IL - Cardinal George's priorities are backwards, SNAP says

March 04, 2013

Cardinal George suggests that few priests s molest kids these days. That's simply not true. Bishops in a tiny percentage of western nations have in recent years pledged ''zero tolerance." That promise is often broken.

But in the vast majority of countries, bishops don't even claim to practice "zero tolerance." It’s wrong for George to claim that this is the universal policy of the church. It's not.

Regardless of what's said or written in church procedures, the simple truth is that many clerics are still sexually assaulting kids. To imply otherwise is irresponsible.

So the new pope’s focus must first be on safeguarding the vulnerable, not healing the wounded. If need be, suffering adults can recover without Vatican help. But at-risk children cannot protect themselves without Vatican help.

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Showing 3 comments

Lani Halter commented 2013-03-04 15:04:29 -0600
Thank you to Barbara Blaine, Barbara Dorris and David Clohessy. Please keep trying while you are there during this critical time, to bring real change to the Catholic church. We desperately need a Pope who can actually effect “zero tolerance” for pedophile priests and clergy. We need people like you who can keep all of this in the “public eye”, and who are not afraid to remind the cardinals today and every day, of what is reported in the New Testament that Christ said in Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2. For the pedophilia we are all talking about, are very, very serious and grevious sins. (We’re not talking about petty theft, or someone forgetting to have good manners. We are talking about great bodily harm, that often results in death of the victim.) Please; Chant to them: Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2.
Lani Halter commented 2013-03-04 14:15:02 -0600
I agree with your stated priorities. It’s all so sad, but so true.
Timothy Lennon commented 2013-03-04 13:31:39 -0600
Bishop McEroy of San Francisco said that if the statue of limitations has expired he is not complelled to report to the police. Nor does he feel he needs to inform the community affected. He said that if abuse happened twenty years ago he doesn’t need to report or make public the abuse.
Ask your bishop if they report ALL abuse.

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To our friends,

2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’

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