A Church in Crisis, Within and Without

As a clerical abuse survivor, I have waited a half-century to hear what Pope Francis just proclaimed in Ireland on behalf of the church: “How difficult it is always to forgive those who hurt us.” So true. From my darkness, this is what brings healing. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s unsubstantiated criticism falls flat. He is a disgruntled man who represents anti-gay sentiment rather than compassion for victims. Now is the time, more than ever, to support the bishop of Rome for his courage to rid the church of predators, regardless of level. Mark Joseph Williams Far Hills, N.J.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/opinion/letters/catholic-church-francis-vatican.html 

Pope's cover-up crisis turns battle lines into first salvo

The author of the bombshell accusation of sex abuse cover-up against Pope Francis denied Wednesday he acted out of revenge or anger, breaking his silence as his claims continued to divide a Catholic Church already polarized under Francis' reformist agenda. While the Vatican is no stranger to scandal, leaks or plots, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano's j'accuse has weakened a papacy already under fire for Francis' poor record on dealing with sex abuse cases, and has intensified a long-simmering ideological battle between right and left for the soul of the Catholic Church.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12115892 

Let There Be Light, in Church

The Roman Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis blankets the globe in darkness. We are at a tipping point — or at least we ought to be. The unmasking and resignation of the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, placed alongside the recent release of an exhaustive grand jury report in Pennsylvania that describes in withering detail more than 1,000 grotesque abuses, has reinforced the growing public sentiment in favor of eliminating the statutes of limitations for child sex abuse. Under current law, a vast majority of victims will receive no justice because of an arbitrary procedural deadline.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/opinion/catholic-priest-abuse-reporting.html 

Woman speaks out, says priest sexually abused her and LA Archdiocese covered it up

A suspected victim of sexual abuse spoke out against a local priest and said the Archdiocese of Los Angeles covered it up. Catherine Bergin said it took her years to be able to come forward and speak again. In 2015, she filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese, claiming Father Nicholas Assi sexually abused her. She said it happened at American Martyrs Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach. Assi is now at St. Luke's in Temple City.

https://abc7.com/woman-said-priest-sexually-abused-her-and-la-archdiocese-covered-it-up/4081887/ 

Diocese of Gary releases names of 10 priests it deems guilty of sexual molestation of minors

The Diocese of Gary has released a list of 10 former priests within the institution who have been found "guilty of credible actions of sexual molestation of minors." The document included the names of the priests, the number of allegations made against them and the actions taken by the church. Many of the priests were laicized, which means the church removed their clerical status. The information of the 10 priests is based on a review of diocesan records, the list indicates, and will be supplemented if necessary. The list can be accessed on the diocese's website, www.dcgary.org.

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/diocese-of-gary-releases-names-of-priests-it-deems-guilty/article_fe7c1f1d-1178-5e67-b203-90ae911554eb.html 

LCSO asking any victims of local Catholic priest to come forward

Leon County Sheriff’s Office investigators came up empty-handed when they asked Catholic Church officials in Tallahassee about potential victims of sexual abuse in the wake of the removal of Father Edward Jones earlier this month. Now, they are asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized or has information about any potential victims to come forward. In Mid-August, Jones was removed as pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Crawfordville and Sacred Heart Parish in Lanark by the Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee following a "credible" allegation of inappropriate contact with a minor.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/08/29/lcso-asking-any-victims-local-priest-come-forward/1137493002/ 

Let There Be Light, in Church

Priests and other clergy members should have to report cases of suspected child sexual abuse, however they hear about them. The Roman Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis blankets the globe in darkness. We are at a tipping point — or at least we ought to be. The unmasking and resignation of the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, placed alongside the recent release of an exhaustive grand jury report in Pennsylvania that describes in withering detail more than 1,000 grotesque abuses, has reinforced the growing public sentiment in favor of eliminating the statutes of limitations for child sex abuse. Under current law, a vast majority of victims will receive no justice because of an arbitrary procedural deadline.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/opinion/catholic-priest-abuse-reporting.html 

The Daily Devil’s Dictionary: “Conspiracy of Silence” in the Vatican

From silent to knight in shining armor: A bitter archbishop seeks not so much to reform as to re-form the Vatican. Retired papal nuncio Carlo Maria Viganò, former Vatican ambassador to the US, has published a blockbuster “testament” that concludes with his demand for Pope Francis’ resignation, accusing the pontiff of a “conspiracy of silence not so dissimilar from the one that prevails in the mafia.” Here is today’s 3D definition: Conspiracy of silence: An accusation of criminal collusion to hide criminal collusion commonly put forward by people who conspire to ostracize those they disagree with on other matters

https://www.fairobserver.com/region/europe/pope-francis-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-scandals-vatican-latest-news-today-23499/ 

Sexual abuse allegations against priest leave parishioners, Cocoa Beach residents stunned

Parishioners at the Church of Our Saviour and residents of Cocoa Beach were stunned to learn the church's new pastor had been removed following allegations that he molested a minor in Pennsylvania sometime before 2005. The Diocese of Orlando, which includes Brevard County, announced Wednesday that it had "removed the priestly faculties" of the Rev. David Gillis after it had received notice from church officials in Pennsylvania that Gillis had been accused of sexual abuse of a minor there. A letter from the diocese said the allegations had "at least the semblance of truth."

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2018/08/30/priest-abuse-allegations-stuns-parishioners/1146464002/ 

Pope Francis faces twin battle in Church split over sexual abuse

The crowds are quieter than they used to be. At the Pope's weekly audience in St Peter's Square, tourists and pilgrims barely filled half the piazza. It was easy to get to the front of the crowd to watch Francis go by in his Popemobile. In his address, he reflected on his recent trip to Ireland. "The meeting with eight survivors [of abuse by priests] left a deep impact," he said. The audience was a sombre reminder that the novelty of this papacy has given way to two main battles, which are now tangled into one.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45340721 

Ex-MC priests on list of child abusers

Two former Michigan City priests are among 10 listed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary who were “found guilty of credible actions of sexual molestation of minors.” The list was released Tuesday, part of Bishop Donald Hying’s response to allegations against a Pennsylvania-based priest who taught at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond in the 1960s. Rev. Raymond Lukac was transferred to the Diocese of Gary after being accused of sexual misconduct in Pennsylvania. He was asked to leave the Diocese of Gary two years later for the same reason.

https://www.thenewsdispatch.com/news/article_60f03fe5-ef94-53f3-86c6-336bf75b977d.html 

Archdiocese of Indianapolis plans to release names of priests accused of abuse

A priest and religion expert says the scathing report released this week accusing hundreds of Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania of molesting more than 1,000 children since the 1940s is a "wake up call to other dioceses in the country. The Indianapolis archbishop says he plans to publicly release the names of all of the priests in his diocese who have faced substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse. The move also follows the suspension of a retired priest from all church ministry following an allegation that he abused a child.

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/30/priest-suspended-after-report-child-sex-abuse/1142127002/ 

Why not a federal investigation of clergy abuse?

There have been calls for more state-level inquiries, but abuse has occurred nationwide, and the church has failed to act as needed. The St. Paul Cathedral. Attorney Jeff Anderson is calling for a grand-jury investigation into clergy sex abuse in Minnesota. One conducted in Pennsylvania drew widespread attention. Following what may be the most comprehensive examination to date of clergy sex abuse across a single state, in Pennsylvania, attorney Jeff Anderson is now calling for a grand-jury investigation across Minnesota into clergy sex abuse. Such investigations have been announced in Missouri and Illinois. One is also being called for in New York.

http://www.startribune.com/why-not-a-federal-investigation-of-clergy-abuse/492034851/ 

New Catholic Archbishop is confronted by 93yo Eileen Piper over child abuse

A 93-year-old woman publicly confronted the new Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne on Thursday with the harrowing story of how the clergy sexually abused her late daughter. Eileen Piper, her face stricken with grief, presented Archbishop Peter Comensoli with a picture of her daughter Stephanie in her coffin after she took her own life in 1994. She was 32. Twenty-four years later, Ms Piper says she is still seeking an apology from the Catholic Church.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/new-catholic-archbishop-is-confronted-by-93yo-eileen-piper-over-child-abuse-20180830-p500tc.html 

Trying to understand the heavenly virtues and hellish sins of the Catholic Church

The Most Rev. Ronald Gainer, the Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese of Harrisburg, Pa., discusses child sexual abuse by clergy and a decision by the diocese to remove names of bishops going back to the 1940s after concluding they did not respond adequately to abuse allegations, during an Aug. 1 news conference in Harrisburg, Pa. Gainer served as bishop of the Lexington diocese from 2003-2014. In mid-August, a grand jury in Pennsylvania released the latest revelation of the worst scandal to mar any Christian denomination in our collective memories.
That scandal, of course, is the ongoing, seemingly never-ending story of the sexual abuse of children within the Roman Catholic Church and the systematic cover-ups of that abuse by bishops and other church leaders.

https://www.kentucky.com/living/religion/paul-prather/article217568515.html

Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/living/religion/paul-prather/article217568515.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/living/religion/paul-prather/article217568515.html#storylink=cpyIn mid-August, a grand jury in Pennsylvania released the latest revelation of the worst scandal to mar any Christian denomination in our collective memories. That scandal, of course, is the ongoing, seemingly never-ending story of the sexual abuse of children within the Roman Catholic Church and the systematic cover-ups of that abuse by bishops and other church leaders.