[The pot (LCWR) that calls the kettle (the Church) black is called black by another pot (SNAP) that usually calls the same kettle (the Church) black]
Sex abuse victims to protest outside nuns’ conference
Posted by David Clohessy on August 06, 2012
www.snapnetwork.org/mo_sex_abuse_victims_to_protest_outside_nuns_conference
As hundreds of American Catholic nuns meeting this week in St. Louis, clergy sex abuse victims will protest outside urging them to address the under-reported issue of clergy sex crimes and cover ups by nuns.
A nationwide self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is upset with the main organization of nuns, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). SNAP says the LCWR “refuses to take any real steps to heal the wounded or protect the vulnerable.”
“It’s stunning, really, to see nuns moving more timidly and slowly on child sex crimes and cover ups than bishops,” said Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP’s outreach director. “Abuse by nuns is certainly more common than anyone suspects, and inaction by nuns’ groups contributes to this secrecy.”
For at least eight years, SNAP has repeatedly prodded the sisters’ organization to
–let childhood sexual victims to speak at the nun’s conference,
–actively reach out to victims of nun abuse, and
–post the names, photos and whereabouts of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting nuns on church websites.
SNAP’s first protest will be tomorrow, Monday, August 6,from 8:45 p.m. until 10:15 p.m. outside the Millennium Hotel, 200 S. Fourth (between Clark & Walnut) in downtown St. Louis
“The scandal of child molesting nuns takes a backseat to abuse by priests, remaining dangerously in the shadows,” said Steve Theisen of Iowa SNAP who was sexually victimized by a nun as a child. “More and more, we’re hearing from men and women who were molested, as young kids and vulnerable adults, by nuns across the country. Yet nun officials have done little to determine just how widespread such crimes and cover ups are or take effective steps to stop them in the future.”
“It’s ironic that the LCWR makes the same excuses for inaction now what bishops used 20 years ago,” said David Clohessy, SNAP’s director. “They make essentially bureaucratic claims like ‘our structure doesn’t permit us to do more’ and their meetings are not ‘the best venue’ to address these issues. It’s very disheartening.”
The LCWR is also under fire from top Catholic officials.
In April of this year, the Vatican announced that they were instituting a “reform effort” for the LCWR, in an effort to bring the group in line with traditional Vatican views on issues such as birth control and women’s ordination.
“We sympathize with the nuns, because we abuse victims have also been treated harshly and attacked by bishops,” said Dorris. “But that’s no excuse for doing little or nothing to help suffering adults get better or help vulnerable kids be safer.”
The LCWR has more than 1,500 members, roughly 900 of whom are expected at this meeting. It represents about 95% of the 68,000 women religious in the US. Few of these religious communities of women answer to the local bishops; instead the majority of these orders report to an obscure Vatican office.
[On the other hand, the latter pot (SNAP) which calls the former pot (LCWR) black--and both of whom call the kettle (the Church) black--is open to the charge of being called black itself]
SNAP CONFERENCE 2012 EXCLUSIVE ** One Hand Washes the Other: Jeff Anderson, Other Contingency Lawyers Bankroll Church-Bashing Group
August 1, 2012
www.themediareport.com/2012/08/01/snap-conference-2012-jeff-anderson/
Bringing in the cash: Minneapolis lawyer Jeff Anderson
The high-profile, Church-suing attorney Jeff Anderson offered up a whopping check for $43,950 to SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) as he orchestrated this year’s fundraising session at the group’s annual conference at the Hilton Rosemont in Chicago, according to sources who were there.
Seizing the microphone during a mid-afternoon session this past Saturday, the zealous Anderson pleaded aggressively with attendees in the conference room to donate to the anti-Catholic group. Anderson announced that he would match all pledges made during the drive.
As the pledges commenced, Anderson energetically dashed around the room working the crowd like a carnival barker, eager to rake in more money for his favorite cause.
Other contingency lawyers pitch in
Fellow big-time contingency lawyers quickly stepped up to the plate. Chicago’s Marc Pearlman (a partner of Anderson) offered up $10,000, and Seattle’s Tim Kosnoff pledged $5,000. Boston’s Mitchell Garabedian may have offered $2,000.
The SNAP-lawyer alliance exposed
As we have often pointed out, lawsuits alleging decades-old abuse by Catholic priests have become a big business, an industry with literally billions of dollars in revenue.
But the industry is composed of a relatively small number of players: professional victims’ groups like SNAP; wealthy contingency lawyers who typically pocket a third of successful suits; and Church-bashing “experts” always ready to opine in court.
If anyone had any doubt about this close-knit collaboration, SNAP’s annual conference should put any doubt to rest. Wealthy lawyers were opening their wallets to fund their favorite Church-bashers, likely with the hope that their gestures will keep the clients and fat paydays coming.
Lawyers contributed well over half of all of the money raised at SNAP’s big event. The intimate partnership between the purported victims’ group SNAP and its wealthy benefactor lawyers is thus undeniable.