Mexico--Bishop ousted; Victims urge caution

For immediate release: Wednesday, July 15

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests 

(314 566 9790, [email protected], da[email protected])

Let’s be a bit more skeptical of claims that the Vatican is in some way acting against a Mexican bishop for hiding clergy child sex crimes.

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/pope-francis-dumps-two-more-bishops-house-cleaning-continues

Bishop Gonzalo Galvan Castillo of the Autlan diocese quietly resigned last month. He’s “been under fire for years for refusing to report to police or remove from ministry a priest, Fr. Horacio Lopez, suspected of abuse,” reports David Gibson of Religion News Service

But the bishop is not being defrocked, demoted, disciplined or even denounced for putting kids in harm’s way or protecting a predator priest. He’ll still have his title, prestige and paychecks.

And not a single Catholic official is even mentioning his role in the abuse and cover up scandal. 

(Remember: Almost a year ago, a controversial Paraguay bishop left his post and Vatican officials quickly stressed that it was NOT because he imported and promoted a credibly accused child molesting cleric.)

This resignation is part of a pattern: In a small, belated but concerted way, Vatican officials seem to be working hard to preemptively weaken criticism of Pope Francis on this crisis prior to his upcoming US visit.

Gibson claims the Vatican is “pursuing a hierarchical housecleaning that aims to address the heart of the clergy sex abuse scandal.” We could not disagree more.

At best, this claim is dreadfully premature. There are 5,100 bishops worldwide. We believe that the overwhelming majority of them are hiding or have hidden clergy sex crimes.

So letting two or three quietly resign for unspecified reasons does not constitute a “hierarchical housecleaning.”

When the Vatican acts more often, more honestly and more harshly against more prelates who protect predators, we’ll be encouraged, but not only in the weeks before a papal trip to the US. Also, when we see Vatican officials order Mexican bishops to use their vast resources to warn parents, parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public about credibly accused child molesting clerics like Fr. Horacio Lopez, we’ll be encouraged.

Finally, it was 30 years ago this summer when the first US Catholic clergy sex abuse and cover up scandal garnered national headlines. (The Fr. Gilbert Gauthe case in Louisiana.)

In the wake of that case, many commentators praised new church abuse policies, protocols, procedures and personnel shifts. Many were convinced that real reform was happening. It wasn’t.

The same happened in the early 1990s and again in 2002.

Each time, we’ve all been sadly reminded that reforming the world’s oldest, largest and most powerful monarchy – secretive, rigid and all-male institution – is dreadfully slow.

We do a disservice to innocent kids and vulnerable adults when we assume that small moves and gestures are dramatic progress.

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

Pope Francis dumps two more bishops as house cleaning continues

David Gibson  Religion News Service  |  Jul. 15, 2015

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Mexican bishop who reportedly shielded a priest accused of sexually molesting an 11-year-old boy, and on Wednesday the Vatican announced that a Brazilian archbishop who spent $600,000 on renovations to his home and offices had been dismissed.

The moves are the latest signs that Francis is pursuing a hierarchical housecleaning that aims to address the heart of the clergy sex abuse scandal — accountability for bishops — while also removing prelates who  . . .

Read full article here