SNAP’s (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) “Open Letter to Clay Co. and Jackson Co. Prosecutors” urges them to remember the seriousness of Bishop Finn’s alleged offenses as they move toward trial. It serves as a template for concerned Philadelphia Catholics who wish to remind District Attorney Seth Williams that we demand justice for our children who were endangered (according to Lynn’s own testimony). This justice would surely protect children in the future.
Seth Williams
Three South Penn Square
Corner of Juniper and South Penn Square
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3499
Great Idea.
Let us hope you Philly Catholics will write, and also get your friends to write, a similar letter to Seth Williams. You should even send copies to John Martin and Craig McCoy, two excellent reporters at the Philadelphia Enquirer, who have fearlessly reported on the pending prosecution of Lynn, Avery, et al.
We have read the stories about past close contacts Seth has had to Rigali and Chaput. Chaput’s lawyers have very close ties to both major political parties’ top politicians. Philly’s judges are also elected, which invites political pressures to be major factors in these cases.
If Philly Catholics do not stay on the alert, they could wake up one morning and find out Lynn, Avery, et al. got a “nice deal” that can’t be stopped. The questions of whether Bevilaqua and/or Rigali will be pursued diligently by Seth Williams and Philly judges are a further concern.
Please note my suggestions about additional ways to advocate, including an amusing example by Saul Alinski, who served as Barack Obama’s model when he was a community organizer in Chicago. The suggestions are in my October 22 comments to the C4C piece,” I Want To Tell You The Truth” by Fr. Chris.
Leon Podles, a former federal investigator and author of books and articles on the abuse crisis and state of the Catholic church has a post up today that doesn’t hedge or mince words: http://www.podles.org/dialogue/kansas-city-498.htm
I am wondering to what degree the letter serves as a template for Catholic clergy? Do they find it anti-Catholic clergy? Excessively punitive? Do they feel picked-on and abused?
On the one hand, they call for accountability. On the other hand, they fight for immunity. In the mix, they straddle a gray-area that is unrecognizable to the rational and moral mind.
Possibly, it results from perceiving men as “princes.”
With all due respect, Hadit, are you serious? The Catholic clergy just cheered Philly priests credibly accused of raping Philly kids. It’s been over 25 years since Tom Doyle reported in detail to Bernard Law and William Levada about the scourge of priest abuse of kids throughout the US. Now Law and Levada are living like real “princes” in Rome, no effective protections for kids have been adopted by theUS bishops and you are worried about hurting the dangerous, arrogant and unrepentant clergy’s feelings. Really!
Hadit can answer your questions Jerry…
I didn’t read it that Hadit was concerned about upsetting the clergy, merely stating how they would perceive the pressure to protect children as something “anti-catholic” like they usually do.
No, I’m not worried about hurting their feelings. I’m sickened by the way they rationalize and moralize their hurt feelings from the perspective of clericalism.
The only way things will change is when the laws are changed, and I see that ‘cahput’ has begun to lay the ground work for preventing change as evidenced by a prayer invocation in City Council, I wonder if City Council will be as gracious to the VICTIMS and send out invitations to appear ? I just read an article in the Philly Inquirer that Fr. Marone has enlisted the help of Joe Piscopo and members of the Jersey Boys who will perform in an attempt to raise money for extra curricular activities , I wonder if their are any celebrities that would be willing to do the same for the VICTIMS ? Don’t forget that ‘chaput’ will be having a meet and greet for the politicians in Harrisburg .
Survivor’s wife, thanks for the clarification, but it doesn’t diminish my point. At this stage, what the clergy will think about Philly Catholics’ prophetic resistance is really unimportant. The clergy is not operating in good faith. What they say is scripted by their legions of high priced lawyers, lobbyists and media apologists. Please don’t waste your time even listening to the contrived reactions.
A friend of mine, Andy Dundorf, going public with his story.
Yet another priest, removed from ministry for abusing young boys is found teaching 9th graders math nowadays.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/10/newark_priest_teacher_accused.html
Poor Andy. So many more children are at risk too.
When the school gets sued…may there be no mercy for their ignorance and stupidity. They were warned.
The children in this man’s path…should make every adult nervous.
Just as some priests consider homosexual relations to be not violation of their vows of celibacy/chastity, others consider child porn not as bad as personally violating children. This is the old hedge, fudge, compromise tactic. This tactic may be why Bishop Finn didn’t act immediately over Ratigan’s child porn. Pope Benedict did the same thing when he recently said condoms were better than giving someone AIDS if you were going to do the homosex act anyway.
Child porn is therefore probably common as a means to soothe the pedophiliac psyche. We sure find a lot of this evil filth among clergy and priests. Here is another case somewhat like that of Raymond Lahey the child porn dealer, child-sex trafficking tourist and ‘bishop’ of Nova Scotia:
“Croatian police detained a Catholic priest in a vast operation against the distribution of child pornography on the Internet that included dozens of companies and individuals, Hina news agency reported Friday. The 60-year-old priest from a Catholic Church in Zagreb was detained during the operation, conducted in cooperation with British police, according to the public prosecutor’s office. The Church suspended him until the end of the probe.” (CROATIA – The Windsor Star)
They don’t get it. The lesser of two evils is still evil.
Child porn IS STILL child ABUSE! Some poor child is still horrifically used and exploited for the gratification of their sick, selfish, evil appetites.
Collectively Church leaders have proven themselves unable to serve as a moral compass for the People of God. We have no choice other that to simply let them go. They retain their power ONLY as long a we continue to defer to them. If the people as a whole are unable to free themselves from these immoral spiritual dictators, (as someone in an earlier post stated) C4C will be discussing these same issues 300 years from now.
It’s like the “Arab Spring;” we have to dispose of these tyrants now, or the abuse will never end. Changes will not arise from the goodness of their hearts. They are cold ruthless individuals that must be dealt with to the fullest extent that the law will allow. They must be aggressively and relentlessly pursued or the People of God will remain spiritual slaves on the RC plantation.
Oh God, set your People free!
drwho13,
The most significant word in your post is the first one, “Collectively.” The collective Church leadership is EXACTLY as you say. For the sake of brevity, let’s sum it up in one word: immoral.
However, my conscience prevents me from attaching “immoral” to individual Church leaders. While it is immoral for an individual to remain associated with an immoral institution he cannot affect, it is fair and humane to at least inquire into why a moral individual would continue to remain associated with an immoral institution he cannot affect.
The reasons why individual clergy members find it impossible or inconceivable to extricate themselves from their immoral institution are complex, convoluted and numerous.
If you are a clergy person reading this, would you explore, long and hard, your own complex and convoluted reasons? Come to understand them, deeply and completely. Then, one more time, ask yourself, “are my actions in sync with my heart and conscience”?
haditCatholic – There’s more of the same, just out this morning.
“Holy furor! Good Shepherd parishioners don’t turn the other cheek at protestors.”
“Parishioners loyal to a Marine Park priest who was accused of sexually abusing two 13-year-old boys last week lashed out at a group of protestors outside his church on Sunday, with one of the flock spitting at the demonstrators and another telling them to stick the flyer they were handing out “up their [buttocks]” (Brooklyn Daily.)
YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID! The masses will accept anything der Führer decrees.
http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2011/43/mm_bradyprotest_2011_10_28_bk.html