Matt C. Abbott
Katrina-displaced author answers Catholic League
By Matt C. Abbott
Jason Berry, author of the books Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II and Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children, and a contributor to the National Catholic Reporter and other publications, is not pleased with William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
In an August 29 news release, Donohue said the following:
"Jason Berry's savage attack on the former San Francisco Archbishop [an article in the September edition of San Francisco magazine] includes the vicious allegation that Levada 'worked tirelessly throughout his career to protect sexual predator priests.' Now if this were true, then Berry — who has made a career out of writing about this subject — would have blown the whistle on Levada long ago. So why didn't he? Could it be because Levada is a much juicier subject these days (he is Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)? What makes this so ugly is the fact that when Levada was auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles in 1985, he was one of the first bishops in the nation to seriously address this issue! In short, what Berry has done is yellow journalism."
In a September 9 telephone conversation with yours truly, Berry, whose New Orleans home is flooded with three feet of water, said Donohue's statement is inaccurate and "a cheap shot."
"I challenge Donohue to find anything in my article that is factually wrong," said Berry.
Berry also said that he began working on the article prior to the death of Pope John Paul II; that he had made several attempts to arrange an interview with Levada, to no avail; that, contrary to Donohue's statement, he did not write the line, "...worked tirelessly throughout his [Levada's] career to protect sexual predator priests"; and that, also contrary to Donohue's statement, Levada was not "one of the first bishops in the nation to seriously address" the issue of clergy sex abuse.
As for the Church's teachings, Berry is an avowed dissenter, even in regard to abortion.
Said Berry: "I have a 14-year-old daughter who has Down Syndrome. If, God forbid, she were to be impregnated by a rapist, I would not hesitate to have the pregnancy terminated."
Berry does, however, consider abortion-on-demand to be "repugnant."
© Matt C. Abbott
Jason Berry, author of the books Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II and Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children, and a contributor to the National Catholic Reporter and other publications, is not pleased with William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
In an August 29 news release, Donohue said the following:
"Jason Berry's savage attack on the former San Francisco Archbishop [an article in the September edition of San Francisco magazine] includes the vicious allegation that Levada 'worked tirelessly throughout his career to protect sexual predator priests.' Now if this were true, then Berry — who has made a career out of writing about this subject — would have blown the whistle on Levada long ago. So why didn't he? Could it be because Levada is a much juicier subject these days (he is Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)? What makes this so ugly is the fact that when Levada was auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles in 1985, he was one of the first bishops in the nation to seriously address this issue! In short, what Berry has done is yellow journalism."
In a September 9 telephone conversation with yours truly, Berry, whose New Orleans home is flooded with three feet of water, said Donohue's statement is inaccurate and "a cheap shot."
"I challenge Donohue to find anything in my article that is factually wrong," said Berry.
Berry also said that he began working on the article prior to the death of Pope John Paul II; that he had made several attempts to arrange an interview with Levada, to no avail; that, contrary to Donohue's statement, he did not write the line, "...worked tirelessly throughout his [Levada's] career to protect sexual predator priests"; and that, also contrary to Donohue's statement, Levada was not "one of the first bishops in the nation to seriously address" the issue of clergy sex abuse.
As for the Church's teachings, Berry is an avowed dissenter, even in regard to abortion.
Said Berry: "I have a 14-year-old daughter who has Down Syndrome. If, God forbid, she were to be impregnated by a rapist, I would not hesitate to have the pregnancy terminated."
Berry does, however, consider abortion-on-demand to be "repugnant."
© Matt C. Abbott
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