UNITED STATES
These Stone Walls
POSTED BY FR. GORDON J. MACRAE ON JUNE 28, 2017
Some of the mighty have fallen from their public ruse as self-proclaimed champions of truth, justice, and the American way. The entire landscape of the Catholic Church in America was altered by the work of David Clohessy, Barbara Blaine, and “SNAP,” the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
SNAP’s snappy acronym, and Clohessy’s and Blaine’s relentless media assault about sexually abusive Catholic priests, made the organization a Catholic household name. SNAP’s manipulation of the media helped launch the mediated settlement process that, to date, has siphoned over $3 billion from Catholic institutions, insurance carriers, and Catholic ministries in the United States
SNAP also made the American Catholic bishops shudder, spawning policies that, in the quest to assuage SNAP and satisfy lawyers, brought great harm to the priesthood and the relationship between bishops and priests. The damage was summed up in a single sentence by Canadian Catholic blogger, Michael Brandon, in an assessment of These Stone Walls:
“The Catholic Church has become the safest place in the world for young people and the most dangerous place in the world for Catholic priests.”
Now, ever so slowly, much of the media and prosecutorial spin woven by SNAP has begun to unravel. While most Catholic leaders were cowered into accommodating silence, the Catholic League for Religious & Civil Rights led by Bill Donohue, published “SNAP Implodes” in a recent issue of Catalyst.
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