UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Friday, February 07, 2014
Statement by Peter Isely of Milwaukee, board member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 414-429-7259, peterisely@yahoo.com )
Papal spokesman claims UN panel “gave more credence to NGOs” over church officials. This is simply not true.
The UN panel gave credence to decades of well documented horrific crimes and cover ups. Catholic officials can’t spin or promise their way out of the crisis. Catholic officials should not be surprised when well educated objective adults judge them on consistent self serving actions, and not on professed intentions to do better in the future.
The Vatican’s belligerence is deeply disappointing. Listening and learning, not ducking and dodging, can help protect children. People should ask themselves “who do I believe an impressive impartial panel of experts with an unblemished track record, or a handful of powerful complicit clerics with an extraordinarily blemished track record?”
Pope Francis should instruct prelates to call off attack dogs and study the full UN panel report and start taking tangible abuse prevention steps. This is the only way the church hierarchy will be able to start safeguarding children and restoring its justifiably tattered reputation.
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