SNAP's Unproductive Press Statement Regarding New Vatican Guidelines on Sexual Abuse

I think SNAP (the Catholic division) would be well served if they got new leadership.

We don't need minor changes to church policy but massive changes to church practice and culture. History has shown that in this secretive, ancient, rigid all-male monarchy, abuse policies are widely ignored.

Is that really nescessary? The issue is sexual abuse and that is not helped by trying to bring in other theological issues. As their leadership knows by their interaction with other faith groups they have similar problems and they don't have an "ancient rigid all male monarchy". I mean just a couple of years ago the elected LAY male and female delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention (Messengers) applauded when a database for Sexual Predators was voted down!! Can't get more anti monarchy than the Southern Baptist Convention!! See via Stop Baptist Predators (Headed by the Baptist SNAP folks) the following:

Southern Baptists reject sex-abuse database
"Under pressure to fight child sex abuse, the SBC's executive committee said…the denomination should not create its own database to help churches identity predators or establish an office to field abuse claims.” Associated Press >
"Instead of protecting its followers from sexual predators, Nashville's Southern Baptist Convention leaves churches to fend for themselves." Nashville Scene >
"The very fact that Baptist churches are autonomous signals that they need the information that the convention could provide." Tennessean editorial >
"To argue that a list of Southern Baptist ministers who are sexual predators violates the self-government of a local church is illogical." Burleson op-ed >
"Baptists miss an opportunity." Dallas Morning News editorial >
"Holy hypocrisy!" Winson-Salem Journal editorial >

I sometimes am amazed that it does not occur to the leadership of SNAP (Catholic division) that by interjecting a particular theological controversy of a Catholic nature they are actually hurting the overall cause of preventing Clergy Abuse in other faith communities.

Why do that?

Let me address this point:
Defrocking predators more quickly is no panacea. Its main impact is limiting the legal liability of church officials. There should never be a statute of limitations on child sex crimes or cover ups- not in civil, criminal or canon law. Twenty years beats ten years of course, but increasing access to a secretive, corrupt system isn't much reform.

So there should be no due process no safeguards? Do the people at SNAP realize why there are statute of limitations in various aspects of LAW. Sadly in SNAP's world a mere accusation from 40 years ago is enough to call out the hounds publicly. As we have seen time and time again there have many cases where Priests have had to spend their meager life savings getting their reputations back on groundless and baseless charges. That is a injustice and one does cure an injustice (The sexual abuse of minors) by allowing situation where other injustices are to be had.

I mean under this standard perhaps we should eliminate all statute of limitations in criminal cases.