Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Meeting at New England Law: Please attend or help

On May 23, 2014 SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is celebrating 25 years of helping survivors of clergy and nun abuse. The meeting and fundraiser will be held at the New England Law School in Boston, MA.  Speakers include Barbara Blaine, the founder of SNAP, Vince Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, retired Detroit bishop Tom Gumbleton, Jetta Bernier, Executive Director MassKids.org and Phil Saviano, founder of the New England SNAP group – all working together to protect our children and support survivors. 

For further information: http://www.snapnetwork.org/boston_fundraiser_2014?recruiter_id=11556

Pope Francis and the Dirty War in Argentina

Last year on March 15^th the New Yorker Magazine wrote an article: Pope Francis and the Dirty War.  The article called the Pope, “an Argentine with a cloudy past”.

“Cloudy” has to do with his role during Argentina’s anti-Communist actions over 30 years ago. The military regime ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, a time called the Dirty War. Their goal was to eliminate Communists and other “subversives.” As many as thirty thousand people were tortured and killed. There was trafficking in babies: pregnant women were killed after they gave birth and their babies adopted by childless military families and friends of the regime. According to the article many of these children grew up not knowing that their parents “are, in effect, their biological parents’ killers”.

History repeats itself for the catholic church. During Spain’s Civil War, the Church openly sided with the Fascist Franco’s inquisition. In Rome during the Second World War Pope Pius XII signed a concordat (agreement) between the holy see (the pope and his advisors) and the German Reich giving Hitler the credibility he needed to gain power. The Argentine Catholic Church involvement in the military regime’s anti-Communist campaign was once again an alliance with the dictators. One of Jorge Bergoglio’s (now Pope Francis) predecessors, Archbishop Juan Carlos Aramburu, openly sided with the military’s purge.

The catholic church acted as a spiritual guide for the military and some bishops were given soldiers as personal servants in their palaces. Military chaplains were blessing drugged bodies of suspected guerrillas as they were loaded onto military planes, from which they were then hurled to their deaths, unconscious, over the Rio de la Plata.

What was Jorge Bergoglio doing at this time? Accusations, including testimony from several priests and bishops say that he was involved in the Dirty War. He was the head of the Society of Jesus in Argentina (the Jesuits). The key allegation against him is that he pointed out rebel priests to the military, leaving them exposed and that he did not defend two kidnapped clerics or ask for their release.

Gabriel Pasquini, an Argentine writer and editor of the online current-affairs magazine El Puercoespín said about Bergoglio: “For someone who aspires to be a bastion of moral values, it doesn’t seem like a great precedent. Never, in the years he headed the Catholic Church in Argentina, did he acknowledge its complicity in the dictatorship, much less ask for forgiveness. Will he do so now, from the Vatican?”

Said Jon Lee Anderson of the New Yorker: “Whatever the truth, Francis the Humble, it would seem, has much to clear up about what he thought, how he behaved, and what he did during his country’s Dirty War. As with the role of the Church he has long served, it remains a mystery.”

Pope Francis doesn’t want these Silent Sisters to talk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyZOvxsKBtc

Here is a link to a video about the nuns that know but won’t tell what was done to innocent children.  Thank you Cait Finnegan for posting the link on the SNAP blog.

Newark parishioners pay for Archbishop’s luxury retirement home: Pope Francis is ignored

Newark Archbishop John J. Myers spends his weekends at his 4,500-square-foot home on 8.2 wooded acres at the end of a private drive in the hills of Hunterdon County, NJ. With five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a three-car garage and a big outdoor pool, it’s valued at nearly $800,000. The home, built in 1989, has property taxes of $18,695 last year -- before the addition.  But that’s not big enough or fancy enough for Myers.

So he is building a three-story, 3,000-square-foot addition which will be ready for his retirement in two years, according to the NJ Star-Ledger. The third floor will house a 28-foot by 28-foot gallery with sweeping views of the property and a fireplace on each level said the Ledger. A "wellness room" will connect the main house and the addition. It will include a hot tub and a 14-foot by 7-foot Endless Pool, where Myers can swim in place.

Who is paying for all of this luxury?  We are of course!  Myers’ spokesman, Jim Goodness, said that money for the addition will come from the sale of other church-owned properties – like churches and schools. Donors also have contributed to the project, Goodness said but wouldn’t tell which properties are being sold or how much was received in donations. While the property will revert to the church once Myers knocks on the pearly gates, there will probably be other greedy clergy to take his place.

"Archbishop Myers obviously is not paying any attention to the pope,"  Charles Zech, faculty director of the Center for Church Management and Business Ethics at Villanova University’s business school thinks that Myers is not listening to Pope Francis’ admonishment for clergy to live a simpler lifestyle. "This is extreme, way beyond what you’d expect to happen. I can’t believe the parishioners of Newark are going to allow this to happen," said Zech.

A parishioner, Joan Rubino, was furious when told about the work on the home. Rubino, who who regularly contributed to the archbishops’ appeal for funds — called Myers a "hypocrite." She said, "To ask people to make sacrifices and then to live in a sumptuous residence, it makes me very annoyed. Isn’t there a better use for this money? In plain English, I feel like people are getting screwed."

"This is taking money out of the pockets of parishioners," Zech said. "Current revenue and past revenue at one point all came from parishioners. If he thinks he can sell property and use it for his own extravagant needs, it’s mind-boggling."

Myers isn’t the only clergy with rich tastes. The pope suspended the bishop of Limburg, Germany, in October for spending $42 million to renovate his residence and other church buildings. The German press called the free-spending cleric the "Bishop of Bling."

The current Metuchen NJ bishop, Paul Bootkoski, contributed a portion of his own savings toward the purchase of a future retirement home near Lake Mohawk in Sussex County, The diocese picked up the remainder of the cost, but would not provide the precise amount. The diocese closed on the home for $471,000 last year, property records show.

Earlier this year, Camden Bishop Dennis Sullivan came under fire after using diocese funds to buy a historic 7,000-square-foot home in Woodbury. The house, with eight bedrooms and six bathrooms, cost $500,000. The bishop said he would share the house with two other priests – how generous of him.  What about a three bedroom apartment in a senior citizen home?

Most of us can’t even retire and certainly will downsize our homes and lifestyles. Living in luxury is not on our horizon, especially if we donate money to support life styles of the rich and famous clergy.

Another cardinal hides under Pope Francis’ robes

Here we go again: the church pays off victims of clergy sexual abuse with our money, the Cardinal protects the priest and keeps evidence from the police. The Cardinal goes free.

The Los Angeles Roman Catholic archdiocese agreed to pay $720 million to clergy abuse victims.  Internal files were released that showed Cardinal Roger Mahony shielded priests and ordered an underling to withhold evidence from police, but Mahony and other archdiocese leaders are unlikely to face criminal charges.  The Cardinal exchanged money for the key to a jail cell.  

For Cardinal Mahony and other church hierarachy their priorities were to protect priests, keep parishioners in the dark and defend the church's image. Suffering children were not even on their radar.

What did the priest do?  Nicolas Aguilar Rivera sexually abused 25 altar boys, a young priest in training and100 additional children in Mexico both before and after he “served” in Los Angeles. He was defrocked in 2009 after victims’ attorneys in Los Angeles filed the first of their lawsuits.

Where is the defrocked pedophile now?  He fled to his native Mexico in January 1988 after Mahony's top aide, Monsignor Thomas Curry, tipped him off about complaints from parents and warned that the church would call police. The complaints came in on a Friday, and Curry met with the priest Saturday morning. Police weren't notified until Monday. By then, Aguilar Rivera was gone.

Aguilar Rivera remains a fugitive and is believed to be somewhere in Mexico. U.S. authorities have an arrest warrant pending and could arrest him if he returns to American soil.  What about the Mexican children? God help them.

As is usual for all pedophile enabler clergy, Cardinal Mahony was rewarded for his efforts. After giving his trial deposition last year, he went to Rome and helped elect the new pope. A month ago, he celebrated Mass with Pope Francis at the Vatican before having a private meeting with him. What does this say about the catholic church, the pope and the college of cardinals who elect the pope – that pedophile priests are more important than innocent children.

 

 

 

Petition on Obama’s website to have rapist priests registered as sex offenders

http://wh.gov/lUF7O

This link is for the website “We the People” set up by the Obama Administration to allow U.S. citizens to create petitions on topics of the people’s choice.  It sounds like a good idea but before the Administration will look at it there must be 100,000 signatures on the petition. When it gets to 150 signatures it is searchable.  For most people, especially those who are abused or disadvantaged or disabled it is too difficult to get all of the signatures and that is the comment I sent to the Whitehouse.  Does Obama want that many signatures because it is a significant number of voters and then it’s important to the Administration?

That said, I am trying to get as many people as I can to sign the petition that asks to have all rapists (including priests) registered as sex offenders. Maybe if that was the law what happened to me and to thousands of other children would not have happened.  Here is what the petition says:

we petition the obama administration to:

To have all rapist; Registered Sex Offenders;"

 The authorities, parents etc. are telling children" if someone touches you inappropriate speak up" tell somebody. When we were growing up" no one talked to children about these things" if someone touched us in a private area; our own parents wouldn't even speak to us about sex. Also back in the day" if we said that a Catholic Priest, touched us" in our private area; nobody would believe us. Here we are "this is 2014" and still we are back in the day.

There is so much evidence; to prove that the Catholic Priest raped Children;" (they are rapist) and still till " this day in 2014 the Catholic Priest are not treated like any other rapist;" Why ? they are still out there to rape again. All rapist should be Registered Sex Offenders

Created: Feb 17, 2014  http://wh.gov/lUF7O

 

 

 

Pedophile priest escapes trial as Pope hires expensive lawyers

How is it possible for a repeat child molester, using his status as a priest as a cover-up to stay out on the streets preying on unsuspecting children?  The catholic church makes it possible and has been doing the same thing for many decades.

Davis Clohessy, St. Louis, Director of SNAP*, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests  (http://www.snapnetwork.org) gave an example how this happened in a Missouri case. 

SNAP, started 26 years ago by Barbara Blaine, a survivor of clergy abuse is the largest, oldest and most active self-help group for clergy sex abuse victims, whether assaulted by ministers, priests, nuns or rabbis. SNAP is a confidential, safe place for wounded men and women to be heard, supported and healed. SNAP works tirelessly to achieve two goals: to heal the wounded and to protect the vulnerable. The organization has more than 10,000 members and support groups meet in over 60 cities across the U.S. and the world.

 

The case was filed more than two years ago (2011). This week St. Louis City Judge Phil Heagney delayed (until July) this child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit against St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson and the priest, Joseph D. Ross (whose whereabouts are unknown).  Said Clohessy, “We are saddened by this callous decision. Once again, justice is being delayed because Catholic officials refused, time and time again over months, to obey a court order and because, at the very last minute, they brought in more expensive lawyers…”

From Pope Francis on down the Catholic officials’ hierarchy ladder, they claim to be changing how they deal with clergy abuse.  Not true. For decades, they've exploited every delay tactic possible, made litigation as tough as possible on victims, and obsessively held onto their secrets for as long as possible, and they still do all of the above right now.

Joseph D. Ross walks freely among unsuspecting families and helpless children. Says Clohessy, “And Catholic officials make no effort whatsoever to help police or warn parents, choosing instead to focus their energies and spend their money evading their moral responsibility and hiding their irresponsible actions.”

 How dangerous is Ross? Here is what he has been doing for at least the last 44 years:

The delayed lawsuit said that the molestation began when the female victim, was just five to six years old in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She is now 19 years old. The molestation took place while the victim was in Ross' “care” while her mother was in choir practice. The suit says the abuse took place in various rooms inside the church. 

In September 2008 Ross was arrested for this same crime in Arkansas, where he'd been living since his removal from the priesthood in 2002. In 2010 charges were dropped just before trial and the civil lawsuit was filed in Oct. 2011.

In 1988, Ross had pleaded guilty in St. Louis County Circuit Court to sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in 1986. Ross had also admitted to police that he'd been arrested twice previously for sexual misconduct with adults, and that he was accused of molesting an 8th grade boy at a parish in the 1970s. He received two years’ probation. The archdiocese sent Ross to St. Luke Institute, a Maryland treatment center for priests with sexual disorders. Any psychologist will tell you that pedophilia is not curable. From there he was assigned to St. Cronan's catholic church. The lawsuit said that the archdiocese knew that Ross had a history of sexual abuse before he was ever assigned to St. Cronan's. Parishioners were not informed of his history of sexual misconduct, including the conviction.

Ross is not the only priest, ex-priest or nun sexually abusing children in their trust. The same facts have been repeated over and over. Always the catholic church, under the leadership of the pope, tries to stop justice for the abused. There are many more examples in my book and if you set a Google alert for “pedophile priest” you will get many more examples delivered to your inbox. It’s time we stop the predators – and that is what the mission of this blog is – to let you know what they did and what they do to our children and to us. If we don’t stop them who will?   

 

Catholic School mind invasion: the nuns follow the Pope’s design

Dwayne James Mitchell went to catholic school – it scarred him for life.  He speaks from experience and I hope that anyone with a child in catholic school will take her or him out before it’s too late. Here’s why:

 “The nuns in the Catholic School made it impossible for the "child" to develop self-confidence, self-esteem, a positive self-image, and the necessary talents, skills and abilities to be successful. The nuns made the child dependent on them for all thinking and reasoning. Everything was evaluated from the point of view of the "Catholic Philosophy of Life," which was always in alignment with the "Catholic Church," and "Catholic Religious Teachings." There was no room for "individual creativity" and / or "independent thinking." This restricted intellectual growth and development. It did not encourage free thinking, and looking at all of life's possibilities.

When the individual became an adult, the child still exists within the individual, and when they are faced with a challenge, that "inner child" controls what they are capable of doing within their life. They are always waiting for the "nuns to evaluate" what they are capable of doing. I have struggled with this issue throughout my life. When faced with a "challenge" I first think; --- "I do not have the ability to accomplish this task," --- then, I have to realize where this idea is coming from, ---- and then I have to shift my thinking, and go in a positive "I can do it direction!" ----- The Catholic Church, (through their evil nuns), has destroyed many young human beings, and it takes a "life time" for the individual to come to a realization of what went on, and how to overcome the programming of the nuns!  

The nuns and their negative programing have limited the lives of many people through their sick programming, but it was done out of design, and for the control over the individual. Recognize that major damage has been done to these people that cannot be seen by routine medical tests. ------ The human mind is a very delicate instrument. It is like a computer, in that a computer can be programmed to say that 2 + 2 = 5! --- We know logically that 2 + 2 = 4, but we can get a computer to come up with a different answer. ------ The nuns have done this very thing to young children, and this damage has carried over into their adult lives.

Everything about the Catholic Church is designed to control the individual. They make the individual believe that only the Catholic Church can save their soul. They tell the individual that "success," in the "here and now," is not important, but rather, "success" in the afterlife is all important, and that the Catholic Church has the "keys to heaven!" They tell the individual that it is their duty to support the Catholic Church, and to give until it hurts. My question was always "hurts who!" ---- I refuse to be a "slave to the Catholic Church, the nuns and the priests!" ----- I will attend any Christian Church that I desire, and I will participate in any and all parts of the service as I desire, and this includes receiving communion in any Christian Church, and I do not care what the Catholic Church, the nuns, the priest and / or the Pope thinks about my behavior! ---- From the time that I started Catholic School in 1948 I always felt that the Catholic Church, and its restricted form of education, was an anchor around my neck!  ----- Dwayne”

Dwayne is a teacher and motivator. He says, “I loved my teaching job. I went out of my way to help the students to not only learn my subject, but to also learn the other subjects in the school's curriculum.”  Let Dwayne know what you think, share your experiences about the nuns and catholic school.