Tom McGregor at the Dallas Blog has exclusively reported that SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) expelled an alleged abuse victim of Catholic sex abuse from its annual conference last weekend in Chicago.
McGregor writes:
A man victimized by grievous sex abuse by a Jesuit priest decades ago in Chicago attempted to join a SNAP (Survivors' Network of the Abused by Priests) conference in Rosemont, Illinois to speak with a Jesuit priest to discuss his concerns.
Unfortunately, SNAP administrator, Barbara Dorris, ordered the victim to depart from the premises of a hotel lobby. She even assigned hotel security to escort him out of the building.
McGregor posted an email from the alleged victim, who apparently wanted to air "his concerns about the dangerous alliance between the Jesuits and SNAP."
So while SNAP makes its living by organizing angry protests and pickets outside of chancery offices demanding that bishops do as it demands, it appears that when it comes to dissent within its own ranks, the group summons security for those who do not toe the party line. Evidently, dissent is not tolerated.
So much for SNAP's stated mission to "provide support" for clergy abuse victims.
SNAP knows what it's doing. The way the Game is played, the first person to make an allegation and claim the 'moral' high-ground, automatically get to be the Good Guy and whomever he accuses starts off the show already type-cast as the Evil Perp.
In this case, if this person who was expelled from the meeting managed to make the claim that SNAP had betrayed him - while he is already holding the Victim position – then SNAP knows very very well how utterly impossible it will be to defend itself or clear itself of that charge, given the way the Game is set up.
In a way (this is what I get for writing a comment while watching dvd's) this whole thing reminds me of the general plot assumption of the old '60s show "Hogan's Heroes": the Nazis had set up such a bizarrely non-rational and unbelievable system, that nobody in the system could ever be sure that whatever they heard wasn't true and nobody could be sure that the whole thing couldn't suddenly be turned against them. That's what they got for creating a mad, mad, mad, mad world.
I think SNAP is seeing its own system now changing direction and – still chomping with those nasty choppers – coming straight back at them.
God worketh in mysterious ways.
Darlin Pub, do you actually think that the Catholic Church paid out 650 million dollars in L.A. alone on false accusations? Really? Really?
And don't hand me the completley unsubstantiated Don Stier reference. Just because he wrote it in a book doesn't make it true.. He does represent the accused and the convicted child rapists. Who would buy his book? Who wants to read about defending child rapists?
But if he throws in his "opinion" about the veracity of the claims. Well then he has the market, that you represent, to sell to….. the people who believe the Church is being victimized.by the children that were raped..
Pub, Irish men in repartie sometimes call each other Darlin. I'm not insulting you.
I do however have a question about the Game. The Game as you call it, can't that "Game" be played by both sides and don't you do that here?
God certainly does worketh in mysterious ways. To think that for centuries Roman Catholic hierarchy were covering up for sex crimes against children by Catholic priests, bishops and cardinals, and here we are at a time in history where they just can't get away with it anymore, at least not as often. That we live in such a time where, finally, faithful catholic men and women will no longer be hoodwinked into thinking that men with roman collars are trustworthy around children is a great blessing.
Praise All That is Holy that what once was hidden is now being revealed and that the name of Jesus will one day be no longer slandered by monsters in clerical garb and those who kept them in business.
That has got to be the most deliberate sidestepping and diversion that I have ever read…..although I fully expect even more in the days to come.
How is FAAF's reply remotely connected to the original post or Publion's reply? Seems to be an ongoing theme for FAAF.
I am starting to believe that there is an unholy alliance between elements in the Catholic Church and victims' attorneys. The sloppy abusers can be sacrificed and people in the Church who are in the know could make lots of $$$ in profit off settlements. The ones who know who the abusers are are probably abusers themselves. Think of the Follieri scandal involving parish properties out east. No doubt there really are many victims of priests (and nuns). The fact that so many deviants have risen to such high places in the Church show what a mess the Church is.