Good luck to the All Blacks

 

 

 

Hundreds Of Gay Marriages Have Been Annulled By A Catholic Judge

Hundreds of gay marriages have been annulled in Italy by a panel led by a Catholic judge in the secretive Opus Dei organisation. Same-sex marriage is not technically legal in Italy, but several left-wing mayors have registered marriages which have been conducted abroad.
Judges at Italy’s highest appeal court, the Council of State, annulled a ruling in favour of cities that had registered these unions.  The panel was led by a judge who was a former president of a halls of residence in Milan, run by Opus Dei.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hundreds-of-gay-marriages-have-been-annulled-by-a-catholic-judge-123446330.html#Qi54aFv 

Timeline of Father Marcial Maciel Degollado

1987 Maciel sexually abused Jose Raul for the first time. He continues to sexually molest Jose Raul for more than a decade.

1989 Juan Vaca having left the priesthood, sent a personal letter to John Paul II, seeking dispensation from his clerical vows and included a history of Maciel’s sexual abuse of him and others and stated th at he considered his ordination to the priesthood invalid, as a consequence of Maciel’s coercive tactics and aggressive sexual acts. 

 

http://www.andersonadvocates.com/Files/37/Timeline-of-Father-Marcial-Maciel-Degollado 

Pope OKs indulgences for Legion during anniversary

 So it is the same all over... from the top... from the Popes down...through to the nuns and the priest... they say one thing... and do the other... he was a pedophilia... by which he fatherrf several children... and even raped his own son...   Ann

================================

 Pope Francis has granted a special plenary indulgence to members of the scandal-tainted Legion of Christ order as it celebrates the 75th anniversary of its foundation by the discredited Mexican priest, Marcial Maciel.
Vatican Radio said Thursday that the decree was approved following a request by the current Legion superior, the Rev. Eduardo Robles-Gil.

http://www.newsday.com/news/world/pope-oks-indulgences-for-legion-during-anniversary-1.11028736 

Ex-Cathedral teacher Joe Graziano jailed three years for repeat sexual abuse

A former Catholic high school teacher who befriended and then sexually abused a vulnerable student has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Giuseppe (Joe) Graziano, 56, taught religious studies and cosmetology at Cathedral High School, on Wentworth Street North, at the time of the offences. "Mr. Graziano slowly worked his way into the life (of the student) — more than one would expect of a teacher," said Superior Court Justice Harrison Arrell in sentencing Graziano on Thursday. 

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6061618-ex-cathedral-teacher-joe-graziano-jailed-three-years-for-repeat-sexual-abuse/ 

Rebel cardinals accuse pope of stacking synod cards

Conservative cardinals have accused Pope Francis of stacking the cards against them in an ongoing battle over issues including the Church's approach to gays and to divorced and remarried believers, it emerged Monday.

In a letter sent to the pontiff on October 5, the opening day of a Church synod on the family, a group of cardinals described procedures for three weeks of discussions as "designed to facilitate predetermined results on important disputed questions."

http://news.yahoo.com/rebel-cardinals-accuse-pope-stacking-synod-cards-171817270.html 

Pope pens letter hinting at power struggles during reform

Just days after closing a contentious meeting of bishops from around the world, Pope Francis turned his attention Tuesday to more domestic but equally contentious affairs.

He issued a stern warning to Vatican bureaucrats to obey Vatican rules and laws as he goes about overhauling the Vatican administration — a sign that those charged with enacting the reforms perhaps need some reform themselves.

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-pens-letter-hinting-power-struggles-during-reform-171115616.html 

On the Tenth Anniversary of the 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Archdiocese

While Pope Francis was visiting Philadelphia last month, the ten-year anniversary of the groundbreaking 2005 Grand Jury Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Philadelphia Archdiocese came and went. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of the topics on the Archdiocese’s agenda for the Pope.
Nevertheless, it is important to assess what ten years have wrought as it was the most comprehensive report on clergy sex abuse in any jurisdiction in the United States. While it pales in comparison to the Australian Royal Commission’s report on abuse in multiple institutions across an entire country, it remains the benchmark for responsible prosecutorial initiative on clergy sex abuse in the United States.

https://verdict.justia.com/2015/10/29/on-the-tenth-anniversary-of-the-2005-philadelphia-grand-jury-report-on-child-sex-abuse-in-the-archdiocese 

Diocese of Syracuse Pledges To Report All Abuse Claims Directly To DA

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse and seven district attorneys announced a new agreement on handling of sexual abuse cases Wednesday. The memorandum of understanding requires the diocese to report all abuse claims directly to the appropriate DA, whether they involve current or former clergy.
Onondaga District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick introduced the agreement. “There is no potential offender who is presenting any danger to any child in central New York,” he said.

http://wskgnews.org/post/diocese-syracuse-pledges-report-all-abuse-claims-directly-da#stream/0 

New York diocese agrees to inform prosecutors of all abuse accusations

The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, has reached an agreement with local prosecutors to report all allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. Under the agreement, which was announced at a joint press conference on October 28, the diocese will pass along all credible accusations against priests to local prosecutors, before conducting any internal investigation.
The diocese agreed to disclose all accusations against priests, regardless of when they are made or when the abuse allegedly took place. However, the agreement does not provide for public identification of the priests who are accused.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=26561 

Mark Ruffalo Slams 'Hypocrisy' of Catholicism: It 'Chilled My Relationship' with the Church

Making Spotlight, the Tom McCarthy-directed movie about The Boston Globe's investigation into the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal, was a deeply personal experience for star Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo, who portrays reporter Michael Rezendes in the film, told reporters at Spotlight's Boston premiere Wednesday night that he had friends who were victims of clergy abuse.
"I grew up Catholic and the hypocrisy of it and the dogma of it had chilled my relationship with it very early on," he said. "Even as a boy, I could feel it. There was a cruelty in the way the nuns treated us. It just didn't jibe with the teachings of Christ that were being taught, you know?" 

http://www.people.com/article/mark-ruffalo-hypocrisy-catholic-church-spotlight-premiere

The pope has smoked out his opposition

If you really want to know what happened inside the Synod of Bishops this past month, don't obsess too much over its final report (relatio) on the church and the family.
Each of that document's ninety-four articles or paragraphs was approved by at least two-thirds of the 264 prelates (and one layman) that showed up for the final vote. And the reason there was such overwhelming approval is because of a delicate compromise that took all of the most controversial issues off the table or treated them with open-ended language.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/roman-observer/pope-has-smoked-out-his-opposition 

Devon clergyman found guilty of string of gay sex attacks

The right-hand man of pervert bishop Peter Ball has been found guilty of a string of gay attacks dating back to the 1970s.
Retired priest Vickery House, 69, was convicted at the Old Bailey of five counts of indecent assault on males, one of them in Devon – with one as young as 14 – over a period of 16 years. He was cleared on three further counts.

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Devon-clergyman-guilty-string-gay-sex-attacks/story-28063805-detail/story.html 

Vatican to take up sex abuse claims against suspended Millburn priest

Decades-old sexual abuse allegations against a prominent Short Hills pastor will be referred to the Vatican for further investigation — and a possible canonical trial — after a church review board found sufficient merit in the claims to raise "grave concerns," according to a letter distributed to parishioners.
Msgr. George Trabold, 68, stepped down as leader of St. Rose of Lima Church in October 2014, when someone came forward with an abuse claim that dates to the mid-1970s. At the time of the alleged abuse, Trabold served as associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Bergenfield.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/vatican_to_take_up_sex_abuse_claims_against_suspen.html 

UPDATED: 2 school employees among 13 arrested in child sex investigation

Two employees of Saint Mary’s Catholic School have been charged with using a computer to seduce a child and traveling to meet the victim. James Patrick Applegate, a part-time school band director, and Cameron Ahlsen-Girard, a substitute teacher for Saint Mary’s School and volunteer with the Saint Mary Catholic Church youth ministry, were arrested over the weekend.
Okaloosa County deputies took Applegate into custody Saturday on charges of using a computer to solicit or seduce a child and traveling to meet a child after using a computer to solicit or seduce. Ahlsen-Girard was arrested Sunday on the same charges.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20151026/NEWS/151029429

God Directs me to Impregnate Married Women and Single Ladies- Enugu Pastor

A 53-year-old pastor has been arrested by the Police in Nsukka, Enugu State, for allegedly impregnating married women and young girls in his church.
The Pastor, identified as Timothy Ngwu, is the General Overseer of Holy Trinity Ministry popularly called Vineyard Ministry in Umudikwere Community in the University town.  Ironically, police sources said the suspect claims he was directed by the Holy Spirit to sexually abuse female members of his church in the name of God.

http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/god-directs-me-to-impregnate-married-women-and-single-ladies-enugu-pastor.134640/ 

Fate of Indian school abuse stories up in air

The question of what to do with records of deeply personal, often heart-wrenching testimony from thousands of survivors of Indian residential schools who sought compensation for sexual and other abuse lands on the doorstep of Ontario's top court Tuesday.
On one side of the two-day hearing are those who argue a lower court judge was right to order the material destroyed in due course. On the other are those who believe it should be kept in perpetuity under appropriate lock and key.

http://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com/national/337238301.html 

Linden religious teacher admits to sexually abusing children

A Linden man who was a leader in a boys’ youth organization and a religious education teacher admitted to sexually abusing children and possessing images of child sexual abuse.
Gregory J. Aker, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan G. Wigenton in Newark federal court to an information charging him with possession of child pornography. He is currently in state custody. According to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, the documents filed and statements made in court:

http://njtoday.net/2015/10/26/linden-religious-teacher-admits-to-sexually-abusing-children/ 

Counts of child rape added in pastor case

An 82-year-old Anadarko pastor had his bond vacated Friday after five more counts of sexual abuse involving four alleged young victims were charged.

Marion Milton-Otis Toehay Sr. of Carnegie received two counts of first-degree rape by instrumentation of a victim under 14 and three additional  counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 in Caddo County District Court, records indicate. The five new charges are on top of 10 counts of lewd acts with a child  allegedly committed every Sunday for two years in the church study  that were filed Sept. 14. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.

http://www.swoknews.com/area/counts-child-rape-added-pastor-case 

'I'm both a bishop, but also a survivor': Anglican church leader reveals he was groomed and sexually abused by senior clergymen as a teenager

An Anglican bishop has revealed he was victim of sexual abuse at the hands of members of his own church denomination.

The revelations of Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson come after a diocese apology for the way the church had treated abuse victims. Bishop Thompson said as a 19-year-old he was targetted by an Anglican bishop and senior clergyman in the 1970s and later sexually abused, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3290067/I-m-bishop-survivor-Anglican-church-leader-reveals-groomed-sexually-abused-senior-clergymen-teenager.html 

Government yet to meet Church on national abuse redress scheme

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse last month recommended the federal government set up a $4 billion redress scheme for 60,000 people sexually abused as children in institutions.
The Catholic Church is expected to be among the largest contributors, if not the largest, to compensation under the scheme. But Francis Sullivan, chief executive officer of the Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council, told Fairfax Media that he had not been able to meet Attorney-General George Brandis on the issue despite repeated requests this year.

http://cathnews.com/cathnews/23246-government-yet-to-meet-catholic-church-on-abuse-redress-scheme 

12-180-04 – COMMONWEALTH v. DEBERARDINIS

The defendant, Fidelis DeBerardinis (“DeBerardinis”), has been charged with unnatural and lascivious acts with a child under sixteen (Counts 1-3, 9, 15-19 and 21), indecent assault and battery on a child under fourteen (Counts 4-8, 10-13 and 20), and open and gross lewdness (Count 14). He has now moved the court for a determination of his competence to stand trial on these charges.

The court conducted an evidentiary hearing on the defendant’s motion on May 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19, 2004. It heard testimony from Laura Bridges, Terry Watters, Ph.D., Dr. Renee Sorrentino, Susan Lewis, J.D., Ph.D., Dr. Bruce H. Price, Brother Charles Gingerich, Nancy Hebben, Ph.D., Deborah Levy, Ph.D., Dr. Alexander Bodkin, and Timothy P. O’Neill, Esq. The court also received 33 exhibits into evidence at the hearing.

http://masslawyersweekly.com/fulltext-opinions/2004/05/31/1218004-commonwealth-v-deberardinis/

Newcastle community urged to work together in fallout from child sexual abuse revelations

An advocate for victims of child sexual abuse says a community-wide approach is needed to deal with the ramifications of the abuse revelations.

Dr Cathy Kezelman, president of the Adults Surviving Child Abuse organisation, said the community needed to gain an understanding of the lasting impacts trauma could have on child abuse victims. Today, Newcastle Anglican bishop Greg Thompson revealed he also was a victim of child sexual abuse.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-26/newcastle-community-urged-to-work-together-in-abuse-fallout/6885642 

Synod: Forces inside church working against reform

Rumours and discontent to the fore as Pope Francis’s ‘reform process’ meets opposition. If anyone ever had any doubt that there are forces inside both the Catholic Church and the Roman Curia working against Pope Francis and his “reform process”, they need only look at events of the last three weeks during the Vatican’s synod on the family.

To the non-Catholic world, the conclusions might look tame in that they represent no significant (doctrinal) changes, rather an amount of pastoral fine-tuning. Much ado about nothing?

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/synod-forces-inside-church-working-against-reform-1.2406431 

More older Aussies calling abuse helpline

There has been a spike in the number of older Australians seeking professional help because of childhood sex abuse, new research shows.
The research released by Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) on Monday to coincide with Blue Knot Day - a national day to raise awareness about the five million Australian adults who survived childhood abuse.

http://www.9news.com.au/health/2015/10/26/09/56/more-older-aussies-calling-abuse-helpline 

Canada--Convicted Orthodox archbishop defrocked; victims’ group is grateful

Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of Moraga, California, Orthodox Christian Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (melanie.sakoda@gmail.com, 925-708-6175)
A Canadian archbishop criminally convicted of child sexual abuse has finally been defrocked by his synod. A support group for victims is grateful for this decision, but wants the bishops to do more. Archbishop Seraphaim Storheim, who was once the highest ranking official in Canada for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), was removed from the priesthood this past week, according to the Church’s website.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/convicted_orthodox_archbishop_defrocked_victims_group_is_grateful 

More child abuse survivors aged over 60 seeking help, support group says on Blue Knot Day

More than a quarter of people calling a helpline for adult survivors of child abuse are now over the age of 60, a leading support group says.

The figures have been released to mark Blue Knot Day, which aims to raise awareness of the estimated five million Australians who have suffered childhood trauma and abuse.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-26/child-abuse-survivors-aged-over-60-seeking-help-blue-knot-day/6886152 

A Catholic Brother in court in NSW, charged with offences against disadvantaged boys

A former Catholic Brother is in custody in New South Wales, awaiting a court trial regarding child sexual assaults. Bernard Kevin McGrath (formerly a member of the St John of God Brothers) is charged with abusing a number of disabled boys while he worked as a Brother in a Catholic institution at Morriset, near Lake Macquarie (between Sydney and Newcastle), in the 1970s and 1980s.
McGrath (born 22 May 1947) is a New Zealand citizen. In November 2011, Australian Police commenced extradition proceedings against McGrath while he was living in Christchurch, New Zealand.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/346 

An ex-priest from Moree/Armidale NSW (name suppressed in an Armidale court) has been ordered to face a higher court on 76 sex-abuse charges

A former Catholic priest (from Moree and Armidale in northern New South Wales) faced 76 sex-abuse charges in the Armidale Local Court in 2012-2014. The charges involved offences which he allegedly committed against boys and  girls. For legal reasons, the Armidale magistrate imposed a media-suppression order, prohibiting publication of the ex-priest's name (at present) in relation to these Armidale Local Court charges. The ex-priest pleaded "Guilty" to 45 of these charges, and he will eventually be sentenced on those.
He pleaded "Not Guilty" to 31 other charges, and these contested charges are scheduled to go to trial in a higher court, the Sydney District Court in Sydney, beginning in early 2016. The Sydney judge will decide whether the Armidale magistrate's name-suppression order should be continued, or removed, during the Sydney District Court proceedings. Later, the ex-priest will be sentenced by the Sydney District Court regarding all the relevant charges that originated in the Armidale court, including the charges to which he has already pleaded "Guilty". Meanwhile, the ex-priest has been refused bail and he remains in custody, awaiting his court proceedings.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/223 

George Pell and Denis Hart became archbishops but Father Tony Bongiorno didn't

The Melbourne Catholic archdiocese has finally been forced to admit that Father Anthony Bongiorno committed sexual crimes against children during his 30 years working in Melbourne parishes.
Anthony Salvatore Bongiorno began training for the priesthood about 1960, aged 25, in the same trainee group as George Pell and Denis Hart, both of whom eventually became archbishops of Melbourne. In 1994, Pell (then an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne) officiated at a requiem mass for Bongiorno's brother Sam. Bongiorno's crimes were covered up until the mid-1990s.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/81 

Report of an inquiry into an allegation of sexual abuse against George Pell (and there is no mention of exoneration)

In October 2002, the Catholic Church in Australia posted on its official website a report of a church inquiry into an allegation of sexual abuse against George Pell. The allegation concerned an alleged incident in the early 1960s, when George Pell (then aged 20) was training to become a priest.
The report was compiled by a Victorian barrister, Mr A.J. Southwell Q.C., who had been paid by the Catholic Church authorities to conduct an inquiry into the allegation. The terms of reference for the inquiry were set by the church authorities.
http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/36 

No Credit Checks for Clergy?

Yesterday, priests of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis received the following clarification from Tim O'Malley, Director of Ministerial Standards. As the email explains, while credit checks are required for persons who handle parish money in excess of $250, the definition of 'persons' vis a vis this policy does not include priests. Per O'Malley's email, 'credit checks are not required for priests'.  
In case you are wondering why this is a cause for concern, please review my prior post 'The Next Big Scandal in the Church', or the recent article on NJ.com. Obviously, credit checks don't eliminate the potential for theft or exploitation, but they can be a useful tool in identifying problematic behavior and, when properly reviewed and acted upon, may help to prevent exploitation and other harm to vulnerable individuals. 

http://canonicalconsultation.com/1/post/2015/10/no-credit-checks-for-clergy.html 

Negligence Lawsuit Filed Against IBLP

Late yesterday afternoon we received an email from a Texas-based law firm notifying us that a lawsuit had been filed against the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and its current board members, John Stancil, Anthony Burrus, Gil Bates, Timothy Levendusky, Stephen Paine, and David York.
The lawsuit (which we have reviewed in its entirety) was filed by five women who allege they experienced “sexual abuse, sexual harassment and inappropriate/unauthorized touching” while “participants, interns, or employees of IBLP.” Four of the plaintiffs have previously published their accounts here on Recovering Grace.

http://www.recoveringgrace.org/2015/10/negligence-lawsuit-filed-against-iblp/ 

Five women sue Bill Gothard’s ministry that has ties to the Duggars

Five women have sued the Institute in Basic Life Principles, once a leader in the Christian homeschooling movement, charging that the organization and its board of directors enabled and covered up sexual abuse and harassment of interns, employees, and other participants in its programs.
Each of the plaintiffs — Gretchen Wilkinson, Charis Barker, Rachel Frost, Rachel Lees and a Jane Doe — seeks $50,000 in damages, alleging that the organization and its board acted negligently, with willful and wanton disregard for them, and engaged in a civil conspiracy to conceal the wrongdoing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/10/22/five-women-sue-bill-gothards-ministry-that-has-ties-to-the-duggars/ 

Political elite were part of paedophile ring, alleged victim Fiona Barnett claims

A woman who alleges she was a child victim of the paedophile ring named by Liberal senator Bill Heffernan said she had repeatedly reported the abuse to authorities but no action had been taken. Speaking outside the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Fiona Barnett called on the authorities to investigate the alleged ring, which she believes is still operating.
Ms Barnett alleged the ring involved hundreds of perpetrators, including a political elte, such as a former governor-general and a former education minister, but she did not name them. "Throughout my childhood I was a victim of Australia's VIP child sex trafficking ring," she said.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/political-elite-were-part-of-paedophile-ring-alleged-victim-fiona-barnett-claims-20151023-gkgwx8.html 

Vatican pondering sex-abuse norms

Ten days after the U.S. bishops met in Dallas to debate and approve a national plan to protect children and stop clerical sex abuse, the conference president flew to Rome.
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a former Chicago auxiliary bishop, and Msgr. William P. Fay, general secretary of the conference, were in Rome June 25-28. The norms passed by U.S. bishops require Vatican approval before becoming binding on all U.S. dioceses.

http://www.catholicnewworld.com/archive/cnw2002/070702/vatican_070702.html 

Catholic school official arrested on child sex charges

The admissions director at a Catholic preparatory high school in Macomb County was arrested today on charges of child sexual abuse, authorities said.
Joseph Peter Sturza, 47, of Macomb Township, was arraigned this morning on several felony charges that were authorized after parents of a student at the Austin Catholic Academy in Ray Township intercepted emails sent by Sturza to their child, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The sheriff's office said the emails were sexually graphic and indicative of child sexual-abuse.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/macomb/2014/11/26/catholic-school-official-arrested-child-sex-charges/19534283/ 

School principal, forced to resign over inaccurate reports of abuse, files suit against Boston archdiocese

The former principal of a Catholic parochial school in Revere, Massachusetts, has filed suit against the Boston archdiocese for forcing her resignation in a case that appears to involve an over-reaction to reports of possible abuse.
Alison Kelly, the principal of Immaculate Conception school, stepped down in January, amid complaints that the school had failed to report a complaint. An investigation revealed that the complaint involved the use of a boys’ bathroom by an adult janitor; no abuse was ever alleged.

https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=26509 

Archbishop Chaput rejects claims of rift with Pope Francis, US bishops

Nine US bishops are taking part in the Synod of Bishops on the family, some as elected representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, some as papal nominees, and some as members of the permanent council of the synod. 

Crux has been interviewing the Americans to solicit their perspectives on the event. Today, Crux speaks to Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia and Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles. Read the Gomez interview here.

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/10/21/archbishop-chaput-rejects-claims-of-rift-with-pope-francis-us-bishops/ 

Catholic movement in Peru apologizes for founder’s sexual abuse

ROME — Facing accusations of sexual abuse by its founder, a lay Catholic movement based in Peru called the Sodalitium of Christian Life has apologized to victims and pledged to cooperate with police and prosecutors.
The accusations against Peruvian layman Luis Fernando Figari came from one of the movement’s former members, Pedro Salinas, who recently published a book called “Half Monks, Half Soldiers” (Mitad Monjes, Mitad Soldados).

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/10/22/catholic-movement-in-peru-apologizes-for-founders-sexual-abuse/ 

Polish bishop defrocks gay priest who sparked Vatican fury

A Polish bishop on Wednesday defrocked a high-ranking Catholic priest fired by a furious Vatican earlier this month after he came out as gay on the eve of a key synod on the family.
Bishop Ryszard Kasyna has decided that Krzystof Charamsa should no longer be able to celebrate mass, administer sacraments like communion and baptism or wear a cassock, according to a statement on the website of their northern Pelplin diocese.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/polish-bishop-defrocks-gay-priest-who-sparked-vatican-fury/ 

Sodalitium Christianae Vitae issues statement in wake of accusations

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae issued a statement on Wednesday announcing its commitment to the investigation of mistreatement, including sexual abuse, allegedly committed by its founder. The Oct. 21 statement was released after the publication in Peru of a book containing testimonies against Luis Fernando Figari, founder of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.
“The testimonies refer to acts of abuse and mistreatment, including sexual abuse. It is a cause for deep grief and shame if such acts could have been committed by Luis Fernando Figari, the founder and for many years the Superior General of our community,” read the statement which bore the signature of Alessandro Moroni Llabrés, the community's current superior general.

http://www.angelusnews.com/news/world/sodalitium-christianae-vitae-issues-statement-in-wake-of-accusations-9279/#.VirL-msUiUl 

Sinn Fein supports interim redress payments to victims of institutional abuse

Sinn Fein has backed a call for interim compensation payouts to institutional abuse victims before a long-running inquiry into the crimes is completed.
However, the request for early payments has not yet been endorsed by the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM), indicating Sinn Fein and the DUP have not reached a joint position on the issue.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/sinn-fein-supports-interim-redress-payments-to-victims-of-institutional-abuse-34135871.html 

‘Farce’ and ‘verbiage’ behind the scenes at the Pope’s synod: an Aussie archbishop spills the beans

Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane is one of the bishops who’ll be voting on the final report of the Synod on the Family at the Vatican tomorrow. He’s ‘quite a character’, I’m told by a priest who knows him. But anyone who’s been reading his startlingly frank and witty diary of the Synod, published on his diocesan website, will have already worked that out.
There are cardinals and bishops who, after a few jars, will let slip what really goes on at these occasions. And then there’s Archbishop Mark, who – although no doubt great company in the pub – doesn’t need any prompting to spill the beans.

http://blogs.new.spectator.co.uk/2015/10/farce-and-verbiage-behind-the-scenes-at-the-popes-synod-an-aussie-archbishop-spills-the-beans/ 

Peruvian-based Catholic movement pledges inquiry after claims of abuse

Accusations of physical, psychological and sexual abuse by leaders of a Catholic movement founded here in the 1970s led the group to pledge an internal investigation.
The allegations were described in a new book, "Mitad Monjes, Mitad Soldados" ("Half Monks, Half Priests"), by Pedro Salinas, a former member of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, who interviewed about 30 other former members.

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/peruvian-based-catholic-movement-pledges-inquiry-after-claims-abuse 

Assignment Record– Rev. J. (James)Vincent Fitzgerald, O.M.I.

Summary of Case: A priest of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate ordained in 1950 in Belleville IL, Fitzgerald moved in and out of a number of dioceses during his career, including Belleville, Springfield and Peoria IL, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Duluth, Crookston and New Ulm MN, Sioux Falls SD, and Springfield-Cape Girardeau MO. He was involved with orphanages in Peoria IL and Sisseton SD.
He returned to his Order in Belleville sometime in the early 1990s and died in 2009. Fitzgerald was accused in a 2010 lawsuit of having repeatedly sexually abused two residents of the Tekakwitha Indian Orphanage in the 1960s: a girl ages 4-13, and a 10 or 11-year-old boy. In a February 2014 lawsuit Fitzgerald was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in around 1978.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/assign/Fitzgerald_J_Vincent_OMI.htm 

Ireland considers inquiry into children's mass grave

The Irish government is considering an inquiry after the remains of several children were discovered at a former home for unmarried mothers. The remains were interred in a concrete tank in the grounds of the home, run by the Catholic Church, in Tuam, County Galway.
Almost 800 children, aged between two days and nine years, died at the home between 1925 and 1961. The grave was found nearly 40 years ago, but the remains were initially believed to be from the 1850s famine. However, local historian Catherine Corless found that the register of deaths and burials in the town did not match.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27703711 

Tuam babies: Justice minister orders police report

The Irish justice minister has ordered a police report on all the information it has on the deaths of almost 800 children at a mother and baby home. The remains of some children, aged between two days and nine years, were found in a concrete tank in County Galway.
They died between 1925 and 1961. The grave in Tuam was found 40 years ago, but was thought to date from the 1850s. Amnesty International has joined calls for an investigation. The Irish government has set up an inter-departmental group to look at the case.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27728542 

Tuam babies: Archbishop Diarmuid Martin calls for inquiry

One of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church in Ireland has said a full inquiry is needed into the deaths of almost 800 children at a convent-run mother and baby home.

The children, one as old as nine, died between 1925 and 1961. The remains of some children were found in a concrete tank in County Galway, 40 years ago. The grave in Tuam was initially thought to date to the 1850s. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the truth must come out.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27754751 

Statement Regarding Rev. Mark Huberty

Today, I have the sad responsibility of communicating that Rev. Mark Huberty has been temporarily removed from ministry for the duration of a formal canonical process that has been initiated to address some serious allegations that have come to the attention of the Archdiocese.
In 2013, Rev. Huberty was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual misconduct with an adult woman. Rev. Huberty has been on a voluntary leave of absence since that time. A Ramsey County jury acquitted him of those charges last December.

http://www.archspm.org/archspm_news/statement-regarding-rev-mark-huberty-2/ 

Synod ends where it began, in disagreement

With time running out, the synodal fathers appear no closer to resolving their conflicts over issues facing the family than they were a year ago. One of the principal sticking points is over Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics who do not have an annulment. Another controversy is over the language to be used in speaking about homosexuals.
The Synod of Bishops concludes this Sunday after meeting in Rome since Oct. 4. The synod has been discussing issues facing families, the same issues discussed at a similar gathering of bishops last October.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/synod-ends-where-it-began-disagreement 

Minnesota boy sought refuge in church, was sexually abused instead

The Diocese of Duluth does not dispute that the boy was abused. It asserts, however, that it wasn’t responsible because the predatory priest belonged to a religious order and was not a diocesan priest. 

John Doe 30 grew up in rural Minnesota the youngest of seven. He loved animals. He loved the Catholic Church. But he didn’t fit in, his attorney Jeff Anderson said Wednesday, and he paid the price. His brothers and classmates called him derogatory names because they thought he was effeminate.

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-boy-sought-refuge-in-church-was-sexually-abused-instead/335338691/ 

No baptism, no school: Irish parents fight for equal access to education

Number of Catholics has plummeted, but church still dictates admissions criteria for vast majority of schools – with non-believers at bottom of pile.  Instead of starting school last month, Reuben Murphy found himself back in his Dublin nursery for another year as his mother, Nikki, re-embarked on her quest to find a place at a local state primary for her four-year-old son.
She has already applied to 15 schools. But, following rejections from nine last year, Murphy is far from confident that a place will be found for Reuben. In a country where more than 90% of state schools are run by the Catholic church, unbaptised children like him are at the bottom of their admissions lists.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/21/no-baptism-no-school-irish-parents-fight-for-equal-access-to-education 

Child sex abuse bill doesn’t seek justice for everyone

In reference to her Oct. 1 op-ed in The Queens Courier and Ridgewood Times, I agree with Assemblywoman Margaret Markey that our state and nation must do everything we can to eliminate child sex abuse and bring those accountable for such crimes to justice. Where Markey and the Catholic Church part ways is in her methodology.
To be clear, Assemblywoman Markey is not proposing changes to the criminal statute to allow offenders to be brought to trail and imprisoned. Indeed, the church has supported changes that would extend the period of statute of limitations for just such a purpose. Moreover, the church has supported extending the statute of limitations in a reasonable way so that both individuals and institutions might be civilly liable.

http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/news/2015-10-22/Columns/Child_sex_abuse_bill_doesnt_seek_justice_for_every.html 

Malcolm Turnbull urged to investigation former prime minister paedophile claims by sex abuse survivors

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull is under pressure to launch an investigation into elite paedophile rings in Australia, after allegations surfaced of a former prime minister on a police list of suspected paedophiles.

Child sex abuse survivors advocates have backed calls from Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan to expand the royal commission into child sex abuse.The calls for an urgent inquiry follow the Senator’s sensational claim yesterday that he has a police list which names 28 prominent people, including a former PM, as suspected paedophiles.

http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/malcolm-turnbull-urged-to-investigation-former-prime-minister-paedophile-claims-by-sex-abuse-survivors/story-fns0jze1-1227576944031 

Columbia Public Schools hold abuse prevention parent preview night

CPS held an event for parents to come look at this school year's abuse prevention curriculum.  Parents of kindergarten through fifth graders could see presentations of what lessons will be taught to their children. Lessons will vary for each grade level so that the lessons are age-appropriate.
CPS educators see child abuse more than you might expect, according to Michelle Baumstark with Columbia Public Schools. "More often than we would like, honestly," Baumstark said. "You know it's not always what people think of when they think of sexual abuse, there are all kinds of abuse situations."

http://www.abc17news.com/news/columbia-public-schools-holding-abuse-prevention-preview-night/35687478 

Call for new probe into historic child abuse case

A former National Party leader and an author are now heading calls for an independent inquiry into a two decade old child abuse case.

Christchurch Civic Creche worker Peter Ellis was convicted on 13 charges in 1993. Don Brash and Lynley Hood argue it was a time when there was a "wave of child abuse hysteria".

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/call-for-new-probe-into-historic-child-abuse-case-6210152.html 

More church documents ordered released in Ramsey County clergy sex abuse trial

A judge ordered the Diocese of Duluth on Monday to produce more priest files as it prepared to defend itself in a civil trial involving alleged clergy sex abuse.

The diocese failed to abide by a January court order to turn over all documents about alleged abuse it possessed before 1978, Ramsey County District Court Judge John Guthmann said Monday. “I do not think this was in bad faith,” the judge said, “but it needs to be rectified.”

http://www.startribune.com/more-church-documents-ordered-released-in-ramsey-county-clergy-sex-abuse-trial/334368301/ 

Charitable purpose and political activity (updated)

An August 2014 decision by the Supreme Court has developed the law on what may qualify as a charitable purpose.  The Department of Internal Affairs’ - Charities Services and the independent Charities Registration Board have reviewed our approach to assessing applications for registration in the light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on an appeal brought by Greenpeace New Zealand, and have updated the guidance for organisations considering applying to register as a charity.
In its decision, the Supreme Court found that political activity may itself be accepted as a charitable purpose (rather than just being "ancillary” to an organisation’s main purpose). However, the Court also found that it may be uncommon for political purposes to be charitable purposes.

https://charities.govt.nz/news-and-events/hot-topics/charitable-purpose-and-political-activity/ 

Clash of the archbishops: Synod dispute between US senior churchmen goes public

The eight American bishops taking part in a Vatican summit on family life stay at a huge seminary built high on a hill overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica and the rest of the Eternal City. It’s a lovely place with spacious apartments for each bishop and any amenity they might need.
But for all that, it may be getting a tad uncomfortable. In the latest installment of an increasingly sharp exchange conducted via the media, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput on Monday (Oct. 19) rejected what he took as a swipe at him by Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, also a member of the U.S. delegation at this gathering of global bishops.

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/10/19/catholic-chaput-wuerl-pope-synod/ 

Assignment Record– Rev. Victor Lucien Chateauvert, M.S.F.

Summary of Case: A priest of the Missionaries of the Holy Family ordained in 1973, Chateauvert worked in parishes and a hospital in Los Angeles CA archdiocese, Ottowa Canada, and in the dioceses of Springfield IL and Duluth MN. In December 1992 he was arrested on suspicion of the sexual abuse over a three-year period of two Duluth MN teenage boys.
He was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail. Chateauvert died March 3, 1999. His name was included on the Duluth diocese's list released in December 2013 of clergy who had been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of young persons while serving in the diocese.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/assign/Chateauvert_Victor_Lucien.htm 

When Pastors Prey: Baptist perv Sammy Nuckolls

To observe the course of mentally; keep up on or informed about; To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as, to keep books, a journal, Sammy Nuckolls, a man of God, preyed on his parishioners in the sickest of ways. As cops would uncover, the pastor's own home was exposed as a sex trap.Prosecutor Steven Jubera suggested Nuckolls’ aims were not altruistic but driven by the same “narcissistic tendencies” that got him in trouble in the first place. “House arrest is really not going to prevent him from doing what he did in his own home in the first place,” Jubera said.

http://watchkeep.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/when-pastors-prey-baptist-perv-sammy.html?m=1 

Duluth priest's abuse trial likely a first under Child Victims Act

Jury selection began Monday in a clergy sex abuse lawsuit against the Diocese of Duluth, marking what attorneys say is the first such a case to go to trial under Minnesota's Child Victims Act.
The Child Victims Act, enacted by the Legislature in 2013, suspended the statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse who wished to sue, even if the abuse took place decades ago. The previous law prevented legal action after victims reached age 24. The new law allows such claims to be brought until May 2016.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_28993149/duluth-priests-abuse-trial-likely-first-under-child

TJH Council: Days of Church investigating itself 'must end'

“More than anything else, abuse survivors have been calling for fair and compassionate redress with the decisions about what this looks like taken out of the hands of the institutions responsible for the abuse,” Mr Sullivan said.
“In the case of the Catholic Church, the days of the church ­investigating itself must be over.” Mr Sullivan made the comments to The Weekend Australian in ­response to a call for a national ­redress scheme to compensate ­victims of abuse.

http://cathnews.com/archives/cath-news-archive/23117-tjh-council-church-must-let-others-investigate-abuse 

Anglican priest discovered dead in home

AN ANGLICAN priest suspected of sexual offences against children in northern NSW has been found dead in his home. Reverend Campbell Brown was awaiting an internal church professional standards hearing when his body was discovered in his Hunter Valley home on Sunday.

The 80-year-old was accused during the 2013 Royal Commission into child sexual abuse of making an "implied admission of guilt" that he had sexually assaulted a young boy at the North Coast Children's Home in Lismore about five decades earlier. 

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/anglican-priest-discovered-dead-home/2813558/ 

Expert and leading social worker appointed to child abuse inquiry panel

A leading social worker and an expert on child abuse have been appointed to Scotland's public inquiry into the historical abuse of children in care. Panel members Glenn Houston and Professor Michael Lamb will help chair Susan O'Brien QC with the work of the inquiry, which formally began at the start of the month.
Mr Houston is the chief executive of Northern Ireland's independent health and social care regulator, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, and has more than 30 years' experience working in the field.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/13878848.Expert_and_leading_social_worker_appointed_to_child_abuse_inquiry_panel/ 

Pope makes rare apology

In the United States, he said, people may find it hard, for example, to understand the church’s use of the phrase “intrinsically disordered” to describe same-sex attraction.
Although the ongoing Synod has indicated clearly that there is vibrant debate between “conservatives” and “progressives”, as evidenced by the release this week of a letter to the Pope from a handful of senior Cardinals strongly opposed to change, neither that same debate nor the letter come under the “scandal” category.

http://www.mytechbits.com/pope-makes-rare-apology/98139744/ 

Bishop calls for reflection after priest's death

A suspected paedophile Anglican priest has been found dead in his Hunter home while awaiting a hearing into child sex abuse allegations.

Reverend Campbell Brown was accused of abuse at the North Coast Children's Home dating back more than 50 years. Evidence of the abuse was recently heard by the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-20/bishop-calls-for-reflection-after-priest27s-death/6867916 

Sex assault accused priest Vickery House 'denied gay feelings'

A retired priest accused of indecent assault told a court he spent 40 years "in denial" of his homosexual feelings. Vickery House, 69, of West Sussex also said he had a sexual relationship with a man while at theological college.
Mr House, of Brighton Road, Handcross kept the relationship secret and married his childhood sweetheart. At the Old Bailey, the retired Church of England priest denies eight charges of indecent assault against six males aged 15 to 34, between 1970 and 1986.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34576470 

Assignment Record– Rev. Leonard Oliver Colston

Summary of Case: Leonard Colston was ordained for the Duluth MN diocese in 1980, at age 54. He served in parishes in Brainerd, Floodweed, Meadowlands and Elmer MN before transferring in 1984 to the New Ulm MN diocese where he worked in Nicollet, Hutchinson, Ortonville and Olivia parishes. Per Duluth diocesan officials, Colston resigned September 6, 1986.
His whereabouts after that are unclear. He died November 4, 2004. Colston's name was included on the Duluth diocese's December 2013 list of clergy who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of young persons while serving in the diocese.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/assign/Colston_Leonard.htm 

Bankruptcy judge frustrated with Gallup Diocese case

A judge says he is getting frustrated as a New Mexico diocese nears its second year in bankruptcy court.
The Gallup Independent reports that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma said during a Thursday court hearing that he’s not pleased the Diocese of Gallup’s case is still going on.

http://krqe.com/2015/10/19/bankruptcy-judge-frustrated-with-gallup-diocese-case/ 

Real-life Philomena presses Pope to open Ireland's forced adoption files

Philomena Lee, whose story inspired the movie 'Philomena,' met yesterday with Pope Francis. She has launched a project to help other Catholic women find their lost children.  Her tragic story has touched hearts around the world after inspiring an Oscar-nominated movie starring Dame Judi Dench.

More than 60 years ago, an unmarried Philomena Lee had her little boy taken from her by the Catholic Church under a policy of forced adoptions at convents and mother-and-baby homes operated by the Catholic Church in Ireland. Yesterday, Mrs. Lee met the man in charge of the institution that caused her such pain and suffering – Pope Francis.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2014/0206/Real-life-Philomena-presses-Pope-to-open-Ireland-s-forced-adoption-files 

Tuam children's bodies: Catholic Church 'has no records'

A Catholic archbishop in the Republic of Ireland has said the church has no records about the burial of nearly 800 children at a mother and baby home. The children, aged between two days and nine years, died between 1925 and 1961.
The remains of some of the children were in a disused concrete tank at the County Galway home. The grave in Tuam was found nearly 40 years ago, but was initially thought to be from the 1850s famine.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27710206 

Hundreds of child sexual abuse complaints referred to police

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has so far referred 666 matters to police with a view to prosecuting the offenders. The commission has received more than 13,000 allegations of sexual abuse with approximately half of those relating to faith-based institutions.
Commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan gave an overview of the figures during an address to the 14th Assembly of the Uniting Church meeting in Perth this morning. The speech marked the halfway point of the hearings which began two and a half years ago.
 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-15/child-abuse-royal-commission-chair-speaks/6621742 

Pope Francis’s First Crisis

The honeymoon for Pope Francis is over—at least in Rome. The first two weeks of the Synod on the Family have been characterized by open rebellion, corridor intrigue, leaked documents, accusations of lack of transparency, and sharp divisions among the bishops and cardinals.
In the first real crisis of his papacy, Francis finds himself in the position of enjoying a rare degree of popularity among the public but facing an unusual degree of dissent within an institution generally so respectful of hierarchy.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/conflict-at-the-vatican 

ive reasons the synod is doomed to fail

Vatican City The synod on the family has created a lot of interest in the church and spilled a lot of ink (or electrons) in the media, but there are five reasons that it was doomed to fail before the bishops even gathered in Rome Oct. 4. Perhaps Pope Francis can perform a miracle and save it, but the odds are against him.
First, the topic of the synod, "the family," is too broad. The family touches everything and is touched by everything. Anything bad in the world affects families, and any problems in families affect the societies in which they live.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/five-reasons-synod-doomed-fail 

Church sex abuse lawsuit heads to court

One of the several lawsuits filed in connection with sexual abuse in the Catholic Church began Monday morning in St. Paul. The lawsuit, that is filed by Jeff Anderson and Associates, involves the Diocese of Duluth.
The lawsuit claims that Father J. Vincent Fitzgerald abused a teenage altar boy in 1978. The lawsuit claims the now deceased priest molested the boy "on a daily basis." The priest was working at St. Catherine's Church at the time under the Diocese of Duluth. The lawsuit is set to go to trial.

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/home/Sexually-abused-man-takes-Diocese-of-Duluth-to-court-334379081.html 

Grounds for dismissal?

Did a pastor’s disclosure to police about reported sexual acts by a church elder on young boys violate the priest-penitent privilege, or was he simply following the state’s mandatory reporting law?
That is the question being argued in pre-trial motions filed in the Timothy Probert case. Probert, 57, of Mercer County, is facing 50 charges related to alleged sexual abuse of children stemming from his time spent as a volunteer at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bluefield and for the Working to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect (WE CAN) program.

http://www.bdtonline.com/news/defense-seeks-to-have-charges-related-to-alleged-sexual-abuse/article_83ee3c66-7543-11e5-8f95-c3ec58c27c58.html 

‘Cake-porn’ priest allegedly asked mistress to get an abortion

He’s also a heretic: The kinky Greek Orthodox priest allegedly asked his mistress to abort their baby.
Ethel Bouzalas told Bishop Andonios Paropoulos, the chancellor of the Greek Orthodox church in the United States, that her lover wanted her to get an abortion, according to an interview with the bishop in The National Herald, a Greek-American daily.

http://nypost.com/2015/10/18/cake-porn-priest-allegedly-asked-mistress-to-get-an-abortion/ 

Pope Francis is now effectively at war with the Vatican. If he wins, the Catholic Church could fall apart

Pope Francis yesterday gave an address to the profoundly divided Synod on the Family in which he confirmed his plans to decentralise the Catholic Church – giving local bishops’ conferences more freedom to work out their own solutions to the problems of divorce and homosexuality.
This is the nightmare of conservative Catholic cardinals, including – unsurprisingly – those in the Vatican. They thought they had a sufficient majority in the synod to stop the lifting of the ban on divorced and remarried Catholics receiving communion, or any softening on the Church’s attitude to gay couples.

http://blogs.new.spectator.co.uk/2015/10/pope-francis-is-now-effectively-at-war-with-the-vatican-if-he-wins-the-catholic-church-could-fall-apart/ 

Assignment Record– Rev. Kirby R. Blanchard

Summary of Case: Kirby Blanchard was ordained for the Duluth diocese in 1953. He was an assistant at the Cathedral in Duluth for 12 years, then pastored parishes in Garrison, Deerwood, Deer River, Cohasset, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Pine River, and Duluth until 1976. He was a hospital chaplain in Duluth from 1976 until his retirement in 1993.
Blanchard was removed from active ministry in December 1995. He died August 11, 2006. Blanchard's name was included on a list released by the Duluth diocese in December 2013 of priests who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of young persons while serving in the diocese.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/assign/Blanchard_Kirby.htm 

Group may sue after lawyer says church no longer owns former hotel

The former Accion Hotel, worth tens of millions of dollars before an anonymous donor donated it to the Archdiocese of Agana almost a decade ago, is no longer an asset of the local Catholic Church, according to a Guam law firm retained recently by Concerned Catholics of Guam Inc.
The property's title was “absolutely conveyed in fee simple” in November of 2011, to the nonprofit Redemptoris Mater Seminary, according to a May 2015 legal opinion written by the law offices of Jacques G. Bronze.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2015/10/12/group-may-sue-after-lawyer-says-church-no-longer-owns-former-hotel/73798142/

Resignation of Peter McKelvie from the Victims' and Survivors Consultative Panel (VSCP)

On Friday 16 October 2015 Peter McKelvie resigned from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's Victims' and Survivors Consultative Panel. Statement from Peter McKelvie I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that it would not be appropriate for me to continue in my role as a member of the Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel VSCP on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
I have today been advised that I am likely to be required as a witness in the Inquiry's investigations, and that the Inquiry may need to examine my work in pursuing allegations of CSA. In those circumstances it would not be right for me to continue to act in a consultative capacity, providing advice to the Chair and the Inquiry Panel.

https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news-and-updates/resignation-of-peter-mckelvie-from-the-victims-and-survivors-consultative-panel 

Tom Watson's Westminster paedophile ring 'whistle-blower' resigns from child abuse inquiry

Peter McKelvie, a former child protection officer who acted as a "whistle-blower" to Labour MP Tom Watson when he first put forward allegations of a paedophile ring linked to Westminster, has resigned from the troubled inquiry into child abuse over after "conflict of interest" concerns.
Labour's deputy leader Watson made the explosive allegations in the House of Commons in 2012 which claimed evidence had been seized in the 1990s containing "clear intelligence of a widespread paedophile ring" whose members had "links to a senior aide of a former prime minister".

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tom-watsons-westminster-paedophile-ring-whistle-blower-resigns-child-abuse-inquiry-1524365 

Fugitive Fathers: Two priests have been suspended since GlobalPost’s investigation

One month ago, GlobalPost published a lengthy investigation into Catholic clergy who have been accused of sexual abuse in the United States or Europe, yet continue to work as priests in remote South American dioceses.

Two of the priests have been suspended from their posts since our reporting. Another appears to have moved to a different country, and an admitted child molester continues to work at a church in Peru. A fifth priest we investigated had already left the church for personal reasons when GlobalPost caught up with him.

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6669574/2015/10/15/fugitive-fathers-two-priests-have-been-suspended-globalposts 

Former Anglican Bishop of Grafton stripped of title over handling of abuse claims

A former bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Grafton has been stripped of any standing within the church over his handling of allegations of abuse at the North Coast Children's Home.

Keith Slater was Bishop of Grafton for 10 years until his resignation in May of 2013. He quit the post after admitting he put the finances of the church ahead of the interests of 40 victims.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-16/bishop-stripped/6861652 

The Pope unmoved by Rats in the Ranks-style mutiny

Pope Francis is dealing with a Rats in the Ranks-style mutiny aboard the good ship Vatican. The right faction, led in this case by Australia's penny-counting Cardinal George Pell, is rebelling against a perceived shift to the liberal left during a three-week meeting of theologians in Rome.
The Synod of Bishops, which is to determine the church's policy and rhetoric on familial matters, is particularly vexed about whether to grant Communion to divorced Catholics who have remarried.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/the-pope-unmoved-by-rats-in-the-ranksstyle-mutiny-20151015-gka383.html 

Marie Collins, member of pope’s sexual abuse panel, criticizes his response to Chile scandal

Perhaps the best-known sexual abuse survivor on a panel created by Pope Francis to lead the Church on a path of reform has criticized the pontiff’s comments on an abuse case in Chile, saying she is “discouraged and saddened” by his response.
Irish laywoman Marie Collins made the comments via Twitter, in reaction to news of a five-month-old video made public Friday that shows the pontiff brushing off criticism of his appointment of a bishop in Chile accused of covering up allegations against his country’s most notorious abuser priest.

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/10/05/member-of-popes-abuse-panels-criticizes-his-response-to-chile-scandal/ 

Man sexual abused by an East Staffordshire vicar speaks for the first time

A MAN abused for more than 10 years by a Catholic priest in East Staffordshire has hit out at the church for 'failing him' when he was just a child. Eamonn Flanagan, 52, was abused from the age of 11 by Father Samuel Penney while he was an altar server at Saint Mary and St Modwen Church, in Guild Street, Burton, during the 1970s.
Now 22 years after Penney was jailed for a string of sexual offences against children, Mr Flanagan has been given a payout by the Diocese of Birmingham. Mr Flanagan, who waived his right to anonymity, said he felt the church had failed to 'take responsibility'.

http://www.uttoxeteradvertiser.co.uk/Man-sexual-abused-East-Staffordshire-vicar-speaks/story-27981625-detail/story.html 

Pope asks for forgiveness for ‘scandals’ in Rome and the Vatican

Francis made the surprise comments at today's general audience in St Peter's Square Pope Francis has asked for forgiveness for scandals that have taken place in the Church and in the Vatican.

During his general audience in St Peter’s Square today, the Pope said: “Before beginning the catechesis, I would like to ask forgiveness in the name of the church for the scandals that have happened in this last period both in Rome and at the Vatican. I ask forgiveness.”

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/10/14/pope-asks-for-forgiveness-for-scandals-in-rome-and-the-vatican/ 

Part of the family: Abuse survivors need special care, Australian says

As the Synod of Bishops on the family discussed ways to shepherd the Catholic flock, one participant was urging extra special care for Catholics who are either too angry, disillusioned or afraid to return to the fold because of clerical sexual abuse.
Abuse by clergy in Australia has led to a crisis of faith and a loss of trust in the church's moral authority for "a very large number of people," said Maria Harries, who is a member of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council of the Australian Catholic Bishop's Conference and is an observer at the synod.

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/australian-says-abuse-survivors-need-special-care.cfm 

The Catholic Church is filled with hypocrisy

I was not surprised to read that Roman Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo fired John Murphy from his position as executive director at the St. Francis Home because he is married to a man.  No news there: this IS the Catholic Church. However, I later learned that when hired, the St. Francis board chair assured Murphy that his sexual orientation and his 30- year relationship with his husband, Jerry Carter, would not be a factor affecting his employment.

The St. Francis Home board, having been told by the Bishop that they had to fire Murphy, unanimously voted to oppose the Bishop’s demands. Having been thwarted by the board, DiLorenzo then sent his own agents to fire Murphy.  Several board members subsequently resigned in protest.

http://www.gayrva.com/featured/oped-the-catholic-church-is-filled-with-hypocrisy/ 

More sex charges for disgraced ex-priest Grecco

A disgraced former Roman Catholic priest, jailed in 2010 for sexually abusing three altar boys, now faces sex charges involving three other victims.

Ontario Provincial Police in Haldimand County have charged Donald Grecco, 75, of Peel Region, with gross indecency and indecent assault on a male after another victim came forward to report sex assaults which occurred in Niagara Region in 1975 when the victim was about 13 years old. 

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5960038-more-sex-charges-for-disgraced-ex-priest-grecco/ 

U.N. Official Says French Learned Early of Abuse

A United Nations official who investigated allegations that French peacekeepers had sexually abused children in the Central African Republic says she informed the French military authorities within a month of having started her inquiry, giving a possible new twist to a long-running scandal that led to the intervention of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The official, Gallianne Palayret, a human rights investigator who led the first inquiries into suspected abuse, said in a Skype interview that she had informed the French peacekeepers’ commanding officer and the unit’s legal affairs officer about the allegations in May 2014. This was the same month that she started interviewing children who might have been victimized and two months before the French authorities have said they first heard about the matter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/world/africa/un-official-says-french-learned-early-of-abuse.html?emc=edit_tnt_20151014&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Priests who join military as chaplains 'answering a call within a call'

Father Ben Garrett said he has "never felt more useful in my life" as a priest than as a Navy chaplain meeting the pastoral and sacramental needs of service members.
"Being a priest in the military is extremely fulfilling," he said. "Not only is it a need for our people, but it's also a great blessing for the priest himself. "Our men and women in uniform take on great sacrifices on behalf of our country, and they need to be taken care of spiritually," he told Catholic News Service.

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/priests-who-join-military-as-chaplains-answering-a-call-within-a-call.cfm 

The Pope is worried about families, but he doesn't want to change doctrine

Prominent Catholics including George Pell have warned the Pope of the dangers of undermining Church teaching. But the current synod on the family is about updating the Church's understanding of its mission, not changing doctrine, writes Joel Hodge.

The Catholic Church's current synod on the family has been met with exaggerated claims from both the left and the right, ranging from suggestions of excessive political infighting to the prospect of the Church's complete collapse.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-15/hodge-why-is-the-pope-worried-about-families/6856856 

Children in state care are being abused and CYF is failing them

Children removed from their family home are being sexually and physically abused in foster homes - and the Social Development Minister says there's no evidence they're any better off in state care.
Children's Commissioner Russell Wills has released his first annual report in to how well Child Youth and Family (CYF) are looking after children in state care. His findings reveal the Government department is failing thousands of children.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71484166/children-in-state-care-are-being-abused-and-cyf-is-failing-them--report 

Group may sue after lawyer says church no longer owns former hotel

The former Accion Hotel, worth tens of millions of dollars before an anonymous donor donated it to the Archdiocese of Agana almost a decade ago, is no longer an asset of the local Catholic Church, according to a Guam law firm retained recently by Concerned Catholics of Guam Inc.
The property's title was “absolutely conveyed in fee simple” in November of 2011, to the nonprofit Redemptoris Mater Seminary, according to a May 2015 legal opinion written by the law offices of Jacques G. Bronze.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2015/10/12/group-may-sue-after-lawyer-says-church-no-longer-owns-former-hotel/73798142/ 

UPDATED: After Turbulence at Start, Synod Settles Down to Work

The Synod on the Family reached its cruising altitude with the publication of the reports from the 13 language groups on Friday, Oct. 9.  
The early part of the journey was somewhat turbulent. To begin with, there was some confusion among participants about the new process that was the result of a reform approved by the pope on Sept. 7, which not only allocated far more time than in previous synods to discussion in language groups, but also limited the time each synod father could speak for in the plenary assembly to three minutes.

http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/updated-after-turbulence-start-synod-settles-down-work 

Technology complicating stalking, domestic violence abuse

These days, stalking isn’t just someone being followed or the stalker physically breaking into a home, according to a speaker at a domestic violence symposium on Friday.
Michelle M. Garcia, the director of the Stalking Resource Center in Washington D.C. and a speaker at the local symposium, said stalkers use cell phones, computers and GPS devices to go after their victims, generally women.

http://www.highlandstoday.com/hi/local-news/technology-complicating-stalking-domestic-violence-abuse-20151012/ 

Two ex-Boston Archdiocese officials sued in sex abuse case

A Chelmsford woman is suing two former officials in the Boston Archdiocese, alleging that she was sexually molested at a Haverhill parish by a now-defrocked priest because they failed to properly supervise him.
The lawsuit was filed in Middlesex Superior Court by Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has brought dozens of complaints against members of the clergy in recent years, many of whom once served in the Boston Archdiocese.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2015/10/08/chelmsford-woman-sues-two-former-boston-archdiocese-officials/Exxg1yY8yeHbjSrD27vaNK/story.html 

PopeWatch: Sex Abuse-Two Standards

Pope Francis has indicated that one goal of his pontificate is getting tough with clerics who shield sex abusers.  While in Philadelphia he said:  “The crimes and sins of sexual abuse of minors cannot be kept secret any longer. I commit myself to the zealous watchfulness of the church to protect minors, and I promise that all those responsible will be held accountable.”  That promise apparently had a short shelf life:
Cardinal Godfried Danneels, former Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels in Belgium, has already angered conservatives by calling for the Catholic Church to recognise a “sort of marriage” for gay couples and praising secular governments for introducing civil unions for same-sex couples.

http://the-american-catholic.com/2015/10/12/popewatch-sex-abuse-two-standards/ 

Vatican aims for child protection norms to be custom-fitted per culture

When it comes to protection against abuse, guidelines need to be implemented according to the customs of each country if they are to be effective, said one official of the Vatican's commission for the protection of minors, which met in Rome over the weekend.
“The important thing about guidelines is that they've got to fit the country that they're in, and the culture that they're in,” said commission member Bill Kilgallon, director of the National Office for Professional Standards of the Catholic Church in New Zealand.

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/NewsBriefs/Default.aspx?rssGuid=vatican-aims-for-child-protection-norms-to-be-custom-fitted-per-culture-16684/ 

Letters from the Synod: October 13, 2015

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” [2 Corinthians 4.7]  It’s no insult to Synod-2015 to describe it as a contemporary example of what St Paul meant about the Church being an “earthen vessel” for the treasure that is friendship with Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour.
As numerous reporters and commentators have noted (some more accurately than others), there is a clash of theologies and pastoral sensibilities here at the Synod; procedures and process have been muddled; rumours and rumours-of-rumours abound, both inside the real Synod and in the media/blogosphere Synod. That’s all fairly obvious; it ought not scandalise anyone.

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2015/10/13/letters-from-the-synod-october-13-2015/