AUSTRALIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Monday, March 24, 2014
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com )
When confronted with tough questions about why they endanger kids and protect predators, many Catholic officials often sadly follow a predictable pattern. First, they blame their underlings. And if that doesn’t work, they blame their superiors.
Cardinal George Pell did both today.
First, he blamed John Davoren, his own Professional Standards Director, as “a muddler” who “wasn’t logical.”
Then he “accused the Vatican of downplaying” the abuse crisis. (according to the AP)
This is pure posturing. It’s a self-serving way for Pell to try and shift the focus off of his irresponsible, mean-spirited mishandling of clergy sex abuse and cover up cases.
This finger pointing at others goes right to the top. Just days ago, the Pope himself tried – in a clumsy and unconvincing way – to blame the media for the church’s on-going abuse and cover up scandal.
Maybe someday, we’ll hear a Catholic official say “We are still ignoring and mistreating victims, shielding and moving predators, and it’s not the fault of police, prosecutors, journalists, whistleblowers or anti-Catholic bigots.” But over the past quarter century, we’ve heard almost nothing like this. And we believe that if officials can’t honestly name a crisis and who’s causing it, they sure can’t honestly fix it.
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