Novitiate, and St. Augustine Seminary. The AG’s report does not include any information about investigations into the allegations or restrictions placed on Sternemann, and there is no available public evidence that suggests Sternemann’s ministry had been restricted in any way.  
• Fr. Don Patrick Tufts was the subject of a 2002 report where a man alleged that he witnessed Tufts share a bed with a teenage boy on a camping trip. In 2003, a man called the diocese to report that in a counseling session where he sought help for trauma related to being a victim of incest and growing up in an alcoholic home, Tufts massaged and sexually assaulted him. Though Tufts apologized to the victim and the diocese paid for the victim’s counseling, Tufts was allowed to remain in ministry under “supervision.” When Tufts died unexpectedly in 2016, his obituary listed a number of assignments to parishes and hospitals in the area. 

SNAP Executive Director Angela Walker said, “It is not enough to list the priests who have been accused. Until the structural mechanisms that shield the church and its leaders from accountability are dismantled, survivors will not see justice.” 

Michigan currently has the strictest statute of limitations for sexual assault victims in the United States. Though most survivors take decades to report child sex abuse, the civil statute of limitations only gives child victims until age 28 to file a claim. There is no criminal statute of limitations for first-degree sexual assault of a child, but child victims of second, third, or fouth-degree criminal sexual assault only have 15 years or up until their 28th birthday, whichever date is later.

Survivors, their friends and family, or anyone who has information about the church’s response to abuse are urged to contact the Michigan AG’s office by calling 1-844-324-3374 or reporting abuse through their website. 

SNAP Survivors Network is the world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse. Through public action and peer support, SNAP is building a future where no institution is beyond justice and no survivor stands alone. Our global community works to end sexual abuse in faith-based organizations by transforming laws, institutions, and lives.