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	Good Friday Outrage National Survivor Advocates Coalition April 2, 2010 VATICAN CITY — The Vatican spokesman is officially distancing itself from Good Friday remarks by the papal preacher, who likened accusations against the pope in the clergy sex abuse cover-up scandals to collective violence against Jews. The Rev. Federico Lombardi contacted The Associated Press in Rome to say such parallelism can lead to misunderstandings. He said Father Raniero Cantalamessa's remarks in a homily at a service presided over by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica is not the official position of the church. Amid criticism from Jewish leaders and abuse victims' groups, Lombardi said Cantalamessa was not speaking as a Vatican official. For Immediate Release – April 2, 2010 The National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) expressed outrage that the papal preacher would use Good Friday services at St. Peter’s Basilica to say criticism of the Pope was the same as persecution of Jews and the Vatican had its spokesman claim that the homily consisted of Father Cantalamessa’s “private thoughts.” In a statement released this afternoon, the coalition said: The Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who has held the office of preacher of the papal household since 1980 and who is a veteran preacher of the Good Friday service in St. Peter’s Bascilica knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to use the words of a letter he said he received from a Jewish friend who remained nameless. Father Cantalamessa knew the words he spoke this Good Friday would get world wide attention. Father Cantalamessa had a choice today. He could have used the pulpit of the largest Church in Christendom to hail the noble courage of the suffering survivors of sexual abuse by priests and nuns and the suffering families of those victims who committed suicide seeing in them the suffering, pain and death of Jesus but he brushed off speaking about the victims saying there was sufficient talk outside the Basilica about abuse. Instead, Father Cantalamessa chose to equate calumny against the Jewish people as the same as criticism of Pope Benedict. This linkage coupled with the ”petty gossip” description of criticism of the Pope used in Pope Benedict’s Palm Sunday homily is a dangerous game the Vatican is playing. Today of all days, in these times of all times, at this vivid intersection of goodness and evil, it is incomprehensible that Father Cantalamessa did this and that Pope Benedict the ultimate authority in this Church who presided at the service did not stand during the service to disavow this connection to anti-semitism. We raise our voices in solidarity with the survivors and victims of sexual abuse by priests and nuns. We honor their courage in breaking the silence and we remind our fellow Catholics and especially Pope Benedict and the Catholic hierarchy how this kind of distortion rubs salt into the wounds of the innocent and vulnerable in whom we should see the face, the wounds, and the suffering of Jesus. Contact: Kristine Ward, National Survivor Advocates Coalition, 937-272-0308, Kristineward@hotmail.com, www.nsacoalition.org NSAC: NEW YORK TIMES STORY REVELATIONS STUNNING POPE BENEDICT’s WORDS DO NOT MATCH HIS ACTIONS CALLS on FELLOW CATHOLICS to OPENLY WELCOME SURVIVORS IN THE PARISHES and STAND WITH THEM March 25, 2010 For Immediate Release “Stunning,”the National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) called the revelations in today’s New York Times story regaridng the involvement and attitude of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger now Pope Benedict in the case of Wisconsin priest, Father Lawrence Murphy. “We join our voice with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and call for a total and complete release of the documents of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith from 2001-2005 showing the involvement and attitude of Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) in clergy sexual abuse cases, ” the coalition said. ” It now clear,” the coalition said, ‘” the Church, directly in the person of Cardinal Joseph Ratizinger who rose to the position of Pope cared more for the Church’s reputation and its clergy than the innocent and vulnerable entrusted to its care. “When was it ever right at any time or place for a child to be molested by a priest or nun and for the concern for the reputation of the abuser and the Church to supercede what is right. This we ask the Church today,” the coalition said. “What is particularly stunning, ” the coalition said, ” is the juxtaposition of the language in Pope Benedict’s letter to the Irish people, his words during his trip to the United States and his meeting with survivors, and his pledge to Cardinal Francis George in the days before the conclave about the ”filth” of the scandal against the revelations in today’s news report. ” We quote Pope Benedict -filth indeed.” the coalition said. The coalition expressed particular concern for the survivors. “These revelations though necessary spark painful flashbacks for the surivvors. This will not be an easy day for them.” But the coalition also spoke to its fellow Catholics in the pews. “These revelations will shock and sadden Catholics. We understand their pain. We ask them to turn now deliberately and determinedly to openly support the survivors of sexual abuse by priests and nuns. We urge them to drop the skeptical and even spurning approach to the survivors that has been evident in many parishes. Welcome them with open arms as your wounded and hurting brothers and sisters. See now that all that they have so courageously revealed of their sufferings is documented, ” the coalition said. The coalition reiterated its call for Catholics for to re-route collection money either to directly pay parish service suppliers or to trusted charities in order to make Cardinals, Bishops and priests, and heads of religious communities of men and women to listen to their outrage of the actions taken in their name as members of the universal Church. Contact: Kristine Ward, 937-272-0308 Kristineward@hotmail.com www.nsacoalition.org
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