'Dirty Dozen' Shouldn't Be 'Papabili' Says SNAP

Gazzetta Del Sud
March 6, 2013

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/37336/-Dirty-Dozen--shouldn-t-be--papabili--says-SNAP.html


Vatican rejects sex abuse survivors' list

Rome, March 6 - A group representing American survivors of sexual abuse by priests on Wednesday named a 'Dirty Dozen' of cardinals they said shouldn't be 'papabili' or candidates for pope because of their handling of child sex abuse claims. The Vatican replied that it would not be swayed by the list. The list of those deemed unsuitable to succeed Benedict XVI was drawn up on the basis of "their actions and/or public comment about child sex abuse and cover-up in the church," said SNAP, the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests. SNAP representatives Barbara Doris e David Clohessy read out the list to journalists in a Rome hotel. The cardinals, who will attend an upcoming conclave, are: Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico; Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras; Timothy Michael Dolan of New York; Angelo Scola and Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, both from Italy; Australia's George Pell; Dominik Duka of the Czech Republic; Donald Wuerl of Washington DC; Marc Ouellet from Quebec; Sean O'Malley from Boston; Argentina's Leonardo Sandri; and Peter Turkson from Ghana. Doris and Clohessy said SNAP was particularly opposed to Dolan, Scola and Maradiaga. But they said they wanted the Church to put "pressure" on all 12, saying the dozen cardinals "should stop pretending the worst is over". "Tragically, the worst is almost certainly still to come," Doris and Clohessy said. The one thing to learn from Benedict's pontificate, they said, was that "the knowledge of this crisis does not guarantee an adequate concrete response. They accused the German pontiff of " a lot of words but few deeds. "These words and gestures did nothing to protect each individual child," they said. Vatican Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi rejected SNAP's bid to affect the election of the new pope. "We have known SNAP's position for some time and we believe it is not up to SNAP to say who should come to the conclave or grant qualifications to the cardinals who are gathering there. "I believe that it is up to the cardinals themselves to judge who is suitable and who is not suitable, without asking for advice from SNAP".