Priest: Katha Pollitt 'exposing herself again'; SNAP responds to Andrew Greeley

By Matt C. Abbott

In one of the most fatuous op-ed pieces in recent memory — so fatuous that it almost makes one yearn for the writings of Father Andrew Greeley — Katha Pollitt, in the pages of the Catholic-friendly (ahem) Chicago Tribune, uses the Texas polygamist cult scandal as a springboard to rail against the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict.

Radical feminist, anti-life claptrap par excellence. Even makes Hillary Clinton sound like a conservative.

One of my favorite priests, Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, was happy to provide me with a statement in response to said op-ed:

'Ms. Pollitt is exposing herself again...no pun intended. That is, she is revealing her vitriolic hatred against the Catholic Church by using the problem of the cult in Texas as a vehicle for her dislike of Catholic teaching on abortion, birth control and every other pagan institution she endorses. 'They will hate you as they hated me,' said the Lord, and that is the story of the Church's history.

'What is unfortunate is that Ms. Pollitt capitalizes on abused children as her launching pad for her own agenda, and in doing so, undermines her own credibility as a defender of women's and children's rights. This is the blindness of the extreme feminists like Ms. Pollitt who can't see the plight of a child, born or unborn, as having any relevance to society. Thank the Lord that Pope Benedict, during his U.S. visit, fearlessly spoke out in favor of the unborn and also reached out to victims of clergy abuse. Let us also thank God that Church will be around a lot longer than the extreme feminist movement!'

Amen!

If Ms. Pollitt ever desires to learn a thing or two about the Church, she should visit a Web site such as Catholic Answers. But I doubt she cares.

Speaking of the aforementioned Father Andrew Greeley... SNAP outreach director Barbara Dorris had the following response to Father Greeley's April 23 column:

'Andrew Greeley is right about many things.

'First, he's right about his early attention to clergy sex crimes and cover ups. Early on, when no one wrote about them, he did. Many survivors are and will forever be grateful to him for his courage.

'Second, he's right about the corrosive effects of anger. That's precisely why we in SNAP have monthly support group meetings in more than 50 cities across the country, and why dozens and dozens of volunteer SNAP members spend countless hours — on the phone, in person and via e-mail — listening to, supporting, and helping other deeply wounded sex abuse victims. If pain and anger aren't dealt with — in safe, proven and effective ways — these emotions can rule a person's live and come out in unhealthy ways. That's what we have provided for 20 years and continue to provide.

'That's also one reason why we hold events and news conferences and leafleting — to give wounded survivors non-violent ways of taking productive action to identify predators, expose corruption, warn families, educate citizens, and prod authorities, both secular and religious, to be careful, honest and pro-active so that more kids aren't hurt.

'Instead of wallowing in pain, and turning their anger inward (or toward innocent individuals), SNAP's activities are a way for some victims to deal with and overcome their anger, again, in a safe, helpful and productive way.

'Third, Greeley's right that many of us in SNAP want corrupt, duplicitous bishops disciplined in some way.

'There are, however, a couple of things Greeley's wrong about.

'He's wrong about our motivation.

'Greeley thinks some want bishops 'punished' out of anger. He's wrong. We want prevention, not punishment. And the way you prevent wrongdoing is to hold wrongdoers accountable.

'We in SNAP, however, want to protect vulnerable kids. One good way to do that is to deter future recklessness, deceit, and law-breaking. And one good way to do THAT is to make sure that wrong-doers are exposed or face consequences for wrongdoing.

'That's not 'hatred,' that being responsible.

'In fact, we believe it's irresponsible to ignore carefully-orchestrated, expensive (and often on-going) cover ups of horrific child sex crimes. It's irresponsible because ignoring wrongdoing encourages wrongdoing. (If your child beats up a smaller child on the playground, you may be 'angry' at him, and that's not a bad thing. But it is bad, and wrong, to ignore his violence.)

'Finally, it's not surprising that Greeley doesn't understand our motives. He has never attended or spoken at a SNAP meeting. (Twenty years ago, he apparently spoke at the first meeting of a smaller advocacy group that has been largely defunct for years now. It was an entirely different organization, however.)

'In the early 1990s, a few of us had several brief private conversations with Greeley, but it's been more than a decade since any of us have had any contact with him.

'From such a distance, it's easy to misunderstand others.'

Related links:

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/060224

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/041126

© Matt C. Abbott