USA-Bishops to opine on porn while convicted porn-hider sits among them
For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
While a bishop convicted of hiding child pornography sits among them, today America’s bishops voted to write a formal statement on pornography.
The child pornography - hundreds of photos - belonged to a Catholic priest. Many of the photos were of young girls from Catholic parishes and were taken by the priest.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/06/3800269/bishop-finn-verdict-guilty.html
For at least five months, Finn and his staff sat on the photos and refused to call police. For years, Finn and his staff ignored repeated and detailed warning signs about Ratigan.
The entire Catholic hierarchy has ignored Finn’s crimes. Not one of the world’s thousands of bishops has uttered a single sentence critical of Finn.
To discourage pornography, Catholic bishops – especially new USCCB president Kurtz - should start by ousting Bishop Finn from the USCCB. At a minimum, they should loudly and formally denounce Finn’s crimes. Until they do – or until Pope Francis demotes, disciplines, defrocks or denounces Finn – the church hierarchy’s pornography pronouncements will ring hollow.
Finn’s defenders will claim the USCCB can’t kick him out. That’s just silly. The USCCB is a private club. It makes its own rules. If Finn was caught lobbying for the death penalty or volunteering at Planned Parenthood, we believe his brother bishops would discipline him. But they are too timid to say even one negative word about Finn in public. As best we can tell, not a single high ranking Catholic official – current or retired – anywhere in the world – has found the courage to propose disciplining Finn or uttered a single critical word about his deliberate and dangerous crimes.
Ignoring crimes encourages crimes. Until this deeply-rooted and dreadfully unhealthy code of silence among bishops changes, more clergy sex crimes will take place and be hidden.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[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
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