AUSTRALIA - Cardinal Pell threatens to sue brave survivor and outspoken advocate
For immediate release Monday, June 1, 2015
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, President of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, [email protected])
We should be grateful, at some level, that the planet’s second most powerful Catholic prelate is threatening legal action against victim of two predator priests.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-32955014
At least Cardinal George Pell is showing his true colors. He bullied child sex abuse victims years ago. And he’s trying to bully child sex abuse victims now.
Pell issued a statement saying he would consult legal advisers after Pete Saunders, a survivor from the United Kingdom criticized his actions in clergy abuse and cover up cases.
Is this a Christian response? Someone challenges you, so you threaten legal action. That speaks volumes about Pell, but also about the kind of clerics Pope Francis promotes.
One of the most frustrating aspects of this on-going crisis has been the utter lack of attention given to the enormous contradiction between what Catholic officials say in public about abuse and what Catholic officials do in court about abuse. Hardball legal tactics - and threats of such tactics – are painfully common by men who profess to be Christ’s shepherds.
More than two decades ago, in a page one piece, the Wall Street Journal noted this hypocrisy:
The Catholic Church Struggles with Suits over Sexual Abuse
Other journalist have done the same:
Church Threatening Sex Abuse Victims with Court: Solicitor
'Legal abuse' tactic of Catholic Church decried
As he angrily puffed out his chest, Pell said, through an expert public relations team, that he "has taken a strong stand against child sexual abuse and put in place processes to enable complaints to be brought forward and independently investigated."
It may be worth noting, however, that a papal spokesman did NOT re-enforce this audacious claim to near perfection in dealing with victims, predators and enablers.
According to Vatican Radio, “Fr. Lombardi (said) that Cardinal Pell has always responded carefully and thoroughly to the accusations and questions posed by the Australian authorities.”
Lombardi did NOT try to defend Pell’s abuse and cover up record in Australia.
We don’t blame Lombardi.
Finally, we commend Pete Saunders for his courage. Other members of the church hierarchy – both ordained and lay people – should find the strength to speak their minds about this continuing scandal.
(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 20,000 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. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
CONTACT
Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), David Clohessy (314-566-9790,[email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected])
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
Showing 2 comments
The British have done a lot of damage (psychologically speaking) to Australians since the end of WWII but the Roman Catholic System (RCS) has done far, far more. You just have to look at Ballarat in Australia to see how destructive the RCS is.
Carry on the good work SNAP and people like Pete Saunders.