Editors note:
My Uncle Chris is a practicing and dedicated Catholic. He has vigorously supported Catholic Charities and education. While we don’t always see eye-to-eye on politics, I’ve always admired his commitment to his faith. To suggest that he is trying to smear the Church is absurd.
Not one aspect of Sabrina Erdely’s article in Rolling Stone is untrue. Donohue can call it inflammatory all he wants, but that doesn’t change the facts. Church leadership covered up alleged abuse and put our children at risk. Bottom line. Without legal and media ramifications, the Church would not be making any moves to address this problem.
Whether you agree with her or not, Maureen Dowd is a talented writer with a column in the New York Times. Donohue has to pay big money to publish his vitriolic ads in the Times. Is that how Jesus would have us evangelize? Wouldn’t that money be better spent on a loving outreach?
The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is INTEGRITY! Bill Donohue lost his a very long time ago. Thank God people like Chris Matthews has not and and the many people who write on this blog.
Thank you Susan for your courage and dedication on behalf of innocent kids who just want to approach God safely. There are reports today the pope will resign next April when he turns 85 years old. It is time for all Catholics to shout from the rooftops It is our Church too . We have had enough of the mystical smokescreens, slanted catechisms, obtuse liturgy, weird theology, falsification of church history, oppression of alternative voices, perverse sexuality and, especially, rape of our children. The absolute monarchy days are over. Let’s move and not just have a new pope–let us, one and all, take back our Church from the Roman clique and the cowardly bishops the Roman clique seduce with privlilege, wealth, power, and, as is being reported all too often, secret sex. Enough already!
There are reports the pope will resign next April???????????
Sources, please?
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/news/detail/articolo/papa-el-papa-pope-dimissioni-resignation-renuncia-8389/
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=28397
Thank you, drwho13.
William Donohue, according to the Catholic League’s 2009 IRS tax filing ( available at http://www.guidestar.org ) paid himself just around $USD 400 thousand in 2009 ). All the other officers show a token dollar. That, alone, is equal to the total annual budget of SNAP. Buffoonery and bluster is indeed a profitable endeavor.
Donohue describes the actions of Louise Hagner ,an AD victims assistance coordinator. He says that by going to the victims house she did what any good INVESTIGATOR would do. So when did victim assistance coordinators for the AD become investigators?. Oh I see, their job is to investigate, not assist the victim. His choice of using the word investigator is pretty telling.
Susan, thank you for speaking the truth so clearly about the damage Mr. Donohue is doing to the church’s integrity through his unfounded attacks on journalists, and even on victims of clerical sexual abuse.
Thank you Susan Matthews.
Speaking for victims,
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511
snapjudy@gmail.com
“Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests”
http://www.snapnetwork.org/
Do not contact the Catholic Church or SNAP for help!
First Call the Police and/or your District Attorney or Prosecutor.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Contact Bob Hoatson from http://www.Road-to-Recovery.org 862-368-2800
Bob Hoatson is the only person/organization that I have ever seen that actually helps victims. SNAP exploits victims, and I can not in good conscience, knowing all I know about this organzation, let someone else make the mistake of aligning with them, as so many of us have in the past, only to be left hurt and alienated.
Victims need comfort now. They don’t need to exploited further.
Mr. Slevin…….I would like to communicate with you if that is possible. I was impressed with your article from April 2010 which was recently posted on this website and wanted to share some thoughts with you. My e-mail address is skiadvocat@aol.com and if you send me a short e-mail, I will be able to respond to your e-mail address.
If you(donohue) don’t like the messanger you can shoot him but we will just keep sending new ones til everyone knows the truth,,,,,,,,,,,,
my comment: Tooooo Looooong! I have to go to work now.
The Donohue piece was too long and laborious to read. He seems to me to be attempting to show himself a better journalist than Erdely.
In all honesty, I haven’t read this particular article. For the same reasons I choose not to read the conspiracy theories of Hitler, I think topics written by Bill Donahue and other ignorant dolts is nothing more than mutterings from incoherant fools. Bill Donahue says many things that are just way out of line, that if you even paraphrased some of his speeches, listeners would look at you cross-eyed and wonder just what sort of principals and standards you live by. Bill Donahue, like many right wing Catholic republicans don’t get it either. It would seem as if fondling a child’s genitals, or French kissing a child is acceptable and appropriate behavior for these guys, especially when it involves a priest acting upon an innocent child. What does one say about behavior like this? I know that it isn’t right, but to even suggest that it causes little or no harm to the child is just irresponsible and reckless.
It would seem as if the only true method for understanding sexual abuse and innapropriate sexual contact upon an innocent child or a vulnerable adult is to have been a victim of such indecency before, or to be the family member of a victimized child, as you watch that child progessively lose all focus in life until they succumb to drug and/or alcohol addiction, sometimes other risky addictions, and in many cases, suicide. Childhood sexual abuse can lead to depression and anxiety, not with only the victim, but also with the victim’s family, friends, and future relationships. In short, it effects your entire life. Living with this is something like an inoperable, incurable, irremediable disease that can often become fatal if left untreated. It might be the most devastating disease known, and unfortunately “unknown.”
Children are supposed to be educated about the world and about people. It is the promise of our teachers, parents, priests to shape and mold our children into intelligent, well-mannered, confident adults who will someday be asked to lead our armies into battle, or represent our voices in Congress, or to build our homes, how to stand up for those who cannot protect themselves, and to teach the next generation, their children, everything that we have learned in our lives to shape and mold them for the future. Being sexually abused as a child stunts the productivity of confidence, self-esteem, and the potential greatness of a life. Many of us had great expectations for the future, and we were all given opportunities to pursue whatever career we had in mind, but I know for myself there always seemed to be an impassable obstacle standing in my way that prevented whatever was in reach to become out of reach. Abused children, like myself, are left to remember the events that took place many years ago, in which we had little or no control over our lives, and now we can not expect ourselves to find some control again to pursue that happiness many people enjoy. The memories that exist everyday, that perpetuate the abuse over and over in our minds usually requires enough dedication and strength to somehow manage just getting through most of the day, and is usually even more exhausting just trying to make it through the night.
Bill Donahue and others like him will never understand the concept of “significant psychological depression resulting from an adult man raping us when we were children.” I believe, as I have said many times on this board, that unless you’ve been through it, you will never quite understand just how devastating such maltreatment can have on a child, and on the child who grows into a man. If it was a simple as just saying “Move on and get over it,” I would have taken that advice and ran with it a long time ago. If you had a magic pill to make all my memories go away, I’d order a case so I can share them with my friends. The fact of the matter is that there is no magic antidote or therapy techniques that can take away everything that happened. It’s a long, grueling battle of emotions, tears, sweat, sadness, and depression. Regrettable, the army I am leading is platoons of child abuse victims.
Mr. Dona-who?
That is my question how do you protect your kids without you and them becoming nervous wrecks? That is why I hope they put it on utube I would be interested in what they have to say. Sadly sometimes you can’t prevent it but maybe you can stop it from continuing ……..I am thinking In the case of fathers and stepfathers and close relatives. Priests, coaches and teachers there is alttle more distance but even then……….most people want to trust these people or at least use to………. maybe not now.
Chat Room support Meeting on http://www.Victims4Justice.org
7pm – 9pm tonight, Monday Sep. 26
Log-in using Facebook, WordPress, Chatroll, ot Guest. “For Guest sign-in, just erased the Guest and number and type in a nickname more to your liking.)
Hope to see you there!
Peace out bean sprouts!
Sorry Rich – we have a conference call tonight with some other advocates.
…hmmm..so uncle Chris and Maureen Dowd are persons to be admired??
..what the hey.. why not go all the way and include good old Keith Olbermann
and Al Sharpton in the mix.. to name just a few..
..did it ever occur to you if it wasn’t for Uncle Chris and his ilk there would
never have been a Roe v. Wade..
Susan, you have the bully pulpit here but I defy you to tell me I’m wrong..
jack conn, you are wrong, dead wrong, but I love you none the less. That you are on this blog says you care. Please lighten up. If it wasn’t for Susan, you would just be talking to yourself, God love you.
Jack – The issue here is Donohue! He in a despicable individual.
You’re attempt at subterfuge is analogous to a person pointing out the pedophile problem in the public school system, while the issue here is trying to clean out a pedophile infested Church.
I’m trying to discredit Donohue, and that’s why I’m posting here. Al Sharpton is not my concern. Get it!
Jack? The bully pulpit? In that case, we all must have Stockholm Syndrome, because we, meaning victims like myself and others, keep coming back for more.
Jack, I didn’t suggest that anyone should admire them. Please read carefully. I said that I admired my Uncle’s personal faith life as a Catholic. I will never hide behind a bully pulpit. I’m not preaching and I’m no bully.
Speaking of bully pulpits, William Donohue long ago sacrificed his own credibility by allowing Gordon MacRae, one of the infamous Manchester New Hampshire Diocese priest abusers, to write from prison and use the Catholic League site as a bully pulpit to defend himself and attempt sway public opinion against the victims and their legal defenders.
It is shocking that Gordon MacRae is the kind of person William Donohue chooses to affirm, defend and even call a martyr. Donohue’s heart is warm and protective toward the priests and the institution, NOT the children who were raped, seduced and deeply damaged. According to Scripture, Jesus sees child physical, sexual and emotional abuse from the complete opposite perspective as do Mr. Donohue and some bishops and cardinals.
Here is a link to the MacRae case: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2003_03_03_NHAG/NHAG_10_MacRae.htm
Note especially the judge’s statement (pp 150-151) and MacRae’s psychological profile (Sections I and II).
“Not one aspect of Sabrina Erdely’s article in Rolling Stone is untrue.”
I wouldn’t be too sure of that : http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/12/before-rolling-stone-was-conned-by.html
Nor am I sure that Gordon MacRae is guilty. I’ve read enough online to think that he may be innocent.