I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately on how much the Catholic Church is doing to repair the damage to it’s public image. They wish to show us how repentant they are over what they have been doing to our children. There are conferences in Rome where bishops listen to survivors and a really great press release by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin who actually seems to “get it”.
Now, this morning , there is a particularly nauseating press release out of New York by His Excellency Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Mr. Dolan reports on his conversation with NY Governor Cuomo regarding a bill to extend the statute of limitations on child sex abuse five years until age 28: “And the governor listens. He’s a good lawyer. He reminded us of his allegiance to classical jurisprudence that would see a great benefit in the protection of the statute of limitations to see that the innocent of protected and that justice is done.”
Dolan also said the bishops have been “contrite” in admitting the church has handled molestation scandals poorly, but is trying to do more now — and isn’t getting credit for that: So it does bother us that the church continues to be a “whipping boy”…
Really? In arguing against a five year extension of the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse Mr. Dolan describes The Church as needing protection and justice because as hard as they try, they are still just a “whipping boy”? Interesting turn of a phrase if you ask me, and very skillful use of vocabulary to make The Church out to be the victim, in all the child sex abuse claims. Are you serious? After decades of child rape, deviant torture, beatings and destruction of human dignity, life and the theft of souls of helpless children “His Excellency” wants us to view The Church as the victim? And just to top it off he ends the press conference with “Last year when I was here, there were some refreshments up on that shelf, what happened to them?” aka; what happened to the booze?
The next news item on the Catholic Church involves the oldest group I know of working to support survivors is Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP. Here is who SNAP is. They offer support in person, (via monthly self-help group meetings in chapters across the country), over the phone, online, and twice-a-year at national meetings.
They also provide a safe and productive outlet for the passion many survivors feel toward preventing future abuse. Their website exists to provide support and knowledge to all victims of clergy abuse, to help educate the public, and to help ensure that in future generations, children will be safe. They help the survivor know that they are not alone and recovery is possible. In 2010 their total revenue was $353,000.
What is the leadership of the Catholic Church doing to help these people who are trying to help victims of abuse by their priests and The Church? They are dragging them into court and trying to force them to produce documents. A subpoena asked SNAP Executive Director David Clohessy turn over all documents for the last 23 years that mentions repressed memory, any current or former priest in Kansas City, or the diocese. Although The Church claims they are not working together in this attack, a nearly identical subpoena was served in another case in another city. Not a corporate strategy by The Church? Hm, I wonder?
Director Clohessy was deposed for over six hours and most of the questions were not about the case but about the network — its budget, board of directors, staff members, donors and operating procedures. “The real motive is to harass and discredit and bankrupt SNAP, while discouraging victims, witnesses, whistle-blowers, police, prosecutors and journalists from seeking our help” says Clohessy.
As an individual I have been here. When I sued The Church over my abuse, their attorneys tried to subpoena anything I had ever written, diaries, all correspondence, or articles I had read on abuse for the last forty years. They also wanted a mirror copy of the hard drive of my computer. Information gathering or harassment, you decide.
Is this the behavior of an innocent religious organization who is being targeted as a “whipping boy”? Or is it the behavior of a club of self-serving elitist men who give each other titles like “His Excellency” and go around bullying kids and then acting the innocent when they get caught?
If the Catholic leadership wants to show me how Christian they are and how much they care, they can start by testifying in favor of victim/survivor legislation and include organizations like SNAP for support with Catholic Charities. That’s when I’m going to know they are serious about their faith, healing for victims and safety of our children.
Randy Ellison
Thank you for this article….
This vicious attack on SNAP/victims tells us only one thing.
To all victims who have been sexually abused by clerics, your voices are strong, powerful, and being heard…!..
The church officials can’t shut us up. They can’t shove all the victims back under their control of silence.
The can of worms has been opened, and that is only because very brave victims of clergy sex abuse are speaking up, coming forward, contacting the police, exposing the truth, and trying their hardest to not allow another child to be given the life sentence of harm which they were dealt.
For those who wish to help …On our website – SNAPnetwork.org – are simple suggestions for helping victims beat back this assault against them by top Catholic officials. Please check it out. Thanks.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511
“Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests” and all clergy.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.
SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
When Peter denied Christ three times the scripture tells us that he wept bitterly. I have yet to see or hear of any member of the hierarchy “weeping bitterly” over their role in covering up and abetting child and vulnerable adults by predatory priests. The only “bitter” feeling I hear from the church is their complaint that IT is the victim. As a victim of clergy abuse my self I am INSULTED that the hierarchy tries to make themselves off as victims. They have no idea of the pain and betrayal that a victim feels. I have had to step aside from priestly ministry because of them (the hierarchy.) After ordination I was “sent” to preach the good News. That means in essence that I became the Bishop’s representative and was more than just a messenger — I stood for all that the hierarchy says and does. In conscience I could not let myself betray my own self. I have agonized as much over having to step aside from ministry as I have suffered from the realization that my rape severely impacted my life, my spirit,my soul and my faith. They cannot possibly have any idea.
I personally feel nauseous when thinking about Dolan as a cardinal. How can a man who is so blatantly arrogant and egotistical be thought so highly of? The Catholic church as victim??!! How sickening. For decades the hierarchy of the Catholic church has raped and sodomized innocent children and vulnerable adults and covered up for their brother priests who have done the same. THEY are the “whipping boy?”
The majority of victims that have come forward are not attacking the Catholic church nor are they “evil” trying to destroy the Catholic chuch. The real evil is coming from within the Catholic church with the 5 catagories of priests; the alcoholic, the womanizer, the homosexual, the sex abuser and the SPINELESS which includes the ones looking the other way, the ones not doing anything to stop the sex abuse and the ones covering it up. If the clergy would have kept their hands to themselves they would not be experiencing these problems. The last time I checked, the Catholic church has paid out 3.2 billion dollars on sex abuse claims. The officials running the Catholic church have allowed, tollerated, financed and paid for the defense of these sick lifestyles. This needs to STOP now, there is no way it should take over 10 years to take control of the problem. Generating meetings, seminars, consultants, manuals has not worked, it is time the Catholic faithful reduce their donations by 3.2 billion dollars so these clergy don’t have the funds available to continue their sick lifestyle nor defend it. The pope needs to wake up and take action or he should be FIRED. It is too bad he doesn’t have kids so he could experience first hand the damage sex abuse does to the entire family. He need to experience the pain.