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Obama at the University of Notre Dame

In early 2009, Notre Dame's president John Jenkins, C.S.C. invited the recently inaugurated Barack Obama to the school's graduation ceremony to accept an honorary degree. Francis Cardinal George, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the current president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) publicly criticized Jenkins and Notre Dame for violating a Vatican directive which prohibits Catholic institutions from honoring individuals who so blatantly hold positions in contrast to Catholic teaching. Clearly, both Obama's record and rhetoric put him at odds with the Church's stance against legalized abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, two issues which are deemed "non-negotiable" according to Church teaching.

After George's public criticism of the planned honor, Harvard professor and "pro-life scholar" Mary Ann Glendon, a former U. S. ambassador to the Vatican, turned down Notre Dame's invitation to grant her the Laetare Medal - the university's highest honor - at the same graduation ceremony. As the ordeal was debated on internet blogs, newspaper editorial pages, in coffee shops and at kitchen tables everywhere, the Vatican remained silent.

The show went on and Obama accepted the award in person despite organized protests on the campus. Some graduates boycotted the ceremony and instead attended a concurrent mass celebrated by Priests for Life president Frank Pavone at the university grotto. During the actual ceremony, one audience member was booed after shouting, "Abortion is murder" during Obama's speech. Obama went on to praise the late Joseph Bernardin, saying:

"And at the time, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin was the Archbishop of Chicago. For those of you too young to have known him or known of him, he was a kind and good and wise man. A saintly man. I can still remember him speaking at one of the first organizing meeting I attended on the South Side. He stood as both a lighthouse and a crossroads -- unafraid to speak his mind on moral issues ranging from poverty and AIDS and abortion to the death penalty and nuclear war. And yet, he was congenial and gentle in his persuasion, always trying to bring people together, always trying to find common ground. Just before he died, a reporter asked Cardinal Bernardin about this approach to his ministry. And he said, 'You can't really get on with preaching the Gospel until you've touched hearts and minds.'

My heart and mind were touched by him. They were touched by the words and deeds of the men and women I worked alongside in parishes across Chicago. And I'd like to think that we touched the hearts and minds of the neighborhood families whose lives we helped change. For this, I believe, is our highest calling."

Obama was so touched by Bernardin that, as a state senator, he introduced the "Bernardin amendment that would have inserted language from a pastoral letter by the late cardinal into a universal health care program. The bill did not pass but the proposed amendment indicates not only Obama's admiration for Bernardin but the blurry lines between "Church and State".

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From left, Joseph Bernardin, Joseph Ratzinger, George Bush, Nancy Pelosi, former NY cardinal Egan and Barack Obama

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Obama must not have gotten the memo about the interstate child-sex ring Bernardin was apparently associated with if not the head of or of his many sexually perverted friends whom he helped get promoted within the Church, including at the USCCB which was then called the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB). He must not be aware of Agnes - the woman who has told in sworn affidavits how Bernardin raped her when she was 11 years old. He isn't alone, though, in his ignorance. President Clinton granted the Presidential Award to Bernardin who has been honored by many organizations - Catholic and not. Even long-time Chicago journalist Carol Marin is still enamored by Bernardin, writing on June 28, 2009 regarding Obama's visit to the Vatican, "Let's pray that the spirit of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin fills the room and that Cardinal Bernard Law, now assigned to Rome, is nowhere in sight".

It's been a big secret in Chicago that Bernardin was, in fact, hardly innocent of the charges brought forth by Steven Cook, the young man who filed suit against Bernardin for abusing him while he was a seminarian. Though Cook withdrew his complaint against Bernardin, he never recanted his accusations against him. He never said the abuse never happened or that Bernardin was innocent. Though Bernardin claimed to have no memory of ever meeting Cook, there were pictures of the two together and witnesses who say Cook was often at Bernardin's side at parties.

Cook was the only victim to sue Bernardin but he was certainly not the only one to accuse him of abuse. As is the way of the Catholic Church (and Michael Jackson for that matter), a transfer of 'hush-money' or a payoff for Cook (and others) to just silently 'go away' is more than likely. The estimated amount is said to be in the $3 million range. As a result, the media played up Bernardin's virtue in "forgiving" the man who "falsely accused" him, even to the point of saying Mass for him. Hence, Obama's misunderstanding of the child rapist as "a saintly man". Sex predators are usually clever, manipulative, and charismatic people who can fool even the wisest of men. In the end, Cook died young from complications due to AIDS and Bernardin died shortly thereafter, exhibiting symptoms typical of HIV patients though it was reported he had cancer. Bernardin's remains are exulted high on the hill at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, along with the remains of other corrupt bishops of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

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From left, the Cardinal's Mansion in Chicago's Gold Coast; the Bishops' Mausoleum in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. The Mausoleum is propped atop a hill and separated from the lowly laity by concrete roads surrounding it. The chapel is gated and kept locked.

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An Unsolved Murder

In 1984, church organist Frank Pellegrini was tortured and brutally murdered in his Chicago apartment. Shortly after the crime occurred, Chicago Archbishop Joseph Bernardin mysteriously showed up while police where still collecting evidence from the scene. According to his girlfriend, Pellegrini had been part of a secret clerical "Boys Club" that had included the sexual abuse of young boys from low-income families, including ritualistic and occult worship. The girlfriend also told police that he had scheduled a meeting with Chancery officials regarding his desire to quit the club as they planned to marry. It is still a mystery why Bernardin was interested in the Pellegrini murder and it is even more puzzling how Bernardin found out about the murder so quickly.

In his 1999 book titled Furthermore! Memories of a Parish Priest, Catholic priest Andrew Greeley wrote:

"....But even in Chicago, the ring of predators about whom I wrote in the paperback edition of "Confessions" remains untouched. There is no evidence against them because no one has complained about them and none of their fellow Priests have denounced them. Those who have been removed are for the most part lone offenders who lacked the skill to cover their tracks. The ring is much more clever. Perhaps they always will be. But should they slip, should they get caught, the previous scandals will seem trivial..."

Also:

"They are a dangerous group. There is reason to believe that they are responsible for at least one murder, and may perhaps have been involved in the murder of a murderer."

There are also questions of a possible relationship between the Catholic hierarchy and Andrew Cunanan who, in 1997, went on a killing spree from San Diego to Chicago before killing fashion designer Gianni Versace and later killing himself. Cunanan's Chicago victim was millionaire developer Lee Miglin whom he tortured at Miglin's home in the Gold Coast neighborhood near Lake Michigan, not far from the Cardinal's mansion. Cunanan was associated with homosexual escort services. His real surname was possibly DeSilva as news reports of Cunanan's background paralleled that of an Andrew DeSilva. In 1996, an Andrew DeSilva called the Linkup office in Long Beach, CA, to talk about the abuse he had suffered at the hands of a priest. Linkup is a national advocacy group for survivors of clergy sexual abuse and the volunteer who spoke to DeSilva on the phone was later certain that he and Andrew Cunanan were one in the same.

Vanity Fair's Maureen Orth (the widow of Meet the Press' Tim Russert) wrote a book about Cunanan called "Vulgar Favors" in which she writes:

"Says Tichich's partner, Peter Jackson, 'Chicago knew the guy packed some heat when the cardinal's office called up to ask how the investigation was going'."

Again, what was the Cardinal's interest in this murder investigation? More importantly, did civil authorities allow questions from the local Catholic cardinal to influence their investigations? The police closed the case of Miglin's murder after Cunanan's suicide. The Pellegrini murder remains unsolved.

 

Another Unsolved Murder, or Not

8-year-old Gilbert Bonneau
(Click on photo and turn your speakers on)

Just as civil authorities seem to have dropped the ball on the murder investigation of Frank Pellegrini of Chicago, the murder of 8 year-old Gilbert Bonneau has also gone unaccounted for near Albany, New York. However, there were witnesses to Gilbert's death on November 28, 1953 but for some reason, the authorities are showing little interest in bringing his murderer to justice. At the time of his death, Gilbert was under the care and custody of Catholic-run St. Colman's Home for Children in Watervliet, N.Y. Gilbert was not the only boy to die at St. Colman's and the police claim to have done an investigation into all of the deaths and reported to the local media that "no child ever died of beatings in St. Colman's home".

A Florida man, however, insists he was in the St. Colman's infirmary at the time of Gilbert's death and witnessed a nun hold a pillow over Gilbert's face until he stopped screaming. He had been crying after being beaten badly which was the same reason the witness was in the infirmary. A nurse who was working that day has also come forward with the same explanation as to how GIlbert died. Of course the Catholic officials said little Gilbert died of meningitis. His older brothers, who had been placed in a different institution after the death of their mother, continue to fight for justice for Gilbert though one brother has already passed without finding the answers he struggled to find. Again, imagine children were dying while in the care of the YMCA or Kindercare. Would the authorities drop that matter without a thorough investigation and without interviewing all eyewitnesses? The New York legislature is now considering a "Madoff Bill" to prevent Bernie Madoff's financial crimes from being repeated. Has anyone thought of authoring a "Gilbert's Law" to prevent kids in institutions from being murdered without any accountability for their murderer?

 

The Double Standard

From left, Martha Stewart being taken into custody; Major League baseball players testifying before Henry Waxman's Congressional Committee regarding steroid use. Not one of them has been accused of involvement in child-rape.

Why are Catholic priests and nuns judged with a different eye than the rest of society? Is it so unbelievable that priests and nuns can be capable of rape or murder? Or is it more that the cops and prosecutors are willing to turn a blind eye to the crimes of religious figures as opposed to "scandalizing the Church"? One retired cop has told of being called to a local park in suburban Chicago on a call of suspicious activity. After finding a local priest engaged in a sex act with another man in the field house bathroom, the cop hauled them both to the station. After the chief released them both, the cop asked why, to which the chief explained, "He's the parish priest! We can't arrest the parish priest. It would be in tomorrow's newspapers!"

When will civil authorities stop giving a free pass to Catholic Church employees involved in serious crimes against children? If it is wrong to abort a child - as the Catholic hierarchy asserts, wouldn't it also be wrong to rape a child or to smother a child to death with a pillow? Catholic bishops aren't against abortion any more than they are against diocesan financial appeals. If they truly cared about the safety of unborn children, they would also care about the safety of alter boys and 3rd grade girls, not endangering them with policies that protect the institution over children. The bishops are clever, however and, like former Illinois governor George Ryan and the late Joseph Bernardin, they know the value of a popular cause. American bishops know that plenty of Catholics will stick with them and keep giving money as long as they keep trumpeting the "pro-life" call and antagonizing those who "dissent". Someday, those same Catholics might just grow up and carry the torch for themselves, instead of relying on corrupt and immoral bishops to think for them and act on their lazy behalf.

 

Bernardin's Legacy - The Seamless Garment

Maybe Catholics and Chicago citizens are more likely to give Bernardin a pass or the "benefit of the doubt" because of his "congenial and gentle" demeanor as well as his advocacy for the "Seamless Garment" or "Consistent Life Ethic" philosophy which sought to broaden the "pro-life" tent by tossing "social justice" issues such as welfare reform and opposition to the death penalty into the abortion debate. Despite Bernardin's insistence that not all issues carry the same moral weight and that abortion was a primary "life issue", many Catholics point to his "Seamless Garment" comparison as a permission slip to advocate for legalized abortion or to vote for a political candidate who runs on a "pro-choice" platform, such as the current President, Vice-President, and Speaker of the House (two of whom are Catholic) as long as he or she is "right" on other issues.

Bernardin's Seamless Garment was a precursor to George Ryan's Death Penalty Moratorium in Illinois. They both became heroes to followers of their 'cause', no matter what crimes they were engaged in on the side. There is no doubt Bernardin had great influence on both the course of American society and the direction of the Catholic Church in America. Most Americans would probably agree, we are an extremely divided nation just as the Church in America is extremely divided. Such must be the Bernardin legacy, that is, until the public catches on that he was anything but a "saintly man". We have heard of "Teflon candidates" to whom nothing sticks, not even truthful charges. If there was ever a "Teflon Bishop", it must have been Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

As Stephen Brady wrote in an article for the Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF) titled "The Beginning of The End of The Bernardin Legacy":

"The Bernardin legacy is the current condition of the Catholic Church in America. From his days as Chancellor in South Carolina to Chief of Staff and then President of the NCCB to the Cardinal of Chicago, Bernardin has been a force in the Church and is responsible, in part, for what we have today. Look around - what do you see? The evidence is there. One diocese after another is dying out with no sign of help coming from Rome. The Catholic faithful are on their own."

So, the dual legacy of Joseph Bernardin - "saintly man" and "sexual predator" - in a way parallels the identity confusion of the Catholic Church. One faith but many different - and differing - beliefs.

 

"One World Authority"

The duality continues, apparently, with Joseph Ratzinger's latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate or Charity in Truth, which he made public shortly before Obama's recent visit to the Vatican. The one theme most reports pointed out is the pope's urging of globalization and "one world authority". Regarding the encyclical, author, columnist, and JPII biographer George Weigel writes:

"It seems to be a hybrid, blending the pope's own insightful thinking on the social order with elements of the Justice and Peace approach to Catholic social doctrine, which imagines that doctrine beginning anew at Populorum Progressio. Indeed, those with advanced degrees in Vaticanology could easily go through the text of Caritas in Veritate, highlighting those passages that are obviously Benedictine with a gold marker and those that reflect the current Justice and Peace default positions with a red marker. The net result is, with respect, an encyclical that resembles a duck-billed platypus."

Also:

".... Some of these are simply incomprehensible, as when the encyclical states that defeating Third World poverty and underdevelopment requires a 'necessary openness, in a world context, to forms of economic activity marked by quotas of gratuitousness and communion.' This may mean something interesting; it may mean something naive or dumb. But, on its face, it is virtually impossible to know what it means."

For some reason, the presidents of the United States continue to give respected status to the CEO of the corporation that has produced thousands of child sex offenders and tens of thousands of suffering vicitms without any accountability whatsoever. Well, Obama always promised to meet personally with the world's worst tyrants. Last month, he did just that.

Whenever a victim of childhood sexual abuse by clergy goes to his or her bishop to report the crimes committed against them, the focus of the church officials is not the well-being and healing of the victim but rather the dates and locations of the assaults. Why? Because all the Church cares about is making sure the Statutes of Limitations (SOL) expires before the crime victim makes it to the police station. It is common practice for diocesan officials to tell the victim and family members that they have received no other complaints about the perpetrating priest and then drag on the process, intentionally, so that the SOL will expire and that the survivor wears down or runs out of patience and money.

If the Church was truly interested in the healing of clergy abuse victims and the protection of children from sexual abuse, the hierarchy would certainly not be fighting legislation to extend or abolish state Statutes of Limitations and spending millions of parishioners' donations to do so. Wherever the legislation is being debated, most recently in the state of New York, the local bishop comes out swinging with an all-out blitz to defeat the measure by mischaracterizing it and by launching personal assaults on the bill authors or sponsors and even threatening to close parishes in districts represented by assemblypersons who vote for SOL reform.

The U.S. Government's love affair with the Roman Catholic Church doesn't end with the tax-exempt status, the "above-the-law" lobbying practices and the blind-eye toward crimes against children. The federal government grants millions of taxpayer dollars in earmarks to the Catholic Church every year. Recently, California senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein who is on the Senate Appropriations Committee, directed $10 million to go to the preservation and remodeling of Catholic-owned missions. As with any and all earmarks, there is no accountability as to where or how that money is really spent. The Church requests federal "bailouts" every year, claiming the money will be spent on social programs, again without any responsibility to account for it. American bishops have threatened legislators with the closing of Catholic-run schools and hospitals if they don't get requested state and federal funding. It is estimated that Catholic Charities is ninety-percent government funded. Of course, the Church does not have transparent accounting practices. Whenever government officials ask to see the books, bishops cry, "Separation of Church and State!"

When the U.S. Government bailed-out the Chrysler Corporation, President Obama directed a change in leadership - basically ordering the firing of the CEO. Since the U.S. taxpayers had become major investors in the company, the president felt he had the right to make such a demand. Well, why stop there? Haven't the American taxpayers - Catholic and not - paid out enough millions to Catholic-owned entities to have a say in who should stay and who should go or at least to investigate exactly how the state and federal funds are being spent? If thousands of child-rapes aren't reason enough to investigate Catholic operations, isn't the fact the Church has accepted untold millions - or billions - of government funds?

Joseph Ratzinger has made it clear in his latest encyclical that he desires a One World Authority. This is a man who heads not a democracy but a monarchy. This is the leader of an institution with an estimated wealth of $13 trillion. This is a man who oversees a corporation with organized interests in every corner of the world. This is a man who was responsible for handling (check, MIShandling) all cases of child sexual abuse by clergy during the term of Pope John Paul II. This is the man who reportedly handed each member of the College of Cardinals his own file and threatened to expose whoever didn't vote him into the papacy and then excommunicated one cardinal who voted against him. This is the man who preaches that only those who belong to his club and follow his directives will enter into Heaven. It isn't rocket science to figure that his idea of One World Authority is the Roman Catholic pope ruling all nations and people.

 

Now, that would be CHANGE we can believe in!

******Related Articles and Documents******

Bully Pulpit Bishop: Nix Victims or I Nix Churches

Catholic bill: Attorney general sides with diocese

Faith and Patriotism
(Part 1 of The Two Faces of Charles Chaput: Chaput Cries for Marriage of Church and State)

Chaput to flock: hit back. Archbishop claims pending abuse laws a 'systematic' attack
(Part 2 of The Two-Faces of Charles Chaput: Bishop Cries for Separation of Church and State)

The beginning of The End of The Bernardin Legacy

"Remembering" Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

Let Bernardin's spirit guide Obama, pope

Catholic Charities USA 2007 Letter to House Appropriations Committee

Catholic Charities February 2009 Lobby Letter for Stimulus Funds

Catholic Charities Lobby Request for Earmarks for Fiscal Year 2010

Catholic Charities Federal Budget Talking Points

Record of Single $372,000 Federal Earmark for Diocese of St. Petersburg

A Partial List of Federal Earmarks Made Payable to the Roman Catholic Church

A Partial List of 'Hush-Money' Settlements Made Without Full Disclosure of Truth

A Partial List of State Legislators Who Care More about Child Safety than Re-Election

Excerpt of Obama's Notre Dame Speech regarding Joseph Bernardin

Obama and the 'Real' Catholics

Caritas in Veritate in Gold and Red

Obama tells pope he want to reduce abortions in U.S.

Vatican Summary of Caritas in Veritate Encyclical

Cardinal Rigali to Congress: Keep Existing Pro-Life Laws

Cardinal George Urges Catholics to Tell Administration: Keep Conscience Protections for Health Care Workers

Bishops Urge New President to Keep Laws on Conscience Rights, Foreign Aid for Abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research

 

Fantasy Headline: Obama signs one Executive Order to abolish state Statutes of Limitations on Childhood Sexual Abuse cases and another to cut off all federal funding to the Roman Catholic Church. All 50 Governors follow suit. All American Catholic Bishops subpoenaed by Congress to answer for child-rape scandal. Survivors lined up to testify as well.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

1-202-456-1111

whitehouse.gov

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!

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Double Dipping

The Catholic hierarchy is constantly making financial pleas to the congregation for money to pay for all of the so-called "social programs".

At the same time the Church has lawmakers putting in for thousands of dollars - sometimes millions - for those same programs.

It is not uncommon for priests, employees or volunteers to help themselves as many have been prosecuted for theft.

Who is really watching to cookie jar?

Below is a list of a few of the many (too many to count) taxpayer-paid Earmarks directed, without accountability, to the Roman Catholic Church.

$1.5 million for a faith-based education program in Alaska.

$1.25 million for an early childhood education program in Alaska.

$200,000 for Catholic Charities in Parma, Ohio.

$100,000 for Catholic University "Anti-Domestic Violence Program" in Puerto Rico.

$400,000 for "Catholic Community Services" in Alaska.

Another $400,000 for "Catholic Community Services" in Alaska.

$250,000 to "Catholic Community Services" in Alaska.

$2 million to "Catholic Community Services" in Alaska.

$1.25 million for another "Catholic Community Services" program.

$400,000 for the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, D.C.

$375,000 for the Catholic Charities Mercy House.

$500,000 for "Catholic Housing" of Wyandotte County, Kansas.

$2 million to "Catholic Housing" of Wyandotte County, Kansas.

$500,000 for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

$250,000 for "Associated Catholic Charities, Inc." in Baltimore, MD.

$250,000 for the "Catholic Charities of Maine".

$150,00 for the "Catholic Charities of Maine".

$500,000 for the "Catholic Heath Systems" in Buffalo for the Our Lady of Victory neighborhood.

$202,500 to "Catholic Health Systems" for construction activities in Our Lady of Victory neighborhood.

$150,000 for the St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers for Primary Care in Stapleton, N.Y.

Another $150,000 for the St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in Stapleton, N.Y.

$300,000 for "Catholic Social Services" in Springfield, Ohio for renovation of a Food Bank.

$180,000 for "Catholic Social Services" in Springfield, Ohio.

$46,000 for "Catholic Social Services" in Wilkes Barre, PA.

Another $46,000 to "Catholic Social Services" in Wilkes Barre, PA.

$350,000 to Catholic Charities for renovation of a facility.

$990,000 for "Catholic Community Services' for an Adult Day Care facility in Alaska.

$150,000 for "Catholic Urban Programs in East St. Louis, IL.

$350,000 for Catholic Charities, Inc. in Louisville, KY.

$115,000 to the Staten Island "Catholic Youth Organization Community Center" of New York.

$41,000 to "Catholic Youth Organization, Inc." on Staten Island, NY.

$4.2 million for "relief aid" to the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

The 102nd Congress waived the required Congressional review for bonds sold by Catholic University.

The 105th Congress gave Federal Charter status to the Catholic War Veterans group based in New York.

HR 2950 provided money for bridge project at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

The 101st Congress ordered park service in Arizona to note historic role of Catholic missionary.

S1059 gave Catholic University "special rights" to bid on military retirement home site.

The 104th Congress waived Medicaid rules for specific "Catholic health services".

Report 109-307 amended grant funds for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida.

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What Can I Do?

1. STOP DONATING TO THE CHURCH!

There is no financial accountability in the Church and the bishops use your money to fight victims in court and legislation that would better protect children.

As long as Catholics continue to feed the beast, there is no reason for the beast to change its diet.

2. CALL YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND URGE THEM TO CUT OFF GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO RELIGIOUS ENTITIES.

There is no government oversight of programs run by religious institutions.

If the government isn't going to investigate child rapes that occur within church walls, it certainly isn't going to make sure state and federal funds are being used appropriately.

Donations to a church are voluntary. Taxes are not.

Our Founding Fathers wrote a separation of powers and separation of Church and State for a reason.

Let the government do its thing and let the churches do their thing. Despite what Candy Hill at Catholic Charities, Inc. says, Jesus never said, "Feed the poor through the government".

This financial incest between the church and the government has got to stop!

3. CALL YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND URGE THEM TO CALL FOR AN INDEPENDENT AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION INTO THE CHILD SEX ABUSE SCANDAL IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Congress has investigated the Major League Baseball Steroid Scandal but not the Roman Catholic Clergy Sex Scandal which left tens of thousands of American children raped, tortured, sodomized and/or ritualized by the hands of thousands of clergy and other uniformed employees of a single Corporation called the Roman Catholic Church.

Despite claims of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, children are still in grave danger and Church policy still demands secrecy - still rewarding those who look the other way and still punishing those who call civil authorities.

The Mitchell Report is a public document detailing the findings of the MLB investigation. Many baseball players were forced to testify before a Congressional Hearing as to their knowledge and/or involvement of the steroid scandal.

The 9-11 Commission Report is also a document made available to the public, detailing findings of an Executive Branch/Legislative Branch Mandated investigation into the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

Earlier this year, the government of Ireland released findings of a state-mandated investigation into the child abuse scandals within Catholic-run institutions.

To date, the United States Government has yet to investigate a Child Sex-Assault scandal which left many American children dead and thousands upon thousands of American citizens left on their own to recover from "Soul Murder" without any recourse or justice for the crimes committed against them.

In fact, the majority of priest-pedophiles were never arrested and are free to roam the country - free to molest and rape again and again.

Most states have a criminal Statute of Limitations on child sex crimes, preventing criminal prosecution of pedophiles with a long list of victims.

Most states also have a civil Statute of Limitations which prevents victims of child sexual assault from seeking recourse through the American court system.

The following is a comment from a survivor of child-sexual-abuse-by-clergy regarding the ignorance and injustice of such Statutes:

"The fact is that it is very rare to have sexual abuse recognized for what it is until the child enters a "safe" environment. Often, that is not for 20 to 50 years later, if ever. Someone who insists a victim should recognize the abuse as illegal or improper before any specific age demonstrates their ignorance of human behavior and allows criminals to thrive, thus denying justice. True, we cannot legislate morality, but where morality is lacking then legislation is, unfortunately, the next best thing."

4. MAKE GENEROUS DONATIONS TO VICTIMS/SURVIVORS GROUPS.

Most victims and survivors of sexual abuse by religious figures have an extremely difficult life recovering from the heinous crimes committed against them.

Experts say such abuse is worse than incest which tops the scale of traumatic abuse.

Because the assaults are inflicted by a "person of God", many victims lose their spirituality completely, having been essentially raped by God himself.

The long-term - and sometimes life-long effects include difficulty keeping a job, difficulty with relationships, depression, substance abuse, mental/personality disorders, engaging in high-risk behaviors, and even suicide.

Innocent victims should not have to live with the consequences of abuse any more than anyone else should.

Professional assistance can help victims learn how to cope, recover, and survive!

Professional assistance requires money which many victims lack due to the hard lives they have had to live.

The Church wants your money so it "can help the needy" but the Church is already loaded and has squandered and misused parishioners' hard-earned dollars for generations.

Give your money where you know it will be put to good use and spent wisely and compassionately.

Reach out to those who have been abandoned and cruelly-treated by the Roman Catholic Church.

Some places to start:

Companions in Hope

Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

 

Thank you for your kindness and your wisdom!

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Companions in Hope
P.O. Box 638
Geneva, Illinois

mail@companionsinhope.com

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