Monday, February 05, 2007
Proof That Some Catholics Still Don't Get It
SNAP Protests Planned Visit Of Accused Priest: "Members of SNAP, or Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests, withstood the cold and passed out fliers outside Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Reading today.
They were trying to put a halt to the church's plans to have a priest, accused of sexual misconduct, say mass there next weekend.
'This is a church that is literally surrounded by a school,' said Christy Miller, of SNAP.
'It's in the same building and we feel that if Father James Kiffmeyer were here, he would be open to abusing a whole lot more kids,' said Miller, 'and we don't want that to happen.'
No reason was given, but a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati tell 9News that Father Kiffmeyer will not be coming after all."
Inviting an accused priest is bad form, I would think. While it is true that accusations are different from criminal verdicts, the mere accusation should give Catholics pause. It worries me that it still doesn't. If we were only a few months into this scandal, I can understand making this kind of error in judgement. It has been years, many priests, and innumerable victims. We know that the current Pope was the closest advisor to the last Pope through the worst of the scandal. I see him as part of the problem. Now it seems we see folks at the parish level following in Ratzinger's unconcerned footsteps.
They were trying to put a halt to the church's plans to have a priest, accused of sexual misconduct, say mass there next weekend.
'This is a church that is literally surrounded by a school,' said Christy Miller, of SNAP.
'It's in the same building and we feel that if Father James Kiffmeyer were here, he would be open to abusing a whole lot more kids,' said Miller, 'and we don't want that to happen.'
No reason was given, but a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati tell 9News that Father Kiffmeyer will not be coming after all."
Inviting an accused priest is bad form, I would think. While it is true that accusations are different from criminal verdicts, the mere accusation should give Catholics pause. It worries me that it still doesn't. If we were only a few months into this scandal, I can understand making this kind of error in judgement. It has been years, many priests, and innumerable victims. We know that the current Pope was the closest advisor to the last Pope through the worst of the scandal. I see him as part of the problem. Now it seems we see folks at the parish level following in Ratzinger's unconcerned footsteps.
