Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League (of One) would like to explain why the rampant, systemic, decades-long Catholic priest sexual abuse problem just isn’t that big of a deal:
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on editorials that appear today in the New York Times and Washington Post:
Both of these newspapers misstate the facts, fail to mention relevant data, and then make unfair accusations against the Catholic Church on the issue of sexual abuse.
Both newspapers today editorialize on the subject of “pedophile priests.” It is one of the biggest myths of our time that the Catholic Church has had a problem with pedophile priests: as the John Jay College for Criminal Justice showed in its 2011 report on this subject, less than 5 percent of the abusers were pedophiles. In almost all cases, the victims were adolescent males who were inappropriately touched by homosexual priests.
So it’s the gays’ fault. Right. Also, apparently Bill is saying that it’s somehow not that big of a deal for priests to molest altar boys, as long as they’re teenagers?
Today’s Washington Post adds to the cover-up by pretending that the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is a legitimate organization that is being harassed by the Church. But anyone who has read the report we issued last year on inside information that was obtained from a SNAP conference knows that it is driven by raw hatred of Catholicism and intentionally manipulates the media.
Nice. Victim-blaming is alive and well with Bill Donohue, I see. Also, even if it IS the case that members of SNAP have a bit of a problem with the institution that covered up the fact that they were sexually abused by people in positions of power over them, how does that tarnish their credibility?
Donohue finishes with this:
Moreover, 85 Orthodox Jews from Brooklyn have recently been arrested for the sexual abuse of minors and yet neither newspaper reports on this.
“I know you are but so did Jews.” That makes it all better.
Stick to your failing crusade against Jon Stewart, Bill. At least that one’s funny.
In 1929 my grandfather died. A year later my father, at age 14, was on the street for 2 weeks. He went to his Catholic highschool and the asked brothers that taught there for help. He was sexually abused. He didn’t speak about it until this recent scandal became public, a year before he died and 75 years after it happened. This abused is centuries old. Bill Donahue is paid a lot of money to represent the opinions of the extreme right (delusional) wing of the Catholic church. He does it well
Ask Bill Donohue why he and Dolan ganged up on the 16-year-old female alleged sex abuse victim after Father Jaime Duenas was arrested last August. Dolan’s blog post trashing the 16-year-old girl is titled “Gratitude to the Catholic League” http://blog.archny.org/?p=1556
Here’s the criminal complaint against Father Jaime Duenas:
BRONX SUPREME COURT
CRIMINAL DIVISION
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
v. STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF THE BRONX
1. JAIME DUENAS M/88
Arrest# B11662284
Defendant
DET JAMES MENTON of DB BXSV, Shield# 006894, states that on or about and
between July 30, 2011 at approximately 12:00 PM and August 2, 2011 at
approximately 4:30 PM at 1531 East 233rd Street, County of the Bronx, State of
New York,
THE DEFENDANT COMMITTED THE OFFENSES OF:
1 (M) P.L. 130.52* Forcible Touching 2 CTS (DNA Qualified
Offense)
2 (M) P.L. 260.10(1) Endangering the Welfare of a Child (DNA
Qualified Offense)
3 (M) P.L. 130.55 Sexual Abuse 3^ 2 CTS (DNA Qualified
Offense)
4 (V) P.L. 240.26(1) Harassment 2^ 3 CTS
IN THAT THE DEFENDANT DID: intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, did
forcibly touch the sexual or other intimate parts of another person for the
purpose of degrading or abusing such person or; for the purpose of gratifying
the actor’s sexual desire; knowingly act in a manner likely to be injurious to
the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than seventeen years old
or direct or authorize such child to engage in an occupation involving a
substantial risk of danger to his/her life or health; subject a person to sexual
contact without consent and with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person
struck, shoved, kicked or otherwise subjected such other person to physical
contact, or attempted or threatened to do the same.
THE GROUNDS FOR THE DEPONENT’S BELIEF ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Deponent is informed by Gabrielle Meneses that on July 30, 2011, at
approximately 1:30 pm, at the above stated place, the defendant told the
informant to sit on his lap. Deponent further states that informant informed him
that the defendant rubbed his hand over her buttocks.
Deponent further states that informant informed him that she did not give
the defendant permission to touch her on her buttocks. Deponent further states
that informant informed him that, as a result of defendant’s action, she
experienced annoyance and alarm.
Deponent is informed by Gabrielle Meneses that on August 1, 2011, at
approximately 3:40 pm, at the above stated place, the defendant told the
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informant to sit on his lap. Deponent further states that informant informed him
that the defendant rubbed his hand over her buttocks. Deponent further states
that informant informed him that the defendant put his hand under her shirt and
unclipped her bra strap. Deponent further states that informant informed him
that the defendant stated, in sum and substance: DON’T TELL YOUR PARENTS.
THEY’LL GET UPSET.
Deponent further states that informant informed him that she did not give
the defendant permission to touch her on her buttocks or unclip her bra strap.
Deponent further states that informant informed him that, as a result of
defendant’s action, she experienced annoyance and alarm.
Deponent is informed by Gabrielle Meneses that on August 2, 2011, at
approximately 4:30 pm, at the above stated place, the defendant grabbed the
informant arm and pulled her into his lap and hugged her.
Deponent further states that informant informed him that, as a result of
defendant’s action, she experienced annoyance and alarm.
Deponent further states that informant informed him that her date of birth
is July 21, 1995.
FALSE STATEMENTS MADE HEREIN ARE PUNISHABLE
AS A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR PURSUANT TO P.L. 210.45
08/03/2011 (18:49)
DATE and TIME SIGNATURE
________________________________________________________
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Irish papers full of news this week about the cover up and failure to act regarding the notorious paeodphile Fr Brendan Symth who abused a huge number boys and girls over decades.
I note a letter in an Irish paper from an American priest, Fr. Fr SÉAMUS MURPHY SJ,N. Kenmore Avenue,Chicago,Illinois, US. belittling the outrage at Cardinal Brady’s failure to stop the rape of children in 1975.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0505/1224315650680.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0505/1224315653830.html
Donahue must think this is like the David and Goliath story, in that David is the poor downtrodden Catholic church, and Goliath is the union of mean angry sex abuse victims, who might have been teenagers that got touched once by those pesky homosexual priests, so they have nothing to complain about and just want to hurt the church, ’cause that’s what they like to do with their time. And the poor church’s only slingshot comes in the form of millions of dollars from their right-wing friends in high places to get the best justice money can buy.
It’s the classic underdog story of privaleged mega-powerful global institution vs. powerless, worthless human beings and their stupid, petty ‘problem’ of human rights violations. The church will fight to the death on the principle that religious institutions are more important than people and that anything less than total dominance over society is equal to religious persecution.
Donahue is paid close to $400,000 a year to attack anyone who questions his Roman Catholic Church. God help that church if anyone comes along and offers him a better price!
See http://JesusWouldBeFurious.Org/ for the TRUTH about the R.C. church.
And of course, Donahue is lying.
In the study, they CHANGED THE CUT OFF AGE FOR PEDOPHILIA so that the number would appear lower.
The American Psychiatric Association says that the cut off age for pedophilia is 13, which makes sense, since that is average time for someone to start puberty and learn what sex is.
John Jay college changed the cut off age to 10, since 50% of the cases were in the 10-13 age range, a prime age for altar boys.
Therefore, the John Jay said that only 22% of the cases were pedophilia, and that’s the word that the Catholic League and Tim Dolan spread through the Catholic community.
Actually, 72% were 13 and under, qualifying it as pedophilia, but Catholics do not seek the truth, and “Dishonest Dolan” and the Catholic League change the truth (into a lie) to be passed to the old ladies.
This is not just a church of pedophile priests, it a church of lying leaders.
America Magazine, in its 4th and 5th paragraph from the bottom, show the sleaziness of the Catholic church in making it look like it wasn’t pedophilia.
See http://www.americamagazine.org/content/signs.cfm?signid=721
For one thing, if a priest has sex in his life with someone over the age of 21, he is no longer a pure pedophile in the Catholic church’s eyes. True comfort for the 70% of boys that were 13 or under when they were raped by Catholic priests.