Priest Accused of Abusing 2 Boys, Making 1 Confess Afterward

A Roman Catholic priest was arrested and charged Tuesday with sexually abusing at least two boys during his four decades in the Erie, Pennsylvania, diocese, and making one of them say confession after the alleged assaults. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the arrest of the 64-year-old Rev. David Poulson, of Oil City, as part of a statewide grand jury investigation. According to court records, Poulson is facing at least eight charges, including indecent assault and child endangerment for incidents dating to 2002.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/Erie-Priest-Confession-Child-Abuse-482074671.html 

'Ellis defence' scrapped as Victorian law change opens church up to abuse legal action

It was only years later, long after he had been admitted to practise as a lawyer, that John Ellis decided to exercise his legal right to sue the Catholic Church. As a altar boy, he'd been abused by a paedophile priest. Now an adult, he sought damages. But Mr Ellis ultimately failed because the church successfully argued it did not legally exist as its assets were held in a trust, and that was protected from legal action. And in a galling circumstance of fate, Mr Ellis's name was unwittingly shackled to the method the church had used to avoid the legal action. Since then it's been known as "the Ellis defence". But last night, more than 16 years after the fact, the Victorian Government passed a law closing the legal loophole.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-25/legal-loophole-ellis-defence-catholic-church-close-damages/9800142 

Vicar-General Philip Marshall takes over from Philip Wilson as head of Catholic Church in Adelaide

VICAR-General Philip Marshall will take responsibility for the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide from Archbishop Philip Wilson after his conviction for covering up historic child sex abuse. Wilson officially stood down from his duties on Friday after asking the Catholic faithful to “pray for me” in a letter distributed on Wednesday. The church said Fr Marshall will work closely with the clergy and the laity to “keep the life and renewal of the archdiocese moving forward”.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/vicargeneral-philip-marshall-takes-over-from-philip-wilson-as-head-of-catholic-church-in-adelaide/news-story/d0c39ca62644bde7e6b5a9e77a5ce435 

Editorial: Senate must protect sex victims

Even church is looking into old cases, showing need for one-year lookback window on Child Victims Act Two separate articles that appeared on the same day in the Buffalo News earlier this month illustrate clearly why state lawmakers have run out of excuses for not passing the Child Victims Act. The first article reported that the Diocese of Buffalo had placed a 77-year-old priest on administrative leave over allegations he had sexual contact with a teenage girl back in the mid-1980s.

https://dailygazette.com/article/2018/05/25/editorial-senate-must-protect-sex-victims 

The shameful foster-care war between DHS and Catholic Social Services | Ronnie Polaneczky

The city’s Department of Human Services and Catholic Social Services, one of the child-welfare agencies DHS works with, are locked into positions guaranteed to further harm already hurting kids. That’s not hyperbole, either. It’s the truth. Philadelphia does not have enough foster homes for kids in dire need of a safe, stable place to live while the chaos of their lives gets sorted out. In March, DHS had to put out an urgent call for 300 more foster homes, its first major recruitment move in a decade.

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/dhs-catholic-social-serfices-gay-lgbtq-foster-parents-philadelphia-lawsuit-becket-ronnie-polaneczky-20180525.html 

Archbishop Philip Wilson found guilty of concealing child sex abuse

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has been put on notice that he could expect a jail term after he was found guilty on Tuesday of concealing historical child abuse allegations against another priest. In a landmark decision that could have wide-reaching implications for other high-ranking clergy members, Magistrate Robert Stone found Archbishop Wilson had been told by a 15-year-old boy in 1976 that he had been indecently assaulted by notorious Hunter paedophile priest Father James Fletcher, but chose not to go to the authorities despite believing the allegations were true.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/archbishop-philip-wilson-found-guilty-of-concealing-child-sex-abuse-20180522-p4zgpc.html 

Are Some (of Paige Patterson’s) Sins More Heinous than Others?

In the land of Presbyterianism, we profess, with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, that “some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations are more heinous in the sight of God than others.” That’s a line that comes to mind in the discussion so far about Paige Patterson who has stepped down as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after allegations that he gave bad counsel and used sermon illustrations offensive to women. The way some are reacting to the news about Patterson’s words, which began about a month ago, would make you think Patterson himself was guilty of sexual misconduct.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/protestprotest/2018/05/are-some-of-paige-pattersons-sins-more-heinous-than-others/ 

Chilean cardinal at center of abuse scandal won’t travel to Rome

Even though he’s considered to be at the center of the current sexual abuse crisis in the Chilean Church, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, who sits on the “C9” council of cardinals that advises Pope Francis, won’t be coming to Rome next week when the rest of the country’s bishops meet with the pontiff. Citing “personal reasons,” Errázuriz, 86, will not travel, even though Francis asked that every bishop in the country come to the Vatican to address the crisis created by well-documented cases of clerical sexual abuse and accusations of its cover-up.

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/05/10/chilean-cardinal-at-center-of-abuse-scandal-wont-travel-to-rome/ 

Boy Scouts lobby in states to stem the flow of child abuse lawsuits

The Boy Scouts of America, which acknowledged last year that it has taken a financial hit from settlements in child abuse cases, has lobbied against proposals in multiple states that would expose the organization to more lawsuits, according to victim advocates and proponents of the legislation. The group retained lobbyists in Georgia and New York, where lawmakers say such action helped stall proposals that included ‘‘lookback’’ windows allowing adults to take legal action over decades-old claims. It has hired lobbyists in Michigan, where similar proposals are being debated. The bills would give adults who were abused as children a second chance to file suit if they missed their first opportunity under state law.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/05/09/boy-scouts-lobby-states-stem-flow-child-abuse-lawsuits/cVa090MxHWig3tHKulykbJ/story.html 

Bishop denies knowledge of abuse charges against ‘Archangel’ and followers

ROME - In the ongoing case involving the leader of a lay Catholic association in Sicily charged with the sexual abuse of at least six underage girls, a former bishop of the local diocese in the 1980s has denied having any knowledge of the accusations and said the issue “had been buried.” “No one came to tell me clearly how things stood,” said Monsignor Giuseppe Malandrino, who was Bishop of Acireale for over 18 years (1979-1998), in an early May interview with local media. “What can I control if there’s nothing? Now everyone speaks, but at the time…”

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/05/15/bishop-denies-knowledge-of-abuse-charges-against-archangel-and-followers/ 

They Found God: These Are Some of the Openly Religious Rock Stars The other face of rock music.

Over the years, rock music has often been associated with anti-religious or even satanic views. But it may come as a surprise to some that there are many rock and metal musicians who are actually really open about their beliefs. Sure, being religious has certainly been the less "cool" for rock musicians but, nonetheless, some of them became really famous despite that. So today we will be covering some of the most popular rock stars who are – or were – openly religious.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/they_found_god_these_are_some_of_the_openly_religious_rock_stars-75181 

'Pope Cannot Claim He Was Misinformed': Chilean Abuse Survivor After Vatican Meeting

In January, Pope Francis traveled to South America to spread peace and hope. Many cheered him on, but he also wound up causing emotional pain when he dismissed accusations that Chilean clergy had covered up sexual abuse. In the weeks that followed, the Vatican's leading sex crimes investigator looked into the allegations, and the pope did an about-face: He acknowledged making mistakes. Now, Francis has been apologizing and listening to some of those he offended most.

http://www.wbur.org/npr/609182908/pope-cannot-claim-he-was-misinformed-chilean-abuse-survivor-after-vatican-meetin 

Abuse Victim: Buffalo Bishop Not Being Transparent

BUFFALO, New York (ChurchMilitant.com) - A sex abuse victim is calling out the diocese of Buffalo, New York for failing to be transparent in its handling of clerical misconduct. "My abuser was simply moved to a nearby parish two months after I complained," Stephanie McIntyre told Church Militant. "This has been a living hell for us." Father Fabian Maryanski allegedly began sexually abusing and grooming McIntyre when she was 15. She said he got her drunk and had intercourse with her on her 18th birthday. Maryanski was 45 at the time.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/buffalos-abuse-victims-call-for-bishops-resignation 

Catholics advertise for contributions to Cardinal George Pell’s legal fees

Cardinal George Pell recently had the most serious sexual offence charges against him dropped, but is now due to face court over other, less serious, charges. And as his legal fees continue to mount up, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has posted an article asking his supporters to contribute to his funds. The Archdiocese’ news journal, the Catholic Weekly, posted an article recently with bank details for people to transfer money directly through to his legal team. They insist the Catholic Church is not subsidising Pell’s legal fees, and confirmed they did not set up the fund themselves.

https://startsat60.com/news/crime/catholics-advertise-for-contributions-to-cardinal-george-pells-legal-fees 

A Deeper Reckoning

When Pope Francis appointed Juan Barros Madrid bishop of Osorno, Chile, in 2015, violent protests broke out in the streets and in the cathedral at his installation Mass. Barros was a protégé of the notorious priest Fernando Karadima, a charismatic and influential figure in the church of Santiago who had engaged in the sexual abuse of minors over the course of three decades. Karadima was sentenced by an ecclesiastical court in 2011 to a life of prayer and penitence. Yet four of Karadima’s favorites, who had turned a blind eye to his abusive behavior and defended him when he was initially accused, were later made bishops; Barros was one of those four. When Pope Francis proclaimed Barros’s innocence and expressed belief in his side of the story over the victims’, it immediately became an international scandal.

https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/deeper-reckoning