Two more Moravian clergymen charged with carnal abuse

Dr Paul Gardner and Jermaine Gibson were today charged following investigations by detectives from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA).
Superintendent Enid Ross Stewart, head of CISOCA, said Gibson, 36,  of Lyndale Close, Kingston 20 and Gardner, 54,  of Burbank Avenue, Kingston 19 were today charged with carnal abuse and indecent assault.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170123/update-two-more-moravian-clergymen-charged-carnal-abuse 

Number of Peru abuse survivors reject 'offensive' compensation offer

Some of the known survivors of abuse at the hands of an elite Catholic society in Peru have rejected offers of compensation, branding them "ridiculous and offensive".
Meanwhile, the influential Sodalitium Christianae Vitae announced it had reached a $2.84 million-plus reparation agreement with 35 victims of the organisation's former leaders.
The SCV, which was founded in the country in 1971 is composed of two bishops, three dozen priests and 248 brothers and was running 39 parishes, according to the latest available official figures from 2014.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0124/847390-abuse-survivors-peru/ 

Former Aurora priest fighting expert testimony in sex abuse case

A 50-year-old former Aurora priest accused of sexual abuse plans to fight prosecutors' attempts to have child abuse experts testify at a future trial that "inconclusive exams and/or cultures do not disprove abuse."

Alfredo Pedraza-Arias of Rockford was arrested in early 2016 on charges he sexually abused two girls younger than 13 -- one at her Aurora home and another in an office at Sacred Heart Church in Aurora -- between January 2009 and November 2014.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170124/news/170129392/ 

SNAP announces director named in lawsuit has resigned

A longtime leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, an advocacy group that has for decades publicized allegations of sexual abuse by priests, left the organization at the end of 2016, according to a statement issued Tuesday by SNAP’s chairman.
The announcement that David Clohessy no longer is SNAP’s national director comes just days after a former SNAP staffer filed a lawsuit in Cook County, claiming the Chicago-based organization steered clergy sex abuse victims to lawyers who in turn sued the Catholic Church and then donated large sums back to SNAP.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/snap-announces-director-named-in-lawsuit-has-resigned/ 

Why the Grand Jury Probe Should Be Welcomed, Not Criticized

The Federal Investigation into the Catholic Church's Los Angeles Archdiocese Based on Allegations of a Coverup of Child Sex Abuse: Why the Grand Jury Probe Should Be Welcomed, Not Criticized.

Recently, it was announced that Los Angeles United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien was starting a grand jury investigation into allegations of a child sex abuse coverup by the Catholic Church's Los Angeles Archdiocese. The announcement was met with consternation and defensive cries from various Catholic quarters. Before they drown out the larger public good, however it is worthwhile to spend some time with the facts – which, I will argue, show that a grand jury investigation is exactly what should be occurring now.

http://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-commentary/marci-a-hamilton-archive.html 

Six cases where the sexual abuse scandal touches Pope Francis

Recent revelations concerning Pope Francis and negligence over sexual abuse of minors are calling into question his strong words condemning the cover-up of sexual abuse.
In March 2014, in an announcement that received massive publicity, Pope Francis promised a new, more improved Vatican response to the clerical abuse of minors. He reaffirmed that the Vatican would institute zero tolerance for pedophile priests. He announced the creation of a new papal commission on child protection made up of Cardinals, experts, and victims of clergy abuse. This past May, Pope Francis spoke of the scandal again by saying, "This is a tragedy, we must not tolerate the abuse of minors. We must defend minors. And we must severely punish the abusers." Yet, there appears to be a gulf between his words on reform and the reality.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/six-cases-where-the-sexual-abuse-scandal-touches-pope-francis 

Child Welfare Unit Tied to Toddler’s Death Is Understaffed and Poorly Trained, Report Says

A unit of child welfare workers that took two days to find a 3-year-old Brooklyn boy, who later died, was understaffed and poorly trained in how to search a database that contained the toddler’s correct address, a report issued on Thursday by the New York City Investigation Department said.

The boy, Jaden Jordan, was found unconscious and covered in feces in his home on Nov. 28 — two days after the city’s Administration for Children’s Services had received an anonymous child-abuse complaint. Social workers had spent those 48 hours knocking on the wrong doors.

Jaden’s case was another high-profile death involving a child whose family had previous contact with the child welfare agency, which was already under immense scrutiny.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/nyregion/brooklyn-ny-jaden-jordan-acs.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170126&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y&_r=0 

Hergott: Facing the abuser

Child sexual abuse is occurring all around us, but public awareness and discussion about the problem is horribly lacking. We have become painfully aware of systemic child sexual abuse in residential schools.
We have come to grasp the scope of historic child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, most vividly through the Pulitzer Prize winning movie, Spotlight.

http://www.kelownacapnews.com/opinion/411905266.html 

Longtime leader resigns from priest sex abuse victims’ advocacy group

David Clohessy, who for more than two decades was the face of a national victims’ advocacy group that pressured the Catholic Church to take a more aggressive stance on the priest sex abuse issue, has stepped down from the organization.
An official with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said this week that Clohessy voluntarily resigned as executive director on Dec. 31. The announcement, sent to SNAP volunteers, came seven days after a former employee filed an explosive lawsuit against the organization claiming SNAP was exploiting sexual abuse victims and receiving kickbacks from attorneys for sending clients their way.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/living/religion/article129018649.html#storylink=cpy

 

http://www.kansascity.com/living/religion/article129018649.html 

Christchurch Cathedral could be stripped of bishops' and deans' photos after a child sexual abuse hearing

PHOTOS of Newcastle’s Anglican bishops and deans could be removed from Christchurch Cathedral after shocking evidence about church knowledge of child sex offenders in the Hunter region.
The Cathedral board will decide in February if photos, including of defrocked former Dean Graeme Lawrence and Archbishop Roger Herft – the highest-ranking Australian casualty of the church’s dark history of abuse - will be removed under a diocese renewal process.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4424150/church-to-remove-bishops-photos-from-cathedral/ 

Proposed bill could remove D.C. sex crimes statute of limitations

proposed bill could end the statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes in D.C.
The legislation, proposed by Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh on Jan. 10, would end the current time limit on prosecuting cases of sexual assault, including for rape and child abuse crimes, as well as other felony sex crimes.

https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/01/25/proposed-bill-could-remove-d-c-sex-crimes-statute-of-limitations/ 

WINZ bosses murder a beneficiary – Paula Bennet is responsible

A coroner’s inquest has revealed how WINZ has adopted a punitive culture that led directly to the recent suicide of one of the people it was meant to be helping.
Celebrated former beneficiary Paula Bennet was the minister in charge at the time and should be help responsible.

http://www.unite.org.nz/winz_bosses_murder_a_beneficiary_paula_bennet_is_responsible 

High-ranking Catholic priests push for an end to celibacy

A group of 11 retired high-ranking Catholic priests is causing a stir across Germany with their request to abolish celibacy. The men are part of a group of clerics who were anointed in 1967 in Cologne – a city considered both a Catholic stronghold and one of Germany’s most progressive and gay-friendly cities.

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2017/01/high-ranking-catholic-priests-push-end-celibacy/?newsletter=1 

Lawsuit charges SNAP works for lawyers, not sex-abuse victims

A former fundraiser for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has filed a lawsuit against the group, charging that it “callously disregards the real interests of victims” in order to raise money from plaintiffs’ lawyers.
Gretchen Hammond, who was director of development for SNAP from 2011 to 2013, says in her lawsuit that SNAP is a “commercial operation premised on farming out abuse victims as clients for attorneys.” She reports that more than 80% of SNAP’s revenues comes from lawyers, in donations that she describes as “kickbacks” paid by attorneys for whom the group provides clients.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=30529 

New Book by Vatileaks Journalist Alleges Vatican Inaction on Abuse

Emiliano Fittipaldi, one of the two Italian journalists charged in the Vatileaks 2 trial, has written a new book called Lust (Lussuria) in which he accuses several high-ranking prelates in the Vatican, Italy and elsewhere, some close to Pope Francis, of covering up or undermining investigations of priests under their jurisdiction who sexually abused minors over past decades.

http://www.americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/new-book-vatileaks-journalist-alleges-vatican-inaction-abuse 

Britain’s Soccer Sex Abuse Scandal

LONDON — Britain is shuddering from the revelation of yet another child sexual abuse scandal. What has shocked the nation even more profoundly this time is that it happened in soccer: the national game, a source of pride.

In November, a former football player named Andrew Woodward waived his right to anonymity to talk to The Guardian about his experience of being sexually abused as a young player by Barry Bennell, a former soccer coach, talent scout and pedophile. Mr. Bennell was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1998 after admitting to 23 charges of sexual offenses against six boys, ages 9 to 15. (This week, appearing in court on a new set of charges relating to sexual abuse against a boy in the 1980s, Mr. Bennell pleaded not guilty.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/opinion/britains-soccer-sex-abuse-scandal.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170119&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y&_r=0 

SNAP denies ex-employee’s claim of kickback scheme

The country's most visible advocacy group for survivors of clerical sexual abuse is denying claims made by an ex-employee, who charges in a lawsuit that the group “does not focus on protecting or helping survivors, it exploits them," including taking kickbacks from lawyers suing the Church.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments by the SNAP ex-employee who filed the lawsuit.]

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2017/01/19/snap-denies-ex-employees-claim-kickback-scheme/ 

Ex-worker sues priest sex-abuse victims advocacy group, says it exploited survivors

A former employee of the Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has sued the victims advocacy group, alleging that SNAP exploited victims of sexual abuse by clergy in return for financial kickbacks from attorneys.
According to a lawsuit filed this week in Cook County Circuit Court, Gretchen Rachel Hammond worked as a director of development from July 2011 until she said she was fired in February 2013, shortly after asking superiors whether SNAP was referring potential clients to attorneys in exchange for donations.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-snap-lawsuit-met-20170119-story.html 

Historic child abuse inquiry will be judged on 'truth it delivers'

Northern Ireland's public inquiry into child abuse at residential homes run by churches and the state will be judged on the extent to which it delivers truth and justice, campaigners said.  The Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry is due to publish its report on Friday.

Evidence from hundreds of witnesses during 223 days of hearings outlined claims of brutality and sex abuse dating back to the 1920s at the homes. Some of those allegations have been challenged by the religious orders involved.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/historic-child-abuse-inquiry-will-be-judged-on-truth-it-delivers-35380917.html 

Report cites pastoral protection in Virginia abuse case

An external review of responses to reports of sexual abuse in a Virginia congregation has led Mennonite Church USA staff to conclude the lead pastor acted in ways that protected the alleged perpetrator, to the detriment of caring for the victim.
In their response to the report, the staff members recommend ways to prevent future problems, including “regular trainings on healthy boundaries” for all pastors in the denomination.

http://mennoworld.org/2017/01/19/news/report-cites-pastoral-protection-in-virginia-abuse-case/ 

‘Predator!’ Neighbor Of Paula Deen’s ‘Pedophile’ Priest Says He Hid Sick Double Life

Insider ‘shocked’ over suicide & sex abuse lawsuit.   As police dig into their suicide investigation of Paula Deen’s alleged “pedophile” priest brother-in-law ,  Henry Groover III, neighbors told RadarOnline.com that they are completely “shocked” and “saddened” to hear that an accused “sexual predator” was so close to their children for all these years!

http://radaronline.com/videos/paula-deen-brother-in-law-pedophile-priest-lawsuit-neighbor-interview/ 

Fresno State AD opens up about alleged abuse by priest as child

Jim Bartkow, 51, says was molested some 35 times in the early 1970s by his priest and basketball coach at a Catholic church in California.

Fresno State athletic director Jim Bartko has opened up in recent days to tell co-workers — and the public — that he was molested some 35 times as a child in the early 1970s by his priest and basketball coach at a Catholic church in Northern California.

http://www.sportal.co.nz/basketball/news/fresno-state-ad-opens-up-about-alleged-abuse-by-priest-as-child/1bp4fyj8xnhm91w5xmt21pa6de 

Fresno State AD reveals molestation as child, tells other victims ‘don’t be ashamed’

In a residential treatment facility last month, 44 years of anxiety, guilt and shame began to lift off the shoulders of Fresno State Athletic Director Jim Bartko.
Bartko checked himself into Sierra Tucson, which provides rehabilitation services in Tucson, Ariz., on Dec. 20 with the intent of addressing issues with insomnia and anxiety that began as a child. After some inconclusive tests, a therapist asked Bartko a poignant and terrifying question: “Why did you not sleep when you were 11?”

 http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/college/mountain-west/fresno-state/article126656644.html

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/college/mountain-west/fresno-state/article126656644.html#storylink=cpy

Pope has done almost nothing to halt sex abuse, author claims

The last time Italian journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi wrote an exposé about corruption at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, it landed him in a Vatican court facing a possible jail sentence on charges that he had illegally obtained confidential church papers in the course of his reporting.
Now, six months after the 42-year-old reporter was cleared of all charges, Fittipaldi is taking on the church again. This time in a new book that accuses Pope Francis of doing “close to nothing” to stop clerical sexual abuse in Italy and around the world, despite the Argentinean pope’s frequent assertions that he has zero tolerance for the abuse of children or those who protect abusers.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/15/catholic-church-not-done-enough-to-tackle-abuse-claims-new-book 

Interfaith service Quran reading sparks Scottish Catholic church upset

Scottish Christians have expressed upset after sections of the Quran were read out during a service marking the feast of the Epiphany at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow, prompting the leader of the country’s Anglican church to voice his concern over the reaction.

The unrest in the Scottish church comes after a row broke out over the decision to include passages from the Quran read in Arabic by a local Muslim student during a service at the cathedral.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2017/01/16/Interfaith-service-Quran-reading-sparksx-Scottish-Catholic-upset.html 

I was sexually abused as a teen by the N.J. priest arrested for child porn | Opinion

I am the unnamed sex-abuse victim of Kevin Gugliotta, the poker-playing priest arrested on Oct. 29 on child pornography charges. mentioned in Mark Meuller's story in The Star-Ledger on Dec. 6.
The article made it clear that the Newark Archdiocese's statement was misleading if not an outright lie: "There are no allegations that he engaged in similar activities in New Jersey,"

http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/01/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_teen_by_the_nj_priest_a.html 

Potiphar’s Wife – The Vatican’s Secret and Child Sex Abuse.

A few weeks ago the Roman Church gathered its heavenly forces, summoned her faithful from around the world to assemble in the eternal city, and in the midst of extravagant Renaissance-style splendor, infallibly declared two of her recent CEOs to have been translated into the presence of Almighty God, amid hosts of angels and Archangels on high. Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II were enrolled in the official canon of saints by Pope Francis, in the presence of his predecessor Pope Benedict and a gaggle of episcopal turkeys.

http://johnmenadue.com/blog/?p=1696 

Concerns raised over delays in extraditing Catholic priest accused of abuse

A man who says he was abused by an Australian Catholic priest has expressed concerns about perceived delays in the investigation.

The abuse is said to have been committed in the UK, and the Crown Office there had announced plans to extradite the man from Sydney more than a year ago.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-12/concerns-raised-about-delays-in-extraditing-catholic-priest/8177664 

Athletic director reveals years of shame after molestation in hopes of helping others

In a residential treatment facility last month, 44 years of anxiety, guilt and shame began to lift off the shoulders of Fresno State Athletic Director Jim Bartko.
Bartko checked himself into Sierra Tucson, which provides rehabilitation services in Tucson, Ariz., on Dec. 20 with the intent of addressing issues with insomnia and anxiety that began as a child. After some inconclusive tests, a therapist asked Bartko a poignant and terrifying question: “Why did you not sleep when you were 11?”

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/college/article126706759.html 

Catholic priest sues Diocese of Palm Beach for covering up homosexual abuse [Catholic Caucus]

In January, 2015, Fr. Gallagher caught a visiting priest from India showing homosexual pornography to a 14 year old boy. Fr. Gallagher rightly went straight to the police.
However, in doing so, this good priest felt the wrath of the local Bishop, Gerald Barbarito. It seems the bishop was not at all happy that Fr. Gallagher had had this vile sodomite arrested. Apparently, the Diocese had preferred to spirit the sodomite out of the country, back to India. Barbarito responded to Fr Gallagher's righteous actions to go straight to the police by releasing his underlings - clerical and lay -in the Diocese to smear the Irish born priest.

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-religion/3514250/posts 

NZ men 'near top' of global paedophile ring

New Zealand men were top players in the world's largest paedophile ring, busted in a sophisticated and continuing global police operation.
Their victims included three New Zealand children filmed in horrendous sexual abuse and 16 more groomed for assault, said Detective Senior Sergeant John Michael, head of the Wellington-based Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand Unit.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4781787/NZ-men-near-top-of-global-paedophile-ring 

The ups and downs of the Catholic Church

Reading and reflecting through our readers comments, views, spirituality etc…sometimes one gets the idea that because we are baptised, we should have an easy life!
Our Catholic sign is the Cross. We were never promised a rose garden! Psychologically and spiritually we should prepare ourselves for challenges 24/7. We have to convince a lot of people because the Catholic Church is composed of more than 1 billion people. Not everybody sees the urgency in calling for married priesthood! Not everybody agrees with our ideas. Shall we drop our ‘fighting’ spirit? Shall we enclose ourselves in our small world? No way!

https://maltesemarriedcatholicpriest.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/the-ups-and-downs-of-the-catholic-church/ 

As I See It: Notre Dame, Mount Carmel and Martin Luther King

On this Martin Luther King holiday, local Catholics depressed by the impending demolition of two of Worcester's landmark churches might find in King's legacy some ideas for renewing the mission and hopefulness of their community.
Right now the rapidly approaching doom of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, long home for the city's Italian Americans, and the beautiful center-city Notre Dame des Canadiens Church, built by Worcester French Canadians provide the latest, and perhaps most dramatic, signs of not-for-the-better change for the city's Catholics.

http://www.telegram.com/opinion/20170116/as-i-see-it-notre-dame-mount-carmel-and-martin-luther-king 

Priest dies weeks after child abuse charges reinstated

A former Hunter Valley Anglican priest accused of child abuse has died just weeks after charges against him were reinstated.

During a recent royal commission hearing into Newcastle's Anglican Diocese, abuse survivor CKA said he was abused by George Parker while he was an altar boy between 1971 and 1975. A trial against Father Parker started in 2001, but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ended up withdrawing the charges.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-12/priest-dies-weeks-after-child-abuse-charges-reinstated/8178476 

Judge okays lawsuit against Legion of Christ

A Rhode Island judge is allowing a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars to move forward against the disgraced Roman Catholic order the Legion of Christ. The lawsuit, brought by the national anti-abortion group Americans United for Life, says the Legion interfered with an inheritance the group should have received from a wealthy widow.

It says the Legion conspired to get Gabrielle Mee to cut the group out of her will and instead give her entire $60 million fortune to the Legion. Bernard Jackvony, a lawyer for Americans United for Life, said up to $6 million is at stake.

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2017/01/judge-okays-lawsuit-legion-christ/?newsletter=1 

Diocese bankruptcy plan approved

The Diocese of Stockton announced this week that a judge has approved their bankruptcy plan, including the establishment of a $15 million trust for survivors of sexual abuse committed by church officials.

On Tuesday a judge from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California approved the Roman Catholic Bishop of Stockton’s consensual Plan of Reorganization. The plan provides $15 million through cash contributions and a promissory note to fund a trust for the exclusive benefit of survivors of clergy sexual abuse; provide non-monetary commitments such as therapy and counseling; payment of at least 50 percent of what is owed to general unsecured creditors; and restructuring of secured loans.

http://www.turlockjournal.com/section/12/article/33538/ 

Parishioner banned from Kansas City diocese properties for interactions with children

The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has banned a longtime parishioner from all church property for violating “safe boundaries” in his interactions with children.
The parishioner acknowledged in an interview that he had violated an agreement to stay away from children, but said he’d done nothing inappropriate.

http://www.kansascity.com/living/religion/article125995379.html

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/living/religion/article125995379.html#storylink=cpy

Priest sues diocese, claiming it punished him for reporting sex abuse

A former priest at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church on Wednesday sued the Diocese of Palm Beach, claiming it punished him for exposing a pedophile priest rather than covering it up as they wanted.
The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, accuses the diocese and Bishop Gerald Barbarito of defaming the Rev. John Gallagher. The 49-year-old priest pointed to a statement posted last year on the diocesan website that said Gallagher was “blatantly lying” and “in need of professional assistance” for claiming church leaders urged him not to tell police a visiting priest in January 2015 had shown pornographic pictures to a 14-year-old youth at the suburban West Palm Beach church.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/priest-sues-diocese-claiming-punished-him-for-reporting-sex-abuse/eB6segzLBqLrAwrdpgOxTN/ 

We Were Abused as Boy Scouts. Why Didn’t Rex Tillerson Speak Out?

As president of the Boy Scouts, Rex Tillerson never apologized after it was revealed that thousands of boys had been sexually abused over the years by scoutmasters and volunteers. I was one of those children.

Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson served as president of the Boy Scouts, from 2010 to 2012, a sexual abuse scandal was engulfing the organization.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/11/we-were-abused-as-boy-scouts-why-didn-t-rex-tillerson-speak-out.html 

Group offers training to help clergy spot abuse

Carol Igo was concerned about the prevalence of violence against children and wondered how her church could help, but she didn’t know where to start.
That’s when she heard of the Center for Family Safety and Healing, a Columbus organization focused on addressing family violence. She found out that the church she attends, Maple Grove United Methodist Church, could donate to the center and take advantage of its training program to educate church members.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/faith_and_values/2017/01/13/group-offers-training-to-help-clergy-spot-abuse.html 

Detective testifies he warned prosecutor of 'great inconsistencies' in story of key witness in trial of Msgr. Lynn

It was January 2012, a month before the start of the child endangerment trial of Msgr. William J. Lynn, and retired Philadelphia Police Detective Joseph Walsh was called back to work by the District Attorney's Office to prep a key prosecution witness.

Instead, Walsh told a Philadelphia judge Friday, the veteran detective found himself unable to get the 23-year-old witness to explain numerous inconsistencies in his story of being molested by two priests and a parochial-school teacher in a Northeast parish in 1998 and 1999.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20170114_Detective_testifies_he_warned_prosecutor_of__great_inconsistencies__in_story_of_key_witness_in_trial_of_Msgr__Lynn.html 

Lawsuit filed against priest for allegedly luring minor into illegal sex acts

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - A Savannah resident and ordained priest was served a lawsuit claiming that in the 1980's, he lured a minor into illegal sex acts.
Henry Groover has a criminal history. In fact, he was arrested in 2003 for exposing himself to a Savannah-Chatham Metro Police officer. The victim's lawyer Mark Tate says Groover specifically sought out a new house to be near the victim, who is now an adult. He said Groover knew where the victim and his family lived.

http://www.wtoc.com/story/34250467/lawsuit-filed-against-priest-for-allegedly-luring-minor-into-illegal-sex-acts#

Jamaican Pastor Faces Another Sexual Misconduct Charge — Involving His First Alleged Victim’s Sister

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thursday January 12, 2017 – The crisis which erupted in the Moravian Church in Jamaica with the arrest of one pastor at the centre of sexual misconduct allegations, is deepening.
Just days after Pastor Rupert Clarke was formally charged and granted bail for carnal abuse of a 15-year-old girl, he is set to slapped with a second charge.

http://www.caribbean360.com/news/jamaican-pastor-now-facing-another-charge-carnal-abuse-first-alleged-victims-sister 

Statute-of-limitations proponents set to renew push for change in sex-abuse law

Whether to make any new child sexual abuse statute-of-limitation laws retroactive to include past incidents that have gone unpursued in the legal system became a point of contention in the Pennsylvania General Assembly last year.
It appears like the same political and legal debate might occur again during the 2017 session that recently got underway. Currently, victims who were under the age of 18 when alleged abuse occurred can file civil charges until they reach age 30. Criminal charges can also be brought until age 30 for individuals born before Aug. 27, 2002. That limit increases to age 50 for accusers born after that same date.

http://www.tribdem.com/news/statute-of-limitations-proponents-set-to-renew-push-for-change/article_a483d2e4-d53f-11e6-b1da-cf47d6bfa596.html 

Dear Brother O’Neill . a former Christian Brothers pupil writes

There is nothing ‘historical’ about the child abuse I suffered 45 years ago – the kind your order now seems to want to forget all about. My anguish continues;  A reader writes an open letter to Hugh O’Neill, superior general of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, in Rome.
Dear Superior General, – Only last year, in my late 50s, I woke up to the exact nature and general effects of abuse I suffered at the hands of two of your Christian Brothers here in Ireland before I was 12. One is dead, the other alive in Ireland and living a secular life outside your congregation.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/dear-brother-o-neill-a-former-christian-brothers-pupil-writes-1.2879416 

Hundreds of church sex abuse victims continue to come forward

Fifteen years after the clergy sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston broke into public view, hundreds of victims around the world continue to come forward, including some who say they were attacked as recently as 2001, advocates said Thursday.
Two victims’ support groups and a lawyer who has represented more than 2,000 survivors worldwide denounced church officials for doing too little to help those who were abused and to protect children from harm, despite ongoing revelations about the scope of the crisis.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/05/church-sex-abuse-victims-still-coming-forward/Qe4kWBAdkR4NWqDepiNEXM/story.html 

Legal expert: Religious freedom does not justify child abuse

Two Minnesota parents are facing charges of child neglect after they prayed over their severely ill son rather than seeking medical attention just prior to the child’s death.
A criminal complaint says the couple, Sarah Johnson, 38, and Timothy Johnson, 39, found their son Seth, 7, unresponsive and covered in vomit one morning in March 2015.  The parents told authorities they had decided to pray over Seth and treat him with vitamins and honey the night before his death rather than call 911 because they had “issues with doctors.”

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/NewsBriefs/Default.aspx?rssGuid=legal-expert-religious-freedom-does-not-justify-child-abuse-42191/ 

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson subpoenaed again for deposition in sex abuse lawsuits

Lawyers for a group of people suing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over accusations of sex abuse have renewed a deposition subpoena for President Thomas S. Monson.
They want the 89-year-old leader of the LDS Church to sit for a deposition and answer what -- if anything -- he knows about accusations of sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s and '70s in a church-run program on the Navajo reservation.

http://fox13now.com/2017/01/05/lds-church-president-thomas-s-monson-subpoenaed-again-for-deposition-in-sex-abuse-lawsuits/ 

Astounding 3D Face of Jesus Christ Revealed Through The Shroud of Turin

Full 2 part movie about The Shroud of Turin giving the man in the shroud his actual 3D face (and body) back. New dating methods reveals the much older date of the cloth than previously thought. It's accomplished through new computer methods and enhancements. Does this face belong to Jesus Christ? Yes, this video convinced me.

 

Church allowed abuse by priest for years

This article was prepared by the Globe Spotlight Team: reporters Matt Carroll, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Michael Rezendes; and editor Walter V. Robinson. It was written by Rezendes.
Since the mid-1990s, more than 130 people have come forward with horrific childhood tales about how former priest John J. Geoghan allegedly fondled or raped them during a three-decade spree through a half-dozen Greater Boston parishes.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/special-reports/2002/01/06/church-allowed-abuse-priest-for-years/cSHfGkTIrAT25qKGvBuDNM/story.html?p1=Article_Related_Box_Article 

Lynn could avoid new trial in clergy sex abuse coverup

Common Pleas Court Judge Gwendolyn Bright ruled Thursday that Monsignor William Lynn should be given the chance to avoid a new trial.

A hearing on his lawyer’s motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for Jan. 11. Bright may also decide then what evidence will be permitted at a new trial scheduled to start in mid-May.

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2017/01/lynn-avoid-new-trial-clergy-sex-abuse-coverup/ 

Northbridge school employee charged with child pornography

An Uxbridge Cub Scout leader and instructional assistant at Northbridge High School was arrested following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on child pornography charges Thursday. Dozens of pornographic videos of children were found posted online from his home and school Internet service, authorities said.
Jason A. Andolina, 42, an Uxbridge resident who worked in Northbridge, appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Worcester before Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy. A preliminary detention hearing was set for Monday.

http://www.telegram.com/news/20170106/northbridge-school-employee-charged-with-child-pornography 

Contact us; Royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse

Contact us CallWithin Australia call  1800 099 340 From overseas call 61 2 8815 2319 Open Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm AEDT.  TTY call 133 677 Speak and Listen call 1300 555 727 Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) Call 131 450 for assistance.

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/contact-us/

Royal Commission to challenge the Vatican on Catholic Church law

OPE Francis has been accused of “doing nothing” to end the Catholic Church’s refusal to report child sexual abuse to police in most of the world after a papal letter to bishops on January 2, only weeks before a major Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse final hearing into the church.
The Pope condemned “the covering up and denial” of sexual abuse within the church, which he described as “a sin that shames us”.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4385890/pope-in-the-spotlight/ 

Vatican still talking about child sexual abuse, but not acting

ON January 2 Pope Francis issued a letter to the world’s bishops condemning the “covering up and denial” of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and claiming the church has a “zero tolerance” of abuse.
But while the Pope refuses to change canon law his words are just more “bella figura” – an Italian term for keeping up appearances and hiding mistakes.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4385186/pope-francis-needs-to-act-on-the-silence-of-the-bishops/ 

Fighting sex abuse in the Church goes global, from the ground up

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, president of the Center for Child Protection at the Gregorian University, believes that the church's typical top-down approach in handling sex-abuse allegations may not be enough. He proposes a global alliance comprised by individual priests, religious and laity along with Catholic universities, religious orders and bishops' conferences.

https://cruxnow.com/cns/2016/12/30/fighting-sex-abuse-church-goes-global-ground/ 

Northeast Philly man delivers Pizzagate tirade at Center City church

The Northeast Philadelphia man who gained recognition for hoisting a "Hillary 4 Prison" sign on Roosevelt Boulevard during the 2016 presidential campaign burst into the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul early Monday and delivered a screed against the Catholic Church, invoking the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory in the process.
Howard Caplan had already made his fringe views known in November, when he went to Washington, D.C. to protest outside Comet Ping Pong Pizza, the restaurant embroiled by false accusations of covering up a child sex operation run by Hillary Clinton and her former campaign chairman John Podesta.

http://www.phillyvoice.com/northeast-philly-man-delivers-pizzagate-tirade-center-city-church/ 

Sex Abuse Scandal: Victims Of Pedophile Priests Claim Pope Francis Was Made Aware Since 2014

Sexual abuse in Catholicism has been a sticky topic over the years with many priests being subjected to rumors and some proven to be guilty of crossing the line with children. While the Vatican has been made of aware of the recent allegations, more troubling news is coming to surface with many people demanding answers.
According to FOX News Latino, alleged victims of Rev. Nicola Corradi said they wrote a letter to the pontiff in 2014 warning him that the purported pedophile had been reassigned to the South American country.

http://www.latintimes.com/sex-abuse-scandal-victims-pedophile-priests-claim-pope-francis-was-made-aware-2014-407999 

Historic child sex abuse inquiry will not tackle Church of England cases until 2018

The public inquiry into child sexual abuse within the Church of England and other institutions is to be sped up and partially scaled back. Professor Alexis Jay, who is chairing the inquiry, has said that she wants to refocus the inquiry into preventing abuse.

 She told The Guardian that she remained committed to pursuing all 13 investigations into preventing abuse. "non-recent abuse" with institutions, including the Catholic church and the Houses of Parliament.

http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/historic-child-sex-abuse-inquiry-will-not-tackle-church-of-england-cases-until-2018/story-30005937-detail/story.html 

Assignment Record– Rev. Jesse S. Linam

Summary of Case: Jesse S. Linam was ordained for the Galveston-Houston diocese in 1961. He assisted in parishes in Rosenberg, Houston and Galveston before pastoring in Channelview, Freeport and Bellview. In 1993 he was permanently removed from ministry due to unspecified allegations of child sexual abuse from years before. In 2002 he was the subject of a lawsuit, accused of having sexually abused a boy at St. Andrew's in Channelview during 1973-1974. The suit alleged that Linam had sexually abused "numerous minor boys" between 1961 and 1993. It was dismissed due to the Texas statute of limitations, which required those alleging abuse as minors to come forward by age 20.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/Linam_Jesse_S.html 

Pope probes Order of Malta ouster over old condom scandal

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis launched an investigation Thursday into the ouster of a top official at the Order of Malta, the ancient aristocratic religious order, amid evidence that Francis’ own envoy to the group engineered the removal without his blessing over a years-old condom scandal.

http://www.dailyjournal.net/2016/12/22/eu-rel-vatican-order-of-malta/ 

Francis denounces resistance to Vatican reform in Christmas speech to curia

Pope Francis on Thursday lashed out against high-level Catholic prelates who have been opposing his efforts to reform the Vatican's central bureaucracy, using an annual pre-Christmas meeting to say that while some cardinals and archbishops offer questions in a spirit of goodwill others practice a "malevolent resistance."
Such sinister opposition, the pontiff said, "sprouts from twisted minds and presents itself when the devil inspires bad intentions."

https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-denounces-resistance-vatican-reform-christmas-speech-curia 

The church and moral leadership – part 1

The Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, as well as her sister provinces across the world must be experiencing what may be one of their darkest moments in several decades, on account of the arrest and charge of a senior minister for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20170104/church-and-moral-leadership-part-1 

15th lawsuit filed against church naming former priest with history of sexual abuse

Raymond Cepeda was stripped of his title and laicized in 2009 after he was accused of sexual abuse.

Guam - A 15^th lawsuit has been filed against the Archdiocese of Agana and names a former clergy member who’s been accused of sexual abuse before in the suit as well.

http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/local/12080 

Kerala priest booked under Section 377 for unnatural sex with 10-year-old boy

Gosh what will they think of now?? unnatural sex... it is bloody RAPE... get it into your thick skulls... RAPE of children... it is a CRIME...  Ann

 =========================

The incident took place at a boarding school where the priest was the principal.  A 65-year-old priest in Kerala was arrested on Sunday for indulging in unnatural sexual abuse with a 10-year-old boy in Kochi's Kunnathunad area. The incident took place at a boarding school, King David International School, where the boy studied. Father Basil Kuriyakose was the principal of the school.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/kerala-priest-booked-under-section-377-unnatural-sex-10-year-old-boy-710591 

The Legacy of Rav Elyashiv

It's hard to imagine a greater chilul Hashem than this. A former Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel is going to prison. For massive bribery and corruption. The classic antisemitic trope of the cheating, money-grabbing Jew is being displayed to the world in the person who holds the office that represents Judaism.

http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2016/12/the-legacy-of-rav-elyashiv.html 

Jehovah’s Witnesses are confronting allegations of a widespread child sexual abuse coverup

Jehovah’s Witnesses are confronting allegations of a widespread child sexual abuse coverup, mostly centered around a database of abusers that critics say are managed by their Brooklyn Watchtower Bible and Tract Society headquarters, a property recently purchased by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

http://www.inquisitr.com/3835778/jehovahs-witnesses-watchtower-society-houses-hidden-sexual-abuse-records-says-journalist/ 

Keep reporting the truth, Boston Globe editor tells journalists

Boston Globe editor-at-large Walter Robinson gave this advice at a gathering of around 370 foreign journalists at the second the Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC), which the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) stages every two years.
Robinson was the keynote speaker at the conference, held last September 23 to 25 Kathmandu, Nepal, with the theme “Uncovering Asia.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/858100/keep-reporting-the-truth-boston-globe-editor-tells-journalists 

Evangelist Clayton Jennings Steps Away From Ministry After Multiple Sex Partners Come Forward

Clayton Jennings, a youth evangelist, author and actor who rose to fame in 2011 after his self-produced film "Strayland" became a hit, has stepped away from his ministry after several women came forward alleging he engaged in extra-marital sexual relations with them.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelist-clayton-jennings-steps-away-from-ministry-after-multiple-sex-partners-come-forward-171842/ 

Promiscuous Preacher Caught in Sex Scandal Aims for New Year Comeback Despite Elders’ Counsel

A self-described evangelist, author and poet who had his ministerial credentials revoked last month after confessing to sexual indiscretions with multiple women, including at least one of his followers, has decided to reject the counsel of his now former elders and found a new church—announcing a comeback.

http://christiannews.net/2016/12/30/promiscuous-preacher-caught-in-sex-scandal-aims-for-new-year-comeback-despite-elders-counsel/ 

Former B.C. Catholic teacher sues church, alleging sexual assault by priest four decades ago

VANCOUVER—A former elementary school teacher is suing a diocese of the Roman Catholic church, alleging she was sexually assaulted by a priest while working at a church-run school four decades ago in Kamloops, B.C.

The woman alleges in a notice of civil claim that she sought psychological and spiritual advice and counselling from Rev. Erlindo Molon soon after she began teaching at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/30/former-bc-catholic-teacher-sues-church-alleging-sexual-assault-by-priest-40-years-ago.html 

Sex abuse victims may get vote on archdiocese compensation plans

Sex abuse victims and other creditors of the bankrupt Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will apparently get to vote on competing compensation plans.
A federal judge has approved summaries of two plans, and such approval is a prerequisite for a vote.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/12/29/sex-abuse-victims-may-get-vote-on-archdiocese-compensation-plans 

Catholic priest accused of organising orgies in rectory and pimping out 15 women

Italian 48-year-old allegedly hid pornographic home videos in covers bearing the names of popes.  An Italian priest is being investigated for allegedly organising orgies in his rectory and pimping out up to 15 lovers.
Catholic Father Andrea Contin, a parish priest in the northern city of Padua in Veneto, is under police investigation on suspicion of living off immoral earnings and psychological violence.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/catholic-priest-orgies-rectory-church-andrea-contin-padua-padova-veneto-italy-a7505851.html 

Pope on sex abuse: 'zero tolerance' means just that

First of all... the catholic church needs to acknowedg to the abuse... she did to her children... the nazareth house nuns in New Zealand... have to STOP saying... that there was NO WRONGDOING by their order of nuns... the catholic church nuns and priest... have to stop blaming the men and women... who they abused as children in their so called care.... all we see and hear are false promises... words are cheep unless they are acted upon... and only in the way... that they will help the victims / survivors...  Ann

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

Pope Francis on Monday defended the Catholic Church's much-vaunted "zero tolerance" approach to abuse, while admitting the ancient institution had so far lacked the courage to go all out on stopping paedophile priests.

The church "recognizes the sins of some of her members: the sufferings, the experiences and the pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests. It is a sin that shames us," he said in a letter made public Monday.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-sex-abuse-zero-tolerance-means-just-164127737.html