ST. LOUIS – The first national assembly of an organization devoted to victims of abusive Roman Catholic priests opened Friday as the nation’s bishops met across town to discuss a dramatic proposal to deal with problems in the church.

David Clohessy, national director of Surivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), told 185 members that the meeting will “give the strength and the skills to go out and keep doing what we’ve been doing for years, which is to save lives.”

The first day of the meeting in St. Louis included rounds of applause, testimonials and words of encouragement. The meeting ends Sunday.

Meanwhile, bishops met in closed-door sessions to discuss calling a special nationwide church council, the first since 1884.

But no decision will be made until next year, and if the bishops give a go-ahead to the meeting Vatican approval also is needed. The actual council would take place years after that.

SNAP leaders said that a year after U.S. bishops approved reform policies to end the sex abuse crisis, victims still find it hard to get meetings with the national bishops’ conference and local church leaders.

Still, the group offered praise to one prelate. It proclaimed Bishop Paul Bootkoski of Metuchen, N.J., “the model bishop in America” who the others should imitate.

Bootkoski has initiated contact with victims, personally met with them and apologized. He also appointed three victims to the local review board that advises him on allegations against clergy, and cooperated fully with sex crime prosecutors, SNAP said.

President Barbara Blaine said her group’s key achievement since the abuse scandals broke in January 2002 has been expansion from a handful of local victims’ support groups to 50. SNAP, which operates on a shoestring budget and reports 4,600 members, has a paid staff of three, compared with none a year ago.

On Saturday morning, SNAP members will discuss a “healing and prevention” guide to its work. The proposed draft provides advice to victims, children and families. It also lists such goals as liberalizing statutes of limitations that restrict the filing of abuse complaints.

The guide also asks lay Catholics to support victims and “join a group that is working for change in the church.” Blaine says about half the members still regard themselves as believing Catholics in some sense.

National Director David Clohessy, who lives in St. Louis, said SNAP is “95 percent Alcoholics Anonymous and 5 percent Mothers Against Drunk Drivers,” meaning that while SNAP has been visible in criticizing bishops, most of its time and energy goes to helping victims find healing.

The other national victims’ group is The Linkup, based in Louisville, Ky. President Susan Archibald, the only paid staffer, said her group has 3,000 members.

Unlike SNAP, The Linkup includes adult victims of predatory clergy, and some Protestants as well as Catholics. The Linkup always has a Catholic priest among its leaders.

The U.S. bishops hold a final public session Saturday morning that features a report from their ad hoc committee that deals with sexual abuse policy.

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