Papal Bull: Sex, Lies and Vatican-tape

By Edward Lozzi, HuffPost

“Pope Benedict said that during the 10-day visit to Australia he would work for "healing and
reconciliation with the victims" of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy there
"just as I did in the United
States" earlier this year." - Reported
by The Associated Press - Sunday

 
Pope Benedict is in Australia
and apparently about to pull the same media stunt of faux concern for the
victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy that he pulled in the United States
in April of this year. A carefully-orchestrated media strategy that led many US commentators to hail what appeared to them to
be the Pope's courage and decency in meeting with five U.S. victims of
clergy sex abuse.
In June, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the US representative of the Pope was
asked about the Pope's April visit and its impact on the sex abuse issue. Sambi
claimed that the idea that the Vatican
had not understood the gravity of the sex abuse issue had disappeared.
"The Pope has shown the way to finally overcome this humiliating
conduct."
This is all Papal Bull.
I am a supporter of S.N.A.P., the
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, the largest organization of
clergy sex abuse victims in the United
States. It has over 8,000 members. For the
past five years, my media company has provided services pro-bono to SNAP in
legal battles by survivors of clergy sex abuse against the Diocese of Los
Angeles and its rogue Cardinal Roger Mahoney, the most powerful prelate in the
U.S representing the Vatican.
It is this rogue Cardinal who has obstructed justice and aided and abetted his
priestly rapists, many who have been convicted or are now fugitives - on the
run from arrest warrants.
The Oscar-nominated documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" (Lionsgate
Films), produced by CNN's Amy Berg, proved these well-known accusations and
showed documented courtroom proof beyond any reasonable doubt, on how the
Vatican and U.S top cardinals such as Mahoney fight and mislead all involved,
including law enforcement, victims, their families, and parishioners.
For good reason Pope Benedict, during his U.S.
visit in April avoided both Cardinal Mahoney in California, and the Diocese of Boston (both
hotbeds of clergy sex abuse). The Pope had the good PR sense to avoid both of
them.
I mention PR because over the years the Vatican and the Diocese of Los
Angeles has hired the most ruthless lawyers and damage-control public relations
experts that collection-box money can buy. Mahoney even hired the controversial
Michael Sitrick's PR company to run damage control. When the L.A. Times and
other publications published this fact, the parishioners forced Mahoney to fire
Sitrick, but not until after he had already paid his company $180,000 in 2003
for only three months of services. That's a lot of "collection
plate"...
The three law firms that the Diocese keeps on constant retainer, coupled
with the recent $660 million settlements paid to sex abuse victims, has caused
an outrage amongst many Catholics and law enforcement officials. For the last
five years my firm has had to counter much of the misinformation, lies, and
illegal actions generated by the Cardinal and his minions.
Pope Benedict's much-heralded meeting with the victims of clerical sex abuse
during his April visit to the US
was not his idea. The meeting was forced upon the Pope by the victims. These
victims, both SNAP members and Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), had demanded a
meeting. And if denied, they had promised to demonstrate peacefully everywhere
the Pope went.
We were all set to go. Last year, victims of clergy sex abuse from SNAP, had
completely surrounded Cardinal Mahoney's $100 million dream cathedral in
downtown Los Angeles.
They held hands and held a silent vigil. Each adult wore a large photo of him
or herself as a child at the time that he/she was raped or molested by one of
the Diocese priests or nuns. Yes... nuns! The media had a field day and covered
it extensively. So the Vatican
knew we meant business.
The Pope finally agreed to meet the victims after pressure from within the Vatican. It
came from Archbishop William Joseph Levana, emeritus of San
Francisco, recently promoted to the number two man as Prefect of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican.
Pressure came from Archbishop Angelo Amato - secretary of the same office.
And pressure came from Father Federico Lombardi, the devout Jesuit priest
who is the new press secretary to the Vatican. Levana is an expert in
avoiding prosecution for obstructing justice. He was subpoenaed recently to
appear in Federal Court in San
Francisco but asked for and received diplomatic
immunity. (You see the Vatican
is not just a religion - it's also a country. Helpful when those pesky parking
tickets and subpoenas come in...)
After seeing the ultimatum from the victims' organizations in April, these Vatican officials convinced Benedict to meet with the
victims. It would take too long to detail here all the requirements and
"special conditions" that the Vatican tried to demand for the
meeting.
Pope Benedict was very uncomfortable meeting with the five representative
victims who had been raped by priests and had their lives and families changed
forever. This was a private meeting of course. The Pope was visibly embarrassed
and in agony throughout the whole encounter. Benedict promised to end the stall
tactics of his Bishops and to speed up the turning over of pedophile priests
and secret documents to law enforcement. He promised transparency and a place
for Catholic victims of pedophile priests in the so-called Programs of
Awareness of Sex Abuse in the Church.
Ultimately that April meeting was just a publicity stunt by Benedict. A faux
show of concern for the media. Three months later, not one of his promises has
been acted upon. It is as if the meeting never happened.
Before being elected Pope, Benedict was "Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger" - the number two man in the Vatican during the reign of Pope
John Paul. It was he who convinced the Pope to never meet with the American
victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy because it would lead to "bad
press".
And now as Pope Benedict, because of his stonewalling and his shrug of the
shoulders, our children still remain at risk. He would rather protect his
priests and the Holy Mother
Church, than our
children.
In any language - that is just Papal Bull.