Ex-Catholic brother jailed for Vic abuse

A Catholic order allowed a religious brother who sexually abused students to keep teaching in Melbourne and moved him to other schools after a complaint was made against him. Former De La Salle brother Frank Terrence Keating, 75, was on Friday sentenced to five years and three months in jail for indecently assaulting eight school boys between 1969 and 1977. A Catholic order allowed a religious brother who sexually abused students to keep teaching in Melbourne and moved him to other schools after a complaint was made against him. Victorian County Court judge Gregory Lyon said Keating was able to continue abusing students after that period because the De La Salle order did not take any further action against him.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/04/20/10/28/ex-catholic-brother-jailed-for-vic-abuse 

Evidence of honorable intent

It’s anyone’s guess whether it will be enough, but no one can say Bishop Richard J. Malone isn’t putting his money where his mouth is: With the announcement that the Diocese of Buffalo is putting the bishop’s mansion up for sale, it seems clear that the local Catholic Church is serious about securing the money in needs to settle claims of sexual abuse by priests. Malone announced the plan this week after hinting at it weeks ago when, as new accusations of abuse were being made public, the church announced creation of a fund to compensate victims. No properties would be off limits, he pledged – even the bishop’s stately mansion on Oakland Place in Buffalo. Plainly, he meant it.

http://buffalonews.com/2018/04/19/editorial-evidence-of-honorable-intent/ 

Court To Decide Vatican Finance Chief’s Sexual Abuse Case Next Month

Vatican Finance Chief’s Fate To Be Decided Next Month Vatican Finance chief, Cardinal George Pell will find out next month if he will stand trial on sexual offense charges, as his lawyer argued Tuesday the cleric was being targeted to punish the Catholic Church. Naija News learnt that Pell, a top adviser to Pope Francis, is accused of multiple historic offenses relating to incidents that allegedly occurred years ago. He took leave to return to Australia to fight the allegations being heard in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

https://www.naijanews.com/2018/04/17/court-to-decide-vatican-finance-chiefs-sexual-abuse-case-next-month/ 

Bishop of Galloway says abuse scandal ‘blackens good name’ of Church

The catholic church never had a good name... she ruled with hate... fear.... abused... rape... control and greed... her god  and love is still MONEY... Ann
=================================== 

A Catholic bishop has said the case of a paedophile priest has “poisoned relationships” within the clergy and helped undermine the work of the Church. The Bishop of Galloway used a pastoral letter to express his concerns at the crimes of Father Paul Moore. Fr Moore, 82, was last week jailed for nine years for sexually abusing three children and a student priest over a 20-year period.

Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/news/bishop-of-galloway-says-abuse-scandal-blackens-good-name-of-church-1-4725906 

Chester Borrows: First World services elusive

LAST Saturday night I went to the movies here in Calgary to see a film reviewed in the newspaper the previous week. The plot was that of a young boy hidden from the authorities in the late 1950s as the government scoured the Canadian countryside removing native children from their parents and placing them in "the care of the state" — institutions known as residential schools.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503423&objectid=12035962 

Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy when they’re ordained. But when they break that vow, their children are left to live a lie

Canadian children of priests have struggled with guilt and suffered from being forsaken by their fathers. Pressure is mounting for the church to hold priests accountable as parents. On a winter afternoon in 2016, Michelle Raftis’s long search brought her to the steps of St. Michael’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. She was nervous, and had carefully prepared what she would say to Cardinal Tom Collins. She was done with secrets and lies.

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2018/04/17/catholic-priests-take-a-vow-of-celibacy-when-theyre-ordained-but-when-they-break-that-vow-their-children-are-left-to-live-a-lie.html 

Cardinal George Pell’s defence attorney

Cardinal George Pell’s defence attorney has accused “thwarted” victims of child sexual abuse of inventing claims of historic sex offences against the cardinal to punish the Catholic Church. On the final day of a four-week hearing to determine whether Pell will stand trial over the charges, Robert Richter QC argued Pell’s position as “the face” of the church in Australia made him an “obvious target”, speculating that the allegations brought against him may have been “the product of fantasy [or] the product of some mental problems that the complainant may have been having”. Magistrate Belinda Wallington will hand down her decision on May 1.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/thebriefing/2018/04/18 

AFN National Chief to seek audience with Pope

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde will seek an audience with Pope Francis just under a month after the pontiff refused to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools. “I am writing the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to seek a meeting and I am seeking an audience with Pope Francis directly as well,” Bellegarde said in a Thursday statement.

https://ipolitics.ca/2018/04/19/afn-national-chief-to-seek-audience-with-pope/ 

Chilean cardinal says bishop should resign over abuse crisis

The head of Chile’s Catholic Church said on Thursday that a Chilean bishop accused of covering up sexual abuse should resign, little more than a week after Pope Frances said he had made mistakes in handling Chile’s sexual abuse crisis. Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati told reporters that Juan Barros, a Chilean bishop who allegedly concealed abuse of minors by his mentor Father Fernando Karadima, should resign “without a doubt,” while adding he would not judge “whether or not [Barros] had covered up” the incidents.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-abuse/chilean-cardinal-says-bishop-should-resign-over-abuse-crisis-idUSKBN1HQ36Q 

Women from 'The Keepers' discuss experience at Baltimore conference on child sexual abuse prevention

Three women featured in the documentary “The Keepers” renewed calls Thursday for the Archdiocese of Baltimore to release its files on the priest at the center of the Netflix series. “Open your books, release your records,” Abbie Schaub said at a conference at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Schaub, along with Lil Hughes Knipp and Teresa Lancaster, was featured in a panel at the annual symposium of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, which is part of the public health school.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-the-keepers-panel-20180418-story.html 

Yes, theologies of forgiveness and confession have played a role in Church abuse and cover up

An open Letter to Paul Richardson from Linda Woodhead. Dear Paul Richardson Thank you for an interesting opinion piece on Christian Today, 'Senior clergy don't need MBAs to deal with abuse'. I agree with much that you say. I must take issue, however, with your suggestion that there is little evidence to suport my claim that theologies of forgiveness and confession have played a role in abuse and cover up.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/yes-theologies-of-forgiveness-and-confession-have-played-a-role-in-church-abuse-and-cover-up/128303.htm 

Former archdiocese chancellor accused of sexual abuse being called back to Guam

Former Archdiocese of Agana Chancellor Adrian Cristobal, currently a priest on a mission to the Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona, is being called back to Guam after he was accused in a lawsuit of sexually molesting and abusing a Barrigada parish altar boy on several occasions, from about 1995 to 1997. The Diocese of Phoenix will be notified of the claims of child sexual abuse filed against Cristobal, according to Tony Diaz, the Archdiocese of Agana's director of communication. Diaz said this is because the complaint against Cristobal will be handled in accordance with the Archdiocese of Agana's sexual abuse and sexual misconduct policy.

https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2018/04/11/former-archdiocese-chancellor-accused-sexual-abuse-being-called-back-guam/502062002/ 

Adelaide Archbishop's fate in the balance

A NSW magistrate is considering a submission from Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson to drop the case against the clergyman involving claims he covered up child sex abuse by a fellow priest. After prosecutor Gareth Harrison formally closed the crown case against Wilson in the Newcastle Local Court today, defence barrister Stephen Odgers SC handed up a detailed “no case to answer” submission to magistrate Robert Stone.

https://indaily.com.au/news/2018/04/10/adelaide-archbishops-fate-balance/ 

Pennsylvania Dioceses Under Largest Sex-Abuse Investigation in History

Six dioceses are involved in the latest grand jury investigation into possible sex abuse cover up. PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (ChurchMilitant.com) - A 22-month investigation is expected to reveal the worst revelation of sex abuse and its cover up in U.S. history, according to a Pennsylvania politician. State Rep. Mark Rozzi is claiming "There has never been another grand jury like this … in history as far as it pertains to child sex abuse. This is going to be the worst report ever." He adds the investigation will reveal a "pattern of collusion" across the dioceses of Erie, Harrisburg, Greensburg, Allentown, Pittsburgh and Scranton.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/pennsylvania-dioceses-under-largest-sex-abuse-investigation-in-history 

Grand jury report next for Catholic Diocese of Erie

After disclosing names of 51 accused priests and laypeople, Bishop Lawrence Persico predicts release of grand jury findings will be another “sobering moment.” The unprecedented release of information is far from over for the Catholic Diocese of Erie. Even with Bishop Lawrence Persico’s extraordinary move on Friday to publicize a 51-name list of accused priests and laypeople, more information about child sexual-abuse allegations in the diocese is set to come to light — and soon

http://www.goerie.com/news/20180408/grand-jury-report-next-for-catholic-diocese-of-erie 

Accusers give more details, instances of clergy sex abuses during church interviews

Clergy sex abuse accusers are giving the Catholic Church's attorneys more details and describing more instances of abuse, mostly by priests, during interviews to help evaluate claims for possible settlement, a Seattle-based attorney representing some plaintiffs said. This interview process is much like a deposition. Each person is interviewed for an average of two hours. It is conducted by lawyers for the defendants, including the Archdiocese of Agana, the Boy Scouts of American, Capuchin Franciscans and others associated with the Catholic Church. Victims' attorneys are present during these interviews.

https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2018/04/14/victims-give-more-details-instances-clergy-sex-abuses-during-church-interviews/513329002/ 

Adelaide Archbishop part of 'toxic' cover-up of abuse, trial hears

Prosecutor at archbishop’s trial tells court Philip Wilson was part of a culture of covering things up where ‘victims come second’ Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has been accused of acting like a “cat on a hot tin roof” when trying to absolve himself of guilt over claims he covered up child sexual abuse by a paedophile priest. Prosecutor Gareth Harrison told Newcastle local court that Wilson was a “consummate Catholic politician” who had ducked and weaved when trying not to incriminate himself.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/13/adelaide-archbishop-part-of-toxic-cover-up-of-abuse-trial-hears

Saginaw Diocese to name five additional priests with sexual abuse complaints

The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw will name five additional priests with sexual abuse complaints later Friday, bringing the total to seven amid an ongoing criminal investigation. Bishop Joseph R. Cistone confirmed at a press conference Friday, April 13, that the diocese will publish the names of those priests on its website. Cistone also announced that Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Michael J. Talbot will serve as the independent delegate for the investigation.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2018/04/saginaw_bishop_holds_press_con.html

Vatican: Pope Chile letter a “spiritual state of emergency”

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis’s apology to Chilean sex abuse victims and his request that the country’s bishops come to Rome to discuss reforms amounts to a “spiritual state of emergency” declaration for the Chilean Catholic Church. In an interview with The Associated Press, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Francis’s letter to the Chilean hierarchy was an acknowledgment that he had made mistakes about abuse victims and that “yes, we believe you, you have your place in the Church.”

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/04/12/vatican-pope-chile-letter-a-spiritual-state-of-emergency/ 

Chilean abuse victims welcome pope’s letter, call for zero tolerance

Victims of clergy sexual abuse welcomed Pope Francis’s letter in which he apologized for underestimating the seriousness of the crisis in Chile. James Hamilton, Jose Andres Murillo and Juan Carlos Cruz, victims of Father Fernando Karadima, released a statement April 11 saying they appreciated the pope’s letter and were “evaluating the possibilities” for meeting with the pope. “The damage committed by the hierarchy of the Chilean Church, to which the pope refers, has affected many people, not just us,” the victims said.

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/04/12/chilean-abuse-victims-welcome-popes-letter-call-for-zero-tolerance/ 

Australian State Premier Challenges Catholic Priests’ ‘Seal of Confession’

The premier of the Australian state of New South Wales State has initiated a national discussion on the inviolability of the Catholic “seal of confession” following a Royal Commission recommendation that priests be required to divulge any sexual abuse of children heard in the confessional. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the matter of the seal of confession needed to be handled at the national level, asserting that it goes “beyond the boundaries of any one state.”

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/04/04/australian-premier-challenges-catholic-priests-seal-confession/ 

Pedophile Priests Preyed In Local Parishes

The pedophile priest scandal in Boston, a story told in the Oscar nominated movie Spotlight, earned the Boston Globe a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for breaking the news. But pedophile priests were commonplace decades earlier on the East End, a story that has, for the most part, gone untold. As reported last week exclusively in The Independent — this newspaper has followed the story since 2003 —the Diocese Of Rockville Centre often sent priests accused of inappropriate behavior to eastern Long Island, believing they would blend in better in the sparsely-populated communities here.

https://indyeastend.com/news-opinion/pedophile-priests-preyed-in-local-parishes/ 

Grandfather, 74, breaks six decades of silence to reveal he was raped by Irish nun who fell pregnant with child he's never known

A GRANDFATHER has told of how a depraved Irish nun raped him in a care home as a young boy before becoming pregnant with a child he has never met. Edward Hayes, 74, was sexually abused by Irish nun Sister Mary Conleth, real name Bessie Veronica Lawler, as a vulnerable youngster in the 1950s. The horrific crimes occurred while he was growing up at the John Reynolds Home in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, which was run by The Franciscan Missionaries of St Joseph – a Catholic congregation of nuns.

https://www.irishpost.com/news/grandfather-74-breaks-six-decades-silence-reveal-raped-irish-nun-fell-pregnant-child-hes-never-known-152785 

Former Greensburg Central Catholic principal accused of abuse in Erie Diocese

Updated 2 hours ago. A former Greensburg Central Catholic principal is one of more than 50 priests and laypeople accused by the Erie Diocese of various actions involving the abuse of children. Diocese officials Friday did not divulge details of the claims against Denise Myers, 51, of Unity Township. No criminal charges have been filed against her. Myers could not be reached for comment, and a family member declined to comment.

http://triblive.com/local/regional/13507413-74/former-greensburg-central-catholic-principal-accused-of-abuse-in-erie-diocese 

Task force investigating Saginaw Diocese warns against witness intimidation

The Saginaw County Prosecutor's Office has issued a statement discouraging intimidation and derision of those coming forward in the ongoing investigation of sexual abuse within the Saginaw Catholic Diocese. "The recent verbal attacks on the victims in these cases are unfounded," reads the statement, jointly authored by the task force and prosecutors handling the investigation. "The charges (against the Rev. Robert "Father Bob" DeLand Jr.) are based, in part, on audio/visual police recordings. Any attempts to discourage other victims to come forward by letting them know that they too will be publicly attacked will also be addressed."

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2018/04/task_force_investigating_sagin.html 

Verona Fathers sex abuse case to be heard at the Law Courts in London

Claims of historic sexual abuse at a religious school in Kirklees dating back to the 1970s are be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice. Former pupil Peter Murray hopes the case starting on June 11 will draw a line under a seven-year battle with the Verona Fathers, a Catholic missionary religious congregation based in Rome. Mr Murray, now 59, was a pupil at St Peter Claver College at Roe Head in Mirfield for five years in the 1970s. Whilst there he says he was sexually abused by Michael Riddle, now dead, a married English master who he claims was part of a wider paedophile ring.

https://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/mirfield-sex-abuse-verona-fathers-14497734 

Catholic Church revives the practice of exorcism to meet rising demand, despite claims of abuse

Watch out Satan's workers are out to get you...

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

In a family house in Casapesenna, a small town near Naples, a terrified 13-year-old girl is held down on the bed, wailing and kicking, while a priest orders demons to leave her body. Her parents and the priest had decided that the teenager’s physical ailments, having no obvious cause, were the result of a demonic possession.

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/catholic-church-revives-exorcism/

Six Catholic dioceses under investigation for possible child sexual abuse: The story so far

As early as May, a state grand jury is expected to release the findings of its investigation into allegations of clergy sex abuse across six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania. Since 2016, when the grand jury was empaneled, investigators have been hearing testimony and examining documents in connection to allegations that church officials, in some cases for decades, failed to protect children from predator priests. Here is a primer of this developing story so far:

http://www.pennlive.com/expo/erry-2018/04/a62caa1c387848/six_catholic_dioceses_under_in.html 

Can justice heal scars of sexual abuse by a priest?

Nothing damages a child more than betrayal of trust. Failure by a person who is supposed to love and/or protect the child leaves lifelong scars. Knowing that, it is painful to read that a state grand jury is poised to deliver "the worst report ever" on child abuse in the Catholic Church in six dioceses, including Harrisburg. State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, who counts himself as a survivor of clergy abuse, said the grand jury had no trouble finding witnesses to testify. His hope is that the report will prompt the Legislature to pass laws allowing victims to get justice despite the passage of time.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/04/abuse_clergy_nancy_eshelman.html 

Top News: Diocese IDs monks, bishop, laypeople in abuse probe

ERIE, Pa. – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday made public the names of 34 monks or different members of the clergy who confronted credible allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct over time, together with their bishop within the 1970s, who they are saying didn’t cease abuse that was reported to him. In an uncommon step, the diocese additionally recognized 17 lay women and men going through comparable claims, together with a Catholic highschool trainer who went on to grow to be a university president.

https://www.standardrepublic.com/news/top-news-diocese-ids-monks-bishop-laypeople-in-abuse-probe/ 

An empty promise on child protection

There might be other European countries with a record like ours of failure to protect vulnerable children, a record that demands they be alert to any threat of paedophilia. However, there cannot be too many where that obligation is so sharp. Likewise, there cannot be too many European countries whose history demands — screams, really — that it build robust, active agencies to offer oversight of child protection, so the horrors of our past might not be repeated.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/ourview/an-empty-promiseon-child-protection-836160.html 

Former Kennedy Catholic coach on list of those banned by Erie Diocese

The Diocese that oversees Catholic churches and schools in Mercer and 12 other counties in northwestern Pennsylvania has released a list naming 51 priests and laypersons who have violated policies designed to protect children. The Diocese of Erie announced on Friday that some of the names are being revealed for the first time as part of new policy measures designed to protect children.

http://www.wfmj.com/story/37900022/former-kennedy-catholic-coach-on-list-of-those-banned-by-erie-diocese 

NZ's underbelly of forced sex trade involves Kiwis as young as 12, researcher says

Academic and forced prostitution researcher Natalie Thorburn says sex trafficking is more common in NZ than people think after speaking with dozens of teenaged sex workers. Girls aged 12 or under are being forced into sex work in New Zealand, according to a Wellington-based researcher. Natalie Thorburn spoken to dozens of teenaged sex workers for her masters degree in social work at the University of Auckland, and said they told her of their lives on the streets selling sex when they were aged between 12 and 16.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/96775581

Mexican diocese apologizes for failing to stop abusive priest

A Mexican diocese has apologized and asked for forgiveness for failing to stop a priest from sexually abusing Catholic school children. At the time, the priest had been banned from his priestly duties in a neighboring archdiocese. “As a church, we ask for forgiveness from the victims. … We manifest our commitment to always act truthfully and with justice and, as an institution, take preventive measures so that nothing similar ever happens again,” the Diocese of Irapuato, in the western state of Guanajuato, said April 3 in a short statement. “The Diocese of Irapuato expresses its solidarity with the victims and their families and deplores what happened. This atrocious behavior, in which persons are abused, is inadmissible and condemnable.”

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/04/05/mexican-diocese-apologizes-for-failing-to-stop-abusive-priest/ 

Sydney archbishop says priests will suffer martyrdom before divulging confessions

But premier of New South Wales says "question of the seal of confession" will be addressed at national level. The government of the Australian state of New South Wales is seeking to implement a range of laws targeting child abuse, in response to the final report of a broad investigation into abuse perpetrated by institutions, including members of the Church, which was released last year. Among the proposals being considered are those which would apply to priests, including regulation or negation of the seal of confession.

https://aleteia.org/2018/04/05/sydney-archbishop-says-priests-will-suffer-martyrdom-before-divulging-confessions/

Forgive me Father, but you need to confess to being a pedophile before you die

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned, my last confession was Tuesday ... I was here in 2002 when Father Donald Becker disappeared from St. Mary’s Church, now part of Resurrection Parish. He just left. Gone. No goodbyes. The Diocese of Buffalo, when pressed, had only this to say: He was on leave for medical reasons. This was 2002, the same year The Boston Globe detailed the vast coverup by the Catholic Church when it came to pedophile priests.

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn06/forgive-me-father-but-you-need-to-confess-to-being-a-pedophile-before-you-die-20180324 

Police raid bishop’s house, offices as part of sex-abuse investigation

Police raided the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone, his diocesan offices, and his cathedral rectory today, saying Cistone and the Diocese of Saginaw are not fully cooperating with law enforcement’s clerical sex-abuse investigation. A priest in Cistone’s diocese was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old male last month, and since then law enforcement has formed a special task force to “look into complaints” related to the case.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-police-raid-bishops-house-rectory-offices-as-part-of-sex-abuse-inv 

Inhumanity in the Name of Jesus: Catholic Dogma Which Led to the Holocaust also Led to the Cover-Up of Clergy Sex Abuse

New book argues that it is the history and magisterium of the Catholic Church which made the Holocaust possible and the cover-up of clergy sex abuse inevitable. The DNA of the Catholic Church and its belief in its own infallibility didn't just make the cover-up of clergy abuse possible. It made it inevitable. Victims were regarded as collateral damage.”— G.R. Pafumi has released the first of two volumes about sex abuse in the Catholic Church, Inhumanity in the Name of Jesus. Volume I: Pain and Suffering, Aftermath of the Catholic Church’s Belief in its Own Infallibility. With sex abuse accusations against major celebrities and public figures, such as Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer, Pafumi focused on victims abused by Catholic clergy. They paved the way for the #MeToo movement. Victims of Catholic clergy are no longer willing to remain silent about the abuse they suffered, sometimes decades ago. Pope Francis is currently dealing with the fallout from his trip to Chile, where he defended a bishop who covered for a clergy sex offender.

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/435601362/inhumanity-in-the-name-of-jesus-catholic-dogma-which-led-to-the-holocaust-also-led-to-the-cover-up-of-clergy-sex-abuse