Who's violent toward whom?
Here’s a novel (and spurious) reason why clergy sex crimes and cover-ups should allegedly remain covered up: because shining a light on them might “fan the flames” of public outrage which might “potentially result in violence against the accused.”
The first phrase in quotes comes from a California defense lawyer, Don Steier, who represents 19 accused Los Angeles predator priests. The second phrase in quotes is the LA Times summarizing Steier’s desperate claim.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-church-files-20130108,0,3245707.story
Just for the record, literally millions of Catholics feel justifiably betrayed by thousands of predator priests and complicit bishops.
We know of none who have been violent, either toward child molesting clerics or complicit bishops.
And hundreds of thousands of victims feel justifiably betrayed by child molesting clerics or complicit bishops.
We know of two who have been violent, either toward child molesting clerics or complicit bishops.
(One was more than a decade ago in Maryland. The other was more recently in California. In both cases, victims hurt their own predators. One was clearly an impulsive “spur of the moment” crime.)
Make no mistake about it: All violence is wrong. It’s never right to physically hurt another person, no matter how deeply wronged any of us have been.
But it’s extraordinarily rare for victims to attack predators. And it’s disingenuous to use that extremely remote possibility as yet another argument for continuing to protect the reputation and secrets of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesters and their allies.
Winter Appeal 2023
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.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director