IL - Chicago's top Catholic official plays the "blame game"; SNAP responds

January 07, 2014

For immediate release: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014

Statement by Barbara Blaine, President of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312 399 4747,[email protected])

It's distasteful to see Chicago's top Catholic official plays the "blame game" about a serial pedophile priest, Fr. Daniel McCormack, who severely hurt perhaps dozens of innocent childrenbut would have been stopped much sooner if only Cardinal Francis George and his staff hadn't covered up.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Chicago-Catholics-to-See-Letter-on-Abuse-This-Sunday-239117041.html

First, George blames his deceased predecessor.

Then he blames nameless "people" who might have "been more wary.”

Then, he blames his own priests (for electing McCormack to a position).

Then, he blames nameless “offices" involved the investigation of this serial pedophile priests that allegedly "did not consistently share what they knew with each other or with me.”

Then, instead of stepping up and taking responsibility, he conveniently uses the vague third person to say “The response, in retrospect, was not always adequate.”

A careful, dispassionate look at the irresponsible behavior of George and his top aides showed that no one lacked information. They lacked courage and decency.

A half a dozen Catholic officials who acted recklessly, carelessly and deceitfully were promoted after Fr. McCormack’s crimes became known. The one church employee, who acted properly, a female principal, was fired.

George seems to want to put this "chapter" of the archdiocese's on-going clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis behind him. But blame-shifting won’t achieve this goal. Only real honesty will. We long for the day he will admit his own deliberately self-serving misconduct in this case and will clearly and harshly discipline even one of the corrupt clerics who protected a predator and his supervisors instead of protecting the flock and its families.

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell,[email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])

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Showing 2 comments

Deb Beasley commented 2014-01-08 14:23:21 -0600
McCormack is the reason I finally had to leave the church. A nun reports him, shut her up, a principal reports him, fire her. Absolutely evil and those poor kids sacrificed to that pervert.
Jeffrey Craven commented 2014-01-08 13:43:22 -0600
Reading things like this used to send me into a dissociative state. I guess like anything, you can learn to push down the pain, the disgust, put it out of your mind to be able to just go on. Iv’e done this for years. My way of dealing with my little part of the world. But something is different now. Reading your posts, watching you advocate, and speaking out about my own abuse has given my life new meaning. I understand why I am still here these days (I had forgotten that for a while); why I survived; why I overcame. Because somebody needs to know. Somebody needs to take a stand. Somebody needs to call abuse, cover up, and crime what it is. Somebody needs to keep abusers in “check”. Somebody needs to help the wounded heal. It used to be the Shepherd who watched ovder the Sheep. But who is watching the Shepherd? As it was aptly put by Skyler White to her husband Walter on Breaking Bad in the final season; “somebody needs to protect this family from the person who is protecting this family”. So I put it to you, Thank God for SNAP. “Somebody needs to protect the flock from the ones who are protecting the flock.”

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