By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which aggressively pursues any priest accused of the sexual abuse of minors, is now taking fire for their public defense of a psychiatrist who worked with the organization until he was convicted on child pornography charges.
According to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Dr. Steve Taylor, a psychiatrist who worked with SNAP for years, is sitting in a Louisiana jail awaiting transfer to a state prison. He pleaded guilty last April to 23 counts of attempted possession of child pornography. Thanks to the reporting of Bruce Nolan of the Times-Picayune, Taylor has apparently been receiving quite a bit of support from SNAP founder Barbara Blaine who apparently intervened on his behalf.
” . . . (S)he, along with her friend, noted Church-bashing author Jason Berry, wrote to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, asking them to give due consideration to Taylor’s alleged humanitarian work before lifting his medical license,” writes Catholic League president Bill Donohue.
“Now why should it matter if Taylor has done some good work in the past? After all, SNAP has never shown the slightest interest in weighing the totality of an accused priest’s record before condemning him publicly, and neither has Berry. Indeed, SNAP advises on its website that when a priest is accused, parishioners who support him should do so ‘PRIVATELY.’ [Its emphasis.] To support him publicly would be ‘terribly hurtful to victims’.”
Donohue is demanding an apology from both Blaine and Berry as well as an immediate withdrawal of their support for Taylor.
He points out a perfect example of the blatant hypocrisy of SNAP which occurred last when the organization issued a news release expressing its utter delight with the news that a North Carolina priest pleaded guilty to deleting child porn from his computer. The priest is currently sitting in a federal prison.
“His humanitarian record counted for nothing in their eyes,” Donohue said.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Photo is of Dr. Steve Taylor by the Times Picayune
