NOPD launches criminal investigation after church sex abuse allegations

A former Catholic deacon accused of molesting young boys is now the subject of a criminal sexual abuse investigation. The attorney who represented one of the alleged victims in a large settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans hopes this will create lasting change. A man who suppressed memories for years claims former Deacon George Brignac raped and sexually abused him at Holy Rosary church. “Fondled me at the school, at his desk, in his car and in his home,” the man said.

http://www.fox8live.com/story/38644212/nopd-launches-criminal-investigation-after-church-sex-abuse-allegations 

Chilean police raid bishops' offices over abuse accusations - prosecutor

Chilean police and prosecutors investigating accusations of sexual abuse by clerics launched simultaneous raids on Friday on the offices of archbishops in two cities in the country’s south, officials said. Sexual crimes specialists from Chile’s investigative police unit questioned staff and seized documents in the offices of the Roman Catholic archbishops of Temuco and Villarrica in the region of Araucanía 450 miles south of Santiago.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-chile-abuse/chilean-police-raid-bishops-offices-over-abuse-accusations-prosecutor-idUKKBN1K331T 

More child sex charges laid against former priest who worked at Perth churches

An 83-year-old Subiaco man has been charged with more offences following a police investigation into historic child sex abuse. Police allege in 1970, while the man was a priest at a Catholic church in Carlisle, he indecently assaulted a girl who was seven years old at the time of the first offence. The man has been charged with three counts of indecent assault on a female and was due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday. It comes after the man was charged in April with offences allegedly committed while he was a priest at a Shenton Park Catholic church between 1979 and 1992.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/more-child-sex-offences-laid-against-former-priest-who-worked-at-perth-churches-20180713-p4zr9t.html 

Allentown Diocese sending letter to parishioners about grand jury investigation

A diocese that's part of the grand jury investigation into clergy sex abuse claims has sent a letter to its parishioners. Bishop Alfred Schlert of the Allentown Diocese said his wish is that the grand jury report is released as soon as possible. Here is the bishop's message: "My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: As you know, there is a Statewide Grand Jury Report on clergy sexual abuse in six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, including the Diocese of Allentown. The release of that Report has been held up because of legal challenges. No one knows how long the Report will be delayed, so I am writing today to provide you with some information on this important issue.

http://www.wgal.com/article/allentown-diocese-sending-letter-to-parishioners-about-grand-jury-investigation/22143692 

Los Angeles Archdiocese is a Reminder that Cardinal McCarrick Isn’t the Only One

In the aftermath of the Cardinal McCarrick revelations, it’s easy to forget that two other US cardinals have been publicly censured as a result of their involvement in the priest sex abuse scandal. The first was Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston who resigned in disgrace in 2002 after the Boston Globe uncovered evidence that Law had covered up for priests who abused children in the Archdiocese of Boston. The second cardinal to be censured publicly was Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles. Mahony, who retired in 2011 after reaching the mandatory retirement age, was publicly censured by his successor, Archbishop Jose Gomez and forbidden to serve publicly in the Archdiocese following the release of personnel files documenting priest sexual-abuse cases during part of Mahony’s tenure.

https://losangeles.legalexaminer.com/uncategorized/los-angeles-archdiocese-is-a-reminder-that-cardinal-mccarrick-isnt-the-only-one/ 

Sanchez: Catholic Church finally cracking down on pedophile priests

To even casual observers of recent news about the Catholic Church, it's clear that a new day has dawned. Finally, after decades of stalling, denials and civil lawsuits, Catholic dioceses seem to recognize their accountability for the criminal behavior of pedophile priests. Consider the case of retired Bishop Joseph Hart. The former prelate of Cheyenne, Wyo., now 86 years old, could face criminal charges under what the current bishop of Cheyenne has deemed credible and substantiated accusations of sexual abuse.

https://www.courierpress.com/story/opinion/2018/07/05/sanchez-catholic-church-finally-cracking-down-pedophile-priests/762207002/ 

Where survivors of sexual abuse can turn now

From July 1, in a momentous step forward, survivors of institutional sexual abuse have the opportunity to access justice through a national redress scheme. A redress scheme was one of the major recommendations of the royal commission, however, there are some tricky legal aspects to the scheme survivors need to be aware of. All government institutions are participating in the scheme, as well as some private institutions that have joined - the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Salvation Army, YMCA, Scouts Australia and the Uniting Church

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/where-survivors-of-sexual-abuse-can-turn-now-20180706-p4zpuy.html 

'Dark secret': child abuse survivor's plea to Pope

Child sexual abuse survivor Peter Gogarty has gone straight to the Pope with a plea for him to sack Archbishop Philip Wilson, and an offer to discuss the reasons why over the phone. Mr Gogarty has included his mobile phone number in a letter to Pope Francis after Wilson refused to resign following a jail sentence for concealing Catholic priest Jim Fletcher’s child sex crimes. He intends to appeal the conviction.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/dark-secret-child-abuse-survivor-s-plea-to-pope-20180706-p4zpya.html 

Pennsylvania attorney general, lawyers for clergy, argue over grand jury report release

Pennsylvania's attorney general and lawyers for current and retired priests came down on opposite sides over an effort by news organizations, including The Morning Call, to unseal an extensive report into child sexual abuse and attempts to cover it up in several Roman Catholic dioceses. Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a filing to the state Supreme Court supporting the release that his office opposes requests by unnamed parties to present their own evidence, question witnesses and rewrite the grand jury report "in accordance with their preferred view of the facts." He argued the report should not be delayed, calling it a matter of exceptional public interest.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pennsylvania-diocese-priest-grand-jury-20180705-story.html 

National Redress Scheme: Australia sex abuse compensation scheme begins

Australia has begun a compensation scheme for victims of institutional child sex abuse. Some 60,000 Australians will be eligible for compensation.the scheme, known as the National Redress Scheme. Australian authorities believe a A$4bn ($3bn; £2.23bn) compensation plan will help to ease the pain of victims. Financial redress was a key recommendation of a Royal Commission into decades-long child abuse in Australian institutions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-44672442 

Attorney general backs media call for release of grand jury report

Pennsylvania’s entire grand jury system could be undermined if a group of people are successful in blocking publication of a grand jury report that criticizes them for their roles in the scandal of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, the state attorney general’s office argued in a court filing Thursday. Senior Deputy Attorney General Daniel Dye argued that the state Supreme Court should immediately release the voluminous report into how six dioceses handled sexual abuse.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2018/07/05/Attorney-general-backs-media-request-release-grand-jury-report-sexual-abuse-Catholic-Church-Dioceses-Pittsburgh-Greensburg-Erie-Harrisburg-Scranton-Allentown/stories/201807050098 

French priest-therapist removed from ministry for alleged sexual abuse

Msgr. Tony Anatrella, a priest and psychoanalyst specializes in social psychiatry, in Paris on Jan. 10, 1996. He has been prohibited from pastoral ministry on suspicion of sexual abuse. (Photo by Stéphane Ouzounoff//CIRIC) The French Catholic Church has announced sanctions against Msgr. Tony Anatrella, who has been the subject of accusations by his former patients for more than 15 years. Msgr. Anatrella, 77, is accused of having practiced “body therapy” in order to “heal” homosexuality and of having been involved in sexual abuse.

https://international.la-croix.com/news/french-priest-therapist-removed-from-ministry-for-alleged-sexual-abuse/7980# 

Plenary Council 2020: defining the future of the Catholic Church in Australia

While the Plenary Council is, in part, a response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, it also provides the Catholic community with the opportunity to play a role in the consultation process as the Church embarks on a restart and a refresh by asking the question: what is God asking of the Church Australia. It is an opportunity for the Catholic community in Australia to affect real and much-needed change in their Church.

http://mnnews.today/church/2018/plenary-council-2020-defining-the-future-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ 

Child Abuse Bill Attracts Attacks Amid Legislative Uncertainty

A proposal to retroactively extend the statute of limitations in child abuse cases in Pennsylvania is getting renewed blowback from national Catholic organizations. Rick Hinshaw, a spokesman for the national Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said his group is always tracking bills that aim to make it harder to sue the church for old abuse cases beyond the statute of limitations. The one they’ve had on their radar for a while in Pennsylvania is championed by Democratic Representative Mark Rozzi of Berks County

http://wesa.fm/post/child-abuse-bill-attracts-attacks-amid-legislative-uncertainty#stream/0 

Archbishop Becomes most Senior Catholic Cleric ever to be Sentenced over Child Sex Abuse Cover-up

The highest ranking Catholic official to ever be convicted of concealing sexual crimes against children has been sentenced to 12 months in Australia for covering up abuse by a pedophile priest. Adelaide’s Archbishop Philip Wilson was sentenced to a year in detention, after he was found guilty in May of failing to report the sexual abuse of two altar boys by a pedophile priest, Jim Fletcher, in the 1970s. Fletcher, who was found guilty of nine counts of child sexual abuse, died of a stroke in prison in 2016 while he was serving a near eight-year sentence.

https://www.novinite.com/articles/190891/Archbishop+Becomes+most+Senior+Catholic+Cleric+ever+to+be+Sentenced+over+Child+Sex+Abuse+Cover-up 

Legislative support waning for bill giving adults more time to sue for childhood sex abuse

For more than two years, adults scarred by the memory of child sex abuse have sought personal and legal salvation in a pending state grand jury report about sexual misconduct and cover-ups in six Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania. They believed that the report’s publication — now delayed by the state Supreme Court — would galvanize lawmakers to pass a bill letting them have their day in civil court, too.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pennsylvania-priest-child-sex-abuse-grand-jury-lawsuits-20180627-story.html 

Kerala: Four priests booked for sexual abuse

The issue has rocked the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, a prominent non-Catholic Church in Kerala, after the victim’s husband wrote to the Church, alleging that the priests had blackmailed and abused his wife, a school teacher. Kerala Crime Branch on Monday registered a rape case against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman belonging to their Church.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala-four-priests-booked-for-sexual-abuse-5243212/ 

Sisters seek to end gag order in priest sex abuse settlement

Two sisters asked a judge Monday to invalidate broad confidentiality agreements other family members made with a Pennsylvania Catholic diocese so they can speak publicly about sexual abuse at the hands of a parish priest more than two decades ago. The lawsuit in county court in Harrisburg by two adult women said their silence was required in settlements made with the Harrisburg Diocese over sexual abuse of two other sisters in the same family by Father Augustine

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/07/02/sisters-seek-to-end-gag-order-in-priest-sex-abuse-settlement/ 

Abuse survivors doubt independence of company running safeguarding standards forum

Prominent Hunter Valley clerical abuse survivors will boycott a Catholic safeguarding standards forum, saying it is a sham that lacks independence. A consultation forum will be held in Newcastle today as part of an Australia-wide engagement with survivors of child sexual abuse, advocates, Catholic Church personnel and others to discuss draft national Catholic safeguarding standards.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-02/abuse-survivors-slam-catholic-churchs-safeguarding-forum/9931240 

Archbishop Philip Wilson sentenced to one year for abuse cover-up

The sentencing comes as Australian Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican's third-highest-ranking official, prepares to stand trial on charges of historical child sex offences later this year. Both Pell and Wilson's charges are the result of a five-year inquiry into the sexual abuse of children in Australia that ended last year.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/archbishop-philip-wilson-sentenced-year-abuse-cover-180703080731228.html 

Catholic sex abuse: 'Guilty priest ignored my story for decades'

Australian archbishop Philip Wilson has become the highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church to be convicted of covering up sex abuse. On Tuesday, the archbishop of Adelaide was given a maximum sentence of 12 months in detention. A victim of that concealed abuse tells the BBC how his story was ignored more than 40 years ago - and the destruction that caused.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-44692516/catholic-sex-abuse-guilty-priest-ignored-my-story-for-decades# 

Child sex abuse survivors’ chance to speak at national apology session in Wollongong

Illawarra victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse will be given the chance to help shape a national apology during a face-to-face consultation session to be held in Wollongong later this month. The federal government has included the city, which was initially left out of the in-person consultation process, on the back of lobbying by Labor MP – and outspoken supporter of child sex abuse victims – Stephen Jones. Mr Jones, the federal Member for Whitlam, attended Edmund Rice College in the 1980s – a school he described as “a dumping ground for sexual predators that had offended elsewhere and been moved on”.

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5500313/child-sex-abuse-survivors-chance-to-speak-at-national-apology-session-in-wollongong/ 

A milestone for victims of church child sex abuse

The sentencing of the Catholic archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, is a global landmark in the search for justice by victims of child sexual abuse. Wilson is the most senior member of the Catholic clergy in the world to be convicted on a charge of covering up child sexual abuse in the church and the verdict will influence similar cases which turn on an accused's memory of events decades after they occurred. Cardinal George Pell is facing prosecution for historical child sexual offences in the County Court of Victoria.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/a-milestone-for-victims-of-church-child-sex-abuse-20180703-p4zp5t.html 

Man behind UK VIP child sex claims charged with perverting justice

A man who alleged he was a victim of an historical child sex ring involving high-profile figures including senior political and military individuals has been charged with perverting the course of justice, prosecutors said on Tuesday. British police launched a major investigation in 2014 after the man, who cannot be named and has only ever been known by the pseudonym of "Nick", told detectives he had been abused at military locations and at apartments close to parliament.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-man-behind-uk-vip-child-sex-claims-charged-with-perverting-justice-2018-7/?r=AU&IR=T