Cardinal George's Priorities Are Backwards, SNAP Says

By Barbara Blaine
SNAP
March 4, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/il_cardinal_george_s_priorities_are_backwards_snap_says

Cardinal George suggests that few priests s molest kids these days. That's simply not true. Bishops in a tiny percentage of western nations have in recent years pledged ''zero tolerance." That promise is often broken.

But in the vast majority of countries, bishops don't even claim to practice "zero tolerance." It’s wrong for George to claim that this is the universal policy of the church. It's not.

Regardless of what's said or written in church procedures, the simple truth is that many clerics are still sexually assaulting kids. To imply otherwise is irresponsible.

So the new pope’s focus must first be on safeguarding the vulnerable, not healing the wounded. If need be, suffering adults can recover without Vatican help. But at-risk children cannot protect themselves without Vatican help.