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	Nsac: Penance Is Not Justice National Survivor Advocates Coalition April 16, 2010 http://www.nsacoalition.org/2010/04/16/nsac-penance-is-not-justice/ National Survivor Advocates Coalition: Penance Is Not Justice Survivors Deserve Justice For Immediate Release April 16, 2010 Pope Benedict, in extemporaneous remarks in a homily April 15, spoke of the need for penance. The press referred to it as a “change in tone” regarding the sexual abuse crisis. The National Survivor Advocates Coalition is compelled to say what the survivors and victims deserve is justice. Penance can take its due course but justice delayed is justice denied. Justice will only be achieved when there is a stark facing up to the crisis, when truth is sought and found and acted upon. Veiled references to the crisis do not bring an end to it. Only justice will do that. The road to justice is through truth. Once again we call upon the Pope, all officials of the Vatican, and all bishops to release the documents on sexual abuse so that the truth may be known. Given the weight of the current crisis, Catholics may become grateful for any shred of indication that Pope Benedict and the Vatican are moving to address the sexual abuse crisis particularly in light of Cardinal Bertone’s comments in Chile linking homosexuality to pedophilia, Cardinal Sodano’s Easter Sunday speech describing the current news coverage of the crisis as “idle gossip” and the papal preacher’s Good Friday tying of criticism of the Pope with anti-Semitism. We ask Catholics and all men and women of goodwill to remember that much much more than a slight change in tone is needed. To whom much is given, much is expected. Contact: Kristine Ward, kristineward@hotmail.com, www.nsacoalition.org
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