Historical child abuse cases should remain under time-bar regime says Faculty

The Faculty of Advocates has announced its opposition to plans by the Scottish government to end the three-year time limit on the raising of damages actions by survivors of historical child abuse.
“In our view, any waiver of the limitation regime in relation to such claims ought to be made on a case-by-case basis, as at present,” said the Faculty. “We do not agree that the current regime invariably leads to a pursuer’s case failing…However, it does permit the fairness to both parties of allowing a case to proceed to be scrutinised and assessed.”

http://www.scottishlegal.com/2015/09/28/historical-child-abuse-cases-should-remain-under-time-bar-regime-says-faculty/ 

Archdiocese holds Mass Oct. 17 for sex abuse survivors

The Archdiocese of Chicago will host a Mass for Hope and Healing at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Holy Family Church, 1080 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago.

The Mass, sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Assistance Ministry, is celebrated for the ongoing healing of child and youth sexual abuse survivors, their families and the church. Mike Hoffman and Jim Richter, both victims-survivors, will give witness on behalf of survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150928/news/150928810/ 

American Soldiers Shouldn't Be Required to Ignore Child Sex Abuse

Participation in the global community of nations has always required compromises, sometimes uncomfortable ones. How the United States confronts these issues generally depends on the current ideological temperament holding sway in the Oval Office and among the American people in general.
One thing any student of foreign affairs quickly learns is that when it comes to America's security and economic interests, things get very complicated, very quickly. This is why, for example, we do business with China despite their rather dismal human rights record. This is why we are a strategic regional partner with the nation of Saudi Arabia, despite their enforcement of strict religious laws that result in the severe social and political curtailment of women's rights.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/american-soldiers-shouldnt-be-required-to-ignore-child-sex-abuse-146106/ 

Cardinal at center of clergy sex abuse scandal in failing health

Cardinal Bernard Law, who was at the center of the clergy sex abuse scandal in Boston, is in failing health. Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Law’s replacement, spoke about Law during a news conference at which he discussed his time with Pope Francis last week.
Watch report O’Malley was asked why Law has not been held responsible for his involvement in the scandal. The pope has said that he is committed to healing relationships with survivors. “Cardinal Law, he’s been retired for many years, He’s in ill health. He is 83,” O’Malley said. “Cardinal Law left Boston. He was not kept here, and that was a very important decision, I think, for healing.”

http://www.wcvb.com/news/cardinal-at-center-of-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal-in-failing-health/35560574?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=FBPAGE&utm_campaign=WCVB%20Channel%205%20Boston 

‘sweeping under the rug’ of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church

The screenwriting of McCarthy and Josh Singer is key. It easily balances the research and interview processes while delving into the work that each of the reporters did. Anyone who has ever been present in or worked in a newsroom will certainly appreciate the realism that was translated from script to screen by McCarthy and Singer;
Being a journalism graduate, I know I really did! It really showed the news world in it’s true form- it can be gritty, it can be hard, you won’t always like your colleagues and will have arguments, but you do what you have to do in order to get the story right.

https://britanymurphy.wordpress.com/category/catholic-church/ 

Concerns raised over CYFS' call to lock up youth offender

Locking young people up in police cells isn't the way to deal with young offenders - that's the message from a lawyer and youth advocate.

Yesterday it was revealed Child, Youth and Family kept what they called a drugged-up, volatile youth offender in a police cell for four nights. A spokesperson for CYF said the 16-year-old girl refused to get on a plane to a youth justice facility.

https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/29661211/concerns-raised-over-cyfs-call-to-lock-up-youth-offender/ 

Pope blames bishops who cover up paedophile priests

Pope Francis on Monday admitted that Catholic Church hierarchies shielded the crimes of paedophile priests. The Pontiff stated this hours after meeting people who were abused in their youth by members of the clergy.
Speaking to reporters on the return flight from Philadelphia to Rome, at the end of his pilgrimage to Cuba and the United States, Francis said abusing children was “almost a sacrilege’’ and a betrayal of the call of God for a priest.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/foreign/world-foreign/190719-pope-blames-bishops-who-cover-up-paedophile-priests.html 

Pope: Those who covered up sexual abuse ‘are guilty’

People who cover up clerical sexual abuse should be considered guilty, and God will judge priests who are unrepentant about committing such crimes, Pope Francis told journalists at the end of his U.S. tour.
Speaking aboard the papal plane from Philadelphia to Rome, where the pontiff arrived on Monday (Sept. 28) morning, Francis said clerical abuse is “nearly a sacrilege” and the Catholic Church must take a tough line.

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/09/28/pope-those-who-covered-up-sexual-abuse-are-guilty/ 

Speaking out on clergy sexual abuse is an act of faith (Your letters)

I respectfully disagree with Tim Doyle's Sept. 25 letter, , which states that as a 14- or 15-year-old boy I could resist and walk away from the predators who sexually and violently assaulted me. What Mr. Doyle fails to understand is, my efforts are not about Catholic bashing, but rather a step towards healing for both myself as well as my church.
I agree the Catholic Church does many wonderful things far beyond what could be listed here. However, there is work to be done; hard, heavy, uncomfortable work. This is needed to ensure that as an institution the legacy of the church is not forever tarnished by the sexual abuse crises.

http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/09/speaking_out_on_priest-sexual_abuse_is_an_act_of_faith_your_letters.html 

How is removing Maori children from whanau & sterilising the poor appropriate

How is removing Maori children from their whanau & sterilising the poor an appropriate response to the abuse of children in State care?
I find it difficult to respond to the latest idea from National on our most vulnerable Mokopuna. CYFS is to undergo another rebuild, this is the 15th time since the department was created. This time National believe the solution to children being violently and sexually abused in state care is to remove Maori children from their extended when and to sterilise the poor.

http://www.waateanews.com/Waatea+News.html?story_id=MTA2Mzk%3D&v=982 

L.A. Parker: Pope Francis delivered ambiguous message about Catholic priest sex abuse

Pope Francis finally departed the United States after a whirlwind visit that attracted ginormous crowds in Washington, New York City and finally Philadelphia but his visit clouded a priest sex abuse scandal.
The Pontiff first praised American bishops for their “generous commitment” to aid and support abuse victims, even went as far a saying that Catholic church leaders handled the crisis “without fear or self-criticism and the cost of mortification and great sacrifice.”

http://www.trentonian.com/opinion/20150928/la-parker-pope-francis-delivered-ambiguous-message-about-catholic-priest-sex-abuse 

Berks lawmaker, sexually abused by priest as a teen, says of pope's visit: 'It has brought back my nightmares'

Pope Francis drew lots of cheers in the United States, but now he's coming under fire from a Berks County lawmaker and victims of sexual abuse.
Pennsylvania Representative Mark Rozzi first turned down VIP tickets to the papal events in Philadelphia, and now he's slamming Pope Francis for comments he made surrounding sexual abuse. "It has brought back my nightmares and some mental pain that I just can't put myself through," said Rozzi. "This has been a very difficult week.

http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-lawmaker-sexually-abused-by-priest-as-a-teen-says-of-pope-francis-visit-it-has-brought-back-my-nightmares/35536302 

Pope's Outspoken Views Rattle US Conservatives

Pope Francis’ outspoken views on some of the politically-charged hot button issues – including refugees, migration, human rights, climate change, Iran’s nuclear deal, U.S.-Cuban relations and the global arms trade – have touched a raw nerve in the United States.
And most of these crucial and sensitive issues are currently on the agenda of the United Nations where he was given a rousing welcome last week.  But several right wing conservatives say the Pope’s “infallibility” relates only to theology – not to world politics or the degradation of the environment.  

http://www.thecitizen.in/NewsDetail.aspx?Id=5275&POPE%E2%80%99S/OUTSPOKEN/VIEWS/RATTLE/US/CONSERVATIVES

Vatican mum on gay man’s blocked nomination to abuse panel

A Vatican spokesperson on Sunday declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the two Chilean cardinals who conspired to block a gay man’s nomination to a sex abuse commission that Pope Francis created.
“I have no intention to enter the discussion that has taken place in Chile,” Rev. Federico Lombardi told the Washington Blade during his daily press briefing at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

https://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/09/27/vatican-mum-on-gay-mans-blocked-nomination-to-abuse-panel/ 

Editorial suggesting paedophile priest’s sentence ‘seemed pointless’ ruled offensive

An editorial published in the Hamilton Spectator suggesting the sentencing of an octogenarian paedophile priest “seemed pointless” has been ruled by the Australian Press Council to be offensive. The editorial fin the weekly ‘The Spec ‘Blog’ section commented on the case of a former priest who had lost an appeal against a prison sentence for the indecent assault of a nine year old girl and case involving a former Hamilton teacher who was sentenced to imprisonment for 18 months.

http://mumbrella.com.au/editorial-suggesting-paedophile-priests-sentence-seemed-pointless-ruled-offensive-321153 

God weeps, says Pope Francis

Pope Francis on Sunday used the last day of his historic US tour to meet victims of the church's devastating sex abuse scandal, saying "God weeps" for their suffering, and pledging to hold those responsible to account.
One rare criticism of the pope during his six-day trip to Washington, New York and Philadelphia, which ended Sunday with a giant open-air mass, was that he did not have such a meeting on his public agenda.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/god-weeps-says-pope-francis-2015-09-28-1.604819 

Pope: Workers Have 'Human Right' to Refuse Same-Sex Marriage Licensesf

Pope Francis appeared to weigh in on the side of anti-gay-marriage clerk Kim Davis, saying government workers have a "human right" to refuse to carry out a duty if they have a "conscientious objection."
While returning from his visit to the U.S., the pontiff told reporters aboard the papal plane Monday that anyone who prevents others from exercising their religious freedom is denying them a human right.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pope-francis-visits-america/pope-francis-i-understand-anger-catholic-church-sex-abuse-victims-n434681 

Outreach to Abuse Victims Rings Hollow for Survivor

Before Pope Francis touched down in the United States, Kenneth M. O’Renick, 72, who was six when he was abused by a priest at his parish school in Kansas City, was brimming with optimism about the pope. Then he heard what Francis had said to American bishops in Washington about their courage and generosity in the face of the sexual abuse crisis.

“It just turned us off,” he said on Sunday, after the pope announced that he had met with a group of abuse victims in Philadelphia. “As much good as this pope has done, what he said, we were very disappointed, very disappointed in that. That was a big step back. That was something that hit us right between the eyes.”

http://www.nytimes.com/live/pope-visit-2015/outreach-to-abuse-victims-rings-hollow-for-some/ 

Victims Suggest Church Is Shifting Debate on Abuse

The five victims of child sexual abuse who met with Pope Francis on Sunday morning included some who had been abused by relatives or educators, not Roman Catholic clergy — a deliberate decision made to show that the church is taking a “larger perspective” on the problem of sexual abuse, said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman.

Victims of clergy sex abuse and their advocates saw something less benign at work: a subtle but unmistakable effort by the Vatican to shift the terms of the debate, to show “that it’s not always the church’s fault,” as Marci A. Hamilton, a law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University who has represented hundreds of victims of clerical sexual abuse, put it.

http://www.nytimes.com/live/pope-visit-2015/victims-suggest-church-shifting-debate-on-abuse/ 

Survivors of clergy sex abuse want more to be done

Pope Francis met with survivors and members related to survivors of clerical sex abuse and has promised to hold accountable those responsible.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi says the three women and two men met with the pope for a half hour at the St. Charles Borromeo seminary Sunday. Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, accompanied the group. Lombardi says the pope prayed with the survivors, listened to their stories and expressed his closeness in their suffering and his "pain and shame" in the case of those abused by priests.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/survivors-of-clergy-sex-abuse-want-more-to-be-done/35515824 

Pope Francis Brings Out the Fire and Brimstone For Child-Abusing Clergy

Evidently moved by his meeting with abuse survivors on Sunday, the pope departed from his official script to excoriate American bishops for their failures.

ROME—On the last day of his historic visit to the United States, Pope Francis excoriated American bishops and cardinals with him in Philadelphia for their handling of child sex abuse by clergy, one of the most damaging issues the American Catholic Church has ever faced.  

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/27/pope-francis-brings-out-the-fire-and-brimstone-for-child-abusing-clergy.html

Pope’s speech to abuse survivors: full text

Pope Francis five victims of sexual abuse at St Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, I am grateful for this opportunity to meet you. Thank you for coming here today.

Words cannot fully express my sorrow for the abuse you suffered. You are precious children of God who should always expect our protection, our care, and our love. I am profoundly sorry that your innocent was violate by those who you trusted. In some cases the trust was betrayed by members of your family, in other cases by priests who carried a sacred responsibility for the care of soul. In all circumstances, the betrayal was a terrible violation of human dignity.

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/09/27/popes-speech-to-abuse-survivors-full-text/ 

Pope pledges vigilance to protect kids from abuse

Pope Francis on Sunday made his strongest statement yet on clergy sex abuse, vowing to hold “all those responsible” accountable, but his words fell short of expectations for victims’ advocates, who say he still has taken no decisive steps to punish church leaders who covered up child abuse by priests.
In a week in which Francis seemed to burnish his image as a reformer with bold statements about climate change, immigrants, and the poor, his vows to demand accountability of bishops and justice for pedophiles came across to victims’ advocates like the company line.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/pope-pledges-vigilance-to-protect-kids-from-abuse-1.1419869 

The Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal in the US Catholic Church

U.S. Catholic bishops have called the scandal over clergy sex abuse the worst crisis ever to hit the church in America.

To restore public trust, church leaders have overhauled how they handled the cases, paid multimillion-dollar settlements to victims and apologized repeatedly for failing to protect children. Still, the scandal persists. A handful of dioceses remain in bankruptcy court, one diocese faces criminal prosecution, and advocates for victims are pressing lawmakers in several states to lift time limits so more people who were molested can be compensated.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/clergy-sex-abuse-scandal-us-catholic-church-34066566 

Many, Many More Images

Today, NSAC feels the need to present more images in a welcoming place that we hope will console the survivors and their families and combat the onslaught of images streaming across television screens of Pope Francis.
We place the images of Judy Jones, Steve Spaner, John Pilmaier, Peter Isley, Joelle Casteix, Sister Maureen Turlish, Becky Ianni, David Lorenz all of whom have taken to the streets in strong and determined witness of the truth. To speak for survivors. To banish the sought after “it’s history” approach of the hierarchy and its pontiff.

https://nationalsurvivoradvocatescoalition.wordpress.com/ 

Rally Against Sexual Abuse by Priests Held During Last Leg of Papal Visit

Just a couple of hours after Pope Francis served lunch to 300 District homeless people outside of St. Patrick’s Church, a group of sexual-abuse survivors gathered outside of the Wilson Building to urge him to hold the clergy accountable, and to highlight legislation before the D.C. Council that would eliminate the statute of limitations on sex crimes committed against children.
The rally, organized by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a group with more than 10,000 members, was attended by six survivors who held pictures of themselves taken during the years they had been abused, and who gave candid testimony of their experiences.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2015/09/24/rally-against-sexual-abuse-by-priests-held-during-last-leg-of-papal-visit/

Assemblywoman calls on Pope Francis to back child sexual abuse bill

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey is using Pope Francis’s visit to New York to highlight her bill to remove the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse.
Markey sponsors legislation that would remove the existing statute of limitations for future child sexual abuse incidents It would also allow for a one-year window in which victims of sexual abuse could bring suits against individuals or private institutions involved in past crimes.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/09/8577681/assemblywoman-calls-pope-francis-back-child-sexual-abuse-bill 

Pope addresses immigration and church sex abuse

Pope Francis amazes Washington but takes on controversy; addresses immigration and church sex abuse. Pope Francis received a rapturous welcome to Washington on Wednesday but did not shy away from controversy, addressing church sex abuse and urging action on immigration and climate change.
President Barack Obama was clearly delighted to welcome to the White House a pontiff who can lend moral and spiritual force to his own priorities, but others may be left uncomfortable by the pope's stances.

http://www.firstpost.com/world/pope-francis-wows-washington-but-takes-on-controversy-addresses-church-sex-abuse-and-immigration-2443918.html 

NY--Pope should denounce Syracuse bishops, group says

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org) Yesterday, Pope Francis refused to criticize, even obliquely, even one US Catholic official yesterday for words or deeds that hurt innocent kids or wounded victims.

So today, while he’s in New York, we hope the pope will discipline or at least denounce two Syracuse bishops who have blamed victims of predator priests for their victimization. (This news just came to light last week. )

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ny_pope_should_denounce_syracuse_bishops_group_says 

Catholic leaders told ACT abuse victim to 'forgive' father, police allege

Catholic community leaders told an alleged ACT child abuse victim to "forgive" her father and removed the religious mentor the girl had worked up the courage to confide in, police say.
The alleged abuser, now 73, was a leading member of a Canberra religious community closely linked to the Catholic Church, and stands accused of abusing a number of girls, including two of his own daughters.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/catholic-leaders-told-act-abuse-victim-to-forgive-father-police-allege-20150925-gjusoq.html 

Catholics, Muslims and Sex-Abuse Double Standards

hey call it "bacha bazi," translated as "boy play" -- Afghan militia men throwing boys into sexual slavery. What's worse yet, the U.S. military has turned a blind eye to this obscene practice. The front page of The New York Times carried the headline "US Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies."
Soldiers who tried to stop this abuse act have been punished by the U.S. military. A photo caption read: "Dan Quinn was relieved of his Special Forces command after a fight with a U.S.-backed militia leader who had a boy as a sex slave chained to his bed." Quinn beat up the abuser.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3340998/posts 

Catholic Church Sexual Abuses

To say that the Catholic Church is going through hell might be an overstatement; however, maybe purgatory isn’t all that easy either. Pope Benedict issued an apology to victims of sex abuse in Ireland on Saturday, and announced an investigation into parts of the Catholic Church in the country while saying that the abusers would have to answer to God. Well, that’s not all that may happen here.
There is such a thing as KARMA and civil law here on earth to which the church (any church) is not exempt. In a lengthy letter to the Irish faithful, he addressed the victims and their families: “You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured.” Benedict acknowledged that victims might find it difficult even to enter a church after what they have suffered. Well, duh!

http://3bestfishoilsupplement.com/catholic-church-sexual-abuses/ 

Catholic abuse victims ask for more from Pope Francis visit

In a dense crowd gathered in central Philadelphia waiting for the arrival of Pope Francis on Saturday, lapsed Catholic Becky Ianni stood somberly with an oversized photo of herself at age nine, when she says a priest began sexually abusing her.
The U.S. Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, which catapulted into public view in 2002, has continued to be an open wound for victims, who say the Church has not made the changes needed to protect children and punish offenders.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/26/us-pope-usa-abuse-idUSKCN0RQ0R520150926

National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC)

On this day, when Pope Francis will address the United Nations in New York, we present the images of courageous people who have preceded him in dealings with this international body.
See in the faces of leaders in the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Mary Caplan and Megan Peterson the nobility of rising from the hopelessness that molestation can impose as rigid bondage to the conquering of fear and rising to a summit place knowing that the foundation for the rise is truth.

https://nationalsurvivoradvocatescoalition.wordpress.com/ 

Archbishop Nienstedt is at St. Matthew's Cathedral

With Pope Francis scheduled to lead a prayer service at 11:30am ET at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington DC, the American bishops have assembled- including the former Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, John Nienstedt.  
Of course, there is no reason that Archbishop Nienstedt should not be in attendance. He resigned from his position as leader of the Archdiocese without any admission of guilt, and as we know he claims that his conscience is clear.

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html 

Charity's persistence led to Somerset County priest's arrest.

Elizabeth Williams tried to keep her composure as people filed into a courtroom in U.S. District Court in Johnstown to hear the news: Did a jury find a Somerset County priest guilty of sexually abusing three boys at a Honduran orphanage she operated for years as president of a nonprofit foundation?

When four Honduran men she hadn't seen since they were boys living at the orphanage were led into the courtroom by federal agents, she couldn't hold back the tears.

http://triblive.com/news/somerset/9143600-74/maurizio-williams-orphanage#axzz3meOXyQx8 

Fr Charles Fenech testifies in clerical abuse compensation case, court revokes fine

Fr Charles Fenech this morning testified in a court case in which the victims of sex abuse carried out by catholic priests are calling for compensation. Fr Fenech, who is himself charged with sexual abuse in separate proceedings, had failed to turn up when summoned last week for the compensation case.

Laurence Grech and Philip Cauchi are calling on the Constitutional Court to stop Mr Justice Joseph Micallef from presiding over the civil case for compensation because he is involved in the institution that abused them. The judge is the President of the Dominican Order-owned Radju Marija. This, according to Mr Grech and Mr Cauchi, puts his impartiality in question.

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-09-24/local-news/Fr-Charles-Fenech-testifies-in-clerical-abuse-compensation-case-after-being-fined-6736142536 

Why Pope Francis's Comments On Clergy Sex Abuse Upset Survivors

They ask why Francis would praise U.S. bishops for a supposed "generous commitment to bring healing to victims."  Pope Francis praised U.S. Catholic bishops for their response to the clergy sex abuse crisis Wednesday during an address in Washington -- comments that victims called “insulting” and “hurtful.”
The pope applauded what he said was bishops’ "generous commitment to bring healing to victims." And he praised them for courage in facing “difficult moments in the recent history of the church in this country without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-clergy-sex-abuse-survivors_5603221de4b0fde8b0d12e18 

Child sex abuse survivors reject adulation for pope during US visit

Pope Francis has been warmly welcomed by political leaders and thousands of ordinary people since arriving in New York City, but many survivors of sexual abuse by priests have had a different reaction.
“It’s been very difficult for Pope Francis to be in my backyard,” said Megan, a member of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). “There’s still so much hurt.”

http://www.snapnetwork.org/

Schools join campaign against child abuse

USTRALIA: Hundreds of white balloons have been dotted across Maitland as the Catholic Church confirms its commitment to raising awareness of child abuse. The balloons were publicly displayed across 56 schools on Friday, Sept 11 in honour of National Protection Week, also signifying the importance of empowering survivors to break their silence.
“We have a huge obligation to make sure our children are protected and it’s fundamentally important we let people know schools are a safe place for children,” principal of St Joseph’s Primary School, East Maitland, Anthony Weir said.

http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/newscategory/news/Schools-join-campaign-against-child-abuse/25330/12/1 

Child sex abuse survivors reject adulation for pope during US visit

In rare public support group meeting, victims call Francis a ‘tranquilizer’ on issue of Catholic clergy sex abuse.  Pope Francis has been warmly welcomed by political leaders and thousands of ordinary people since arriving in New York City, but many survivors of sexual abuse by priests have had a different reaction.
“It’s been very difficult for Pope Francis to be in my backyard,” said Megan, a member of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). “There’s still so much hurt.”

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/9/25/child-sex-abuse-survivors-triggered-by-pope-visit.html 

Radical Pope; Pope Francis scolds America for the ingredients that made it great.

Pope Francis chided Americans yesterday for their supposed intolerance and xenophobia, the same thing President Obama does every day, in his historic address to the U.S. Congress. Although Francis toned down his sometimes in-your-face rhetoric for his congressional speech, it was still a politically tone-deaf lecture on America's failings, past and present. 
It bore more than a passing resemblance to the many speeches President Obama has given around the globe apologizing for America's history and greatness. The pope delivered this address standing on the dais in front of Vice President Joe Biden (D) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Both are Catholics. Boehner made this major debacle, which amounts to a propaganda boost for the Obama agenda, possible by inviting the pope to address Congress. (A full transcript of the pope's address is available here.)

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260239/radical-pope-matthew-vadum 

Circles make safe spaces for victims

There was the man who had been sexually abused as a boy by his priest. The priest who felt shunned within the Catholic Church after he spoke out against such abuse. The husband who had never told his wife about his assault decades earlier. The couple in their 80s who raised seven children in the church but finally, tearfully, decided to leave the pews.

They’ve all been participants in a healing circle, a pilot program launched in Boston a year ago by the Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), an organization of progressive Catholics formed in 2002 in response to the priest sex abuse scandal. Based on a restorative justice model, the circles allow those who have suffered harm to meet in a small group and tell their stories.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2015/09/25/healingcircle/1IxkxFysabd8rW36IoOLOM/story.html 

Pope Francis urges US bishops to end Church sex abuse

Pope Francis told US bishops today to work to ensure the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church never happens again.
"I realize how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you," he said, at a prayer service with the bishops in Washington on the first full day of a US visit. "And I have supported your generous commitment to bring healing to victims -- in the knowledge that in healing we too are healed -- and to work to ensure such crimes will never be repeated," he said.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/502582/pope-francis-urges-us-bishops.html 

The Pope is Dishonest About Zero Tolerance for Child Sex Abuse

With Pope Francis now visiting the United States, groups working domestically and in the region on issues related to the Catholic church are seeking greater attention for their causes. 

Among them are of course those still wanting to ensure that the church be held accountable for its support in defense of members who have both in the past and still today sexually abused children. While the pope has publicly condemned these acts and reconfirmed his support for the church's zero tolerance policy, there are those who want to remind him and others that the atrocities are far from over.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=14775 

Pope's defence of response to U.S. church abuse scandals called 'distressing'

Scandals have rocked 5 dioceses since turn of this century.  Pope Francis praised American bishops on Wednesday for their "generous commitment" to helping victims of clergy sex abuse, drawing an angry rebuke from advocates who said the bishops acted only under the threat of hundreds of lawsuits.
Addressing church leaders in a prayer service at the Washington cathedral, Francis said they had faced the crisis "without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pope-us-sex-abuse-scandals-1.3241217 

Pope Francis Sex Abuse Comments “Shocked” Philly Sex Abuse Victim

“It is so completely out of touch with reality,” says Main Line businessman and victims’ advocate John Salveson.  On Wednesday, Pope Francis addressed the United States bishops at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., and the subject of the clergy sex abuse scandal came up, though he steered clear of using the words “sexual abuse.”

Pope Francis praised the bishops for their “courage” and “great sacrifice,” and seemed to recognize the bishops themselves and the church as additional victims, saying, “I realize how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you and I have supported your generous commitment to bring healing to victims – in the knowledge that in healing we, too, are healed – and to work to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated.”

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/09/24/pope-francis-sex-abuse/ 

Time to show we care; NZ

Tupua Urlich sharing his experiences about life as a foster child to support the We Don't Stop Caring campaign. He wants to be a productive member of society and to live a happy life. "We don't want to just be survivors of our own childhood and upbringing."
Recovering in hospital after a suicide attempt, Tupua Urlich looked around and saw only an empty room. "I realised I was all alone," the Papatoetoe teenager and former foster child says. That's one of numerous reasons the 19-year-old is backing a petition to raise the age at which a young person must leave state care from 17 to 21.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/72193754/time-to-show-we-care

Panel issue scathing report of Child, Youth and Family's performance; NZ

A review panel is scathing of Child, Youth and Family's performance, saying the current system is focused on immediate risks and containing costs at the expense of tackling harm and supporting long-term outcomes.
The panel, led by economist Paula Rebstock, has recommended CYF should adopt an "investment approach" to needy children, intervening earlier in partnership with other agencies. It also recommended a new advocacy service for children in state care which would be run by the philanthropic sector.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11518171 

Two tumultous years but little real progress for adult victims of child sexual abuse

“Victims and their families have been fighting for recognition and justice for decades and great victories were achieved when the Victorian Inquiry and the Royal Commission were established. But ‘for what’ they say.”

Judy Courtin
The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is after 2 years, at its halfway mark. The Commission is focused on systemic issues and institutional responses to allegations and incidents of child sexual abuse. Public hearings have been the main way the Commission does its work.

 

http://thestringer.com.au/two-tumultous-years-but-little-real-progress-for-adult-victims-of-child-sexual-abuse-10926#.VgSmx_QUiUl 

Child sex abuse scandal black mark on Catholic Church: Pastor

Press TV: How genuine were the US bishops in their efforts to help sexual abuse victims that the Pope praised them for it?
James: Your previous guess used the word hypocrisy quite frequently, and I have to do likewise. We have an expression in America called blowing smoke, which is when somebody basically lies to the public in order to avoid discussing the issues, and that is what Pope Francis is doing. The fact is, and your intro’s absolutely right, the Catholic Church has been doing nothing but obstructing justice and has been penalizing the families and the victims of sexual abuse by these priests, by dragging on the court cases, using their lawyers to fight on behalf of the sex abusers instead of along the families to get a final conclusion to these cases. No greater hypocrisy could possibly be happening in the Catholic Church than what is going on right now with this sex abuse case.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/09/24/430549/Eli-Joseph-James-Pope-Francis-Sex-scandal-church 

Maria Shriver: Before Francis, It Was 'Embarrassing' to Enter Your Catholic Church

NBC’s resident Catholic pundit Maria Shriver proclaimed on MSNBC on Wednesday afternoon that Pope Francis has now made it possible to enter a Catholic church without it being “kind of embarrassing.”
This is someone who might feel it “kind of embarrassing” that Grandpa had her Aunt Rosemary lobotomized, or that her movie-star husband had affairs (and a child) with the household help. She was telling all this to Brian Williams – the freshest embarrassment of NBC News.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2015/09/24/maria-shriver-francis-it-was-embarrassing-enter-your-catholic-church 

Critics say pope's remarks on priest sexual abuse were too tepid

A group representing victims of priest sexual abuse blasted Pope Francis Wednesday for his remarks to U.S. bishops praising their response to the scandal while failing to utter the words "sexual abuse."
Francis referred to the crisis only obliquely, telling the bishops he was "conscious of the courage with which you have faced difficult moments in the recent history of the Church in this country without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/23/pope-francis-priest-sexual-abuse-crisis-victims-response/72715630/ 

Pope Francis, the Prince of the Personal

One of Pope Francis’ favorite novels is “The Betrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni. It is about two lovers whose longing to marry is thwarted by a cowardly and morally mediocre priest and a grasping nobleman. A good simple friar shelters the suffering couple. Then a plague hits the country, reminding everyone of their mortality and vulnerability, and also bringing about a moral reckoning.

As the doctors serve in hospitals for the body, the good people in the church serve in hospitals for the soul. One cardinal remonstrates the cowardly priest. “You should have loved, my son; loved and prayed. Then you would have seen that the forces of iniquity have power to threaten and to wound, but no power to command.” In the end there are heart-wrenching scenes of confession, forgiveness, reconciliation and marriage.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/opinion/pope-francis-the-prince-of-the-personal.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150922&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y

Punish the guilty, not the whole Catholic Church (Your letters)

The Sept. 15 Post-Standard reported on a meeting at the Craftsman Inn regarding adults who were abused by priests when they were children.
Someone suggested "to hit the diocese in the pocketbook, and take away the income of the diocese'' -- to which the audience broke into applause. The whole diocese was not to blame for individuals.

http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/09/punish_the_guilty_not_the_whole_catholic_church_your_letters.html 

The man Pope Francis should meet in Washington

When Pope Francis arrives in Washington Tuesday night, he will set his suitcase down at the Apostolic Nunciature, informally known as the Vatican Embassy. It’s an unassuming mansion along a highly trafficked stretch of Massachusetts Avenue, directly across the street from the Naval Observatory and the vice president’s mansion.
When Francis looks out onto the locked-down avenue, however, closed to all but the southbound buses and a trickle of cars, he probably won’t see a 72-year-old, white-haired Polish immigrant named John Wojnowski, who has become as much a part of that sidewalk as the blistered concrete.

https://popevisit2015.yahoo.com/post/129616122914/the-man-pope-francis-should-meet-in-washington 

Why I’m Protesting the Pope

While Pope Francis has a glowing reputation for his progressive views on LGBT issues and poverty, he has done nothing for victims of abuse from within the church—like me.

When I told people that I was going to New York for the Papal visit, those who know me understood that I’m not coming for mass, a blessing, or a chance to see the wildly popular pope. I’m here because I am a survivor of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/23/why-i-m-boycotting-the-pope-s-visit.html

‘Shameful’ Policy of Tolerating Afghan Child Abuse

The fact that “U.S. Troops Are Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys” (front page, Sept. 21) is mind-boggling. And the discharging of American servicemen who could not stand by and watch the systematic raping of young children is even more insane. Explain to me why we are in Afghanistan if not to protect the innocent.

This is one of the most shameful things I have ever heard of. We cannot remake countries in our own image, but we cannot condone atrocities and violations of basic human rights. Where does this place us on a moral scale? We ask our soldiers to risk their lives and do the right thing, but we turn our backs on the children of a war-ravaged country. What have we become?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/opinion/shameful-policy-of-tolerating-afghan-child-abuse.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150923&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Catholic Church sex abuse victim uses art to connect

NEW YORK -- An artist and sexual abuse victim at the hand of a Catholic priest uses her artwork for survivors and supporters to connect. "To me it's just a different thing that people can relate to," said Megan Peterson, a leading member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in New York on Tuesday.

EW YORK -- An artist and sexual abuse victim at the hand of a Catholic priest uses her artwork for survivors and supporters to connect. "To me it's just a different thing that people can relate to," said Megan Peterson, a leading member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in New York on Tuesday.

http://www.jamestownsun.com/news/nation-and-world/3844900-catholic-church-sex-abuse-victim-uses-art-connect

Pope Francis is doing more to fight sex abuse than his predecessors. That's still not enough.

For the most part, Pope Francis's first visit to North America is being met with giddy anticipation from the media and public figures. But one group is not so enthusiastic: survivors of clerical abuse.

Francis gets credit for doing much more than his predecessors to address the crisis. But the bar is low. For example, Pope John Paul II did shockingly little. His defenders asserted that he was unaware of the facts, but he was receiving reports detailing just how grave the situation was as early as 1985. 

"Other than making nine recorded public statements, all of which were sufficiently nuanced to be innocuous, and calling a meeting of the U.S. cardinals to tell them what everyone already knew, he did nothing positive," victims' advocate and priest Rev. Thomas Doyle writes.

Pope Benedict XVI did more, but still left bishops like Kansas City's Robert Finn, who were known to have covered up abuse, in power.

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/23/9376485/pope-francis-sex-abuse 

Pope urges US bishops to stop abuse

Pope Francis has told US bishops to work to ensure the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church never happens again.

"I realise how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you," he said, at a prayer service with the bishops in Washington on Wednesday (local time) - the first full day of a US visit. "And I have supported your generous commitment to bring healing to victims - in the knowledge that, in healing, we too are healed - and to work to ensure such crimes will never be repeated," he said.

http://www.3news.co.nz/world/pope-urges-us-bishops-to-stop-abuse-2015092406#axzz3mbyQZQzX 

Pope Francis speaks out against sex abuse by Catholic Church

Pope Francis spoke out against sexual abuse crimes perpetrated by Catholic Church officials during a midday prayer event Wednesday at Washington D.C.'s Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
Francis told U.S. bishops at the event that courage was needed to face the sexual abuse problem within the church, Catholic News Service reported. He said the problem must be addressed to regain authority and trust that believers expect.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/09/23/Pope-Francis-speaks-out-against-sex-abuse-by-Catholic-Church/2601443027246/ 

Man Who's Protested Vatican Embassy Since 1998 Is Unmoved By Papal Visit

John Wojnowski has been protesting sexual abuse by Catholic priests outside the Vatican embassy every day for the past 17 years -- undaunted by rain, snow or a slate of health problems. 
The Huffington Post asked Wojnowski Monday if he hopes Pope Francis sees his sign when the pontiff visits the embassy on Tuesday. "I don't care," he said, confident his message is getting across regardless of whether the pope sees it. "At the embassy, they know."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/vatican-embassy-protester_560163e9e4b00310edf88349 

Suspended priest convicted of 5 of 8 counts, including molesting poor Honduran children

A Roman Catholic priest accused of traveling to Honduras to molest poor street children during missionary trips was convicted on Tuesday of several charges. Federal jurors convicted the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr. of charges including three of four counts related to sex abuse of boys during trips to a Honduran orphanage.
Maurizio was accused of traveling abroad from 2004 to 2009 to have sex with three young boys, a charge known as sexual tourism. He also was convicted of possession of child pornography and illegally transferring money to a charity to help fund the trips. Jurors acquitted him of another count of traveling outside the United States for sex with a minor and two other counts involving the transfer of funds.

http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/ea5bc1dfdb8b4abab71c9793908fca63/PA--Priest-Sexual-Tourism 

Somerset priest found guilty of sexually abusing three Honduran orphans during mission trips

A Somerset County priest was found guilty Tuesday of having sex with three boys at a Honduran orphanage that he supported through his nonprofit foundation, transferring money outside the United States to fund his illicit activities and having pornographic photos of children.

The Rev. Joseph D. Maurizio Jr., 70, showed no reaction when the verdict was read in a federal courtroom in Johnstown. Maurizio's two sisters and two nieces, who attended every day of the trial, sat in the courtroom with parishioners of his former parish, Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Central City.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/9136740-74/maurizio-passarello-federal#axzz3mVegQkrD 

Suspended priest convicted of charges in sex tourism case

A Roman Catholic priest accused of traveling to Honduras to molest poor street children during missionary trips was convicted on Tuesday of several charges. Federal jurors convicted the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr. of charges including three of four counts related to sex abuse of boys during trips to a Honduran orphanage.
Maurizio was accused of traveling abroad from 2004 to 2009 to have sex with three young boys, a charge known as sexual tourism. He also was convicted of possession of child pornography and illegally transferring money to a charity to help fund the trips. Jurors acquitted him of another count of traveling outside the United States for sex with a minor and two other counts involving the transfer of funds.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article36084630.html

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article36084630.html#storylink=cpy

Victims urge Congress to investigate Catholic abuse/cover up scandal

SNAP: “100,000 US clergy abuse victims, but federal officials do nothing” Group applauds governmental investigations and reports in other countries. Two United Nations panels have done probes and attacked church hierarchy Organization says “Welcoming Francis is fine but, for kids’ sake, challenge him too”
What: Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will blast US federal officials for “doing nothing” about the on-going child molestation and cover up scandal in the church. They will call on

http://www.snapnetwork.org/victims_urge_congress_to_investigate_catholic_abuse_cover_up_scandal 

Francis Fails on One Huge Issue

We'll be inundated Pope, Pope, and more Pope 24-7 this week, as the pontiff makes his rounds in the nation's capital. Francis plans a White House visit, an outdoor mass in Washington, and a speech before Congress. He's also likely to join a rally on the National Mall that could draw a quarter-million people to highlight his stance on protecting the planet. He speaks to Congress on September 24, Sirius XM is featuring Pope Radio, and Time Warner cable is providing round-the-clock coverage of his visit.
No doubt this pope is kinder and gentler than his predecessors on some issues that affect women, like abortion and ending a marriage. In the past few weeks, he's made getting an annulment easier, and announced that priests can grant absolution to women who have had abortions (at least during the Roman Catholic church's upcoming Holy Year).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martha-burk/francis-fails-on-one-huge_b_8136666.html 

Ignoring Sexual Abuse in Afghanistan

The incidents of sexual assault on children described by American service members who served in Afghanistan are sickening. Boys screaming in the night as Afghan police officers attacked them. Three or four Afghan men found lying on the floor of a room at a military base with children between them, presumably for sex play.

No less offensive is that American soldiers and Marines who wanted to intervene could not. According to an account in The Times by Joseph Goldstein, they were ordered by their superiors to ignore abusive behavior by their Afghan allies and “to look the other way because it’s their culture.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/opinion/ignoring-sexual-abuse-in-afghanistan.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150921&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Can A Papal Visit Cure What Ails American Catholicism?

Pope Francis' U.S. visit comes at a time when many American Catholics are feeling uneasy about the future of the church. (Video via Vatican Television Center) When Pope Benedict XVI visited the U.S. in 2008, poll numbers showed Catholics made up just under a quarter of the U.S. population, and that percentage had held steady for decades. (Video via C-SPAN)
Now it's on the decline. The latest Pew Research Center survey on religion found the percentage of Catholics in the U.S. dropped several points to just over a fifth. It was part of an overall decline in American Christianity, with more people than ever identifying as religiously unaffiliated.

http://www.wkbw.com/newsy/can-a-papal-visit-cure-what-ails-american-catholicism 

Hispanic, white Catholics differ on church policy, nature of sin, survey finds

When Argentina-born Pope Francis arrives in Washington on Tuesday for his long-awaited three-city American tour, he will find a church in transition, sharply divided along ethnic lines on key policies regarding marriage and sex and even the definition of sin.
The stark divide between Hispanic and white Catholics revealed in a survey released Monday by the Pew Research Center hints at changes that have rattled a denomination that once claimed as members about one-fourth of the U.S. population.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Hispanic-white-Catholics-sharply-differ-on-6520306.php#photo-8670845 

Pope Francis needs to do more to stop priest sex abuse, advocates say

Last week, a GlobalPost investigation detailed a disturbing new chapter in the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal: Priests accused of molesting children have been able to escape scrutiny by relocating to poor, remote parishes in South America.

Two-and-half years into Pope Francis’s papacy, these revelations raise questions over whether he has done enough to address the church’s plague of sex abuse. More than 6,000 priests face allegations, according to Bishop-Accountability.org, and many have never faced justice for their alleged crimes.

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6653949/2015/09/21/survivor-advocates-critique-pope-francis-lack-real-progress-priest-sex 

Pedophilia Next ‘Rights’ Battle?

Outrage abroad, but a defense of taboo at home. Suddenly, talk of pedophilia is everywhere — and don’t expect it to go away anytime soon.
With Pope Francis touring America this week for the first time, liberal news organizations are using the visit to rekindle stories about pedophilia in the church. A Boston Glode headline this week read: “Pope Francis, the church sex abuse scandal is not over.”

http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/pedophilia-next-rights-battle/ 

Abuse victims say Catholic Church must do more to atone for predatory priests

Each morning when he wakes and walks to his shower, Mark Rozzi is reminded of a priest from his childhood, and the nightmare that unfolded in the rectory back in 1983.
He was a 13-year-old student and altar boy at Holy Guardian Angels Catholic Church and school in his hometown of Reading, about 65 miles north of Philadelphia, when he was raped in the shower by the Rev. Edward Graff.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pope-visit-priest-abuse-20150921-story.html 

Possible liturgical abuse at local parish?

Long time lurker here, throwaway just to be safe. Sorry for the click-baity title. I was at Sunday Mass at my local parish, and I noticed something strange during their announcements near the end of Mass. They are having a fundraising auction next weekend, and some of the things they are auctioning away are reserved parking spaces and pews for their Christmas and Easter Masses. Now, I'm not so worried about the parking spaces, but the pews greatly concern me.
First of all, are my concerns valid? If so, what should I do to address them? Contact the bishop? I must note that we recently moved cities and so I have had very little contact with the parish priest.
Thanks in advance for your help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism/comments/3lrzcq/possible_liturgical_abuse_at_local_parish/ 

Leading Expert on Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis Available in New York During Papal Visit:

During this week's New York City Papal visit, a leading survivor advocate and expert on the global Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis will be available for in-person and in-studio interviews regarding Pope Francis' statements about the clergy sex abuse and cover-up, recent news surrounding the scandal, proposed "reforms," and victims' reactions to the papal visit.

Joelle Casteix, bestselling author and 15-year leading national expert on Catholic clergy sex abuse and cover-up, was fifteen when she was victimized by her teacher at a Catholic school. 

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/09/prweb12972665.htm 

Peru church was warned about ex-Jackson priest

A former Jackson priest who admitted to molesting a teenage boy is serving in a Peruvian parish, despite several warnings of his past sexual abuse from the Diocese of Jackson.
Monday, the Diocese of Jackson responded to a report by GlobalPost about Father Paul Madden serving as a priest in Peru. Madden, who worked with the diocese from 1970 to 1994 and admitted to molesting a minor in an on-camera interview, has resurfaced in Chimpote, Peru, according to a GlobalPost report.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/09/21/new-diocese-fmr-jackson-priest-warned-past-abuse/72563400/ 

Steve Golin to receive Zurich award

The Oscar-nominated producer is attending the festival with his latest film Spotlight. American producer Steve Golin will receive a career achievement award at this year’s Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24 - Oct 4).

Golin will attend the festival with his latest feature Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s story of the titular Boston Globe investigative reporting team who uncovered the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal, and a new ‘cyberpunk’ TV series titled Mr. Robot, which stars Christian Slater, Rami Malek and Portia Doubleday.

http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/zurich/steve-golin-to-receive-zurich-award/5094392.article 

The Fundamentalist Cult Warren Jeffs Built: An Interview With Prophet's Prey Director Amy Berg

In June 2005, the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Warren Jeffs, was charged with sexual assault of a minor. Jeffs went on the run, and over a year later, he was finally caught with one of his wives, one of his brothers, four computers, 16 cell phones, three wigs, and 12 pairs of sunglasses.
This was the first that most Americans had ever heard of Jeffs, but his reign and influence had been far-reaching within his community for the past two decades.

http://gawker.com/the-fundamentalist-cult-warren-jeffs-built-an-intervie-1731653968

Nuns beat children who wet beds or learned too slowly, abuse hearing told

Nuns at a Belfast care home beat children for slow learning in the classroom, the High Court has heard. One former resident at Nazareth Lodge is also entitled to damages for punishments meted out after boys wet their beds, it was claimed.

Michael McKee (65) is suing The Sisters of Nazareth over the physical abuse he allegedly suffered during his stay as an eight-year-old boy in 1958. Lawyers for the congregation are defending the case by challenging the reliability of his account and questioning why he waited 50 years to take action.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/nuns-beat-children-who-wet-beds-or-learned-too-slowly-abuse-hearing-told-31526955.html 

Pope Francis pledges zero tolerance of child abuse by priests.

Sexual abuse of children by priests is an ugly crime comparable to a satanic Mass, Pope Francis said. Speaking to journalists on his flight back from the Middle East, the Pope announced he would hold his first meeting with victims at the Vatican within the next few weeks.

Pope Francis’s demand for “zero tolerance” against child abuse and his promise to meet victims of priestly abuse has been slammed as “meaningless” by a leading pressure group.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/10857408/Pope-Francis-pledges-zero-tolerance-of-child-abuse-by-priests.html 

Paedophile Christian Brother Ted Bales jailed for abusing school boys

A Christian Brother and convicted paedophile who changed his name to avoid adverse publicity has been jailed for six years for abusing young boys in the 1970s and '80s.

Ted Bales, 65, formerly known as Edward Dowlan, pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting boys, aged between eight and 14, when he was a teacher and headmaster at number of Christian Brothers colleges across Victoria. The Victorian County Court heard Bales physically punished his victims to make them vulnerable.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-27/paedophile-christian-brother-ted-bales-jailed-for-abusing-boys/6353816 

The Pope and the Birth Control Ban

Pope Francis has taken a softer line than some of his predecessors on sexual and reproductive issues. He has said that the church should concentrate less on same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, and this month he announced that during the church’s coming Holy Year of Mercy, all priests would be able to grant absolution for abortion.
But the pope has not called for any actual changes to the church’s policy on birth control. The church prohibits contraception, though it does allow natural family planning, in which couples may avoid intercourse when a woman is most fertile. The pope reiterated his support for this prohibition in a speech in Manila earlier this year, arguing that “a lack of openness to life” threatens the family. Ordinary Catholics worldwide feel differently, and the pope should give them a forum to share their experiences.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/opinion/the-pope-and-the-birth-control-ban.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150921&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Pope Francis struggles with English. Here’s how he’ll get his message across in the U.S.

The man who would one day be pope sat alone in his room for hours. The shy Argentine had come to snowy Dublin in January 1980 to live in a bleak one-room apartment. On a sabbatical at the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, 43-year-old Jorge Mario Bergoglio would try, for the first time, to learn English.
The school gave him a tutor. According to one account, he went to the bursar’s office to ask for £14 pounds to buy language tapes. By the time the name Jorge Bergoglio meant something to the world, those who were with him at the Jesuit university couldn’t remember much when reporters came asking. Just that he kept to himself, alone in his room.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/pope-francis-has-struggled-with-english-heres-how-hell-get-his-message-across-in-the-us/2015/09/20/a3a46476-5e38-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html 

Angry child abuse survivors call the Government's alpaca farm proposal 'nonsense'

CHILD abuse survivors were "insulted" by a proposal to set up an alpaca farm in the Highlands to help them cope with their traumatic past.
The bizarre suggestion was put forward at a Scottish Government meeting earlier this year, when officials and campaigners were discussing how to spend a £14.5million support fund. It is understood that an external consultant said petting alpacas could be "therapeutic" for the survivors, many of whom have been left with lifelong mental health issues.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/606514/Angry-child-abuse-survivors-Government-alpaca-farm-proposal-nonsense 

Lincoln Diocese to take part in annual sex abuse audit

For the first time in 13 years, Lincoln’s Catholic Diocese will participate in the next sex abuse audit conducted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops -- thereby ending its unflattering reign as the only diocese in the nation not to take part.
Bishop James D. Conley announced his decision to participate in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People annual audit of the 195 U.S. dioceses and eparchies, in his Sept. 11 column for the Southern Register, the Lincoln Diocese newspaper.

http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/lincoln-diocese-to-take-part-in-annual-sex-abuse-audit/article_c32db567-37af-538e-a5dd-6939be1c225e.html 

Great expectations: Catholics hold a wide range of hopes for Pope Francis' message

Some want Pope Francis to reach out even further to estranged members of the faith, taking the church in a more liberal direction that mirrors their views on family issues and helping the poor.
Others, saying the pope has put church doctrine on a back burner, want him to forcefully reaffirm church teachings barring abortion and same-sex marriage. In North Jersey as in the rest of the country, Catholics have wide-ranging expectations of this first pope from the New World as he makes his initial visit to the United States.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/catholics-hold-a-wide-range-of-hopes-for-pope-francis-message-1.1413943 

otto-winning ex-priest charged with sex crime

A former priest who won more than $1 million in the lottery 30 years ago is being held in Putnam County Jail, charged with a sex crime, records show.
Joseph Faraone, 68, was charged Friday with a second-degree criminal sexual act, a felony. Bail was set at $50,000 cash. State police and the Putnam County District Attorney's office declined to release any details about the case, citing its sensitive nature.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2015/09/19/lotto-winning-ex-priest-charged-sex-crime/72485486/ 

Spanks be to God Pastor ‘smacked naked victims to cast out evil’

A CHURCH minister ordered women to strip naked and spanked them to “cast out evil spirits”, a court heard yesterday. Howard Curtis, 72, is accused of targeting vulnerable women who came to him for counselling over depression and domestic abuse.

But a jury was told that instead of helping them, he forced them to take part in bizarre rituals for his own sexual gratification. Prosecutor Jane Osborne said: “He would conduct something known as deliverance ministry — said to be casting out evil spirits.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6647599/Pastor-accused-of-smacking-naked-victims-to-cast-out-evil.html 

Parents warned of Upper Hutt sex offender

An Upper Hutt school has warned parents a convicted sex offender has been released into the community. The Department of Corrections this week informed the school the sexual offender had been released into central Upper Hutt, Oxford Crescent School principal Leanne White said on Friday.
"We are all aware of the recent incident involving a known sexual offender living in central Upper Hutt," Ms White said. "I have emailed the Minister of Corrections expressing our concerns and requested an urgent meeting."

https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/29572512/parents-warned-of-upper-hutt-sex-offender/

U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys

KABUL, Afghanistan — In his last phone call home, Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley Jr. told his father what was troubling him: From his bunk in southern Afghanistan, he could hear Afghan police officers sexually abusing boys they had brought to the base.

“At night we can hear them screaming, but we’re not allowed to do anything about it,” the Marine’s father, Gregory Buckley Sr., recalled his son telling him before he was shot to death at the base in 2012. He urged his son to tell his superiors. “My son said that his officers told him to look the other way because it’s their culture.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/asia/us-soldiers-told-to-ignore-afghan-allies-abuse-of-boys.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150920&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Clergy Abuse Survivor Responds to Pope Francis Invitation to Address Congress

Survivors Voice Co-Founder & Child Abuse Advocate Gary Bergeron says inviting the pope to address congress is simply wrong.  The following is a statement released by Survivors Voice Co-Founder Gary Bergeron on the invitation extended to Pope Francis to address the US Congress:
"The term ‘History will be the judge' is often used when speaking of public officials. The public and quite often members of the press continue to display what seems, at times, to be an almost a giddy admiration of Pope Francis as he begins his journey to the United States. As an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I would like the public to reflect on the recent history of the institution this man heads.

http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/15/09/p5850889/clergy-abuse-survivor-responds-to-pope-francis-invitation-to-address-co 

US church welcomes pope under shadow of abuse scandal

The Catholic Church in America welcomes Pope Francis next week under a long shadow as one of the nations worst affected by the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy.
Becky Ianni was just eight when her parish priest, a family friend in Alexandria, Virginia started abusing her.  She is one of 17,000 people who came forward within the US church to complain of abuse. Ianni’s ordeal lasted two years. She revealed it 40 years later. “I was told by the priest that if I told anyone, I would go to hell,” she said.

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/us-church-welcomes-pope-under-shadow-of-abuse-scandal 

Our website address has changed; The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has updated the URL of its website.
The website is being hosted on its new domain iicsa.org.uk. Our new URL is now www.iicsa.org.uk.
The helpline number remains unchanged: 0800 917 1000.
You can email us at contact@iicsa.org.uk
You can write to us: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, PO Box 72289, London, SW1P 9LF

https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news/our-website-address-has-changed 

Beneath the Earth by John Boyne, review: 'uneven stories from Ireland'

John Boyne is a prolific chronicler of the vulnerable. Since the publication 15 years ago of his debut novel, The Thief of Time, he has written tales of abandoned children and threats from the spirit world (This House Is Haunted); of young men imperilled by secrecy, addiction and war (The Absolutist; Next of Kin); of families shattered by terrible accidents (The Dare); and, in his internationally bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, of two young boys, Bruno and Schmel, who forge a forbidden friendship while living in the shadow of Nazism.
This preoccupation with the lives of the unprotected and the unprotectable can also be found in Boyne's most recent novel, A History of Loneliness, and in Beneath the Earth, which is his first collection of short stories.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/beneath-the-earth-john-boyne-review-striped-pyjamas/ 

Churches That Abuse

Catholic Church sexual abuse cases - Wikipedia, the free ... - Religious abuse - wikipedia, free encyclopedia, Religious abuse refers to abuse administered under the guise of religion, including harassment or humiliation, possibly resulting in psychological trauma.. Spiritual abuse: secondary focus united, This site deals with spiritual abuse in bible-based churches, with a secondary focus on the united pentecostal church (upc)..
Church abuse cases lawyers uneasy mix - usatoday., Being candid about sexual abuse cases can be tough on a church when the insurance company worries about legal liabilities.. The christian sex-abuse scandal, As sex-abuse allegations multiply, billy graham’s grandson is on a mission to persuade protestant churches to come clean..

http://tutorialhijab2015.ga/news/churches-that-abuse/ 

How the Pope Might Renew the Church

Sacramento — I AM a Catholic, born in 1921 of Italian and Irish families and raised in California seminaries. After decades of work as a priest, I was astonished that Pope Paul VI appointed me a bishop in San Francisco. I love my church, and every night I pray that I might die in her warm, loving arms.

Yet I worry about my church’s future. Basic doctrines will not change. But the church may change policies and practices after doing serious study. So, as we await Pope Francis’ visit to America, I offer a peaceful contribution to the controversies that convulse the church today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/opinion/how-the-pope-might-renew-the-church.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150918&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y