Below is an excerpt of Bill Donohue’s letter to the International Criminal Court:

September 14, 2011

Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo

International Criminal Court

P.O. Box 19519

2500 CM, The Hague

The Netherland

Dear Mr. Moreno-Ocampo:

We have learned that two organizations, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), have asked you to prosecute Pope Benedict XVI for allegedly covering up “crimes against humanity of rape and other sexual violence committed around the world.” Indeed, CCR attorney Pam Spees claims, “Crimes against tens of thousands of victims, most of them children, are being covered up by officials at the highest level of the Vatican.”

As the president of the largest Catholic civil rights organization in the United States, I am deeply offended by these inflammatory and highly politicized accusations. Whatever problems occurred in the Catholic Church took place mostly between the mid-60s and the mid-80s, at a time of widespread sexual libertinism. To suggest that there is some kind of ongoing cabal, anchored in the Vatican, is not only untrue, it is scurrilous. But it fits the mold of everything we know about SNAP.

SNAP may claim to be an organization that is solely concerned with victims of sexual abuse, but that claim is patently false. As you can see from the enclosed report that the Catholic League published in August, SNAP’s goal is not the protection of children; rather, it is an organization out to smear the Catholic Church.

This past July, SNAP held a national conference that was attended by individuals who reported the events to the Catholic League. [At this point in the letter, Donohue lists several items taken from our SNAP Report.]

It is also important to note that SNAP doesn’t treat all priests accused of abuse the same. Indeed [SNAP Executive Director David] Clohessy’s brother, a priest, was accused of molestation, but the SNAP director never reported the crime to the police. I mention this because one of his central issues with the Catholic Church is the failure to report such instances to the police.

Consider also the actions of SNAP president Barbara Blaine regarding a former SNAP psychiatrist, Dr. Steve Taylor, in Louisiana. When it was discovered that Taylor had a penchant for child porn and was threatened with having his medical license removed, Blaine wrote to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners on his behalf. She asked the board to give due consideration to Taylor’s humanitarian work before revoking his license.

In short, SNAP is not a benevolent group, looking to heal the wounds of clergy sex abuse. Its major goal is to attack the Catholic Church, using methods that are as unethical as they are political.

It is estimated by Charol Shakeshaft, America’s leading scholar on the subject of sexual abuse in the schools, that the rate of abuse in the public schools is approximately 100 times greater than found in the Catholic Church. We also know that Planned Parenthood counselors learn of cases of statutory rape on a regular basis, yet they never report such matters to the police. But no one from CCR or SNAP is going to contact the ICC about either entity.

The Catholic League condemns all sexual abuse, regardless of who the offender is and what organization he or she represents. We also condemn those who harbor an animus against the Catholic Church, selectively choosing to focus on its alleged wrongdoings while ignoring wholesale the most egregious cases of sexual abuse committed by others.

Bill Donohue comments on attempts by the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) to smear papal candidates:

David Clohessy, the head of SNAP, rails against the Catholic Church for not reporting suspected sexual abusers to the police, yet he has admitted that he himself failed to call the cops when he learned of a priest who molested a male youth. He accuses the Church of lying, yet he has admitted under oath that he has lied to the media about his work. He says the Church lacks transparency, yet he refuses to disclose the source of his funding. He says the Church failed to give adequate counseling to victims, yet he acknowledges that SNAP offers no counseling services. Moreover, in 2007, his organization spent $593 for “survivor support” (Clohessy, who has no counseling license, holds counseling sessions at Starbucks), yet in 2008 he spent $92,000 on travel. And so on.

SNAP is broke. Less than two weeks ago, it sent an e-mail to its donors pleading with them, “We are barely meeting our everyday expenses.” That’s because they have nothing to do. The homosexual abuse scandal ended almost three decades ago, leaving few of their rapacious lawyer friends who have been suing the Church to grease them anymore. This explains their latest stunt.

Yesterday, Clohessy released SNAP’s “dirty dozen” list of cardinals who may be named pope. It’s a sure sign they are in panic mode; they need to kick-start their operations once again. It was revealing, too, that they are furious about those “who pretend the worst is over.” They have to say that. They have no other choice but to lie.

On March 1, the Washington Post ran a story on the current state of the “survivors” movement. One activist confessed that the energy level “has diminished quite a bit,” noting that attendance has plummeted among the “gray-haired folks.” Another reluctantly admitted that the movement has “run out of steam.” Which means SNAP’s best days are behind it, and Clohessy knows it.

Just as we entered the new year, the director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), David Clohessy, was deposed in St. Louis regarding allegations that he issued news releases based on information contained in legal documents from attorney Rebecca Randles; those documents were subjected to a gag order last August by Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court Judge Ann Mesle.

Lawyers for Rev. Michael Tierney and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph sought internal documents and correspondence from SNAP; Clohessy may have to turn over 23 years worth of such information. Judge Mesle ordered Clohessy to comply with her ruling because he “almost certainly has knowledge concerning issues relevant to this litigation.” An appeal by SNAP to the Missouri Supreme Court failed, thus forcing Clohessy to testify.

This is just the beginning. The Catholic League has long charged that there is an incestuous relationship between SNAP and attorneys like Rebecca Randles; she is a protégé of Jeffrey Anderson, and both have been feeding and greasing SNAP for decades. It’s now time to blow the lid off this scam and get to the bottom of it.

Clohessy never tires of lecturing the Catholic Church on the need for transparency, yet when he was placed in the hot seat, he rebelled. That is why he held a press conference in St. Louis blaming the Catholic Church for playing hardball. We’re delighted the Church is taking a tougher stance. The anti-Catholic activists at SNAP were so shaken by these events that one of its staffers accused the Missouri Supreme Court of “an unprecedented, bullying maneuver” for simply enforcing the law.

Talk about turning the tables! This was a great way to start the new year.

Yesterday, the director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), David Clohessy, was deposed in St. Louis regarding allegations that he issued news releases based on information contained in legal documents from attorney Rebecca Randles; those documents were subjected to a gag order last August by Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court Judge Ann Mesle.

Lawyers for Rev. Michael Tierney and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph are seeking internal documents and correspondence from SNAP; Clohessy may have to turn over 23 years worth of such information. Judge Mesle ordered Clohessy to comply with her ruling because he “almost certainly has knowledge concerning issues relevant to this litigation.” An appeal by SNAP to the Missouri Supreme Court failed, thus forcing Clohessy to testify.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

This is just the beginning. The Catholic League has long charged that there is an incestuous relationship between SNAP and attorneys like Rebecca Randles; she is a protégé of Jeffrey Anderson, and both have been feeding and greasing SNAP for decades. It’s now time to blow the lid on this scam and get to the bottom of it.

Clohessy never tires of lecturing the Catholic Church on the need for transparency, yet when he is in the hot seat, he rebels. That is why he is having a press conference today in St. Louis blaming the Catholic Church for playing hardball. We’re delighted the Church is taking a tougher stance. The anti-Catholic activists at SNAP are so shaken by these events that one of its staffers has accused the Missouri Supreme Court of “an unprecedented, bullying maneuver” for simply enforcing the law.

Talk about turning the tables! What a great way to start the new year.

Contact Clohessy: [email protected]

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Over the weekend, news broke that a former Penn State football coach, serving under head coach Joe Paterno, was involved in alleged sexual abuse of young boys. Although Paterno immediately notified the Athletic Director, he did not call the cops. David Clohessy, the director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is now calling for Paterno to be investigated. Yet when Clohessy learned in the 1990s that his brother Kevin, a priest, was a child molester, he covered it up.

The Kansas City Star is working with SNAP, and its lawyers, against Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn. Only once, in a brief story in 2003, did it ever mention that the SNAP director’s brother was charged with molestation; even then it never reported that David Clohessy refused to call the cops. And in a big puff piece on the SNAP director in September, it never mentioned this juicy story. The cover up—and that is exactly what it is—is sickening.

Nor does the Star ever bother to question the spurious lawsuits that SNAP lawyers have been bringing. Isn’t it more than just a little curious that the Catholic Church is being singled out for hundreds of “repressed memory” lawsuits? A Nexis search connecting “repressed memory” with “minister” yields 551 stories; connecting it to “rabbi” yields 71; and though the nation’s teachers vastly outnumber priests, there were 1208 stories on “teachers” and 1855 on “priests.”

Between 2009 and 2010, there was a startling 42 percent increase in false accusations against priests. The data didn’t come as a surprise to California attorney Donald H. Steier. Last year, he testified that “One retired F.B.I agent who worked with me to investigate many claims in the Clergy Cases told me, in his opinion, about ONE-HALF of the claims made in Clergy Cases were either entirely false or so greatly exaggerated that the truth would not have supported a prosecutable claim for childhood sexual abuse.” A really independent newspaper would report such stories. The Star is not one of them—it’s in bed with SNAP.

Contact Star publisher Mi-Ai Parrish: [email protected]

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on those who continue to defend the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP):

Last week we released a report on SNAP that showed beyond a reasonable doubt what an utter fraud the organization is (click here to read it). It was not an essay; it was not an op-ed; it was not conjecture; it was not our opinion. It was the voice of David Clohessy, the director of SNAP. When coupled with our report last summer on the proceedings of its national convention (it offered irrefutable proof of its hate-filled agenda) it cannot be maintained by any serious observer what SNAP is all about.

The credibility of those who continue to defend this wholly discredited organization is on the line. That would include the editorial board of the New York Times and the Newark Star-Ledger (the latter offered a particularly vicious statement), as well as pundits such as Andrew Sullivan. That the near-moribund National Organization for Women and the Feminist Majority should weigh in is not surprising: though SNAP has nothing to do with women’s rights, it has everything to do with attacking the Catholic Church, and that is music to the ear of radical feminists. But it is Frank Bruni, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, who needs to be answered more than anyone; he loves SNAP.

Bruni notes that “some Catholic leaders have contended” that what drives wide media coverage of the issue of priestly sexual abuse is “an anti-Catholic and anti-religious bias.” Wrong, he says, it’s because of the “magnitude of the violation of trust.” No, sir, it isn’t. If it were, then the Times would be covering the incredible explosion of child sexual abuse by rabbis (in Brooklyn alone, 85 arrests have taken place in the last two years, yet the Times has never reported on any of this). Moreover, the media treat with a yawn the alarming rate of child sexual abuse in the public schools. So what else, if not anti-Catholicism, would be driving the disproportionate coverage? I’m still waiting for the evidence that I am wrong.

We recently learned that despite what SNAP might say about priests accused of sexual crimes, the unscrupulous group has no problem standing by its friends who have been convicted on child pornography charges.

In both the May and June editions of Catalyst, we featured articles on Dr. Steve Taylor a psychiatrist who has worked closely with SNAP and who pleaded guilty in April to 23 counts of attempted possession of child pornography.

We now know, thanks to the reporting of the Times-Picayune, that this child porn afficionado is so beloved by SNAP that its founder, Barbara Blaine, intervened on his behalf even before his conviction: she, 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.

Why should it matter if Taylor has done some good work in the past? After all, neither SNAP nor Berry has ever shown the slightest interest in weighing the totality of an accused priest’s record before condemning him publicly. 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.”

We called on Blaine and Berry to immediately apologize to all victims, stating how contrite they are for causing such terrible hurt; they should also withdraw their public support for Dr. Taylor.

To show how hypocritical these people are consider that SNAP recently issued a news release expressing its delight with the news that a North Carolina priest pleaded guilty to deleting child porn from his computer. His humanitarian record counted for nothing in their eyes.