Irish survivor Marie Collins's resignation from a papal commission on child protection exposes the Vatican

A FORMER trainee Catholic priest who gave evidence at the child abuse royal commission has slammed Pope Francis as “all words and no action” after the sudden resignation of the only abuse survivor on a Vatican commission for child protection.
Lawyer and former trainee priest Kieran Tapsell said he did not accept commentary that the Pope was “somehow prevented by an intransigent Curia” from acting quickly and decisively to change church responses to child sex crimes, after the resignation of Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins

http://www.cessnockadvertiser.com.au/story/4506195/child-sexual-abuse-will-be-blot-on-pope-francis/?cs=12 

John L. Allen Jr.: Why survivor’s exit from papal panel may be a blessing in disguise

Although the optics of the exit of the lone survivor serving as an active member of Pope Francis's anti-sex abuse commission aren't good, the reality is that naming survivors as members puts them in an extremely awkward spot, trapped between their loyalties to the Vatican and to fellow survivors.

In terms of the optics of the situation, there’s just no way in which the departure of Marie Collins, the only abuse survivor who was also an active member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, looks good for Pope Francis.

https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2017/03/01/survivors-exit-papal-panel-may-blessing-disguise/

Conspiracy hatched to hush up rape by priest: Police

KANNUR: A conspiracy was hatched to hush up the rape of a minor girl by Robin Vadakkancheril alias Mathew Vadakkancheril, a 48-year-old priest in Kottiyoor, police has said. The authorities of the hospital where the girl delivered the baby, and also the orphanage in Wayanad which took the baby under its care without informing the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), made serious lapses, they said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/conspiracy-hatched-to-hush-up-rape-by-priest-police/articleshow/57471165.cms 

Church will not protect priests guilty of sexual abuse: Cardinal

Kochi: In a sign that ecclesiastical authorities are finally ready to admit the magnitude of the problem, Cardinal George Mar Alencherry, head of the Syro Malabar church, said on Saturday that the church unequivocally condemns clergy members involved in sexual abuse and child molestation cases and will under no circumstance protect the accused.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/church-will-not-protect-priests-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-cardinal/articleshow/57471121.cms 

Boy Scouts says it banned priest who admitted he molested Guam kids

The Boy Scouts of America banned from the scouting movement a priest accused of pedophilia who faces multiple sex-abuse cases in Guam, according to the head of the organization's Aloha Council.
The council, which has jurisdiction over the Boys Scouts' Guam chapter, was commenting on recent court cases filed in federal court against Louis Brouillard, a former Guam priest and former Boy Scouts troop master.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/boy-scouts-says-it-banned-priest-who-admitted-he-molested/article_9b1ad4c4-ffb9-11e6-821a-7f7ce882b274.html 

Kerala Bishop apologises for alleged rape by priest after Catholic body’s bizarre excuse

How will I console the daughter who was victimised and her parents?" Bishop writes.  Bishop of Mananthavady Archdiocese, Jose Porunnedom has apologised to the family of the survivor, who was allegedly raped and impregnated by Kottoyoor Parish vicar Fr. Robin Vadakkancheril.
In a letter written by the Bishop, appointing a new Vicar to the parish, he says that the incident has caused shame and spiritual loss to the diocese. He also said that he can understand the pain of other church representatives at Kottiyoor parish, who are struggling to come to terms with this situation and are not knowing how to react. He also urged the parish representatives like nuns, committee members and other priests to stay strong in their faith.

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-bishop-apologises-alleged-rape-priest-after-catholic-body-s-bizarre-excuse-58113 

'It just blows me away': Judge stunned by church's legal aid to paedophile

A Victorian judge said evidence the Catholic Church continues to fund the legal defence of one of Australia's worst paedophiles, Robert Charles Best, "just blows me away".
On Monday Best, 76, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to sexually abusing 20 young victims between 1968 and 1988 at schools in Ballarat, Box Hill, Geelong and Moonee Ponds.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/its-hard-not-to-get-angry-judge-stunned-by-churchs-legal-aid-to-paedophile-20170220-gugz81.html 

Pair leads call for bishop’s resignation

Bishop Leslie Tomlinson, it is time to go. That is the message that two prominent critics of the Catholic Church have for the Bishop of Sandhurst Diocese after the revelations of the high rates of alleged sexual abuse by priests within the district.
Catherine Dooley from Tatura is a lifelong Catholic but in recent years has become a prominent critic of the church over what she believed was the mismanagement and lack of accountability within its structure.

http://www.sheppnews.com.au/2017/03/06/77147/pair-leads-call-for-bishops-resignation 

House, Senate child abuse bills both address statute of limitations, differ on retroactivity

Two separate bills to extend the statutes of limitation for victims of child sexual abuse have been introduced into the Pennsylvania General Assembly this year. Both would eliminate all age limits for criminal actions and civil lawsuits against alleged abusers going forward.
However, there is a major difference. A House of Representatives bill – introduced by state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democrat from Berks County, and supported by state Rep. Frank Burns from East Taylor Township – includes a two-year window in which past victims could file civil complaints against their alleged abusers. The Senate version does not contain any such retroactivity.

http://www.tribdem.com/news/house-senate-child-abuse-bills-both-address-statute-of-limitations/article_1fb104ea-fe09-11e6-8154-2b774e538b47.html 

Public hearing into nature, cause and impact of child sexual abuse

The scope and purpose of the public hearing is to inquire into:

1. The nature of child sexual abuse and related matters in institutional contexts in Australia and how community understanding of abuse has changed over time.
   
2. The extent of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts historically and in contemporary Australia, and challenges to identification and prevention.
   
3. The factors that contribute to the risk of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts:
   
   https://childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2017-03/public-hearing-into-nature,-cause-and-impact-of-ch 

Victim Of Notorious Baltimore Priest Says Police Were In On Sexual Abuse

In the 60s and 70s, Father Joseph Maskell, a counselor at Archbishop Keough High School, was accused of molesting dozens of students — mostly women.
A recent WJZ investigation revealed many of those victims confided in 26-year-old Sister Cathy Cesnik just before her shocking murder nearly 50 years ago. “She confronted him and she lost her life for it,” says Teresa Lancaster.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/02/27/victim-of-notorious-baltimore-priest-says-police-were-in-on-sexual-abuse/ 

23rd lawsuit filed against Catholic church for claims of sex abuse

The Archdiocese of Agana is now facing $115 million from 23 different sex abuse lawsuits filed against them.

Guam - Yet another sex abuse lawsuit has been filed against the Catholic church and once again former Guam priest Father Louis Brouillard is named as the perpetrator.

http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/local/12852 

'Criminally negligent': Catholic archbishops criticise church's handling of abuse scandal

Australia’s most senior Catholic leaders have conceded that the church’s handling of the child sexual abuse crisis was “hopelessly inadequate”, had catastrophic consequences, and amounted to “criminal negligence”.
Five of Australia’s metropolitan archbishops appeared before the child abuse royal commission on Thursday, asked to explain how the church had allowed the abuse of at least 4,444 children between between 1980 and 2015.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/23/criminally-negligent-catholic-archbishops-criticse-churchs-handling-of-abuse-scandal?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=1fae9a3ee9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-1fae9a3ee9-399905477 

Suspended Eugene priest denies paying underage prostitute for sex

For one reason or another, Eugene priest Daniel MacKay struck up a relationship last summer with a 17-year-old girl who posted prostitution advertisements online.

Lane County prosecutors say it was a typical, sexual relationship between a prostitute and a regular customer. But MacKay’s lawyer told a jury on Friday that her client is innocent of criminal charges that accuse him of paying for sex with the girl on four separate occasions.

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/35310584-75/suspended-eugene-priest-denies-paying-underage-prostitute-for-sex.html.csp 

Pell smeared again on ABC. To hell with evidence

John Lyons accuses  Cardinal George Pell on the ABC's The Drum of transferring a "known pedophile" priest to another town, where he abused again, and says Pell covered up the reasons for the move. 

In fact, the royal commission heard Pell knew nothing of the pedophilia and the transfer was engineered by his bishop. Yet no panelist defended Pell.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/pell-smeared-again-on-abc-to-hell-with-evidence/news-story/b010d685a6595df3545c64bc63a63772