Blaming and smearing gay men as cause for pedophile priest problem

“Conservative Catholics are desperate to assign blame for abusive priests on evil homosexuals.” Dorothy Cummings McLean, a prolific Catholic writer from Scotland, is very upset. She is dismayed to note: Jesuit-run America mag runs article denying link between homosexuality and clergy sex abuse. I give her some credit for a proper explanation:

http://www.slowlyboiledfrog.com/2018/10/blaming-and-smearing-gay-men-as-cause.html 

Bishop's former assistant talks about decision to share confidential documents

The woman who formerly worked as the executive assistant to Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone stood on a sidewalk across the street from her former workplace Tuesday morning, explaining her decision to secretly share private diocesan documents regarding clergy linked to alleged sexual misconduct. It was Siobhan O'Connor's first local appearance since her story aired on national news programs including CBS's 60 Minutes.

http://news.wbfo.org/post/bishops-former-assistant-talks-about-decision-share-confidential-documents 

Understanding why the Synod of Bishops blinked on ‘zero tolerance’

ROME - If you’re an American Catholic, or an Australian, Irish, German, Chilean, or from pretty much anyplace else scarred by clerical sexual abuse scandals, news that a global summit of Catholic bishops in 2018 could walk up to the brink of endorsing a “zero tolerance” policy, only to pull back at the last minute, may seem almost incomprehensible.

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2018/10/30/understanding-why-the-synod-of-bishops-blinked-on-zero-tolerance/ 

New names on diocese list include teachers with McKean, Elk ties

The latest modification to the Diocese of Erie public disclosure list has multiple people with local ties — including the first religious Sister to be named. Sister Mary Carmel Skeabeck, SSJ, has ties to McKean and Elk counties, while former lay teacher James E. Herzing has ties to Elk County. The list updated on Monday includes the names of people “credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’ judgment, disqualify each person from working with children,” i.e., sexual abuse. The list was initially released in April.

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/new-names-on-diocese-list-include-teachers-with-mckean-elk/article_c43406d4-dc06-11e8-9123-831b5dc70a09.html 

Pay up for survivors, institutions told

Schools, churches and other institutions have been told to sign up to the national redress scheme for child sex abuse survivors as quickly as possible. The scheme has received more than 1700 applications, answered more than 9800 phone calls, and had more than 313,000 page views on its website in the past few months. "Survivors rightly expect that the institutions will now move as quickly as possible - so the words are backed up with action," Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher said on Tuesday.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-6331393/Pay-survivors-institutions-told.html 

Athens County priest accused of sexually abusing, impregnating minor

A Catholic priest in Athens County is facing allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Rev. Christopher Foxhoven appeared in Athens Municipal Court Tuesday afternoon to face eight counts of sexual battery. According to court records, Foxhoven admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, who is now pregnant with his child. Foxhoven was serving two churches in Athens County, including Holy Cross in Glouster, where the relationship allegedly took place.

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/athens-county-priest-accused-of-sexually-abusing-impregnating-minor/1562550026 

Ray Hadley’s first ever interview with Julia Gillard: ‘You left a legacy that rivals any prime minister I’ve dealt with’

Ray Hadley has paid Julia Gillard the ultimate compliment in his first ever interview with the former prime minister. In an emotion-filled conversation, Ray tells the former Labor leader she may well have left the greatest legacy of any prime minister he’s ever dealt with. The two very rarely saw eye to eye over the course of Ms Gillard’s time as the nation’s leader, with Ray one of the loudest voices against her government’s asylum seeker policy.

https://www.2gb.com/ray-hadleys-first-ever-interview-with-julia-gillard-you-left-a-legacy-that-rivals-any-prime-minister-ive-dealt-with/ 

Clergy abuse victim pushes NY Archdiocese to stand for all survivors

Lex Filipowski wrote a letter to Cardinal Dolan asking for recognition for victims of clergy from religious orders. A church sex abuse survivor is asking New York's top Catholic official to help all victims of religious officials. Leonard "Lex" Filipowski and his attorney, Patrick Noaker, delivered a letter Tuesday to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who launched the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program in 2016 to aid and compensate victims of sexual abuse. However, Filipowski says he and others like himself are barred from receiving compensation.

https://www.amny.com/news/catholic-church-abuse-1.22654398 

Royal commission: Monsignor John Usher denies protecting Cardinal George Pell

The former chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney denied he was trying to save Cardinal George Pell from embarrassment by sticking to his claim about a paedophile priest in the face of conflicting accounts, a royal commission has heard. In the final day of an inquiry into convicted paedophile John Joseph Farrell, Monsignor John Usher insisted the priest never admitted to crimes against children at a 1992 meeting.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/royal-commission-monsignor-john-usher-denies-protecting-cardinal-george-pell-20160922-grlrmk.html 

McCarrick Whistleblower: Scandal ‘a Failure of Fraternal Correction’

Father Boniface Ramsey, the first person to formally speak out against Theodore McCarrick's serial sexual predation of seminarians, is slamming the former D.C. cardinal's case as "a failure of fraternal correction." In an Oct. 29 Commonweal article, Fr. Ramsey recounts the multiple warning signs surrounding McCarrick's behavior — and the number of times they were ignored by Church insiders.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/mccarrick-whistleblower-scandal-a-failure-of-fraternal-correction 

‘We’re not done’: Advocate who made PM cry

Her harrowing family story made Prime Minister Scott Morrison cry live on TV across the nation. But for leading child abuse advocate Chrissie Foster, tears are not enough. It’s not over yet. Mr Morrison was visibly upset as he told how Mrs Foster’s family was torn apart by abuse as he made the most important speech of his career so far. He spoke compassionately during the National Apology in Parliament to thousands of Australians whose childhoods were ruined and destroyed in institutions by perpetrators including priests, teachers and carers.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/10/22/advocate-chrissie-foster-speech/ 

Call for radical reshaping of Church governance

A leading Catholic layman has called for a radical reshaping of governance of the Catholic Church. The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference’s Council for Young People chair, Dave Mullin, noted the current stories on abuse, both here and abroad, have made for painful reading. “Proud to be Catholic? At the moment — not so much,” he said in a reflection piece on the current state of the Church. “Unless we pause and think deeply, in order to change our culture, we will betray the victims of abuse once again.”

https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2018/10/23/call-for-radical-reshaping-of-church-governance/ 

‘We failed them’: Australia apologises to child sex abuse victims

SYDNEY. – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a national apology to thousands of victims of institutional sex abuse Monday, admitting the state utterly failed to stop “evil, dark crimes” committed over decades. “This was done by Australians to Australians, enemies in our midst, enemies in our midst,” Morrison said in an emotional address to parliament, designed as a belated apology to the 15,000 known survivors of child abuse.

https://www.herald.co.zw/we-failed-them-australia-apologises-to-child-sex-abuse-victims/ 

Expand Royal Commission's brief

It will cost more. It will take a lot longer. But New Zealand should follow the Australian example and its Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison led this week an emotional ceremony in which Australia acknowledged the massive pain and suffering caused to many Australians. It gives the victims more chance, at least, to feel they have been listened to and believed.

https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/expand-royal-commissions-brief 

Reports Kiwi predator priest abused in UK

A notorious paedophile Catholic priest quietly transferred from New Zealand to the UK was free to keep abusing children for two more decades due to Church failings. This story was first published by RNZ ​RNZ last month revealed the crimes committed by Fr Cornelius O'Brien in parishes in Canterbury in the 1960s and 1970s, that for the most part were kept hidden. It has come to light the priest likely abused at least one other person since he returned to the UK in 1976, after the the Diocese of East Anglia released a statement a complaint was made against him in 2010.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/rnz/reports-kiwi-predator-priest-abused-uk 

Issue of Married Catholic Priests Gains Traction Amid Sex Abuse Scandal

As the Vatican copes with the growing clergy sex abuse scandal and declining number of priests worldwide, it is laying the groundwork to open formal debate on an issue that has long been taboo: opening up the priesthood to married men in parts of the world where clergy are scarce.

https://ktla.com/2018/10/23/issue-of-married-catholic-priests-gains-traction-amid-sex-abuse-scandal/ 

Australian Prime Minister Apologises to Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

The apology followed the culmination of a five-year government inquiry that exposed institutional sexual abuse as well as the countless cover-ups of the accusations. New Delhi: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered a national apology on Monday to survivors and their families who had suffered institutional child sexual abuse. The prime minister acknowledged the government’s failure to protect the children from systemic abuse.

https://thewire.in/world/australian-prime-minister-apologises-to-survivors-of-institutional-child-sexual-abuse 

Australian bishop touts women’s ordination: ‘transformation of priesthood’ is underway

An Australian bishop recently told priests that admitting women to the priesthood in the Church's current state of affairs would be like pouring new wine into old wine skins, but that a "transformation of the priesthood" was underway. Vincent Long Van Nguyen, Bishop of the Parramatta Diocese of Sydney, Australia gave an address in September to the New Zealand National Assembly of Diocesan Clergy about the current crises rocking the Church. Blaming the clerical abuse crisis on a faulty conception of the priesthood, Long mentioned women’s ordination as a possibility – but only after even more sweeping changes.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/australian-bishop-female-priests-would-be-like-new-wine-in-old-wine 

Boy molested by priest told to ‘seek forgiveness’ – for being abused!

Former Catholic priest David Poulson, 64, this week pleaded guilty to sex crimes involving children and could face a lengthy period in prison when he is sentenced. Poulson, who had been a priest in the Diocese of Erie in Pennsylvania for four decades, pleaded guilty to corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children – third-degree felonies ― on Wednesday in Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefreethinker/2018/10/boy-molested-by-priest-told-to-seek-forgiveness-for-being-abused/ 

Lawsuit seeks to force Vatican to name thousands of predatory priests

A federal lawsuit filed in San Francisco on Wednesday accuses the Vatican of actively covering up sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and aims to uncover the names and files of some 3,400 perpetrators. Two survivors of clerical sexual abuse, represented by the Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, are suing the Vatican — which is a sovereign nation and generally protected from such lawsuits under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act — for violating international human rights law, among other things.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/lawsuit-seeks-force-vatican-name-thousands-predatory-priests/ 

Black 'lynching' ad, Catholic Church sex abuse, elections

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is expected to sign legislation on Friday raising the maximum penalty for fraternity hazing to a felony, carrying up to seven years in prison. The U.S. government on Friday charged a Russian national with playing a key financial role in a Kremlin-backed plan to conduct "information warfare" against the United States, including ongoing attempts to influence next month's congressional elections. Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, 44, became the first person charged with a crime for attempting to interfere in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, according to a government official with knowledge of the investigation.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/Article/other/224008-us-domestic-news-roundup-black-lynching-ad-catholic-church-sex-abuse-elections 

National apology to child sexual abuse survivors: John Pirona's father Lou on the tragedy and the apology

LOU Pirona’s son John has a tragic place in Australian history, as the child sexual abuse victim whose suicide in July, 2012 was the catalyst for a campaign that led to a royal commission. “I have to recognise John’s death was an important cog in the making of the royal commission,” said Mr Pirona this week on the eve of a national apology to thousands of Australian abuse survivors.

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5711542/lou-pirona-on-his-sons-tragic-place-in-history-and-the-national-apology/ 

Vatican Refused to Hand Over Cardinal Implicated in Sex Abuse Cover-Up

The Vatican is invoking sovereign immunity for a cardinal implicated in covering up sex abuse. Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was summoned to criminal court Sept. 19 to answer for his role in advising Cdl. Philippe Barbarin on how to discipline a predator priest.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/vatican-refused-to-hand-over-cardinal-accused-of-sex-abuse-cover-up 

San Jose priest, registered sex offender, faces new molestation charges

A Roman Catholic priest, identified publicly for the first time this week as a convicted sex offender who abused a child 35 years ago while in the San Jose Diocese, is in Santa Clara County jail facing additional child molestation charges. Hernan Toro, one of 15 priests named by the diocese Thursday as credibly accused of sexually abusing children at parishes across the diocese over several decades, was first accused of sexual misconduct while at Our Lady Star of the Sea parish in Alviso in 1983. He was convicted and registered as a sex offender that year but went on to serve at several South Bay parishes, eventually retiring in 1990 when he was permanently banned from the ministry.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/20/san-jose-priest-registered-sex-offender-faces-new-molestation-charges/ 

Church to start probe into sexual assault

SHILLONG: The Congregation of Christian Brothers, a religious catholic in the state, on Saturday said it would launch an internal probe into the allegation of sexual abuse. On Friday, Mary Therese Kurkalang took to social media #MeToo campaign accusing Brother Francis Gale of Christian Brothers and Brother Muscat of Don Bosco, Laitumkhrah, of sexually abusing her.

http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2018/10/21/church-to-start-probe-into-sexual-assault/

One bishop could lead the way to another bishop being the first charged for sex abuse.

The call last year from Pope Francis’ representative in Washington took the Rev. Steven Biegler by surprise. A priest in South Dakota, Biegler learned he was the choice to become the ninth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyo., leading the state’s 55,000 Catholics. Though sad to leave his parishioners in Rapid City, Biegler was eager to begin ministering to a diocese that encompasses the entire state of Wyoming and covers nearly 100,000 square miles. Biegler said he was excited to be continuing his journey “of saying yes to the Lord.”

https://www.kansascity.com/living/religion/article220124815.html

US Catholic Church sex abuse victims still haunted after decades

US victims of Catholic Church child sex abuse crisis are demanding reform and asking, 'How can you still have faith and trust in an institution where ... these men protected each other?' The US Justice Department has opened an investigation into child sex abuse by priests in Pennsylvania. At least one sexual abuse survivor discovered that the very church official to whom he had reported abuse now faces sexual abuse accusations of his own.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/catholic-church-sex-abuse-victims-haunted-decades-181020150529306.html 

A priest, a sex addict and an exorcist: How a secret confession led to sex abuse claim against San Jose diocese

The woman went to confession at Our Lady of Peace seeking forgiveness. She suffered from a sex addiction, she told the young priest. The Rev. Gerardus Hauwert Jr., fresh out of the seminary, offered to help. For months, he provided her private prayer sessions and sent her to rid her demons through one of the Catholic Church’s oldest and most mysterious rituals: exorcism. But what happened over the next year at this parish known for its towering statue of the Virgin Mary facing Highway 101 would end up exposing the San Jose Diocese yet again to allegations of sexual abuse — and raise alarm about how an inner circle of priests responded to claims against one of its own.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/21/the-priest-the-parishioner-the-exorcist-and-the-sex-addiction-did-the-san-jose-diocese-mishandle-a-parishioners-pleas/ 

Australian PM issues formal apology to child sex abuse victims

Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered a formal apology on Monday to Australia's victims of child sex abuse, saying the nation must acknowledge their long, painful journey and say sorry. His emotional speech delivered in Parliament before hundreds of survivors followed the conclusions of a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the nations' highest level of inquiry.

https://www.france24.com/en/20181022-australian-pm-issues-formal-apology-child-sex-abuse-victims 

Us Opens Federal Investigation Into Catholic Church Abuse

The investigation comes after the release of a sweeping U.S. grand jury report in August that revealed credible allegations against more than 300 suspected predator priests and identified over 1,000 victims of child sex abuse covered up for decades by the Catholic Church in the state of Pennsylvania. The abuse allegedly was covered up by church leaders. Crux reports that there are no indications of a nationwide probe, but that may change if other states uncover similar behavior or if the subpoenas turn up that evidence on their own.

http://cyberwardesk.com/2018/10/20/us-opens-federal-investigation-into-catholic-church-abuse/ 

Communities respond to abuse: Dunedin opted for ‘prayer and penance’

There are no immediate plans for the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin to follow in Wellington’s footsteps by asking priests to fast to atone for historic sexual abuse by clergy. It was reported yesterday priests in the Wellington region were spending the day praying and fasting to atone for clerical sexual abuse. The gesture followed a letter from Pope Francis in August, in which he asked all Catholics to fast and pray in order that their ears might be opened to the "hushed pain felt by children and young people" as a result of clerical abuse, RNZ reported.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/insight/communities-respond-abuse-dunedin-opted-%E2%80%98prayer-and-penance%E2%80%99 

Australian Scout movement apologizes to child abuse victims

The Scout movement in Australia on Friday apologized to victims of child sex abuse within the organization that recently joined a national compensatio program. Scouts Australia Chief Commissioner Phil Harrison said the apology was part of his organization's commitment to acknowledge and address the harm that some of its members have suffered through Scouting. "Scouting sincerely hopes that the apology will help those who suffered through their time in Scouting, as well as their families who have also been affected," Harrison said in a statement.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12137653 

My church in crisis

First, I was an Aglipayan. Shortly after my mother passed away, my surrogate mom who raised me as her own, had me rebaptized in the Catholic Church by Belgian missionaries. Since then, I have remained a Catholic although not the fervent, devout kind she would have wanted me to be. Through the years, I have looked upon the Church as all-knowing, all-powerful, all-righteous, and perhaps, all-perfect.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/116605/my-church-in-crisis 

Camarillo man says lawsuit against Catholic bishops is to learn why he was scarred at 10

Tom Emens was a Catholic grade-schooler when the priest first dropped in at his parents' home. The new retiree with the charming smile and a love for Louis L’Amour novels served as a priest in the Chicago area for nearly 40 years. He came to Anaheim to retire and move in with his sister, sleeping in what Emens thinks may have been a converted garage and still serving Mass at St. Anthony Claret Catholic Church.

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2018/10/08/california-man-tom-emens-suing-catholic-bishops-alleged-abuse/1513178002/ 

3 US States Now Investigating Catholic Clergy Sex-Abuse Claims

At least 13 states have announced they are investigating the clergy sexual-abuse allegations linked to the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The attorney general’s office in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia were contacted by NBC News who found that nearly a third are currently either actively probing allegations of abuse by clergy or about to begin a statewide investigation.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/13-states-now-investigating-clergy-sex-abuse-claims_2683581.html 

Priest with ties to Mishawaka among two added to 'credibly accused' list by local diocese

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has added two more priests to its list of clergy credibly accused of sexually abusing children, bringing the previously released list’s tally to 20. Bruce Schutt and Michael Paquet were announced as additions to the list in a news release Tuesday, a result of additional research into their backgrounds.

https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/priest-with-ties-to-mishawaka-among-two-added-to-credibly/article_7f667476-8e2d-5fd3-9f6d-303d209c64e9.html 

‘I have no faith in your will or your character,’ abuse victim tells pro-LGBT Bishop McElroy

On October 4th, San Diego's Bishop Robert McElroy held the third in a series of eight "listening sessions" that he said would “focus on seeking input from people in the pews" regarding the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church and the actions required to heal from the scandal.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/i-have-no-faith-in-your-will-or-your-character-abuse-victim-tells-pro-lgbt 

The Catholic Church’s grim history of ignoring priestly pedophilia – and silencing would-be whistleblowers

Widespread public shock followed the recent release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report that identified more than 1,000 child victims of clergy sexual abuse. In fact, as I know through my research, the Vatican and its American bishops have known about the problem of priestly pedophilia since at least the 1950s.

http://theconversation.com/the-catholic-churchs-grim-history-of-ignoring-priestly-pedophilia-and-silencing-would-be-whistleblowers-102387 

Texas Catholic dioceses plan to name all priests 'credibly accused' of sex abuse since 1950, Dallas bishop says

All Catholic dioceses in Texas will release the names of every clergy member since 1950 to be "credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors," Dallas Bishop Edward Burns said Wednesday. Dioceses will publish the names by Jan. 31, Burns said, and the lists will be updated as new information becomes available.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas/2018/10/09/dallas-bishop-former-law-enforcement-officials-hired-investigate-active-priests-serving-diocese 

Priest urges Catholics to ‘stay properly angry’ over Pope’s handling of sex abuse crisis

A recent Holy See statement on Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s alleged sexual misconduct seems to signal an attitude improvement for the Vatican and the Pope regarding the issue, a noted priest of the Archdiocese of Washington said. And the change in tone and policy is owing to Catholics justifiably angered by the abuse and cover-up who are speaking up about the scandal.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/priest-urges-catholics-to-stay-properly-angry-over-popes-handling-of-sex-ab 

The scandal of the hierarchy New Zealand

I hate it too. And who wouldn’t? A cardinal sleeping with seminarians — an open secret; priests raping children — and bishops quietly moving them to outlaying parishes; parishioners finally collecting the courage to report an incident— only to be chastised by the local ordinary for slandering one of his own. Then again, that was just an American thing — until it wasn’t. Now the scandal haunts Chile and Honduras, Ireland and France, Kenya and Tanzania, Australia and New Zealand.

https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2018/10/12/the-scandal-of-the-hierarchy/ 

Cardinal Wuerl remains in influential church roles, despite resignation

The Vatican is facing mounting criticism for not taking a more heavy-handed approach to sexual abuse allegations after accepting the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl but allowing him to remain influential in the church. Pope Francis issued a letter Friday saying he would accept the resignation of the archbishop of Washington, D.C.,in response to accusations that he did nothing to stop abuse by senior clerics in Pennsylvania where he served as a bishop from 1988 to 2006.

https://www.41nbc.com/2018/10/13/cardinal-wuerl-remains-in-influential-church-roles-despite-resignation/ 

Beloved US-based Irish priest and champion musician accused of child abuse

Child sex-abuse finding have been made against Monsignor Charles Coen, a former pastor and famed Irish musician on Staten Island. IrishCentral understands the priest, now 85 and living in a retirement home in New York, strongly disputes the finding as do many in the Irish music community. According to Catholic New York, the official newspaper for the Archdiocese of New York, Coen is one of four monsignors and a priest “who had an allegation of sexual abuse of minors brought against them in the Archdiocese’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program [IRCP].”

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/child-sex-abuse-staten-island-irish-musician

Brooklyn Diocese Ignored Protocol And Unwittingly Accepted Priest Accused Of Abuse

For five years, Father Roberto Cadavid led mass, heard confessions and guided children through the confirmation process as a priest at Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens, until he returned to his native Colombia in the summer of 2017. It wasn’t until 10 months later that his old parishioners were informed of why he left the United States: children in Colombia had come forward to accuse Cadavid of sexual abuse. A review of records and correspondence by Gothamist shows that the Diocese of Brooklyn bypassed its own safety protocols to hire Cadavid in 2012. When the Diocese of Medellín eventually informed Brooklyn about Cadavid’s long history of alleged abuse in June 2017, the diocese let Cadavid go quietly.

http://gothamist.com/2018/10/15/brooklyn_diocese_priest.php 

Accused priest works as contract psychologist for state

A Catholic priest who was stripped of his priestly faculties in early October also works for the state as a contract psychologist. Dr. Robert Gerl works with the state’s disability determination service out of a Kalamazoo office, said Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The department's understanding is that the psychologist working for the department is the same Gerl whose priestly faculties were revoked by the Diocese of Lansing for credible allegations of sexual assault of an adult male alleged to have occurred decades ago, Wheaton said. The department was looking into the claims, which it learned of through media reports, he said.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/10/15/accused-priest-works-contract-psychologist-state/1617203002/ 

Confronting a church that harasses women

ON OCTOBER 6, 70 pro-choice protesters made their way to Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the NoHo area of lower Manhattan at 8 a.m., two blocks from the Planned Parenthood health center on Bleecker Street. It had been an emotional, difficult week as the protesters, along with millions of others, waited to find out whether the Senate would confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. This was neither the first nor the last time activists hit the streets that week.

https://socialistworker.org/2018/10/16/confronting-a-church-that-harasses-women 

Investigations ongoing into local priest sex abuse allegations

Investigations are continuing into allegations of sexual abuse lodged against three local priests within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, according to a spokesman. “The Diocese of Greensburg will communicate to the people of the diocese the results of an investigation into allegations against a diocesan priest when that investigation is completed by law enforcement,” said Jerry Zufelt, spokesman for the Roman diocese. “Any comments about the completion of an investigation are rumors.”

https://observer-reporter.com/news/localnews/investigations-ongoing-into-local-priest-sex-abuse-allegations/article_e8e99709-6d3f-5084-8697-ce7fc14cd2ec.html 

German newspaper: Pope’s silence on Viganò allegations has turned his ‘no tolerance’ into hypocrisy

The following translation stems from a longer article written in German by Christian Geyer and published on 7 October 2018 in the prominent German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. LifeSiteNews presents to our readers excerpts from this article which gives English-speaking readers an idea how Pope Francis' silence with regard to Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò's allegations is perceived, and how it affects the German bishops in their own conduct in light of their own ongoing sex abuse crisis.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/german-newspaper-popes-silence-on-vigano-allegations-has-turned-his-no-tole 

List of 31 D.C. Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse Has Been Released.

A list of 31 clergymen “credibly accused” of the crime of abusing children has been released by Washington D.C.'s Catholic archdiocese. This move comes only a few days after Pope Francis accepted Archbishop Cardinal Donald Wuerl's resignation for covering up multiple sexual abuse reports in the Catholic Church. The list documents show the earliest case was made in 1948 and the latest in 1996. A total of 18 priests were arrested during the intervening period, and 17 have died. None are active clergy.

https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/list-31-d-c-priests-accused-sexual-abuse-released 

The Never-Ending Story

On August 14th, 2018, the Pennsylvania grand jury issued a report detailing the cover-up of more than 300 predator priests involved in over 1,000 instances of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church of Pennsylvania, findings that were unfortunately far from unprecedented. Ever since the Boston Globe’s 2002 investigations uncovered a pathological trend of priests sexually abusing young boys within the Catholic Church, as well as its systematic cover up, people have demanded retribution for those who committed these heinous sins. In the aftermath of the 2002 findings, the Church quickly announced a “zero-tolerance” policy and promising to turn over names of all those accused. But since then, the Church has turned back on its word, striking a provision intended to remove priests convicted of abuse from the priesthood. With this history of complacency, the 2018 allegations should surprise few in a now almost-expected trend of abuse committed by those in the clergy.

http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2018/10/can-the-catholic-church-move-past-its-history-of-abuse-and-cover-ups/ 

I have no faith in your will or your character,’ abuse victim tells pro-LGBT Bishop McElroy

On October 4th, San Diego's Bishop Robert McElroy held the third in a series of eight "listening sessions" that he said would “focus on seeking input from people in the pews" regarding the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church and the actions required to heal from the scandal.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/i-have-no-faith-in-your-will-or-your-character-abuse-victim-tells-pro-lgbt 

Take names and kick them out: A bull’s-eye on suburban senators over clergy abuse

Here are four names to jot down and carry into your polling place on Election Day in Pennsylvania next month: Tina Davis, Maria Collett, Linda Fields, and Steve Santarsiero. Open the Notes app on your iPhone and do this today. Do it because you love children and true justice. Do it because if your child had been raped in a church rectory, you would demand the most that your elected officials could offer as a form of delayed justice.

http://www2.philly.com/philly/columnists/maria-panaritis/statute-of-limitations-pa-clergy-abuse-senate-tina-davis-maria-collett-santarsiero-linda-fields-tomlinson-mensch-greenleaf-mcilhenney-maria-panaritis-20181009.html 

Don’t blame the Devil for church sex abuse scandal, Pope Francis (commentary)

 How can the pope say the devil made them do it... and the next post he tells us NOT TO BLAME THE DEVIL.. I put the blame onto the abusers and those who took no action to stop them... both nuns and priest raped the boys, girls and teens... this is why most of them joined the priesthood and the nunnery... guy people do not rape children... these nuns and priest had full control over the children... and they did what ever they like with the children...

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Devil made them do it? Try again, Pope Francis. The Catholic Church is embroiled in a sex abuse scandal that is shaking the church to its very foundations. Clergy around the world have been accused of molesting minors. The abuse went on for decades. Church leaders covered it up. Problem priests were transferred to other parishes, only to continue their predatory ways. Other priests were quietly removed from the ministry and prohibited from having any contact with minors.

https://www.silive.com/opinion/columns/2018/10/dont-blame-the-devil-for-church-sex-abuse-scandal-pope-francis-commentary.html 

Vatican Cardinal Defends Pope Francis in Cover-up Claims

Cardinal Marc Ouellet issued a reply to accusations from Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano that Pope Francis played a pivotal role to hush sex abuse issues within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Ouellet is a Canadian citizen and holds the post of Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Vigano, whose list of accomplishments included being the ambassador of The Vatican to the United States, released in August an 11-page letter. He claimed corruption has touched the apex of the church hierarchy.

https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/vatican-cardinal-defends-clergy-abuse-cover-claims 

Diocese of San Bernardino lists 34 priests accused of abuse

A Southern California Roman Catholic diocese on Monday released a list of 34 priests who were accused of sexually abusing children, including six who were convicted of criminal charges. The Diocese of San Bernardino County listed clergy who were the subject of "credible allegations" of molestation since the diocese formed in 1978, according to its website.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/diocese-of-san-bernardino-lists-34-priests-accused-of-abuse/ 

Vigil held for victims of church sexual abuse

Parishioners are showing solidarity with sexual abuse victims and wanting more transparency from the church. It comes as Bishop Mitchell Rozanski from the Diocese of Springfield addessed the clergy on sex abuse in the Catholic church. A number of parishioners gathered outside Pope Francis High School for a prayer vigil Tuesday afternoon.

https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/vigil-held-for-victims-of-church-sexual-abuse/article_32818586-cc16-11e8-98ac-f3a5961ca95c.html 

San Jose clergyman opens up about being sexually abused by priest

Santa Clara University leaders are shedding light on the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis. "Today, I come before you, not only speaking for victims, but I speak to you as a victim myself," said Fr. Brendan McGuire with the San Jose Diocese. In front of hundreds, Father McGuire shared his survival story of sexual abuse at the hands of a priest when he was younger.

https://abc7news.com/san-jose-priest-opens-up-about-being-a-sexually-abused/4450136/ 

Riverhead trial: Colin Mitchell's alleged victim gives harrowing account of attack

She was covered in blood. Her attacker was nearby. She thought she would die. When the flashing police lights finally broke the darkness, she ran towards them wanting only one thing — a hug. That is what a 24-year-old woman told police in an emotional interview days after she had been allegedly abducted from an inner Auckland city street. Colin Jack Mitchell is on trial at the High Court in Auckland.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/101425621/riverhead-trial-colin-mitchells-alleged-victim-gives-harrowing-account-of-attack?rm=m 

Riverhead quarry attacker Colin Jack Mitchell was also found guilty of separate rape charge

It can now be revealed Colin Jack Mitchell faced charges for the rape of another woman as well as the Riverhead quarry attack at his recent trial. Tommy Livingston details the part of the trial we were not able to report. Colin Jack Mitchell's unravelling began with two misplaced gloves and ended with six guilty verdicts on his 60th birthday. While over the past three weeks Stuff has been able to report on his trial for an attack on a woman at a quarry in Riverhead in north Auckland, there was a large portion of the trial which was suppressed.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101877163/riverhead-quarry-attacker-colin-jack-mitchell-was-also-found-guilty-of-separate-rape-charge?rm=m 

Serial rapist Colin Jack Mitchell's offending began when he was a teenager

Serial rapist Colin Jack Mitchell began offending as a teenager, Stuff can reveal. Mitchell was found guilty earlier this year of abducting a young woman off the streets of Auckland in 2017 and taking her to a secluded quarry near Riverhead with the intention of raping her. He was also found guilty at the same trial of raping a woman in 1992 after picking her up off the side of the road near Point Chevalier.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/106977869/serial-rapist-colin-jack-mitchells-offending-began-when-he-was-a-teenager 

Painful' healing from clergy sex abuse of children will take time for Catholic Church, its members, experts say

aniel Lowery sees the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal as a grieving process. There’s denial, anger, bargaining and depression, he said, but the final stage of acceptance is going to be tough for people. Many are not ready for acceptance yet, he said. “It’s a matter of choice, individually,” Lowery, theology professor at Calumet College of St. Joseph, said. In light of lists released in recent weeks in northern Indiana of priests “credibly” accused of sexually abusing children, Lowery, Bishop Donald Hying of the Diocese of Gary, and other theology experts spoke of their views about how the church and its members can grapple with this information and work to move forward.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-clergy-abuse-reaction-st-0921-story.html 

The silent Popes: Why Francis and Benedict won't answer the accusations dividing their church

One rarely leaves his monastery high on a hill in Vatican City. The other speaks freely -- too freely, critics say -- but has vowed silence on this matter, for now. Two men, both clad in white, both called Holy Father, and now, both facing questions about a crucial facet of the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis: What did they know, and when? Amid the onslaught of news about the scandal, it can be easy to overlook the historical novelty and high drama of this moment in the life of the church: For the first time in 600 years, there are two living popes, one retired and one active, whose fates may be intertwined, even as many of their followers are at odds.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/23/europe/silent-popes/index.html 

Priests pray and fast to atone for clergy's sexual abuse. New Zealand

It follows a letter from Pope Francis in August, in which he asked all Catholics to fast and pray in order that their ears might be opened to the "hushed pain felt by children and young people" as a result of clerical abuse. Monsignor Gerry Burns, the vicar general of the Wellington Archdiocese, said priests decided to do the fast day as a way of committing to a change of heart and a change in the church structures which allowed child abuse to flourish.Priests in the Wellington region have committed to prayer and fasting today as a way of atoning for sexual abuse committed by clergy against children.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367987/priests-pray-and-fast-to-atone-for-clergy-s-sexual-abuse 

Priest's sexual abuse at Upper Hutt school admitted: It's 'criminal' New Zealand

The Marist Fathers has admitted a priest who led one of its top secondary schools sexually abused children. But decades on they will not release the file on Francis Durning, rector of St Patrick's College in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, in the 1950s. He was publicly remembered in Catholic obituaries as a man of "profound integrity" but a victim said other clergy nicknamed him "Fred the Fiddler" for his habit of abusing boys.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367124/priest-s-sexual-abuse-at-upper-hutt-school-admitted-it-s-criminal 

Cardinal Dolan Deserting NY?

New York's Cdl. Timothy Dolan is reportedly trying to leave his post to become new head of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Well-placed sources inform Church Militant he possibly wants out of New York before the NY State Attorney General Barbara Underwood gets too deep into her sex abuse investigation of the archdiocese. Underwood announced Sept. 6 she had subpoenaed personnel files and records related to clerical abuse from all eight Catholic dioceses in New York.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/cardinal-dolan-reportedly-leaving-ny 

The Vatican ‘owes God an apology’ for mismanagement of abuse allegations, activist says in letter to Pope

The prominent founder of a Newfoundland organization for clergy abuse survivors has written a letter to Pope Francis, saying the Vatican “owes God an apology” for mismanagement of abuse allegations. “I realize you inherited this problem, but the way the Vatican mismanaged this crisis is disgraceful,” wrote Gemma Hickey, founder of Pathways Foundation in St. John’s. Newfoundland and Labrador was the site of two highly publicized abuse scandals in the late 1980s, when allegations of widespread abuse at Mount Cashel and Belvedere Catholic orphanages met with public shock and outrage.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-the-vatican-owes-god-an-apology-for-mismanagement-of-abuse/ 

Catholic Church under scrutiny after allegations

The Roman Catholic Church has had its fair share of scandals. In Aug 2018, the most damning report about the church came to light. The Catholic Church of Pennsylvania, as of a grand jury report, covered up child sexual abuse by more than 300 priests over 70 years. This is not the first instance of child sexual abuse in the church. In 2002, allegations of the same crime came out of Boston. The church spent billions of dollars in settlements and added programs to stop this after the 2002 incident. Apparently, those measures were not enough.

https://ulmhawkeyeonline.com/23751/news/catholic-church-under-scrutiny-after-allegations/ 

Catholic Priests in Chile Had to Be Told Not to Touch Children

ROME—At a time when systematic child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic priests has scandalized the global church, it may seem like warning priests not to get naked with children would go without saying. But that’s clearly not the case in Chile, where there are more than 120 active investigations into clerical sex abuse and where all of the country’s bishops offered their resignations en masse to Pope Francis.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-priests-in-chile-had-to-be-told-not-to-touch-children 

For real change, we must get at four roots deeper than church structures / National Catholic Reporter

There must be repentance. There must be accountability. There must be reform. Good. And that looks like what? (Joan Chittister in National Catholic Reporter) In the midst of the angst that has accompanied the revelation of unparalleled amounts of sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church, the cry for reform gets louder by the day. “For some, it’s a call for the elimination of celibacy as an unnatural and therefore impossible way of life. For others, it’s about barring homosexuals from the priesthood, as if homosexuality was in essence a model of immorality rather than simply another state of nature — just like heterosexuality with its own immoral aberrations. For many, it’s about a lack of psychosocial development in seminaries; for others, it’s about the liberalization of the church since the Second Vatican Council, no matter that the bulk of assaults happened, apparently, before the end of the council.

https://voicefaithful.wordpress.com/2018/09/20/for-real-change-we-must-get-at-four-roots-deeper-than-church-structures-national-catholic-reporter/ 

My 30 years as a priest have brought no little disappointment

Starting out, I never dreamed I would fall foul of Rome or become disgusted by its failings. When Archbishop Desmond Connell ordained me to the priesthood on October 2nd, 1988, it seemed a good time to be a priest in Ireland. Fresh-faced and enthusiastic, I had high hopes. I was delighted to become part of a team conducting parish missions, as Irish Redemptorists had done for more than a century.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/my-30-years-as-a-priest-have-brought-no-little-disappointment-1.3647970 

Fr. James Martin Says Don’t Pray, Fast or Destroy Rainbow Flags.

I stand by this priest... it is NOT our crime... why should the victims / survivors do penance over and over again??... the catholic church should be doing more than praying and fasting... if it can... they are still putting their sins and crimes onto us... enough is enough... NO MORE... we were innocent... and that was why they used us for so man years... Ann

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

I was irritated when Pope Francis called for every member of the Church to “pray and fast in penance for the evil of clerical sex abuse, and to be involved in needed change within the Church” on Aug. 20.   I wanted a much bigger emphasis on the guilty. I still do. That is the part that irritated me.  I was already praying and fasting for the Church as the travesty of abuse and cover-ups has unfolded. It should have been our default position all along and now we see just how dire that need is.

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/armstrong/fr.-james-martin-says-dont-pray-fast-or-destroy-rainbow-flags

Catholics Protest Sex Abuse, Homoheresy Outside Atlanta Cathedral

Faithful Catholics in the archdiocese of Atlanta protested the sex abuse crisis and homoheresy outside the cathedral on Sunday. About 20 to 30 protesters turned up Sunday morning outside Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta, including members of Church Militant's Resistance. Among their grievances were the priest sex abuse scandal, the archdiocese's acceptance of the homosexual agenda and Abp. Wilton Gregory's recent decision to invite pro-gay celebrity Jesuit Fr. James Martin to speaking gigs in October.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/catholics-protest-outside-atlanta-cathedral 

Catholic Church Releases New Molestation-Proof Altar Boy Uniform

Claiming the vestments represent a vital step in ameliorating the church’s centuries-long history of addressing sexual abuse with subsequent cover-ups, the Catholic Church introduced a line of wrought iron molestation-proof altar boy uniforms Monday. “With these new impenetrable steel robes, Catholic altar boys can now serve the Lord and assist with Mass without the shame or fear of tempting otherwise pious clergymen,” a joint statement by senior Vatican officials read in part, explaining that the full-coverage metal loin-girdings are available to fit all sizes and ranges of youth’s suppleness and are guaranteed to spurn the fingers of any priest who attempts to violate its boundaries.

https://www.theonion.com/catholic-church-releases-new-molestation-proof-altar-bo-1829275247 

Pa. House advances bill allowing older victims of child sexual abuse to sue

After protesters flocked to the Capitol on Monday, the state House advanced a measure that would allow more victims of child sex abuse to sue their attackers decades after being assaulted. The House voted, 171-23, to amend a bill to lift for two years the state's civil statute of limitations that bars accusers older than 30 from suing over abuse that occurred when they were children. The change was a major recommendation in last month's state grand jury report that outlined decades of sex abuse and cover-ups by Catholic clergy across the state.

http://www2.philly.com/philly/news/politics/state/pennsylvania-grand-jury-catholic-clergy-child-sexual-abuse-legislation-20180924.html 

Ignatius Press founder to Pope Francis: ‘Be a man. Stand up and answer’ Viganò’s allegations

The founder of U.S. Catholic publishing house Ignatius Press has called for Pope Francis to answer Archbishop Viganò’s allegations that he knowingly promoted an American cardinal accused of abusing seminarians and priests. Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, told CNN that he finds the pontiff’s refusal to give an answer “deplorable”. In recent weeks, commentators have interpreted Pope Francis’ homilies about “the Great Accuser” and Christ’s “silence” as coded commentary on the Vatican whistleblower’s testimony and the pontiff’s own reluctance to answer it.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ignatius-press-founder-to-pope-francis-be-a-man.-stand-up-and-answer-vigano 

Pope praises Latvians for keeping faith during occupation

Pope Francis praised Latvians on Monday for persevering through the horrors of Soviet and Nazi occupation, persecution and exile, and urged them to keep their Christian faith alive as subsequent generations confront new oppressions today. On the third day of his Baltic pilgrimage, Francis traveled to Latvia and placed flowers at the monument to Latvian independence. He joined Lutheran and Orthodox leaders at a music-filled ecumenical prayer and acknowledged the many trials Latvians endured during two Soviet occupations and the World War II-era occupation by Nazi Germany: "the horror of war, then political repression, persecution and exile."

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12130963 

Before abuse scandal, Bono dedicated song to his ‘old friend Cardinal McCarrick’

On the heels of rock star Bono’s out-of-the-blue meeting with Pope Francis last week, a clip from a 2017 concert surfaced on social media with the U2 front man dedicating a song onstage to now-former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. “This goes out to an old friend – Cardinal McCarrick,” Bono says during an instrumental interlude of the band’s song “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/before-abuse-scandal-bono-dedicated-song-to-his-old-friend-cardinal-mccarri 

The Vatican ‘owes God an apology’ for mismanagement of abuse allegations, activist says in letter to Pope

The prominent founder of a Newfoundland organization for clergy abuse survivors has written a letter to Pope Francis, saying the Vatican “owes God an apology” for mismanagement of abuse allegations. “I realize you inherited this problem, but the way the Vatican mismanaged this crisis is disgraceful,” wrote Gemma Hickey, founder of Pathways Foundation in St. John’s. Newfoundland and Labrador was the site of two highly publicized abuse scandals in the late 1980s, when allegations of widespread abuse at Mount Cashel and Belvedere Catholic orphanages met with public shock and outrage.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-the-vatican-owes-god-an-apology-for-mismanagement-of-abuse/ 

Up to 1,000 plan to rally in Harrisburg today as lawmakers consider extending protections to sexual abuse victims

Pennsylvania lawmakers return to session today after a nearly three-month-long summer break from the Capitol. And they won’t be alone. Up to 1,000 people, including victims of child sex abuse, are expected to descend on the Capitol, too, for rallies, speeches and lobbying in support of legislation that would give them and future victims greater legal protections in civil and criminal courts. The event is planned to keep pressure on the Legislature to pass a bill that gives adults more time to sue their childhood abusers and enablers, and to allow prosecutors to charge future abusers at any time.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pennsylvania-priest-child-abuse-legislature-20180923-story.html 

Cheers erupt as Pennsylvania House approves measure extending protections for sex abuse victims

Since 2004, Mary McHale has been dutifully beating a path to Harrisburg to lobby for legislation that would give child sex abuse survivors more legal avenues to go after their predators. McHale, of Reading, said she’s finally feeling optimistic. That’s because current and former state representatives and senators, a former lieutenant governor, an attorney general and a few hundred survivors and their supporters gathered Monday in Harrisburg to begin the push one more time.

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-rally-harrisburg-grand-jury-reforms-20180921-story.html