'Hail Satan ?' documentary sparks debate

Hours before its opening night Father Larry Gosselin of Old Mission Santa Barbara sent a message to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival urging the Executive Director Roger Durling not to allow the documentary 'Hail Satan?' to screen in the community. The note said: Dear Roger, With all my due respect and appreciation for you, and all that SBIFF brings to our community, I must express my grave concern and disappointment in learning of you bringing this film "Hail Satan" to our community.

https://www.keyt.com/news/-hail-satan-documentary-sparks-debate/1073722861

Confronting the Specters A Response to Paul Elie on the Sex-Abuse Crisis

Paul Elie, a friend and valued contributor to Commonweal for nearly three decades, has written a long article for the New Yorker on the renewed upheaval over clergy sexual abuse. It is a confusing and ultimately disappointing piece, which conflates older crimes and contemporary revelations while providing little explanation for the varying patterns of priestly sexual abuse and the church’s different responses over the past fifty years.

https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/confronting-specters 

There should be no limit on reporting sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church

The latest listing of sexually abusive priests testifies to the long history of sexual misconduct by Catholic clergy (“Archdiocese of Baltimore discloses the names of 23 deceased clergy accused of child sexual abuse,” April 24). Some of the abuse cases date to the 1940s. In several cases, there is a significant gap between the time the abuse occurred and when the victim(s) reported the abuse to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-rr-timeline-child-sexual-abuse-catholic-church-letter-20190425-story.html 

CBS 21 Special Report | Abuse allegations against a nun

WARNING: This story contains graphic content and may not be suitable for some viewers. Since the Catholic Church Grand Jury Report was released in August, PA lawmakers have been looking at strengthening laws relating to child sexual abuse. This woman, Trish Cahill, was paid an out of court settlement by a New Jersey congregation.

https://local21news.com/news/local/cbs-21-special-report-abuse-allegations-against-a-nun 

Lawmaker: Murphy To Sign Bill Easing Limits on Sex Abuse Suits Soon

The measure, nearly 10 years in the making, would greatly expand the statute of limitations on civil suits brought by victims. New Jersey will soon institute a new law giving survivors of sex abuse far more latitude in how they can seek justice in court — a measure under development for nearly a decade that supporters say would be among the most expansive in the nation.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/19/04/25/lawmaker-murphy-to-sign-bill-easing-limits-on-sex-abuse-suits-soon/ 

Benedict didn’t request sex abuse letter be given to Abuse Summit participants, source claims

A well-placed source in Rome has corrected the plausible theory that Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin refused Pope Emeritus Benedict’s request that his sex abuse letter be distributed to participants of the February Sex Abuse Summit. The source who is familiar with the matter told LifeSiteNews that Benedict, in fact, never made such a request.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/benedict-didnt-request-sex-abuse-letter-be-given-to-abuse-summit-participants-source-claims 

Priest's accuser was an altar boy who said abuse happened more than once

The man who has alleged sexual abuse by Monsignor Craig Harrison said he was inappropriately touched on three separate occasions while he was an altar boy at St. Joseph Church in Firebaugh, according to new information released by the Firebaugh Police Department. The victim told police he was alone with Harrison when it happened.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/priest-s-accuser-was-an-altar-boy-who-said-abuse/article_8b2a1ba4-6869-11e9-a557-170724aac5df.html

Download lagu Two of 12 abused Turpin children read statements during parents' sentencing Mp3

A son and a daughter of David and Louise Turpin spoke out in court Friday after the parents pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts of abuse of their children over several decades.

https://youtu.be/FG9DxtjeNwg

Child abuse 'NZ's dark side'

Ending child abuse is New Zealand's "Holy Grail", Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright told a conference today. Dame Silvia opened the 10th Australasian Child Abuse and Neglect Conference in Wellington by acknowledging the child abuse issue was not new to New Zealand. "There is a dark side to our bright country. So I welcome this opportunity to challenge the darkness while thanking those who seek to change it," she said

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10368239.

Emotional London vigil honours early Irish abuse campaigner

For many of those gathered at London’s Hampstead Heath on Friday to remember the life and death of campaigner Peter Tyrrell, Ireland evokes memories of torture and shame. Like Tyrrell himself, these survivors had emigrated from an island that had made them outcasts. On April 26th, 1967, Peter Tyrrell set fire to himself on Hampstead Heath aged 51. His body was identified a year later, with torn fragments of a postcard addressed to Dr Sheehy SK, Trinity College Dublin.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/emotional-london-vigil-honours-early-irish-abuse-campaigner-1.3874077 

How Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien's Catholic priest son abused young boys and was himself assaulted in the family home as a child

JRR Tolkien's eldest son, who became a catholic priest and abused children, may have been abused as a child himself evidence suggests. The Lord of the Ring's creator's firstborn said he often woke up sharing his bed with someone else when his father's Oxford friends stayed during his 1920s childhood, in a recording made by one of his chief accusers.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6967797/JRR-Tolkiens-Catholic-priest-son-abused-young-boys-assaulted-family-home.html

Woman abused by coach says lawyers trying to make her pay Sacramento Diocese’s court fees

The sexual abuse victim of a former St. Francis High School softball coach who sued the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento for failing to protect her said Wednesday she is being unfairly made to pay the church’s court fees. Bailey Boone sued the school and church in 2017 after she was sexually abused as a 16-year-old by her St. Francis softball coach, Michael Martis. Martis pleaded guilty to having sex with minors the same year, and was sentenced to four years in prison.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article229387169.html

2 more men accuse former priest and head of Hanna Boys Center of sexual abuse

Two men have filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s office alleging they were sexually abused by the same priest when they were teens at Hanna Boys Center, an attorney for the men announced at a press conference on Wednesday. One of the alleged victims, David Ortega, 33, told the Index-Tribune that he is coming forward with his allegations of abuse from 1999 to 2001, “because it ruined my whole life,” he said, and he doesn’t “want to see that happen to any other kids.”

https://www.sonomanews.com/news/9513331-181/2-more-men-accuse-former 

Bangladeshi student burned to death by fellow students for reporting sexual harassment by head teacher

A Bangladeshi teenager who braved the shame and taboo of being sexually harassed by reporting her ordeal to officials, has been doused with kerosene at school and burned to death. Nusrat Jahan Rafi, 19, filed a complaint with local police in late March after allegedly being touched inappropriately by the head teacher at her Islamic school, also known as a madrasa, according to the BBC. A police officer filmed her distraught testimony on his mobile phone and it was leaked after the teacher was arrested.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/bangladeshi-student-burned-to-death-by-fellow-students-for-reporting-sexual-harassment-by-head-teacher 

Evil in the Church

Stuck in heavy traffic scarcely moving near Philadelphia, I came across a notice which said: “You’re not stuck in the traffic – you ARE the traffic.” I thought of that recently when I realized what a mess the Catholic church is today. We’re not suffering from the wrongs of the church, we are the church that has gone wrong.

https://barbadostoday.bb/2019/04/19/evil-in-the-church/ 

Diocese Removes Former Hunterdon Priest

A priest who formerly served in Hunterdon has been permanently removed from the priesthood, according to a press release issued today, Good Friday, by the Diocese of Metuchen. Mark Dolak, 66, served in various Catholic churches throughout the state, including St. Catherine of Siena in Pittstown. He was ordained in 1979, according to the Diocese.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/piscataway/sections/religions-and-spirituality/articles/diocese-removes-former-hunterdon-priest-5 

Accused of abuse, ex-priest in Hunterdon is permanently removed from priesthood by Pope Francis

Accused of sexually abusing children, a Roman Catholic priest who served a church in Hunterdon County has been permanently removed from priesthood by Pope Francis. The Diocese of Metuchen on Friday -- Good Friday -- announced the laicization of Mark Dolak. He was ordained in 1979 and faced multiple accusations of abuse that were deemed credible, the diocese had announced in February.

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/hunterdon-county/2019/04/accused-of-abuse-ex-priest-in-hunterdon-is-permanently-removed-from-priesthood-by-pope-francis.html 

Washington state passes law extending statute of limitations for victims of sexual violence

There won't be any limits for the prosecution of sex crimes against children. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law on Friday an extension of the statute of limitations for some cases of sexual assault and removes the statute of limitation for serious sex crimes against children.

https://thinkprogress.org/washington-state-passes-law-extending-statute-of-limitations-for-victims-of-sexual-violence-49d88db6a08e/ 

Serious charge: the Catholic Church wanted to bring criminologist Pfeiffer Silence

He is the most famous criminologist of the country, and should inform the abuse in the Catholic Church. The research project failed. Now, Christian Pfeiffer has been making some serious accusations against dignitaries of the Church, against whose abuse officer Stephan Ackermann. It’s hush money, threats, and cover-up.

https://www.ccdiscovery.com/serious-charge-the-catholic-church-wanted-to-bring-criminologist-pfeiffer-silence 

With Catholic Church in crisis, one priest forges his own spiritual path

The Catholic Church has been rocked by repeated abuse scandals. Meanwhile many Catholics in Germany are closely following reform debates about celibacy and the increased involvement of laypeople. The Church is in a phase of upheaval. It's no wonder, then, that many priests are doubting their work.

https://www.dw.com/en/with-catholic-church-in-crisis-one-priest-forges-his-own-spiritual-path/a-48358127 

VIDEO: Pope Francis’ disturbing support of a Cardinal caught covering up sex abuse

One of the most problematic aspects of Pope Francis’ pontificate has been his promotion and support for prelates who undermine Church teaching. There are numerous examples, but today on Episode 5 of The John-Henry Westen Show, I’m going to talk about one of the most disturbing and prominent cases. Cardinal Godfried Danneels died on March 14 this year.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/video-pope-francis-disturbing-support-of-a-cardinal-caught-covering-up-sex-abuse

NZ’s male sexual trauma stories: ‘We have failed to protect our children’

Each Story in this link is about the rape of little boys... teens and young men... have a video were the man will tell you in their own words of pain and torment... about the beginning of their nightmares... you will share there pain as though they are standing right in-front of you... they are very brave men... New Zealand Men who were Abuse and Raped as little boys... teens and young men... these are post which will open your eyes... in how these men kept quite... because men do not tell about the raped... which happened to them as young children... they are suppose to be tough... guys who take anything dished out to them... even near to death some of them... as they were gang raped in the Army in the showers... The army should stand up to her crimes... and pay these brave men compensation for the pain... torture... suffering they have carried all of their lives... and who have just come forward to face their abusers... they each should be given a Medal of Bravery... for even being courageous enough in challenging their abusers...

 These men are New Zealand's Heroes... Ann Free Spirit =========================================  

NZ’s male sexual trauma stories: ‘We have failed to protect our children’
WARNING: This video series has graphic descriptions of rape, sexual violation, substance abuse and discusses suicide and self-harm. It is recommended for adult audiences only. Why did 10 men and one of their partners sit down and tell their harrowing story of sexual trauma to our cameras? In the finale of the series, peer support worker Paul Davenport and Males Survivors Aotearoa national advocate Ken Clearwater talk about New Zealand’s path to ‘owning’ how badly it has ‘failed to protect children’.
NZ’s sexual trauma story: ‘We have failed to protect our children’NZ’s sexual trauma story:

Link Below
https://www.star.kiwi/challenge-the-silence/ 

Vatican safeguarding commission institutes ‘virtual survivor’s advisory panel’

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican, April 19, 2018.  To guarantee survivors are at the center of any long-term solution the Catholic Church gives to the sexual abuse crisis, the pope’s advisory commission is instituting a Virtual Survivor’s Advisory Panel, following local initiatives in Zambia, the Philippines and Brazil.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/04/08/vatican-safeguarding-commission-institutes-virtual-survivors-advisory-panel/

Abuse survivor finds healing at Liturgy of Lament in Glendora

Joe approached the microphone, held his handwritten index cards out in front of him, and took in a deep breath. He exhaled with grace. “My name is Joe. I’m a surviving victim … thank you.” That is how he concluded an eight-minute witness talk, with several pauses and tears, during an impactful element of a two-hour Victim Survivor Listening Session at St. Dorothy’s Church in Glendora on Thursday, April 4. But it will likely mark the beginning of Joe’s further public healing process that he wants to continue.

https://angelusnews.com/news/tom-hoffarth/abuse-survivor-finds-healing-at-liturgy-of-lament-in-glendora 

NPR: ‘N.J. Lawmakers Pass Bill To Extend Statute Of Limitations For Sex Abuse’

Lawmakers in New Jersey passed a bill to extend the statute of limitations for sex abuse to when the victim is 55, or seven years after they realize their abuse. The governor has indicated support for the bill. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Revelations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and rampant sexual harassment allegations exposed in the #MeToo movement have brought many survivors forward.

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/05/710398103/n-j-lawmakers-pass-bill-to-extend-statute-of-limitations-for-sex-abuse 

Royal Commission deserves neither blind faith nor sanctified mistrust

Could a practising Catholic do a good, honest job of chairing the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care and Faith-based Institutions? Yes. To disqualify chairman Sir Anand Satyanand simply on the basis of his own faith, rather than any deeds, would be to indulge intolerance.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/111879792/royal-commission-deserves-neither-blind-faith-nor-sanctified-mistrust 

Can We Ever Fairly Compensate Victims of the Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandal?

In an article appearing in the latest issue of the New Yorker, Paul Elie takes a look at how victims of the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal are obtaining justice. Is it enough that a priest is sent to prison? How much money is fair compensation? What happens if the abuse occurred so long ago that the statute of limitations has long passed?

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/04/08/can-we-ever-fairly-compensate-victims-of-the-catholic-church-sex-abuse-scandal/ 

This is a country for old men (and old archbishops)

You don’t have to be Catholic to take an interest in the announcement last week that Pope Francis has chosen the Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory, the longtime archbishop of Atlanta, as the new head of the archdiocese of Washington, D.C. That said, the Roman Catholic Church isn’t entirely consistent about when bishops and cardinals are considered too old to serve.

https://www.postbulletin.com/opinion/other_views/commentary-this-is-a-country-for-old-men-and-old/article_ac4b8ac2-c039-5528-a0ec-497f579c3d84.html 

Letter: Lack of credibility remains in Catholic Church

The pope stopped the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops from passing their own rules for stopping the molester priests and the cover-ups by bishops at their national meeting last November. Measures should include mandated reporting of credible allegations to police and prosecutors, etc. The Vatican said it wanted to wait until Pope Francis convened all the bishops and cardinals worldwide to the Vatican in February.

https://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20190408/letter-lack-of-credibility-remains-in-catholic-church

Irish Archbishop says ”hundreds” of pedophile priests in the Irish church

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has told an Irish TV documentary on church abuse there were “hundreds” of pedophiles in the church. He stated that so many children were abused that some of the pedophile priests responsible do not even remember who their victims were. “My people will ask, for example, a priest if a new case comes up from one of these historical cases: ‘Does this name mean anything to you?’

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/diarmuid-martin-hundreds-pedophile-priests-irish-church 

Winston Peters defends Sir Anand Satyanand over sex abuse inquiry criticism

Winston Peters says Sir Anand Satyanand is an innocent victim of a "verbal hate campaign" after calls for him to step down from a state inquiry into historic abuse. Sir Anand offered to resign from his role as chairman of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and Care in Faith-Based Institutions after disclosing he's Catholic and has known Bishops in "church and social settings''. But the Deputy Prime Minister says Sir Anand is a man of great integrity and should stay.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/04/winston-peters-defends-sir-anand-satyanand-over-sex-abuse-inquiry-criticism.html 

Sexual abuse, a troubling text by Benedict XVI

A German magazine has published a long essay by the former pope who seems to take the opposite position of Pope Francis on the issue of sexual abuse. Benedict XVI has linked the 1960s sexual revolution and cliques of homosexuals in seminaries to the ongoing crisis within the Catholic Church over sexual abuse of children.

https://international.la-croix.com/news/sexual-abuse-a-troubling-text-by-benedict-xvi/9889 

Church names 12 Nevada priests ‘credibly accused’ of sexual abuse

Twelve Nevada priests have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse, and eight of them at one point served in the Las Vegas Valley, according to the Catholic Diocese of Reno. The Reno diocese published the list Friday as a “measure of transparency and accountability,” the Rev. Randolph Calvo, the bishop of Reno, said in an open letter to parishioners.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/church-names-12-nevada-priests-credibly-accused-of-sexual-abuse-1636536/ 

As A Lifelong Catholic, I Can't Ignore The Church's Contradictions

For over 50 years I had a Sunday ritual. Sometimes it was Saturday or Sunday night instead of the morning, but each week I automatically attended mass. It became a form of stability. We all thrive on consistency, and going to church was like eating for me. No questions asked.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/margaret-whitley/catholic-church-abuse_a_23706798/ 

Pennsylvania lawmakers to child-sex-abuse survivors: Take a number, have a seat

The Pennsylvania legislature, once again, is poised to turn its back on who knows how many survivors of child sex abuse. Promises of action? Pledges to victims? Repeated assurances that those who were violated (and long-voiceless) might find some measure of justice? You tell me.

https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-sex-abuse-survivors-pennsylvania-victims-bill-20190410-e4gcyrf47jb3rk4o7jygxfasqi-story.html 

Nine months after Ted McCarrick sex-abuse crisis explodes, The New Yorker gives it some ink

It’s been more than nine months since the explosive news about former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick hit and only now has The New Yorker done a definitive piece on it all. We at GetReligion felt that McCarrick’s fall from grace was last year’s top religion story, along with the culpability of the Catholic Church’s highest officials in knowing about the cardinal’s sexual predilections for other men. They did nothing about it until finally it was revealed that he’d gone after boys as well.

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/4/10Nine%20months%20after%20Ted%20McCarrick%20sex-abuse%20crisis%20explodes,%20The%20New%20Yorker%20gives%20it%20some%20ink 

Bishop Duca celebrates special Way of Cross to ‘heal this wound’ of abuse

Where there is darkness, light shines; where there is despair, hope. Bishop Michael G. Duca celebrated a special Way of the Cross for reparation for the sin of sexual abuse within the church April 5 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, offering grace to survivors and asking the church to accompany them on their journey of healing.

 http://catholicphilly.com/2019/04/news/national-news/bishop-duca-celebrates-special-way-of-cross-to-heal-this-wound-of-abuse/

Put needs of survivors first, not strictly the law, panelists urge Church

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Amid the legal wrangling surrounding the long-standing clergy sexual abuse crisis, Barbara Thorp, a social worker who formerly led the Archdiocese of Boston’s office that supports and cares for abuse survivors, wants Catholic leaders to know that healing among survivors is a far more important path to pursue.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2019/04/10/put-needs-of-survivors-first-not-strictly-the-law-panelists-urge-church/ 

US jury finds ex-priest guilty of sex abuse in New Mexico

A U.S. jury found a former Roman Catholic priest who was captured in Morocco guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing an altar boy at a veterans' cemetery and Air Force base in New Mexico in the early 1990s. The jury reached the verdict against 81-year-old Arthur Perrault following a trial in Santa Fe in which several men testified that they had been abused by him as children in his car, a church rectory and other locations.

http://www.startribune.com/us-jury-finds-ex-priest-guilty-of-sex-abuse-in-new-mexico/508390242/ 

Ex-Pope Benedict blames hippies for clerical sex abuse

Ex-Pope Benedict XVI says the sexual revolution of the 1960s is to answer for child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. The former pope wrote in an essay that "absence of God" was behind acts of pedophilia. Former Pope Benedict XVI has blamed the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal on the 1960s sexual revolution, growing secularization and weak church laws that protected priests in an essay published Thursday.

https://www.dw.com/en/ex-pope-benedict-blames-hippies-for-clerical-sex-abuse/a-48294635 

Ex-pope Benedict blames Church sex abuse crisis on 1960s sexual revolution

Former pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, April 11, blamed the Catholic clerical sex abuse scandals on the 1960s sexual revolution and a collapse in faith in the West, immediately drawing criticism from some theologians. The ex-pontiff, who retired in 2013 and chose to be known thereafter as "pope emeritus", said responsibility for the crises rocking the Roman Catholic Church globally from Australia to Europe lay with the fight for an "all-out sexual freedom, one which no longer admitted any norms".

https://www.rappler.com/world/global-affairs/227994-ex-pope-benedict-blames-church-sex-abuse-crisis-1960s-sexual-revolution 

Benedict said what Vatican abuse summit dared not: ‘Homosexual cliques’ ruined seminaries

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said what prelates at the Vatican’s recent summit on clergy sexual abuse dared not say: Homosexual cliques “significantly changed the climate in the seminaries.” Benedict’s essay has broken the hierarchy’s seemingly impenetrable wall of silence regarding the major source of the Church’s sexual misconduct and cover-up problem.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/benedict-said-what-vatican-abuse-summit-dared-not-homosexual-cliques-ruined-seminaries 

Catholic Cardinals Starting to Feel the Heat

In the wake of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin’s conviction for failing to report a known pedophile priest to police, the princes of the Catholic Church are under increasing scrutiny. Cardinal George Pell of Australia and the Vatican’s chief financial officer has been found guilty on charges that he molested children decades ago. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been kicked out of the priesthood.

https://losangeles.legalexaminer.com/legal/catholic-cardinals-starting-to-feel-the-heat/ 

Sioux Falls bishop releases list of 11 Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse of children

Three men are suing the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, alleging that a priest molested them as children and that the diocese covered up the abuse and frequently reassigned the priest. The men allege in their lawsuits that they were 12 or 13 in the 1970s and 1980s when they met the Rev. James Grear at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, where he celebrated Mass in the suburban Indianapolis community of Carmel.

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/20190326/lafayette-diocese-sued-for-alleged-cover-up

Lafayette diocese sued for alleged cover-up

Three men are suing the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, alleging that a priest molested them as children and that the diocese covered up the abuse and frequently reassigned the priest. The men allege in their lawsuits that they were 12 or 13 in the 1970s and 1980s when they met the Rev. James Grear at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, where he celebrated Mass in the suburban Indianapolis community of Carmel.

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/20190326/lafayette-diocese-sued-for-alleged-cover-up 

Editorial: Church policy on funerals fits a long pattern of concealment

Was it sensitivity to the victims of sexual abuse or another slap in their faces? The history of the Catholic Church and the Buffalo Diocese practically shouts the latter. And if it wasn’t, then it’s at least a lesson in the price of holding terrible secrets. The question is how the local church went about acknowledging the deaths of priests credibly accused of molesting children

https://buffalonews.com/2019/03/26/editorial-church-policy-on-funerals-fits-a-long-pattern-of-concealment/ 

Battling Catholic corruption: Local priest reflects on abuse in the church

Accusations of sexual abuse have rocked the Catholic church since 2002. In August 2018, the scandal intensified following an investigation in Pennsylvania that found more than 300 priests accused of child sexual abuse — leaving at least 1,000 survivors.

https://thedmonline.com/catholic-priest-localization/ 

Intercourse abuse convictions of Australia cardinal show polarizing

MELBOURNE, Australia – The most senior Catholic to be convicted of child sex abuse will be sentenced to prison on Wednesday in an Australia landmark case that has polarized observers. Some described the prosecution as proof the church is no longer above the law, while others suspect Cardinal George Pell has been made a scapegoat for the church’s sins.

https://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/news-summary/intercourse-abuse-convictions-of-australia-cardinal-show-polarizing/ 

28 priests, brothers credibly accused in Kansas diocese

Allegations of clergy sexual abuse have been substantiated against 28 priests or religious clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina in central Kansas in cases mostly stemming from the 1950s and '60s, according to investigations by church officials.

https://www.koamnewsnow.com/news/28-priests-brothers-credibly-accused-in-kansas-diocese/1064073271 

Indian priest sentenced to 6 years in prison for sexually abusing minor

New York, Mar 30(Agencies): A 38-year-old Indian former Roman Catholic priest has been sentenced to six years in prison for sexually abusing a minor girl in the US. The accused has been identified as John Praveen, 38, who pleaded guilty in February to sexually touching a 13-year-old girl in the Rapid City church, South Dakota over her clothes last year.

https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=574789 

Former Archbishop Pell convicted

George Pell, a high-ranking cardinal at the Vatican and a major figure in Australian politics during the late 90s, has been convicted of the sexual abuse of two boys in 1996. He received a sentence of only 6 years, and can be released in less than 4 with parole. These were by no means the first or only allegations against him, and a trial on another matter was due to go before the courts this month until a key complainant died in January.

https://thesocialist.org.au/former-archbishop-pell-convicted/ 

'Spiritual combat' must be part of fight against sex abuse, pope says

o fight clerical sexual abuse, the Catholic Church must have clear laws and procedures, but it also must engage in "spiritual combat," because it is obvious the devil is at work, Pope Francis said. After the Vatican summit on abuse in February, the pope said, he read a newspaper article that said he had "washed his hands and blamed the devil" for the abuse crisis.

https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/spiritual-combat-must-be-part-of-fight-against-sex-abuse-pope-says.cfm