Dear Pope Benedict and Jeffrey Lena, Esq., U.S. Legal Counsel for Vatican Bank:
In response to 'Contentious Prelate Leaving St. Louis for Rome Appointment', by Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter dated July 11, 2008 (Section G1 News), in the interests of justice and ongoing protections of children, please clarify and confirm the following:
1. Are you gong to respond to the letter sent to the Archdiocese of San Francisco in August 2005? If you have misplaced your copy, a copy is attached hereto in pdf form. Are you aware that the safety and civil rights of children, adults and families remain at serious risk, without your attention and corrective action to these matters?
2. Are you going to allow Archbishop Burke to escape from violating civil liberties of faithful U.S. citizens? Both Cardinals Law and Levada appear to have escaped accountability via their transfers to the Vatican. Is the Vatican a safe haven since President Bush granted immunity to the Vatican in 2005, for sex crimes committed against children in the United States of America?
3. Are you aware that billions of children, adults and families are watching each and every public act, statement and transfer of employment to the Vatican? Is this the message you want to send to the world's children, future religious, government, political, family and legal members of society?
By copy of this letter to several religious, news organizations and journalists reporting issues relating to child protections, I am asking for IMMEDIATE assistance. Please encourage public participation and debate in these matters of public interest and safety. Children are God's most precious gift to the world! Is anyone paying attention? The clergy sex abuse crisis revealed that millions of Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world have paid a price for the sex crimes committed by employees of religious institutions.
Freedom of religion privilege is NOT a free pass to commit sex crimes. Children cannot protect themselves. Religious institutions have never-ending financial and political resources to employ the best and the biggest legal Goliaths. Please stop the cycle of ALL abuse.
Without justice, there will never be peace. Without peace, faith and our country's laws are empty.
cc: Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter (troberts@ncronline.org) Bill Donohue, Catholic League (cl@catholicleague.org) Bill O'Reilly (oreilly@foxnews.com Bill Hannity (hannity@foxnews.com) U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (commdept@usccb.org) National Association to Protect Children (info@protect.org) U.S. Department of Justice (askdoj@usdoj.gov) President George Bush (comments@whitehouse.gov) Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests Interested Parties ******************************* REFERENCES:To: jlena@ibm.net; ogcmail@usccb.org; commdept@usccb.org; president@usccb.org CC: benedictxvi@vatican.va; eric.bromwell@house.state.md.us; jim.brochin@senate.state.md.us; info@ap.org; askdoj@usdoj.gov; staff@bishop-accountability.org; letters@ocweekly.com; oreilly@foxnews.com; frmheher@rcbo.org; letters@latimes.com; letters@ocregister.com; letters@uniontrib.com; cl@catholicleague.org; cns@catholicnews.com; hannity@foxnews.com; colmes@foxnews.com Subject: RE: Protecting Children & Corrective Legislation - Follow-up to 2/14/08 letter (with attachment) Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:19:58 -0800
February 18, 2008
Via Certified Mail & Electronic Mail (ogcmail@usccb.org) U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Attn: General Counsel 3211 4th Street, N.E. Washington DC 20017-1194
Via Certified & Electronic Mail (jlena@ibm.net) Jeffrey Lena, Esq. Counsel to Vatican Bank 1152 Keith Avenue Berkeley, CA 94708
Re: Protecting Children & Corrective Legislation--Follow-up to 2/14/08 letter
Gentlemen:
In support of my letter dated February 14, 2008 (referenced below), please find attached a copy of a letter sent to Cardinal William Levada, the former Archbishop of the San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese, in August 2005, days before he left for the Vatican. Cardinal Levada's response states the letter will be sent to Rome for the Cardinal's review, as he takes on his new role as Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith.
Many of the child protection concerns outlined in the August 2005 letter, if not corrected, will continue to place the protections of children and those who protect them as mandated reporters, at serious risk. Unfortunately, to date, I continue to await a response to the serious child protection concerns addressed in the August 2005 letter. As I can fully understand the demands of Cardinal Levada, I am sending these concerns directly to you, with the hope that immediate corrective action or clarification will be forthcoming. Please understand that corrective legislation, returning civil justice to survivors of clergy sex abuse, is the only good faith solution to the horrific clergy sex abuse crisis that erupted publicly in 2002.
Thank you for your attention to the matters herein.
Respectfully, Debby Bodkin, Founder
cc: Pope Benedict XVI Maryland State Representative Eric Bromwell Maryland State Senator Jim Brochin Colorado General Assembly Representative Gwyn Green U.S. Department of Justice (Email & Certified: 70051820000095733880) Diocese of Orange, Bishop Tod Brown (c/o Father Michael Heher) Bishop Accountability (www.bishop-accountability.org) Associated Press OC Weekly LA Times OC Register San Diego Union Tribune Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Hannity & Colmes, Fox News Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (Attn: William Donohue) Concerned Catholics and Non-Catholics
www.catholics4justice.com
As an amateur writer, mother, wife and legal secretary for the past 25 years, my passion for the courage of clergy sex abuse victims, their families and mandated reporters, who made a choice to protect children, before their own career security and ego, has evolved over the past 5 years.
My husband, Michael, is a former Catholic high school teacher and coach, who was forced to make a career change without due process of the law. He will soon complete his Masters Degree in Special Education, his new-found passion. Our children, Nicole, Rachel, Brent and Laurel are a gift to us and all who meet them. We pray our children and the world's children will witness society correcting the wrongs committed against innocent children and families. Without justice, there will never be peace; without peace, faith and our country's laws are empty.
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