BishopAccountability.org
	Catholic League’s Bill Donohue Defends Bishop Finn, Attacks SNAP By Bridgette P. LaVictoire Lez Get Real November 18, 2011 http://lezgetreal.com/2011/11/catholic-leagues-bill-donohue-defends-bishop-finn-attacks-snap/ “In an ideal world, there would have been no charges whatsoever: there was no complaint and no violation of law.” That is what Bill Donohue said about the sentence that has been handed down against Bishop Finn in Missouri. Actually, Bishop Finn is required by the law of Missouri to report these incidents immediately, but Donohue may not know that. Bishop Finn took about six months to actually inform the police of Father Shawn Ratigan’s collection of child pornography. Typically, a child predator starts out by taking photographs and then, eventually, escalates to actually sexually molesting the children. Well, Donohue has stated that he is absolutely certain that Bishop Finn must be innocent. Of course, this is not up to Donohue, and it is not surprising at all given that Donohue believes that every priest is absolutely innocent unless they happen to be caught in the middle of the act of sodomizing a child. He also believes that the problem is not child molesting priests, but rather gay priests. In full, Donohue states: In an ideal world, there would have been no charges whatsoever: there was no complainant and no violation of law. Quite unlike the Penn State situation, where alleged victims have come forward, no one has come forward in this case. Prosecutors have to be careful not to set the bar too low, because otherwise they will need an army of attorneys to police cases of suspected molestation that occur in public, as well as private, institutions. The Catholic haters are already fuming. David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), says, “Nothing deters white collar crime like jail time, and nothing exposes a cover-up like a trial. But neither is happening.” But there was no crime and there was no cover-up: the Diocese contacted the authorities after Fr. Ratigan violated its own strictures; it even asked for an independent investigation. Not only was there no cover-up, the only reason anyone knows anything about this case is because the Diocese voluntarily decided to call the cops. This is quite unlike the situation where Clohessy refused to call the police in the 1990s when he learned that his own brother was a child molester. It is Clohessy who belongs in jail—he has never paid for his cover-up, yet he has the audacity to point fingers at Bishop Finn, an innocent man. Donohue’s hatred of anyone who dares to hold the Catholic Church accountable for their actions is well noted, and his attack on Clohessy is uncalled for, but then again, Donohue has no honor, and never has. Even if Clohessy could be held accountable, the statute of limitation is probably long passed. Clohessy does not have to report that abuse. According to the law, only Physician, medical examiner, dentist, chiropractor, coroner, optometrist, nurse, hospital or clinic personnel, any other health practitioner, psychologist, social worker, mental health professional, day care center worker, juvenile officer, probation or parole officer, teacher, school official, law enforcement officer, minister are required to report the abuse. There comes a point where Donohue proves that all he has is hatred for anyone who dares to oppose his precious Church. As for Clohessy not reporting his brother, you can read about that at the New York Times. The interview was published back in 2002.
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