November 22, 2005

Statement by Mary Grant of Long Beach CA (626 419 2930),
SNAP Western Regional Director

"Once again, church leaders are shifting the blame elsewhere for the horrific on-going clergy sex abuse scandal. It's not about bad priests, gay or straight. It's about complicit bishops.

Gay priests have now officially joined a long and ever-growing list of bishops' scapegoats for this crisis, including unforgiving victims, salacious journalists, greedy lawyers, ambitious prosecutors and others.

Instead of blame shifting and finger pointing, church officials should look in the mirror if they want to understand the root of this scandal.

This move will have little or no impact on preventing future abuse. It serves only as a distraction from the substantive issues and causes of widespreacy clergy child sex abuse and episcopal cover ups."