Vatican honors Cardinal Law again; SNAP responds
Four sources indicate that Cardinal Bernard Law is the official Vatican representative at a large Catholic celebration in Syracuse on Sicily. If this is true, we are very upset.
Nine years to the day of his resignation as head of the Boston Archdiocese, Pope Benedict, like his predecessor, keeps hurting thousands and thousands of deeply wounded child sex abuse victims and millions of betrayed Catholics by honoring disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law.
This tragedy brings to mind the famous exchange between the U.S. Army's Joseph Nye Welch and notorious demagogue Senator Joseph McCarthy and raises a question we must ask Pope Benedict. Exasperated by the senator's continuing cruelty, Welch asked McCarthy "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"
There are thousands and thousands of high ranking Catholic officials Pope Benedict could have tapped for this honor. But he, or his top advisors, deliberately picked a prelate who they know ignored, concealed and enabled dozens and dozens of child molesting clerics to sexually assault thousands of kids. (Reminder: the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office revealed that 250 priests and church workers in the Boston area stood accused of sexual assault of minors in a scandal “so massive and prolonged that it borders on the unbelievable.”.
This is no aberration. Vatican officials have made similarly hurtful choices time and time again. Earlier this year, for instance, they tapped embattled Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali for a similar honor. They also promoted a Philadelphia bishop, Joseph Cistone, to head his own diocese in Michigan despite his having been criticized in a grand jury report for mishandling clergy sex cases.
This is one of the many reasons we’ve filed a formal complaint against the Pope and other Vatican officials at the International Criminal Court – because the ancient, rigid, secretive Catholic hierarchy continues to tolerate and enable the rape of children and the covering up of those crimes by essentially rewarding wrongdoers.
A few will claim we’re “vengeful” for bringing this up. But for us, this is about prevention, not punishment. How wrongdoers are treated affects whether wrongdoing will continue. If you reward those who endanger kids, others will endanger kids. If you discipline or defrock or demote corrupt church officials, other church officials may reform.
And it’s about helping victims speak up. Victims step forward and expose predators and protect kids when they feel they can make a difference. But every time Pope Benedict or his top aides praise or promote a wrongdoer, victims feel helpless, stay silent, and predators remain free to inflict more devastating sexual violence on innocent kids.
Many will be outraged by this latest callousness from the Vatican. So what? Outrage is meaningless unless it prompts action. Again, we beg caring Catholics – clerics and lay people – to respond to this outrage by taking tangible steps to help protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded. Otherwise, the callous and corrupt prevail again and the innocent and vulnerable suffer again.
Read the story here: http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2011/12/12/copriva-preti-pedofili-america-vaticano-promuove-adesso-invitano-siracusa/177084/
http://www.vogliosposaretizianoferro.it/news/?p=838
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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