Vatican--Second member of pope’s abuse panel complains; SNAP responds

For immediate release, February 15, 2016

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St.  Louis, outreach director for SNAP (314 503 0003, [email protected])

A second member of a papal abuse panel is blasting Vatican officials for “great resistance” to child abuse reforms.

Marie Collins of Ireland said she was “horrified, absolutely horrified” to hear that new bishops were told they need not report known or suspected abuse to secular authorities. “It couldn’t be further from best practice if you tried to,” she told the Irish Times in a new interview.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/roman-curia-not-co-operating-with-child-abuse-commission-1.2534608

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/02/15/abuse-survivor-on-vatican-committee-accuses-roman-curia-of-blocking-reforms/

Another panel member, Peter Saunders of the UK, is also critical of the Vatican.

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/208717/%E2%80%98on-child-abuse-there-is-no-sincerity-on-francis%E2%80%99-side%E2%80%99

Francis’ handling of the abuse crisis is coming under fire from others too:

---The Global Post: http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/208717/%E2%80%98on-child-abuse-there-is-no-sincerity-on-francis%E2%80%99-side%E2%80%99

---The New York Times editorial board: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/opinion/tracing-the-bishops-culpability-in-the-child-abuse-scandal.html?_r=0

---John Allen of Crux: http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/02/07/what-new-catholic-bishops-are-and-arent-being-told-on-sex-abuse/

It’s worth noting that these complaints come during the same week that it was revealed that Vatican officials reportedly agreed to lift the suspension of Fr. Joseph Jeyapaul, a convicted predator priest, paving the way to his re-assignment despite repeated “zero tolerance” pledges

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/02/15/victims-group-protests-reinstatement-jeyapaul

Our hearts ache for Marie, Peter and millions of victims and Catholics who are repeatedly betrayed by a Catholic hierarchy that just refuses to put kids’ safety first.

(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, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])

Roman Curia ‘not co-operating’ with child abuse commission

Survivor Marie Collins speaks of resistance, even though Pope approves of new plans

Patsy McGarry

Marie Collins is tired, not surprisingly. Dealing with the grinding, mechanical mindset she has encountered again and again at senior levels in the Catholic Church would have long since killed off the determination of a lesser person.

In her seventh decade, she has spent the last three of those focused on one thing – making the Catholic Church a safer place for children. In her own young life she knew it to be otherwise. She later discovered  . . . 

Read full article here