WI - Benedict leaves papacy with no apologies to we deaf victims of Fr. Murphy
Very sadly, today, Benedict XVI finished his time as Pope without ever once apologizing for his involvement in covering up the crimes of Fr. Lawrence Murphy, who sexually assaulted me and over 200 other students when we were youngsters at St. John’s boarding school for the deaf, operated by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
We pleaded with Benedict, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger and the head of the powerful head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Faith (CDF) to remove Murphy from the priesthood so he could harm no other children. The Pope had at his desk thousands of pages of direct criminal evidence and testimony that Murphy had destroyed and was likely destroying the lives of so many young deaf children. We wanted the Pope turn Murphy over to criminal authorities, and alert the deaf community and the public about this dangerous man.
The Pope never doubted Murphy’s guilt. Yet, he allowed him to remain in ministry in good standing as a priest, Murphy’s secrets kept safe by the church. As one final gesture, when Murphy died in 1997, we begged Cardinal Ratzinger and officials of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to not allow Murphy to be buried as a priest. That, we felt, was the least the church could do, given all the harm that Murphy had caused us. Instead, the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee one more time ignored our pleas, and Murphy was buried in his full priestly vestments his today. Murphy’s grave stone today still identifies him as a priest.
Fr. Murphy may have stolen our bodies, but it was Pope Benedict who stole our voice.
We still believe that the Pope Benedict can still do what’s right, even in his retirement, and reach out to us deaf survivors and make amends and finally hear our stories and our anguish.
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
Showing 9 comments
I am appalled at the homosexuality within the priesthood and the fact they cover it up and act like they are so holy and next to God.
As well, the abuse against children that the Catholic Church has hidden and covered up is just beyond words! Why anybody would ever step foot into a Catholic Church and support that organization just tells me that they turn their faces away from what their Priests, etc., have done and are doing. I was a Catholic at one time and when these abuses and criminal molestations against children began to be uncovered and it was obvious that the Catholic Church was supporting their pedophile Priests: that was it for me!
Vanity Fair wrote a good article last year about all of the gay priests and their lovers in the Vatican…what an eye opener!
As mentioned earlier, the survivors of this horrendous abuse are heroes for speaking out whether that be blogging, partaking in a class action law suit, telling their story to a friend, etc.,
We need to hear what happened to YOU and we must prosecute the abusers! Shame on the world for giving those pedophiles a haven in Vatican City!
I state the above first off because that is essentially the crux of the problem: the Catholic organization believes itself to be untouchable and they have an arrogance that is simply shameful!
The deaf men that were abused and molested by Murphy and the Catholic Organization are heroes in my mind for having the fortitude for standing up against these bullies. Murphy will have his day of judgement and unfortunately it was not to be here on earth thanks to his buddies: Catholic Church.
To the Men who have to deal with the terrible memories of what that monster did and what those other abusers did: I hope you find solace in suffering as Jesus Christ did and know that many people pray for you and look at you as a barometer of survivorship.