Always on message: Laurie Goodstein from the New York Times
Question: What does a good reporter do when a decades-old story line continues to get old and stale?
Answer: Nothing at all.
Despite nearly $3 billion in settlements, over $80 million in therapy payments, endless mea culpas, and countless apologies to accusers of priest sex abuse from decades ago, the New York Times' National Religion Correspondent Laurie Goodstein continues to trumpet the tired claims from the lawyer-funded attack group SNAP that the Catholic Church and Pope Francis have somehow "ignored" and "infuriated" victims of clergy abuse.
A sea of protesters
The twins: Ianni (l) and Dorris (r)
on the hunt for publicity
After Goodstein first cites Dorris' curious claim that Pope Francis has somehow "ignored" abuse victims, she then locates yet another befuddled SNAPper who claims that Pope Francis "doesn't get it" when it comes to clergy abuse from decades ago.
As we have reported before, no gathering or group is too tiny for Goodstein when it comes to bashing the Catholic Church. Last year, when a tiny fringe group of dissident priests, nuns, and other left-wing zealots formed a group to attack the Catholic Church over decades-old cases of abuse, Goodstein proudly trumpeted a front-page story about the effort, even though the fledgling gang was so unorganized that it did not even have a web site yet.
Keeping hope alive
But Goodstein is most unhinged in her article when she ambitiously claims that "the abuse scandal has hardly died down in the United States."
Goodstein conveniently fails to inform her readers that in the past decade contemporaneous accusations of abuse against Catholic priests have averaged a paltry 8 per year merely deemed "credible" by the lenient standards of diocesan review boards. (There are over 43,000 priests in the United States and nearly 70 million Catholics.)
So despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Goodstein nonetheless still claims that the abuse scandal is still white hot and raging. A triumph of hope over evidence if there ever was.
But for Goodstein and her never-ending animus for the Catholic Church, it is the same as it ever was.
It's "white hot" as long as I'm alive.
It's "white hot" untill you've done right by your victims and you aren't even trying to.
Again we see SNAP is all women all the time save for Clohessy and a few others. Yet the majority of victims are male; and according to you closer to my age than Blaine's; Clohessy's, and Castix. So many miracles stat wise! But still nothing for the majority of victims. Frauds breed frauds. The church is SNAP.
it created it It owns it and it pays for it ;so they won't have to give the victims anything ever. You have no shame.
Goodstein has been writing less of her hit pieces though.
Bravo for Laurie, she should be writting more, furtunatelly the NYT and her pen is speaking up for US,. The church pays because they were push to do it not because they what it . The domiciliary arrest or the Hilton/she raton prision that they have at the vatican ….
Shame on you Media REPORT ,
Rafael García Zuazua.
Huh??
Abuse is indeed wrong. But once again the Catholic Church, which has done more that any other organization or church to help victims, gets dragged through the mud. The Catholic Church has done more to support people who have been abused than anyone. Ms. Goldstein doesn't look to other religious organizations but only Catholics. Where is SNAP when 4 local high school teachers were charged with sexual abuse? Get your heads out of the sand and see that the Catholic Church does have a heart and does care about the abuse of minors!
LMFAO!
Father, come down from the clouds. What has the church done for victims?
How do you know what the church has done for victims compared to what they do to victims?
Hell! I don't know what the church has done for victims; and I've been near the most public victims since 2002. I know nothing about healed victims and I have stood right next to the most public of victims in L.A. for years.
Why if the church has done so much don't victims and/ or the church bally hoo that?
I believe all this comes done to the church's creation of SNAP. SNAP who says they represent us by never asking us if we want them to represent us.
Look to the press! Where's the follow up on victims stories. There are none?
That seems normal to you?
Don't you think the church, itself, would be trotting out victims to show who they've "helped"? Do you see anybody? No. Me neither.
You, father, are too used to having people believe you just on your say so. You and the church are only fooling the very dumb.
In reality,You've fought us, victims, every foot of the way.
You even bitch about the number of times popes have had to apologize to us publicly and apologies are cheap they're just hot air and compensation free. There's never talk from the church or SNAP about compensation for victims. Snap NEVER mentions compensation for victims and neither does the church.. How do those behaviors equate to doing something for your victims?
Give us detailed examples of victims you've helped and the good you say you've done them.
And could we have victims who are no longer zombied out catholics speaking for victims? Just one or two lapsed catholic victims who no longer drink your Kool-Aid.
I find it quite comical that the pope is wearing white. His wearing the blood of his victims would be more appropriate, imo Ya know, he is such a boaster.
'Carrie', on October 3rd, concludes her inflammatory comment about Pope Francis with the words "ya know, he is such a boaster"
Really? I cannot recall him breast- beating or singing his own praises. My impression was of a man humbly reaching out to others, for the sake of peace and harmony.
Anyway 'Carrie' you are such a hypocrite… because if you really knew for certain of a person who had blood on their hands, your duty would be to report that person to the police.
But you cannot, can you? Because you are just doing what all agitators and mud-slingers have always done,…. throwing out mindless insults and accusations in a desperate attempt to keep the witch-hunt going.
No Malcolm, Frank's "theme" is humility and the media drives that line home every day. It's the new black (A fashion saying). The church is trying to re-invent it's image while nothing changes in regard to it's support of male supremacy and the problem that fact creates in the church. So along comes Francis (they needed loveable) and this is who they picked to show how the church "gets it" for the wrongs it's done without ever fixing any of them (but maybe the vatican bank). He sainted a man (Serra) who encouraged the bull whiping of native Americans. How is that the church behaving "better"?
In the real world: Ireland; the U.S., the church is being ignored by the very people you/it used to dominate.
You are in a state of schock and need to recognize that. This is personally traumatic for you and other conservative catholics i know but; don't kill the messenger.. Denying the reality of our rapes makes you look even worse.
Serra ordered and encouraged the bull whipping of native Californian peoples.
Does Goodstein write about anything else?
Don't worry Ken. You'll get your pension.
Not sure what you are tallking about
LDB, It doesn't get any smarter here.
I have to say this:
Francis/the catholic church is so "in control" in the U.S. that the pope got to speak to the U.S. congress. The very congress we all pay for and in a building , the capitol, that we also pay for. But there have been no hearings, not even one, has ever been held on sexual abuse of American children in the catholic church in that building or to a congressional committee.. Ireland's had hearings. Australia's having hearings right now. But here thanks to the Church's wealth and power we have never had a hearing.Nor will we. (ask SNAP why they've never demanded congressional hearings for victims. That's the last thing SNAP/the church wants. Instead SNAP'll talk one more time about changing the church rather than revealing the true extent of the crimes.
Now if congress can have hearings on steroid abuse in professional baseball. Affecting may be 400 people. Why haven't they heard our victims' experiences when we number in the hundreds of thousands in the U.S.?
That is outrageous!
Why this hasn't happened is the same reason we, in the West continue to destroy ourselves by supporting a fossil fuel based economy. Money controlls the dialog. If you have money you can talk/ define the subject of dialog publically and more importantly: the parameters of such a dialog..
And the church has piles of tax free money they can distribute at whim so no important questions are ever asked.
I really didn't see huge piles of people watching the pope in the U.S.. I did see a media act like his visit was monumental. Really? Monumental?
Or was it just a spiritual circus parade staged for suckers? So that we'd believe the church is doing fine.
Jim Robertson, on October 6th, tells us that he didn't see huge piles of people watching the Pope during his recent visit to the U.S. He then fires off his parting shot with "or was it just a spiritual circus parade… staged for suckers?"
Well I am confused ….but am sure he will put me straight… if my facts are wrong. I looked up the population of Philadelphia and it said 1.5 million souls. Did a check but am still bewildered?
Because another report said that 1 million souls attended the Pope's mass?? So what is going on?. Surely Pope Francis could not possible be so popular with the citizens? Because for the last 30 years the Church has been bombarded with such unrelenting media attacks…it would have drawn praise from Joseph Goebbels.
Dare I begin to hope that the average Joe is not as gullible as I previously thought. Have I misjudged him, and failed to give him credit for spotting a scam… and seeing when the fix is in.?
Somebody once told me that I should always withhold my judgement until they.. 'vote with their feet'
Gee… that sure was a lot of feet…in Philadelphia.
People bused in to a catholic "family" convention staged in Philly don't equate to a recovered church in the U.S. or the world. There was no "tickertape" parade in N.Y down 5th Ave.
The parade for suckers was just what Frank's visit was all about and it didn't work.
You want people back in your church? Start following Jesus not some p.r. contraption in white silk.
Start by doing right by the children you've enabled to be raped.
When you do that; then, and only then, will you be forgiven.
You're running out of parade watching suckers just like you're running out of vocations. The suckers are wise-ing up and walking away.
Joseph Goebbels was born into a strict catholic family and went to catholic school where he learned about propaganda from the masters of propaganda: Das Church.
What are you saying?
That youa are a Nazi Jim?
Here's a piece on what the church spends it's/your money on. It certainly isn't spending it on it's victims. The link is to the Wall Street Journal.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-catholic-church-made-a-social-media-splash-during-the-popes-u-s-visit-1444753097
Yes Bee, I'm a Nazi (Of course not.) and you are a Christian (also of course not).
There's a choice between doing good and doing evil. Goebbels chose evil. I did not.
Here's something that should illuminate who SNAP really is.
Who else but active Catholics would be selling a statue of the pope and for $ 70.00 yet! They are selling a craven idiol (just kidding)
.https://mail.google.com/mail/?tab=wm#inbox/150030c80d4d513b
Jim Robertson tells us, on the 15th, that the Church is selling statues of the Pope, for $70 each.
Probably a good idea… to raise money to cover cost of logistics during his recent visit there.
But I sure hope there aren't any of those million dollar settlements (like JR got paid) in my neck of the woods.
Because we would have to start selling the candlesticks from the altar… to raise the money.
That's the cost of screwing up a kid for life. Candlesticks are more important and valuable to you than your own raped Catholic kids?
Why won't you "religious people" take responsability for actions allowed in your name? Actions by employees paid for by your contributions?
Why have the immoral people taken over the church? Sheeesh!
Pay, who you owe proper compensation for the harm done. That's being moral. Why don't you add up all the victims who killed themselves in Australia thanks to your church and it's behaviors.
Whinning about how much it costs to wreck a persons life, is evil. Worring about having to sell your fucking candlesticks is satanic.
Jesus never bitched about or even wanted candlesticks.
He did pass his only death sentence for child rapists by saying "Better that a millstone be tied around their necks and they be thrown into the sea"
His church was plein air. He never needed and never asked for candlesticks or cathedrals. Those are man made geegaws. He built his church in the hearts of men.
You might want to know more about your faith before you deign to choose candlesticks over people.
JR, on the 20th, seems to have a lot to say about me and my priorities. Well I'm still puzzled about his pot-of-gold settlement, of one million dollars. I personally do not have first- hand info about children being abused by priests. None at all…not even after thirty years in one parish …. never heard so much as a hint?. But if we were foolish enough to believe JR… then we would think it was going on everywhere?.
Fantasy- land rubbish.. typical of any witch-hunt. Anyway my understanding of out-of-court settlements is that they always contain a confidentiality clause. Meaning that in consideration of the settlement being paid, all parties will refrain from discussing the case in future. In other words the matter is sealed against all future discussion or contesting of the issues, Also it is common for the conditions to stipulate that the payment is an ex-gratia payment only….and must not be taken to be an admission of guilt.
If I am right then JR is continuously disregarding a legally binding agreement, which he freely entered into. So what should that tell us about his principles? And his willingness to stick to his word? What does it tell us about his integrity?
Literally every catholic parish in Los Angeles has had a perpetrator, at sometime, in their employ.
Rapists don't advertise themselves as such. And the contradictions that clerics pose for the children they've raped, put the victims at odds with their and their families faith. Something the average rapist doesn't do. Adding even more pain to the victims dilema.
The church always imposed silence on the victims as part of any settlement. Never the other way round. That all ended here after 2002. I can tell the truth of what happened to me. Just as i have always done, thank you.
My principles and my integrity are just fine.
Will add just one thing to my earlier comment about JR's integrity.
Reckon the guy is ….."strictly from hunger"
If there was no cash to be had…. then none of this would have emerged from the swamp..
Given the average jury award here for clerical victims was between 4 and 6 million dollars. The church and it's insurors got off cheap.
If Malcolm's house burns or he's in a terrible car crash. I'm sure he'd be on the phone to his insurors post haste; but If victims (or is it just me?) call out the church for it's criminal behavior towards us, it's own children, we're "from hunger"?
What swamp did we emerge from Malcolm? The swamp of your fear? Your lack of responsibility? Or was it the swampy bosom of a church that cares more for candle sticks than kids? You are a moral bankrupt.