Snap distraught because wrongdoers (like Cardinal George) in the church hierarchy seemingly get rewarded and promoted.

Survivors Network of those Abused By PriestsP.O. Box 6416, Chicago, Illinois 60680-6416312-455-1499
November 12, 2007: Election of USCCB officers
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, (314 862 7688, 314 503 0003 cell)
We are distraught because wrongdoers in the church hierarchy seemingly get rewarded and promoted.

Pope Benedict has chosen several bishops and cardinals who ‘severely mishandled’ abuse cases, including Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco (now a Cardinal in a high level Vatican post), Bishop Nicholas DiNardo of Galveston-Houston (recently made a cardinal), Bishop Jaime Soto (from Orange County, named Sacramento’s bishop), and Bishop Walter Hurley of Detroit (now Grand Rapids bishop).
The US bishops have also been supported and promoted wrong-doers. In 2004, they elected Spokane Bishop William Skylstad as their leader, even though he sought bankruptcy protection to avoid having to testify in potentially embarrassing civil trials about how much he knew and how little he did about abusive priests. In 2004, they elected Chicago Cardinal Francis George as their vice president, even though he let a convicted molester work in his archdiocese and live in his mansion. Now, US bishops seem poised to promote George again, despite his duplicity in the recent child molestation cases involving Fr. Donald McGuire, Fr. Daniel McCormack and others.
Other candidates for USCCB positions are similarly compromised and corrupt.
We urge the Pope to avoid promoting complicit bishops, even if it means digging deeper into the pool of rank-and-file parish priests, rather than elevating corrupt auxiliary bishops or bishops into higher positions. We also urge America’s bishops to nominate and support candidates for USCCB offices who have NOT engaged in widespread cover ups of clergy sex abuse cases.
Church officials can’t have their cake and eat it too. They can’t claim they want victims to come forward while promoting the very men who stiff-armed victims, deceived police, stonewalled prosecutors, misled parishioners and protected predators for years. They can’t claim they’ve ‘learned’ and ‘reformed’ while honoring and promoting the very men who continue to be reckless, secretive and recalcitrant.
This kind of callousness rubs salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of many victims and Catholics who are still in pain because of abusive priests and complicit bishops. It fuels the already intense helplessness and pessimism many victims and Catholics feel about the prospects of a safer church. It deters victims, especially those trapped in shame and self-blame, from reporting their predators and thus protecting vulnerable kids.
And it shows that, despite decades of scandal and a plethora of promises, bishops still refuse to truly reform.

CONTACT
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, SNAP President 312 399 4747 9606
Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director 314 862 7688
David Clohessy of St. Louis SNAP National Director 314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915
Barbara BlainePresident312 399 4747snapblaine@gmail.com Survivors Network of those Abused by PriestsSNAPnetwork.org
Mark your calendar: 2008 SNAP National Conference July 11-13 in Chicago