The right guy for the job
The Vatican. Again.
A group representing victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests has blasted the San Diego Catholic Diocese for appointing a priest who admitted to destroying documents detailing sexual assaults to oversee their sex abuse hotline.
The San Diego Catholic Diocese appointed a priest who destroyed documents detailing sexual assaults to oversee their sex abuse hotline. A priest who covered up sexual assaults will be overseeing a sex abuse hotline. A fox who dines on chicken every night will be guarding the hen house.
[Father Steven] Callahan is listed as the Victims’ Assistance Coordinator on the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego website — with a phone number to call the priest as well as an email address.
In a court deposition in 2007, after approximately 150 men and women filed suit against the San Diego diocese over sexual abuse claims, Callahan admitted to destroying documents in the early 90’s implicating a fellow priest.
…
According to attorney Irwin Zalkin, who was representing about third of the victims, Callahan admitted under oath that he destroyed personnel files in the early 1990s, with Zalkin calling it evidence of a cover-up.
“He claims he was following Canon Law, but no one in the diocese destroyed these records till he came along,” Zalkin claimed before adding, “They came in and destroyed priests’ confidential files, they destroyed important seminary records and engaged in a cover-up that precluded people trying to prove up their claims.”
Also? Besides? Fuck Canon Law. Priests are subject to the law-law, just like everyone else. Priests don’t get to protect rapists just because they’re priests.
“When nuns or priests are assigned to these hotlines, we believe church officials are using them to keep abuse reports quiet,” said Tim Lennon of SNAP in an emailed statement.”If they sincerely want victims to call and get help, bishops would have lay social workers—not ordained clerics or lawyers—respond to these deeply wounded and mistrustful individuals.”
It’s almost as if the church is using victims to tell them which priests they need to protect or send to a distant parish.
I am amazed at my ability to continue being amazed at how brazen they are about this shit.
It’s pretty clear that he is the right man for the job– they want anyone calling in to either be talked out of taking action, or to give them information they can use to destroy any evidence.
Well it is amazing that RCC Inc. still doesn’t have a clue. But what is even more amazing is that anybody molested or raped by an RCC Inc employee would call an RCC Inc helpline for help. Catholics get it through your thick heads – when you, or even more importantly your children, have been raped by a catholic priest the place to go is your local Police Department. If you want counselling to help you handle the trauma, and who wouldn’t, there are many qualified secular professionals out there. See one of them.
Too bad that ‘local police’ have a long-standing history of collaboration with The Church. All the other problems of secondary victimization by the system are doubled for victims of Catholicism.