NY--Cardinal should denounce Syracuse bishops

By Barbara Dorris
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
September 13, 2015

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ny_cardinal_should_denounce_syracuse_bishops

New York Cardinal Tim Dolan should harshly, publicly and immediately denounce two Syracuse bishops for blaming victims of pedophile priests for their victimization.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/09/victims_partly_to_blame_in_priest_sex-abuse_cases_syracuse_bishop_testified.html

In a 2011 deposition, Bishop Robert Cunningham was asked a clear, simple question: "did the (abused) boy commit a sin?" He made a clear, simple reply: "The boy is culpable."

Shame on him.

And his predecessor, Bishop James Moynihan, told abuse victim Charles Bailey 'The age of reason is 7, so if you're at least 7 you're culpable for your actions.'

Shame on him too.

And shame on any and every Catholic official who ignores – and thus essentially endorses – these mean-spirited remarks.

Dolan, as the “metropolitan” bishop over all of New York, has a particular duty to speak up loudly and clearly here unless he wants to deepen the pain of thousands of abuse victims and deepen the victim-shaming and victim-blaming church culture that still persists.

These are inexcusable, irresponsible comments from powerful, smart men. They will deter others who were raped and sodomized from reporting criminals and protecting kids.

This warped, self-serving view – that a child is to blame for his or her victimization by a priest - stems from the exalted and 'superior' status clerics give themselves. Bishops think this way because they've been indoctrinated since childhood to believe that the ordained are 'above' the common folk.

Bishops often talk of "the dignity of every person." But deep down, many of them are convinced that they really are better than the rest of us, which is why many of them almost compulsively blame others when clerics commit crimes.

We hope Syracuse Catholics will be so disgusted by these mean-spirited remarks that they stop donating to institutions that hide abuse and give instead to agencies that fight abuse.

We also hope that US bishops will harshly and publicly denounce him, so that hurtful comments like this are deterred. They’ve pledged (starting in 2002) that they will “fraternally correct” their colleagues who endanger kids, protect predators, conceal crimes and otherwise mishandle this continuing crisis. Now is the time for them do so.

And we hope that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups in Syracuse will find the courage to speak up, expose wrongdoers, protect kids, seek justice and start healing, by first seeking independent sources of help and NOT reporting to corrupt, self-serving Catholic officials.