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.