The Australian Church is in desperate trouble

In 2017, the Church has endured an abuse crisis, lost a same-sex marriage vote and failed to stop euthanasia. Can it recover?

This Sunday marks the beginning of a new year (Year B, to be precise) in the Church’s liturgical calendar. That may be a relief for Australian Catholics, who will be glad to say goodbye to 2017 a few weeks early

http://catholicherald.co.uk/issues/december-1st-2017/the-australian-church-is-in-desperate-trouble/ 

The head of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse insists it is on track to complete its hearings despite the criticism and loss of its previous chairs

Not long after qualifying as a social worker in Scotland, Alexis Jay took on some of her “most challenging work ever”. That role was to relocate 45 of Glasgow’s homeless family groups into bed and breakfast accommodation.
“It was a very significant experience for me,” she says. At that point, Jay could “not have imagined at all” that one day she’d be heading a multi-million pound inquiry into historic child sex abuse – one that, if all goes according to plan, could uncover institutional failings in some of the UK’s most longstanding establishments, including the NHS, the BBC and Westminster.

https://www.bigissuenorth.com/features/2017/12/interview-alexis-jay/ 

Father John Murphy, 93, jailed for sexually abusing boys

A Roman Catholic priest who admitted sexually abusing four boys over 40 years ago has been jailed.

Father John Murphy, 93, of St George's Court, Maghull, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of indecently assaulting boys at swimming pools, on camping trips and at a church between 1962 and 1974.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-42195251#_=_ 

‘A Depraved Heart’: Ex-Priest John Feit’s Murder Trial Begins

The Catholic Church was complicit in covering up the 1960 murder of a South Texas beauty queen to protect a priest who attacked her during confession, prosecutors said on the first day of 85-year-old John Feit’s trial.
“This is a case about betrayal, murder and a cover-up,” Assistant District Attorney Michael Garza told jurors in opening statements Thursday.

https://www.courthousenews.com/a-depraved-heart-ex-priest-john-feits-murder-trial-begins/

Alzheimer's doubt over archbishop facing sexual abuse cover-up trial

A NSW prosecutor has suggested if Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson is as demented as it’s claimed, he could not look after his own affairs, let alone keep his job as one of the country’s leading clergymen.
Wilson, 67, is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual assault. He failed to appear at Newcastle local court this week.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/01/archbishop-to-be-assessed-for-fitness-to-stand-trial-over-sexual-abuse-cover-up 

Child sex abuse inquiry’s stance on recovered memories raises fears as report release nears

In January last year the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse began a wide-ranging public investigation into the Church of England Boys Society, the Anglican Church’s equivalent of the Boy Scouts. On the fifth day of those hearings, in a courtroom of the Commonwealth Law Courts building in Hobart, a 63-year-old man known only as BYA entered the witness box and made disturbing allegations about a pedophile ring in the upper reaches of the South Australian CEBS.

BYA recalled that in 1967, as a shy and religiously inclined 15-year-old, he became leader of his local CEBS group in inner-suburban Adelaide. At about that time, he said, the chief commissioner of CEBS in South Australia, Bob Brandenburg, began sexually abusing him during sleepovers at Brandenburg’s house and on expeditions to look for campsites.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/child-sex-abuse-inquirys-stance-on-recovered-memories-raises-fears-as-report-release-nears/news-story/d6deed03a1448507f6344b9bfe92358c 

New laws to act on Royal Commission findings

New laws to implement findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse have been introduced by Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay. The Royal Commission was established in 2013 to investigate institutions that have failed to protect children or respond to allegations of child sexual abuse.
“We now know that tens of thousands of children have been sexually abused in many Australian institutions. We will never know the true number. This is a national tragedy, perpetrated over generations within many of our most trusted institutions,” Minister Ramsay said.

https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/gordon-ramsay-mla-media-releases/2017/new-laws-to-act-on-royal-commission-findings 

Archbishop could be malingering: NSW court

Australian Associated PressNovember 28, 20176:43pm

The trial of Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson for covering up sexual abuse has been delayed due to concerns over the 67-year-old's health, but a NSW court has been told he could be "malingering".

Wilson, the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sex assault, was scheduled to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday but was a no-show amid fears he may be suffering Alzheimer's disease and might not be fit to stand trial.

http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/archbishop-unable-to-face-abuse-hearing/news-story/d2282efb7ba527725231b12347620fcc#.lgw6b 

Sex offenders targeted children at Roman Catholic church school near Bath, inquiry hears

An inquiry has heard how children at a Roman Catholic church school near Bath were targeted by sex offenders over the course of many decades.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is examining the prevalence of paedophilia in the English Benedictine Congregation and failures in protecting young people. It is focusing on offenders that targeted children at two Roman Catholic schools, Downside in Radstock and Ampleforth in North Yorkshire, reports Somerset Live.

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/bath-news/sex-offenders-targeted-children-roman-841297

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson misses trial opening after having pacemaker installed, court hears

THE landmark prosecution of one of the state’s Catholic Church leaders, Archbishop Philip Wilson, for allegedly covering up child sex abuse is in doubt after his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Archbishop of Adelaide, 67, was due to face Newcastle Local Court yesterday on a charge he concealed sex abuse within the Catholic Church over the past four decades. But the Archbishop, a former local junior priest, failed to travel to NSW for the opening day of his trial as details of his failing health were publicly disclosed.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/law-order/adelaide-archbishop-philip-wilson-misses-trial-opening-after-having-pacemaker-installed-court-hears/news-story/1faaf5ae3ed600bb53a91c5bdf02627f 

1200km journey to combat child abuse ends in Toowoomba

CLAUDE "the mowerman'" Harvey will make it to Toowoomba today on the final leg of his 1200km journey to "mow down" child sexual assault.
The 71-year-old grandfather has been on a 14-day "mowerthon" fundraising mission, pushing his trusty, customised-cutter through 12 towns from North New South Wales to the Darling Downs.

https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/1200km-journey-combat-child-abuse-ends-toowoomba/3276193/ 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is leading a sex cover-up scandal similar to the Catholic Church

Calling out Governor Cuomo for his direct involvement in the protection of countless sexual predators, pedophiles and rapists within his mental health agencies ALBANY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, November 27, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Different institutions and different victims and perpetrators, but nonetheless, the same massive sexual abuse and rapes, cover-ups and shuffling of sexual predators. Instead of pedophile priests within the Catholic Church raping children, they are un-vetted, un-trained and un-supervised State and private caregivers raping children and adults with disabilities. http://www.abc6.com/story/36905371/gov-cuomo-must-resign-and-be-held-accountable-for-protecting-sexual-predators-pedophiles-rapists

http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/417915479/gov-andrew-cuomo-is-leading-a-sex-cover-up-scandal-similar-to-the-catholic-church 

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is a public inquiry into how institutions and organisations in England and Wales have taken seriously their responsibility to protect children.

North Yorkshire Police will provide evidence to the IICSA during the public hearing strand relating to the Roman Catholic Church. This will take place between 27 November and 15 December 2017. North Yorkshire Police’s particular involvement relates to Ampleforth College. The hearing will also hear evidence from other organisations, institutions, and victims of sexual abuse.

https://northyorkshire.police.uk/news/independent-inquiry-child-sexual-abuse/ 

Australian archbishop charged with abuse cover-up diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

An Australian archbishop facing charges over allegedly covering up a case of clerical sexual abuse has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The trial of Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide was due to begin on Tuesday in Newcastle. He is charged with concealing information about an abuse case from the 1970s.

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/11/30/australian-archbishop-charged-abuse-cover-diagnosed-alzheimers/ 

She Didn’t Fight Back: 5 (Misguided) Reasons People Doubt Sexual Misconduct Victims

She took decades to come forward. She can’t remember exactly what happened. She sent friendly text messages to the same man she says assaulted her. She didn’t fight back.

There are all sorts of reasons women who report sexual misconduct, from unwanted advances by their bosses to groping or forced sex acts, are not believed, and with a steady drumbeat of new reports making headlines, the country is hearing a lot of them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/us/sexual-harassment-weinstein-women.html?emc=edit_tnt_20171130&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y