TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! SNAP CALLS OUT BISHOP FINN SUPPORTERS IN AN OPEN LETTER!!!

A conference among bishops revealed little progress to change any of the old and busted policies used by the Catholic Hierarchy which ultimately led to repeated instances of the sexual abuse of innocent children. And now there's also a call for a local Grand Jury investigation of Bishop Finn and everyone that might be involved in Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese cover-up of child porn allegations facing a local priest.

It seems that Kansas City Catholic stonewalling has simply emboldened SNAP and a great many of their critics.



To wit . . .

CHECK OUT AN E-MAIL CHALLENGING SUPPORTERS OF BISHOP FINN OBTAINED EXCLUSIVELY BY TKC!!!

I've edited out some named and identifying information but SNAP put the call out to organizers of protests in support of Bishop Finn BY NAME and took them to task for their alleged blind allegiance.

Check it:

SNAP WRITES AN OPEN LETTER TO BISHOP FINN SUPPORTERS

Dear #########:

Somewhere in Kansas City, a 13 year old girl is being molested by her stepfather. She’s considering whether to tell someone about her plight. But her stepdad says “No one will believe you. People will believe me.”

She then sees Catholics on TV, rallying around an accused wrongdoer, their bishop. She decides it’s safer to just stay quiet, and the abuse continues.

At a school somewhere in Kansas City, a 14 year old boy is being sexually violated by his popular, powerful coach. The boy wonders whether he should confide in someone. He asks his mother where she’s going. “To a rally to back Bishop Finn,” she says. “They say he protected child predators. But I don’t believe them.” Heartsick that his mom is defending an accused wrongdoer, instead of keeping an open mind or siding with children, he decides that he too should play it safe and keep his mouth shut. And his predator keeps hurting other kids.

Somewhere else in Kansas City is a businessman. He suspected a clergy sex crime by a church employee. He’s thinking of reporting his suspicions. But he reads in the newspaper about a public show of support for Bishop Finn, who’s been accused of deceiving the public and parishioners about an alleged child pornographer. “Wow, the church sure has some staunch defenders,” the business owner thinks. “Maybe I’d better keep my mouth shut about my suspicions. I sure don’t’ need a bunch of angry Catholics to boycott my business.”

To you, these may seem like “hypotheticals.” To us, this is reality. Virtually every day in SNAP, we hear from and console men, women and teenagers who are afraid that if they come forward and report heinous crimes, they won’t be believed or supported. We hear from church employees who have information that could help law enforcement catch predators, but are frightened that if they speak up, they’ll be punished and ostracized. Instead, they fear, the often popular and powerful adults – who commit and conceal the crimes – will be believed and supported.

Please don’t exacerbate their pain. Please don’t deepen their fears. Please don’t help their perpetrators. Please cancel your Saturday march in support of Bishop Robert Finn.

Back the bishop if you must. But please do so privately, not publicly. That’s the appropriate and healthy and prudent course of action.

Write him, call him, e mail him, visit him, pray for him, and bring him cookies. But don’t, we beg you, hold your planned march and inadvertently rub even more salt into already deep and still fresh wounds. Don’t take steps that essentially discourage the reporting of child sex crimes.

We believe that you and your colleagues are well-meaning. We don’t think you are in any way intentionally trying to frighten wounded kids, teens or adults. But we firmly believe, based on 23 years of experience, that’s what is happening.

Unintentionally, we believe your “pro-Finn” public rally makes victims feel scared, depressed and hopeless. It discourages them from speaking up and getting help. It comforts those who ignore or hide child sex crimes. And it helps predators to silence their victims and keep hurting others.

Public rallies for the bishop scares victims, especially youngsters, into keeping quiet and thus lets predators go unreported. Quietly supporting the bishop is appropriate, but public events leave victims, witnesses and whistleblowers feeling helpless and intimidated. They prolong and deepen the long-standing church culture of secrecy regarding child sex crimes.

With all due respect, Finn is an adult. He can take care of himself. Ratigan’s victims, however, are kids. They need our help. They need to be supported and encouraged to speak up, not intimidated into staying silent.

We really have only two choices. We can maintain a climate that discourages victims, witnesses and whistleblowers from speaking up. Or we can try harder to develop a climate that encourages victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers to speak up. The latter approach is obviously the prudent, caring approach.

Look at history. Has there been a shortage of people willing to speak up to defend the powerful? Hardly. But is there a shortage of people willing to speak up to defend the powerless? Absolutely. And kids are among the most powerless among us.

Recall too what Jesus said about “the least of my brethren.” We aren’t theologians. But deep in our hearts, we believe he was not talking about Bishop Finn, but rather, Fr. Ratigan’s victims.

And remember the parable of the lost shepherd. That’s what we’re trying to do: find and help and console every single person who has been sexually violated by a cleric. That’s what we hope you’ll do too, instead of loudly rallying around a man who may well have enabled, ignored or concealed sex crimes against children.

Finally, we’re also trying to contact ############# and others who have led or spoken at “pro-Finn” events. If you have contact information for them and would share it with us, we’d be grateful. If you’d rather just forward this letter to them, we would be grateful too.

Thanks for reading this. We hope you’ll weigh our concerns carefully. And we hope you’ll put the well-being of many innocent kids and wounded adults above the reputation of one powerful official.

Please feel free to contact us and to share with every Catholic you know the suggestions below, “What to do if your priest is accused.”

Thank you.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
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