Victims blast Cardinal O’Malley over priest’s suspension

By David Clohessy
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
February 8, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/

In suspending yet another credibly accused predator priest, Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley refuses to take two key steps. We’re appalled by his unwillingness to act responsibly about the child sex allegations against Fr. Thomas P. Gillespie.

[Boston archdiocese]

First, O’Malley refuses to urge anyone with information or suspicions about Fr. Gillespie to call police immediately. Instead, in his statement today, O’Malley does what hundreds of bishops have done for decades: he asks victims to call church officials, not law enforcement officials. He’s dead wrong. This is extraordinarily irresponsible. This is precisely the approach that has enabled more than 6,300 US priests to become proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesters and hurt more than 100,000 boys and girls.

Second, O’Malley refuses to say how long he and his staff have taken to suspend Fr. Gillespie. All O’Malley will say is that the abuse report was made “recently.” That could mean nine months, nine weeks or nine days ago. This is crucial information. O’Malley has repeatedly promised “openness and transparency” in pedophile priest cases, and citizens and Catholics deserve to know whether he acts quickly or slowly when kids are at risk.

More than any prelate on the planet, O’Malley claims he’s a ‘reformer’ on abuse. He’s the pope’s top advisor on the crisis. And he’s had tons of experience with the scandal. So if any Catholic official anywhere ought to get it right, it’s him. But his refusal to take these two simple steps shows just how recalcitrant the Catholic hierarchy’s most veteran abuse “fixer” is. And it shows that even now, one of the most powerful Catholic official on earth still tries to handle child sex abuse reports “in house” instead of getting those reports promptly into the hands of the independent professionals in law enforcement.

O’Malley should visit every parish where Fr. Gillispie ever worked, imploring anyone with information or suspicions about the predator priest to call law enforcement.

O’Malley can and should use pulpit announcements, church bulletins and parish websites to beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered Fr. Gillespie’s crimes to call police. He should send mailings to former church members and staff who may have spent time around Fr. Gillespie, urging them to do the same. He should get out from behind his desk, shove his public relations staff aside, and personally hold a news conference pleading with parishioners and the public to step forward if they might, in any way, be able to help police and prosecutors file charges against this cleric.

In short, O’Malley should stop acting like a cold-hearted CEO and start acting more like a compassionate shepherd.