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	Not So Fast, Victims of Abuse Tell Vatican Montreal Gazette April 30, 2011 http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/fast+victims+abuse+tell+Vatican/4701515/story.html A support group for victims of pedophile priests on Friday urged the Vatican to slow down the rush to sanctify Pope John Paul II, accusing him of turning a blind eye to abuse. "The Church hierarchy can avoid rubbing more salt into these wounds by slowing down their hasty drive to confer sainthood on the pontiff," said Barbara Blaine, head of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). "In more than 25 years as the most powerful religious figure on the planet, John Paul II did almost nothing to safeguard kids," she said in a statement, adding that "most" of the abuses happened during John Paul's pontificate. John Paul is due to be awarded "blessed" status by the Vatican - one step from sainthood - at a mass on Sunday. Organizers say 500,000 people are expected at the ceremony, including 300,000 from outside Rome. The Vatican's beatification procedure to honour remarkable Catholic figures usually takes many years but was begun shortly after John Paul's death in 2005 after a reign lasting nearly 27 years. The Vatican has hinted that full sainthood for John Paul could come soon. Church officials "can't claim to want victims to heal, while paying tribute to a man who evidence shows turned a blind eye for decades to child sex crimes and elevated corrupt clerics," Blaine said.
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