There often comes a point in any scandal or crisis when victims’ advocates begin to show they will never be satisfied with the actions taken by those they suspect of being behind the problem.
Case in point: A Jesuit high school in Chicago sends a letter to parents and alumni about a priest who taught at the school in the 1960s and is now being sued. The school’s president says: “First and most importantly, let me state that the Loyola Academy community abhors the very idea of predatory sexual behavior in any form and has built a culture and an environment where your children are safe and protected.”
But the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests denounces the statement as “self-congratulatory,” “inaccurate, insensitive, [and] smug,’’ and “intended to keep other victims quiet.” What? They claim that the school is claiming that no other case of abuse can have happened and thus no one need come forward about possible abuse. That’s ridiculous.
SNAP is angry because language they instructed the school to include in their letter wasn’t used and because SNAP now believes itself to be the final arbiter, judge, and authority on all matters related to the Scandal.
SNAP first appeared in our diocese 10 years ago and we had no idea who they were or what they wanted. We now find what they crave is media recognition. When firmly pressed for THEIR SOLUTION to the problems, they wring their hands and talk in circles (as long as the cameras are running). When you demand their position and their solution they cry foul and accuse you of making them ‘victims’ again. I find their hidden agenda akin to VOTF and Call to Action, both which align themselves with SNAP. Frankly, we’ll never know how many ‘me too’ claims have been filed. You can be sure that SNAP will never disclose them.