Blaming and smearing gay men as cause for pedophile priest problem

“Conservative Catholics are desperate to assign blame for abusive priests on evil homosexuals.” Dorothy Cummings McLean, a prolific Catholic writer from Scotland, is very upset. She is dismayed to note: Jesuit-run America mag runs article denying link between homosexuality and clergy sex abuse. I give her some credit for a proper explanation:

http://www.slowlyboiledfrog.com/2018/10/blaming-and-smearing-gay-men-as-cause.html 

Bishop's former assistant talks about decision to share confidential documents

The woman who formerly worked as the executive assistant to Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone stood on a sidewalk across the street from her former workplace Tuesday morning, explaining her decision to secretly share private diocesan documents regarding clergy linked to alleged sexual misconduct. It was Siobhan O'Connor's first local appearance since her story aired on national news programs including CBS's 60 Minutes.

http://news.wbfo.org/post/bishops-former-assistant-talks-about-decision-share-confidential-documents 

Understanding why the Synod of Bishops blinked on ‘zero tolerance’

ROME - If you’re an American Catholic, or an Australian, Irish, German, Chilean, or from pretty much anyplace else scarred by clerical sexual abuse scandals, news that a global summit of Catholic bishops in 2018 could walk up to the brink of endorsing a “zero tolerance” policy, only to pull back at the last minute, may seem almost incomprehensible.

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2018/10/30/understanding-why-the-synod-of-bishops-blinked-on-zero-tolerance/ 

New names on diocese list include teachers with McKean, Elk ties

The latest modification to the Diocese of Erie public disclosure list has multiple people with local ties — including the first religious Sister to be named. Sister Mary Carmel Skeabeck, SSJ, has ties to McKean and Elk counties, while former lay teacher James E. Herzing has ties to Elk County. The list updated on Monday includes the names of people “credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’ judgment, disqualify each person from working with children,” i.e., sexual abuse. The list was initially released in April.

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/new-names-on-diocese-list-include-teachers-with-mckean-elk/article_c43406d4-dc06-11e8-9123-831b5dc70a09.html 

Pay up for survivors, institutions told

Schools, churches and other institutions have been told to sign up to the national redress scheme for child sex abuse survivors as quickly as possible. The scheme has received more than 1700 applications, answered more than 9800 phone calls, and had more than 313,000 page views on its website in the past few months. "Survivors rightly expect that the institutions will now move as quickly as possible - so the words are backed up with action," Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher said on Tuesday.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-6331393/Pay-survivors-institutions-told.html 

Athens County priest accused of sexually abusing, impregnating minor

A Catholic priest in Athens County is facing allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Rev. Christopher Foxhoven appeared in Athens Municipal Court Tuesday afternoon to face eight counts of sexual battery. According to court records, Foxhoven admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, who is now pregnant with his child. Foxhoven was serving two churches in Athens County, including Holy Cross in Glouster, where the relationship allegedly took place.

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/athens-county-priest-accused-of-sexually-abusing-impregnating-minor/1562550026 

Ray Hadley’s first ever interview with Julia Gillard: ‘You left a legacy that rivals any prime minister I’ve dealt with’

Ray Hadley has paid Julia Gillard the ultimate compliment in his first ever interview with the former prime minister. In an emotion-filled conversation, Ray tells the former Labor leader she may well have left the greatest legacy of any prime minister he’s ever dealt with. The two very rarely saw eye to eye over the course of Ms Gillard’s time as the nation’s leader, with Ray one of the loudest voices against her government’s asylum seeker policy.

https://www.2gb.com/ray-hadleys-first-ever-interview-with-julia-gillard-you-left-a-legacy-that-rivals-any-prime-minister-ive-dealt-with/ 

Clergy abuse victim pushes NY Archdiocese to stand for all survivors

Lex Filipowski wrote a letter to Cardinal Dolan asking for recognition for victims of clergy from religious orders. A church sex abuse survivor is asking New York's top Catholic official to help all victims of religious officials. Leonard "Lex" Filipowski and his attorney, Patrick Noaker, delivered a letter Tuesday to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who launched the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program in 2016 to aid and compensate victims of sexual abuse. However, Filipowski says he and others like himself are barred from receiving compensation.

https://www.amny.com/news/catholic-church-abuse-1.22654398 

Royal commission: Monsignor John Usher denies protecting Cardinal George Pell

The former chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney denied he was trying to save Cardinal George Pell from embarrassment by sticking to his claim about a paedophile priest in the face of conflicting accounts, a royal commission has heard. In the final day of an inquiry into convicted paedophile John Joseph Farrell, Monsignor John Usher insisted the priest never admitted to crimes against children at a 1992 meeting.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/royal-commission-monsignor-john-usher-denies-protecting-cardinal-george-pell-20160922-grlrmk.html 

McCarrick Whistleblower: Scandal ‘a Failure of Fraternal Correction’

Father Boniface Ramsey, the first person to formally speak out against Theodore McCarrick's serial sexual predation of seminarians, is slamming the former D.C. cardinal's case as "a failure of fraternal correction." In an Oct. 29 Commonweal article, Fr. Ramsey recounts the multiple warning signs surrounding McCarrick's behavior — and the number of times they were ignored by Church insiders.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/mccarrick-whistleblower-scandal-a-failure-of-fraternal-correction 

‘We’re not done’: Advocate who made PM cry

Her harrowing family story made Prime Minister Scott Morrison cry live on TV across the nation. But for leading child abuse advocate Chrissie Foster, tears are not enough. It’s not over yet. Mr Morrison was visibly upset as he told how Mrs Foster’s family was torn apart by abuse as he made the most important speech of his career so far. He spoke compassionately during the National Apology in Parliament to thousands of Australians whose childhoods were ruined and destroyed in institutions by perpetrators including priests, teachers and carers.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/10/22/advocate-chrissie-foster-speech/ 

Call for radical reshaping of Church governance

A leading Catholic layman has called for a radical reshaping of governance of the Catholic Church. The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference’s Council for Young People chair, Dave Mullin, noted the current stories on abuse, both here and abroad, have made for painful reading. “Proud to be Catholic? At the moment — not so much,” he said in a reflection piece on the current state of the Church. “Unless we pause and think deeply, in order to change our culture, we will betray the victims of abuse once again.”

https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2018/10/23/call-for-radical-reshaping-of-church-governance/ 

‘We failed them’: Australia apologises to child sex abuse victims

SYDNEY. – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a national apology to thousands of victims of institutional sex abuse Monday, admitting the state utterly failed to stop “evil, dark crimes” committed over decades. “This was done by Australians to Australians, enemies in our midst, enemies in our midst,” Morrison said in an emotional address to parliament, designed as a belated apology to the 15,000 known survivors of child abuse.

https://www.herald.co.zw/we-failed-them-australia-apologises-to-child-sex-abuse-victims/ 

Expand Royal Commission's brief

It will cost more. It will take a lot longer. But New Zealand should follow the Australian example and its Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison led this week an emotional ceremony in which Australia acknowledged the massive pain and suffering caused to many Australians. It gives the victims more chance, at least, to feel they have been listened to and believed.

https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/expand-royal-commissions-brief 

Reports Kiwi predator priest abused in UK

A notorious paedophile Catholic priest quietly transferred from New Zealand to the UK was free to keep abusing children for two more decades due to Church failings. This story was first published by RNZ ​RNZ last month revealed the crimes committed by Fr Cornelius O'Brien in parishes in Canterbury in the 1960s and 1970s, that for the most part were kept hidden. It has come to light the priest likely abused at least one other person since he returned to the UK in 1976, after the the Diocese of East Anglia released a statement a complaint was made against him in 2010.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/rnz/reports-kiwi-predator-priest-abused-uk