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SURVIVORS DECLARE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE A SUCCESS; ANNOUNCE NEW NAME;
LOOK TOWARD FUTURE MEETING WITH BISHOPS.

CONFERENCE A SUCCESS!
The newly renamed network of church abuse survivors' groups in Canada, the Canadian Church Abuse Survivors' Alliance (CCASA), declares that its first international conference, held in Cornwall, Ontario, has been a resounding success. With survivor groups represented from across Canada, the U.S. and from the First Nations community, the conference addressed the main concerns of Survivors of church abuse here in Canada. As part of the conference, the National Board of Directors has chosen the new name, CCASA, to represent this growing alliance of victim/survivor groups across the country and across the Canadian cultural spectrum .

BISHOPS OPEN THE DOOR FOR FUTURE MEETING
Saturday's protest, held in front of NAV Canada, where the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops(CCCB) was holding its annual meeting, and the original site for the CCASA conference, was also a resounding success. During the CCASA conference, the CCCB made its first-ever offer to meet with CCASA member groups, the plans for which are now in the initial planning stages.

CCASA member groups will be continuing to raise awareness of the abuse by church officials issue here in Canada by future social action events, including a protest planned for St. Mary's Cathedral in Kingston, Ontario, at 4:00p.m. this afternoon, where the bishops will be celebrating Eucharist.

For more information, please contact:

David Gagnon (613) 241-3572 (CCASA member from S.N.A.P.-Canada)

Yves Manseau (514) 525-5273 (CCASA member from MAJ & CEVASPEQ)

Canadian Church Abuse Survivors' Alliance (CCASA) Members:

Breaking The Silence; Canadian Alliance for the Prevention of Professional Sexual Abuse(CAPPSA); Comité des enfants victimes d'abus sexuel et physique dans des établissements Queébécois(CEVASPEQ); Coalition for Action Against Child Sexual Abuse in Cornwall; The LINKUP in Canada; Mouvement action justice(MAJ); S.N.A.P.-Canada(Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests)