Pedophile confesses he never should have been a priest

The 81-year-old pedophile Gerald Risdale has said he never should have been a priest.  The elderly man says he's sorry "so many others" could have been saved had Catholic Church figures who knew he was abusing children gone to police.
Two Ballarat bishops knew of Ridsdale's crimes, one as early as 1961, and two Sydney archbishops knew he had "sexual problems" and should be kept away from children, an inquiry has heard.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/05/29/02/48/pedophile-priest-says-he-shouldt-have-been-in-the-role 

Let Us Reconcile You To Your Child Porn Viewing Ex, Or You’re Excommunicated

So, this one pisses me off.  It pisses me off because it shows, clearly, the oppressiveness of the concept of Christian grace. People think that “grace” is the most wonderful concept in Christendom.
But it’s the most offensive, in my opinion, because it is a tool the church can use to give you no recourse against people who have profoundly hurt you.  It is a way the church can say you HAVE to be OK with something someone did that was profoundly offensive.  Most common — among far right movements like Quiverfull and within the Catholic Church — it seems, is the forced forgiveness of child sexual abuse.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/barrierbreaker/matt-chandler-let-us-reconcile-you-to-your-child-porn-viewing-ex-or-youre-excommunicated/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter 

How Evangelical Churches Protect Abusers Like Josh Duggar

Growing up Evangelical, I saw church governance deployed to cover up everything from adultery to child sexual abuse. Including in my own family. Although my parents currently attend an Episcopalian church, swear, and drink a lot of wine, my family resembles the independent Baptist Duggars — America’s most famous Evangelicals — in many ways, one tragic. When my sister, then age 15, reported that she had been sexually abused by someone in our family, she was counseled by family members and church leaders that prosecution would make things worse. 

Better to forgive, they told her, and find true reconciliation with God. She was also warned that criminal proceedings would tear her family apart. And because she loved her family, she relented. After all, she was a child with nowhere else to go. She had been taught that her whole world was her family and her church, and they all conspired to keep her silent with the admonition to forgive. And forgiveness so often means complicity.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyzlenz/how-evangelical-churches-protect-abusers-like-josh-duggar 

Paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale tells Royal Commission about the trap he set

One of the worst paedophiles in Australian history, Gerald Ridsdale, has talked about the abuse he perpetrated, who knew about it and, the traps he set for it, at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat.
Gerald Ridsdale is one of the worst paedophiles in Australian history. His victims are thought to number into the hundreds. He was a Catholic priest, moved around parishes in the Ballarat Diocese for years, long after the Church knew about some of his crimes. He's been convicted of multiple child sex crimes on four occasions and remains in prison. 

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4243786.htm

Minnesota Child Victims Act Year Two: The Numbers

The Minneapolis Tribune took time to look at the second anniversary to look at how it is going. The story was interesting for its overview, but there are areas that are worth looking at a little closer.
The headlines of the story were interesting. In the paper the headline was: Abuse law Triggers A Painful Awakening and in the internet version it was: Minnesota Child Victims Act continues to rock Catholic Church.   The law didn’t start things. The abuse that has been hidden for years is what created the firestorm. The hiding is what caused the need for the law.

http://stcloud.legalexaminer.com/property-owners-liability-slip-fall/minnesota-child-victims-act-year-two-the-numbers/ 

The Catholic Church: Returning to ritual a way of avoiding issues

The Church does not have a vestige of credibility and yet it continues to play the game by its rules. When in doubt it increases the intensity of ancient rituals, offers up more prayers, burns more candles and ups the ante on the liturgy ("St Patrick's opens gates to break culture of silence", 25/5). Historically the Church has presided over the systematic and ritualistic abuse of children. It castrated prepubescent boys so they could sing like angels for the glory of the Papacy. The Church's attitude of "go forth and multiply" ensured that large poor Irish families starved. 
Returning to ritual is a time-honoured way of avoiding issues. The Church is a great casuist and Cardinal Pell is a foremost exponent of this methodology. A major player in the debacle of Ballarat, he hides in Rome behind the crimson robes of the Vatican. Others hide behind illness and frailty. If the Royal Commission is to have any teeth, Pell and the other sidestepping religious must be made to take the stand. Then it will only be a matter of time before a return to the Latin Mass. What better way to unite the flock.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-letters/the-catholic-church-returning-to-ritual-a-way-of-avoiding-issues-20150526-gh9ws5.html

Jim Bob Duggar Kept The Devil in the Closet – At Least Until The Statute Of Limitations Expired

The Statute of Limitations has expired and any chance of convicting Josh Duggar for his indiscretions is long past, so why is there so much fuss about the charges? Because it goes a lot deeper than a few teenage exploratory ‘touches.’ Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have spent the last several years creating a wholesome image for their large family and for their often-criticized religious affiliation. 
The Duggars are members of a fringe sect of Christianity called “Christian patriarchy,” an extreme far-right philosophy that promoted and rigidly adheres to a variety of rules that stand in contention with average American viewpoints. Their principles include complete female submission, bans on dating, homeschooled education, rejection of higher education for women, and the shunning of contraception in favor of having as many children as possible.

http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/05/22/duggar-statute-of-limitations/ 

Irish ayes smiling as Church loses faith

Catholic leader says Vatican needs reality check after resounding poll backs gay marriage.  A top Irish Catholic leader said the Church needs a "reality check" as the predominantly Catholic nation voted to approve gay marriage.
"I think the Church needs to do a reality check right across the board ... Have we drifted away completely from young people?" Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin, told national broadcaster RTE.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11454048 

The paedophile priest who abused EVERY boy in town

A Ballarat bishop did not think it was his job to tell police about Australia's worst paedophile priest, Gerald Francis Ridsdale.

Ridsdale is believed to have abused every boy aged between 10 and 16 at the school in Mortlake, a town in southern Victoria, the royal commission looking into abuse by clergy and other members of the Catholic Church in the Ballarat diocese has heard.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3087251/Australia-s-worst-paedophile-priest-abused-boy-town-based-seven-year.html 

Ballarat survivors of Catholic clergy abuse to deliver ‘brutal and horrific’ details to royal commission

SURVIVORS of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Ballarat say their evidence to a royal commission, beginning Tuesday, will cause outrage.
Steve Woods, 53, Andrew Collins, 47, Paul Lyons, 55, and Peter Blenkiron, 52, say their evidence of what went on locally in the 1960s and ’70s would be “brutal and horrific” and would help expose the full extent of the scandal.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/ballarat-survivors-of-catholic-clergy-abuse-to-deliver-brutal-and-horrific-details-to-royal-commission/story-fni0fit3-1227359558567 

Gross violations by clergy in Ballarat

The impacts of the gross violations of children by Catholic clergy in Ballarat has been felt throughout the community, the royal commission chair says. Justice Peter McClellan says a public hearing in Ballarat will hear the personal stories of a number of survivors as well as perpetrators of the abuse.
'That evidence will describe the gross violations of individuals by ordained members of the Catholic Church,' Justice McClellan said on Tuesday.Justice McClellan was told of the significant scale of the abuse in the Ballarat region during private sessions in the Victorian regional city.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/local/melbourne/2015/05/19/gross-violations-by-clergy-in-ballarat.html 

WHY DO CHILD SEX ABUSE VICTIMS OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS REMAIN SILENT FOR DECADES,

WHY DO CHILD SEX ABUSE VICTIMS OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS REMAIN SILENT FOR DECADES, RATHER THAN IMMEDIATELY REPORTING IT TO THEIR PARENTS?

Once you understand how the child is supernaturally bound by a priest through Roman Catholic Doctrine, you will shockingly comprehend the monstrous threat to all children posed by the Catholic Priesthood. You will also understand how the Illuminati could then choose the Pope to be the False Prophet of Antichrist.

http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1646.cfm 

Full story: How the church concealed Father Ridsdale's crimes

By a Broken Rites researcher

This Broken Rites article is the most comprehensive account available about how the Catholic Church harboured this child-abuse criminal - Father Gerald Francis Ridsdale - for 30 years while his superiors and fellow-priests remained silent to protect the church's public image. 

Eventually some of his victims (encouraged by Broken Rites and other investigators) spoke to detectives in the Victoria Police sex-crimes squad. In his four court cases between 1993 and 2014, Ridsdale has been jailed for a minimum of 24 years for assaulting 54 of his victims, but other victims of his have not yet contacted the detectives. This Broken Rites article gives the full background.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/55 

Church sexual abuse victims’ families are also suffering

THE stories coming out of the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Responses to Child Sexual Abuse are horrific. They are tragic stories of lost childhoods and damaged adulthoods. FULL ROYAL COMMISSION COVERAGE. 
But what tends to be forgotten are the secondary victims – the partners, the children, the parents ... family members of those who were abused. But what tends to be forgotten are the secondary victims – the partners, the children, the parents ... family members of those who were abused.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3099763/church-sexual-abuse-victims-families-are-also-suffering/ 

Church Discipline Gone Wrong: The Village Church Scandal

While Jordan’s sin is egregious, he has begun to walk in repentance and willingly submitted to the direction of his pastors. This means Jordan is not in formal church discipline (Mt 18:15). 
Instead, moving forward, Jordan will remain in a season of intentional pastoral care, where his role will be to remain faithful to actions in keeping with repentance (Acts 26:20), pursuing holiness and purity, and continuing to flee from sin.

http://www.divorceminister.com/church-discipline-gone-wrong-the-village-church-scandal/ 

UNCAT finds New Zealand in Violation of Historic Abuse Claimants Human Rights

The United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) has called on the New Zealand Government to respect their obligations to the Convention Against Torture on the matter of failing to provide adequate redress to over a thousand people who were historically abused as children while in NZ Staterun institutions.
The historic abuse claims processes, which are handled by New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development, were questioned by several NZ groups, including NGOs and NZ’s national human rights body, who submitted shadow reports to the UNCAT for New Zealand’s 6th Periodic Review before the Committee in May 2015. These reports raised a number of serious human rights concerns including long delays in settling claims, the failure of the NZ Government to provide an independent and impartial investigation of cases of historic abuse, and failing to provide adequate redress to victims of abuse.

http://newzealandchildabuse.com/uncat-finds-new-zealand-in-violation-of-historic-abuse-claimants-human-rights/ 

Pell ‘tried to bribe me': Ridsdale nephew

Cardinal George Pell will be called on to defend allegations he ignored child sex abuse complaints within Victorian institutions – including those by a nephew and victim of a notorious paedophile priest.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse continued on Wednesday, with David Ridsdale, the nephew and victim of Australia’s worst paedophile priest Father Gerald Francis Ridsdale, telling the royal commission he told Cardinal Pell in 1993 about the abuse.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/05/20/pell-make-statement-abuse-inquiry/ 

Teachings about aboriginals 'simply wrong', says Murray Sinclair

Canadians must acknowledge that for generations their public schools have fed them misinformation about aboriginal people, says the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Justice Murray Sinclair, whose commission has examined the history and abuses that took place in Indian residential schools, made the comment in a personal interview with the Citizen.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/teachings-about-aboriginals-simply-wrong-says-murray-sinclair 

Budget 2015: 24 foster homes and 30 social workers - ministry says sorry

As a young boy, Daryl Brougham thought his name was Daryl Foster. He lived in at least 24 foster homes until the age of 18. He estimates he had more than 30 social workers, and attended about seven primary schools and 10 secondary schools.
He was admitted to hospital as a baby, just 4 months old, with urine burns and eczema. Three months later he was placed in the so-called care of the state, in 1980. 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11450773

The Catholic Church is The Real Death Cult

The Catholic filth are back in the headlines this week with new allegations of rampant and heinous child sex abuse taking place within its institutions on an unprecedented scale. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is this week holding public hearings in Ballarat to examine historical abuse suffered by children at a number of schools in the area.
A number of victims have come forward to reveal harrowing accounts of abuse perpetrated by the Catholic clergy and other members of the Church.

http://theguttertrash.com/2015/05/21/cardinal-pell-the-best-pal-a-paedophile-ever-had/ 

Victorian child abuse victim claims Cardinal Pell told him he was ‘ridiculous’

Cardinal George Pell has been accused of dismissing a victim’s accusations against a pedophile priest at a Victorian Catholic school.
Timothy Green, 53, told the abuse royal commission that he told then Father Pell that something had to be done about Brother Edward Dowlan touching boys. "Father Pell said don't be ridiculous and walked off," Mr Green said.

http://www.9news.com.au/National/2015/05/20/12/44/George-Pell-accused-of-knowing-about-pedophile-priest-s-crimes 

Child sex abuse inquiry: Victim had teeth pulled out by nuns with pliers, royal commission hears

Nuns used pliers to pull out the teeth of a child sex abuse victim at a Ballarat orphanage, and he was also locked in a dungeon known as the "horror room" and abused by a priest, an inquiry has heard.

Giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Gordon Hill - now in his 70s - said he was taken to the St Joseph's Home as a three-year-old.

Survivors' stories: Child sex abuse inquiry revives painful memories

As the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse begins its first public hearings in Ballarat, five victims have called for recognition, justice and a national scheme to support survivors.
During the 1960s and 1970s, a notorious paedophile ring preyed on children in the regional Victorian city of Ballarat. Catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale, Brother Robert Best, Brother Ted Dowlan and Brother Stephen Frances Farrell were among the convicted paedophiles who operated in the area. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-19/child-abuse-royal-commission-ballarat-victims-share-accounts/6477564 

Ballarat sexual abuse victims to tell royal commission suicide rate is 'higher than road toll'

Survivors of sexual abuse by some members of the Catholic clergy in Ballarat say the region's suicide rate is "through the roof", in part because of the area's toxic legacy of child molestation.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse will move to the regional Victorian city for hearings today.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-18/royal-commission-into-child-abuse-to-start-hearings-in-ballarat/6477132 

Bishops must support the children of priests

The Irish bishops have pledged to fund all counselling needed by clients of a new support group for the children of Irish Catholic priests, Coping International. Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin added: 
“I pray that Coping will be able to find ways which will bring the children of priests and their natural parents together for the benefit of both.” David Weber, the son of a priest, says globally thousands of people are affected

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/blogs/1/639/bishops-must-support-the-children-of-priests- 

Child sexual assault lawsuit filed against S.A. Archdiocese

A civil lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Archdioceses of San Antonio accuses two priests of sexually assaulting an orphan during the 1980s. The lawsuit claims leaders of the church covered up the complaints for decades.
The lawsuit alleges that former San Antonio priest Jesus "Jesse" Dominguez, a seminary student at the time, began to serve as a father figure to the orphan. According to the lawsuit, the boy was living at a nearby orphanage, and Dominguez would regularly help with homework, clothing and food, eventually taking the minor out for movies and meals. The outings, the lawsuit states, would end in Dominguez taking the boy back to his living quarters and molesting him. This happened for two years, about two or three times per week, the lawsuit states.

http://www.kens5.com/story/news/2015/05/26/child-sexual-assault-lawsuit-filed-against-sa-archdioces/27980083/ 

Texas priests sexually abused orphan for years: lawsuit

Two Texas priests sexually abused an orphan, and church leaders covered it up, a lawsuit alleges. The alleged victim was a child in the 1980s when Jesus (Jesse) Dominguez, then a seminary student, took an interest in him, according to the suit obtained by KENS 5.
The priest in training molested the vulnerable youngster for two years, earning his trust with clothes, food and trips to the movies, the suit alleged.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-priests-sexually-abused-orphan-years-lawsuit-article-1.2236726 

Clergy abuse victims walk out of hearing in frustration over pedophile priest's lack of memory

Victims of clergy abuse have said they are "disappointed" over pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale's lack of memory of key details on who in the Catholic Church knew about his abusing.
Today, Ridsdale told the Royal Commission he was "out of control" abusing children, and admitted he did not tell anyone for fears of being defrocked.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/05/27/10/04/pell-prepared-to-give-evidence-in-person 

Police Vow To 'Provide Justice' Over Abuse

Police say they are "in the early stages" of investigating claims that a woman was sexually abused while she was a young girl, as uniformed police officers stood guard. Waiving her right to anonymity, Esther Baker, 32, spoke exclusively to Sky News about her tormented childhood that saw her sexually abused by men at various locations.

She claimed police officers would stand guard for the perpetrators and on some occasions even joined in the abuse in woodland on Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. She said: "I got the feeling very much that they were protecting somebody, that they were with one of the men.

http://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/police-vow-to-provide-justice-over-abuse/ar-BBkfmNg?ocid=mailsignoutmd 

Ridsdale memory lapses a 'kick in the guts

Pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale's lack of memory of key details of who in the Catholic Church knew about his abusing is another kick in the guts for victims, advocates say.
Clergy abuse victim Andrew Collins says victims are bitterly disappointed that Ridsdale has not revealed who in the church hierarchy knew about his offending and moved him around.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2015/05/27/ridsdale-memory-lapses-a--kick-in-the-guts-.html 

Parents' anger at Sydney Archbishop's note sent home with Catholic schoolchildren

A letter that's been taken home by Catholic school kids in Sydney in an attempt to put parents' minds at ease as the on-going Royal Commission into sex child abuse inquiry continues this week has not got the positive response the church hoped for.       

Called ‘Speaking the Truth in Love’ it is written by the Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher and is also published on the Archdiocese of Sydney website. The letter refers to the disturbing evidence emerging from the inquiry in Ballarat in recent weeks. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3098762/Parents-anger-Sydney-Archbishop-s-note-sent-home-Catholic-schoolchildren-horrific-abuse-uncovered-royal-commission-says-criticism-unfair.html

Ex-church aide faces 75 charges of sex abuse

A former lay worker with the Church of Ireland will stand trial accused of sexual abuse of 10 boys between 1977 and 1990. Patrick O'Brien (76) is facing 75 counts of indecent assault at numerous locations throughout the State, including St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

Mr O'Brien, with an address at Knocklyon Road, Templeogue, in Dublin, was arrested yesterday. He was taken to Terenure Garda Station by detectives attached to the Child Protection and Human Exploitation Bureau.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/exchurch-aide-faces-75-charges-of-sex-abuse-31256930.html 

Allegation: Richfield priest sexually abused minor in 1970s

A Richfield priest is on leave after an allegation of sexual abuse surfaced. Rev. Gerald Dvorak, 61, a pastor at St. Peter’s Church in Richfield, is the subject of a “credible allegation” regarding the sexual abuse of a minor in the 1970s, according to a written statement from Archbishop John Nienstedt issued May 19.
Dvorak has been pastor at St. Peter’s since 2011 and was canonical administrator at Blessed Trinity Catholic School from 2011 to 2014, according to a list of Dvorak’s ministerial history provided by the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

http://current.mnsun.com/2015/05/allegation-richfield-priest-sexually-abused-minor-in-1970s/ 

Catholic Church 'KNEW of paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale's sexual behaviour' after it was revealed at a meeting in 1982

A senior Catholic Church figure claims Cardinal George Pell knew a convicted paedophile priest was abusing young boys. 

Father Eric Bryant said he had attended a meeting, along with Mr Pell who was then serving as a priest in the Ballarat area, in 1982 when the issue of Gerald Ridsdale arose. During the meeting of senior church figures, Fr Bryant told the Herald Sun Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns announced they had 'a problem with homosexuality in the diocese'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3099442/Catholic-Church-knew-paedophile-priest-Gerald-Risdale-s-sexual-behaviour-revealed-meeting-1982-committed-homosexual-acts-community.html 

I was abused as a child; It does not give you the right to RAPE innocent children Ridsdale

A paedophile priest who was convicted of more than 100 charges of sexual abuse against children over about 30 years began offending before he was ordained and says he worked with no restrictions at any of the parishes he was moved to amid numerous abuse allegations.

Gerald Ridsdale, 81, told a royal commission on Wednesday he had spent his life feeling "uncomfortable" around adults, keeping secrets and in fear of being discovered as a paedophile. He also said he had been sexually abused as a child himself, and had had a three-year relationship while in prison.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/i-was-abused-as-a-child-disgraced-priest-gerald-ridsdale-gives-evidence-at-sex-abuse-royal-commission-in-ballarat-20150527-ghai91.html 

Lawsuit accuses Notre Dame professor of sexual assault

A Roman Catholic priest who is a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame is accused of sexually abusing an unidentified boy more than 30 years ago in a lawsuit filed against him, the Archdiocese of San Antonio and a former priest who is believed to have gone into hiding more than a decade ago.
The 19-page lawsuit, filed Friday in Bexar County District Court in San Antonio, alleges that a boy listed as John Doe living in an orphanage was repeatedly sexually abused by Jesus Armando Dominguez while he was a student at Assumption Seminary. The lawsuit also alleges the boy was sexually abused again when he reported the abuse to the Rev. Virgilio Elizondo, who now teaches at Notre Dame. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-notre-dame-sex-assault-lawsuit-20150527-story.html 

Vatican says Ireland gay marriage vote is 'defeat for humanity

A senior Vatican official has attacked the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland. The referendum that overwhelmingly backed marriage equality last weekend was a “defeat for humanity”, he claimed.
“I was deeply saddened by the result,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said at a conference in Rome on Tuesday night. “The church must take account of this reality, but in the sense that it must strengthen its commitment to evangelisation. I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/26/vatican-ireland-gay-marriage-referendum-vote-defeat-for-humanity 

The Catholic church still don't get it; The letter that suggests the Catholic Church has learned nothing.

Catholic schoolkids in Sydney have brought home a note to parents headed ‘Speaking the Truth in Love’. But many Catholic parents will not be feeling the love.
Penned by the Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher and published on his website, it references the horrific stories emerging from the Royal Commission hearings in Ballarat, which the Most Rev. Fisher admits are ‘harrowing and for many people demoralising’.

http://www.debriefdaily.com/news-and-opinion/catholic-church-sex-abuse/ 

'Bully' Cardinal George Pell complicated royal commission case with nonsense, David Risdale says

A man who was sexually abused by his Catholic priest uncle in Ballarat in the 1970s has accused Cardinal George Pell of being a "bully".

This week David Ridsdale told the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Sexual Abuse Cardinal Pell had tried to buy his silence when he told him he had been abused by his uncle, notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-21/catholic-priest-abuse-victim-says-pell-complicated-case/6488262 

Bishop must bear blame for Ballarat child sex abuse: priest

MARK COLVIN: A Ballarat parish priest has told the child abuse Royal Commission that the former bishop of the Diocese must bear some of the responsibility for the clerical abuse in the region. 
Father Adrian McInerney gave evidence that Bishop Ronald Mulkearns knew that Father Gerald Ridsdale was abusing children but just moved him from parish to parish. Father McInerney's evidence has raised more questions about how much Cardinal George Pell knew about the sexual abuse of children in Ballarat in the 1970s and ‘80s.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4242867.htm 

Remembrance service for those who died at mother and baby home in Galway

LISTEN: Survivors say they are deeply disappointed by lack of progress A remembrance ceremony will take place outside the Dáil today for babies who died at a mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.

800 seconds of silence will be held in memory of the almost 800 babies who died at St Mary's between 1925 and 1961.

http://www.newstalk.com/Tuam-mother-and-baby-rememberance-inquiry-Dail-survivours-Clodagh-Malone 

This isn’t your grandmother’s Ireland

The morning after Ireland learned it had become the first nation to approve same sex marriage by popular vote, Diarmuid Martin, the archbishop of Dublin, looked out at the future of the Roman Catholic Church.
It could be found at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral here, in downtown Dublin, as two rows of children awaited confirmation before him in the lofty, column-lined church.

http://www.cruxnow.com/life/2015/05/26/the-church-faces-a-murky-future-in-ireland/ 

Paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale said abuse ‘no secret

AUSTRALIA’s most prolific paedophile priest admitted in a chilling interview after his first conviction that he was unable to control his evil urges. Gerald Ridsdale said that by the 1980s his decades-long catalogue of sex crimes against children was an open secret as the Catholic Church continued to shuffle him around Victoria.
In a series of letters and interviews published by the royal commission into child abuse sitting in Ballarat, it is revealed church authorities did little to curb Ridsdale’s offending ­except provide counselling and move him between parishes.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/paedophile-priest-gerald-ridsdale-said-abuse-no-secret-royal-commission-reveals/story-fni0fee2-1227370450681 

Paedophile priests are criminals, not sinners

A focus on the salvation rather than the criminality of sex abusers has done great harm. Listening to the horrific stories of abuse coming out of the royal commission's investigations in Ballarat has led me, and many other Australians, to ask how these atrocities could been ignored for so long. One factor complicit in the silence  about this abuse is the historic relationship between Catholic understandings of sin and psychology.
One of the most galling aspects of the Ballarat hearing is the repeated denials from Catholic authorities that they knew what was happening to these children. This has been repeated in many of the royal commission's investigations and in the Victorian parliamentary inquiry that preceded it.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/paedophile-priests-are-criminals-not-sinners-20150526-gh9js1 

Sex abuse by priests little pursued: report

Twenty criminal investigations have been launched into sexual abuse allegations in Switzerland against Roman Catholic priests and laymen working for the church since 2010, a media report said on Monday.
But this compares with 172 suspected sexual offenders from within the church reported by church authorities themselves, suggesting that many cases are not being actively pursued, the ATS news agency said.

http://www.thelocal.ch/20150526/most-sex-abuse-cases-against-priests-not-pursued-report

11-Year Protest In Scituate Church Faces Moment Of Reckoning

Parts of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Roman Catholic Church could easily be mistaken for someone’s living room, if not for the stained glass window depicting Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of impossible causes.
Beds line the confessional area and sacristy, where vestments are kept. The vestibule has been outfitted with Wi-Fi, cable television, snacks and comfortable armchairs.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/05/26/11-year-protest-in-scituate-church-faces-moment-of-reckoning/ 

Archbishop urges penance for mistreatment of aboriginal children at residential schools

The Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa is calling on followers of the faith to “repent” and seek forgiveness for how the church mistreated thousands of aboriginal children in residential schools for many decades.
The message is contained in a pastoral letter written by Archbishop Terrence Prendergast and comes just days before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) releases the findings of its six-year probe into this controversial chapter of Canadian history.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/catholic-archbishop-repents-for-mistreatment-of-aboriginal-children-at-residential-schools 

George Pell to give evidence in person at Royal Commission

CARDINAL George Pell has told the chair of the Royal Commission he is prepared to give evidence in person, as vile paedophile Gerald Ridsdale prepares to talk today.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that I am willing to give evidence should the commission request this, be it by statement, appearance by video link, or by attending personally,” he said in the letter to Justice Peter McClellan last night.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/george-pell-to-give-evidence-in-person-at-royal-commission-as-paedophile-gerald-ridsdale-appears-via-videolink/story-fni0fee2-1227370691051 

A convicted Catholic priest has claimed Ballarat diocese breeds pedophilia

Catholic Church leaders buried their heads about clergy abusing children in Ballarat and should have made victims a priority, a convicted priest has told the child abuse royal commission. Paul David Ryan, 66, told the commission he could not explain how so many notorious pedophiles came to operate in Ballarat diocese at the same time.

The priest proposed the culture of the diocese may have given rise to pedophilia, as well as protecting the offending clergymen in hopes of avoiding a scandal. 'And that allowed me to happen too, even though I was independent of them,' Ryan told the commission during a private hearing, according to a tendered transcript.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3094903/Priest-claims-Catholic-Church-protects-sex-offending-clergymen.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490 

Victims hope Ridsdale reveals truth: Set Yourself Free Ridsdale...

Set yourself Free Ridsdale... you have nothing to lose... let the Truth ring out to the world to hear... release the Victims/Survivors... from their torture... and pain... let us live the rest of our short lives... in peace... and to learn how to love ourselves... lend us your voice with the truth... so as we can start a new beginning... and come out of our shame... which we have hidden behind... over these many years... we are the truth... now we wait on you... to tell the Truth... about the cover up... and that the catholic church knew... about the abuse... and that was why you... and other priest... were sent away to other parts of Australia... and around the world...   Set yourself FREE... and clear your conscience... before you face the Lord... and only then... will you be forgiven by God... Ann

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

Abuse victims hope Australia's worst pedophile priest reveals what the Catholic Church knew about his offending when he appears before a royal commission. Gerald Francis Ridsdale will give evidence to the child sex abuse royal commission's Ballarat hearing for at least two days from Wednesday.
One of his victims, Stephen Woods, said it was important to hear from all sides to find out as much as possible about the institutional and systemic problems that facilitated the abuse.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/05/25/16/19/victims-hope-ridsdale-reveals-truth 

George Pell visited St Patrick's College in Ballarat two months before royal commission hearings in town began

It has been revealed Cardinal George Pell visited his old school, St Patrick's College in Ballarat, on a private trip about two months ago, as calls for him to reappear at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse continue.
The commission, which began hearing evidence in Ballarat last week, was told Cardinal Pell tried to bribe the nephew of paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale to stay quiet about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his uncle.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2015-05-25/george-pell-visited-st-patricks-college-in-ballarat-two-months-before-royal-commission-hearings-in-t/1451380 

Pro-life vigil disrupted by protesters shouting abuse

Pro-abortion demonstrators called out slogans such as 'religious scum' at pro-lifers The March for Life event in Birmingham this year was disrupted by protesters shouting slogans such as “religious scum”.

The pro-life vigil which took place earlier this month was led by Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham as well as abortion survivor Gianna Jessen and speaker Obianuju Ekeocha.

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/05/25/pro-life-vigil-disrupted-by-protesters-shouting-abuse/ 

Gay parish priest thanks congregation for accepting him

Gay priest Fr Martin Dolan has said he now feels accepted in Irish society following the Yes vote in the marriage equality referendum.

Fr Dolan, the parish priest at the Church of St Nicholas of Myra in Francis Street, Dublin, told his congregation on Saturday evening that the Irish public had heard the “pleas of desperation of a minority” from the LGBT community and had made the LGBT cause “as important as their own”. 

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/gay-parish-priest-thanks-congregation-for-accepting-him-1.2223891 

Josh And Jim Bob Duggar: Can Either Be Prosecuted Now In Sexual Molestation Case, Or Placed On A Sexual Offenders’ Registry?

Josh Duggar, now 27 and married with three children, with another on the way, was the subject of a police investigation in 2006. He was then accused of “forcibly fondling” five different girls when he was a teen, according to Hollywood Life. Four were his sisters. He recently admitted to the molestations.
When his father, Jim Bob, found out about Josh’s fondling other youngsters, he turned him in to Arkansas State Police, according to In Touch. Jim Bob allegedly caught Josh leaving a young girl’s bedroom and learned something inappropriate happened.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2114496/josh-and-jim-bob-duggar-can-either-be-prosecuted-now-in-sexual-molestation-case-or-placed-on-a-sexual-offenders-registry/ 

Child abuse victims live 'shorter lives' than other children, royal commission hears

People who have been abused as children live shorter lives than those who have not been abused, a psychiatrist has told a royal commission. Dr Carolyn Quadrio, from the UNSW School of Psychiatry, said on Monday that children who have been abused have a life expectancy about 10 to 20 years shorter than those who have not.
"They don't live as long as children who have not been traumatised," she told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat. Trauma produced both physical and psychological damage, affecting children's development, including their personalities and sense of self.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/child-abuse-victims-live-shorter-lives-than-other-children-royal-commission-hears-20150525-gh8y1d.html 

Ireland no longer so Catholic

In less than three decades, the Catholic Church has lost its grip on the Irish, says Paul Vallely. London - In 1987, the plain people of Ireland were asked in a referendum whether or not they wanted divorce to be made legal in their country. They overwhelmingly voted No. Hardly surprising, everyone said, since Ireland was the most Catholic country in Europe. No more. 
This week’s massive vote in favour of legalising gay marriage in the same country charted the profound transformation undergone by Irish society in a single generation.  

http://www.iol.co.za/news/ireland-no-longer-so-catholic-1.1862951#.VWPYs0ZvDTd

Come home and face the Commission, Cardinal Pell

The time has come for George Pell to forget about the legal strategies, the honour and assets of the Church, and his personal dignity. He needs to come back home, face up and tell the truth, writes Michael Bradley.

Immoveable object meets irresistible force.
Cardinal George Pell has engaged various tactics over the years in his response to the grave allegations regarding his part in the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse victims, but the attitude has remained the same: impassive, righteous, unrepentant, unmoved.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-25/bradley-come-home-and-face-the-commission-pell/6494330 

Allegations Against French Peacekeepers Highlight Obstacles in Addressing Abuse

“Petit, viens,” — little boy, come here — a French soldier called out at a checkpoint in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic.

For five months, an unknown number of people in the French forces, sent to protect civilians from the violence tearing the country apart, forced boys to perform oral sex on them, according to testimonies collected by the United Nations. The boys, aged 9 to 15, said they had sometimes been lured with the promise of military rations.

Now, nearly a year after the allegations came to light, no one has been charged, let alone punished.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/world/europe/allegations-against-french-peacekeepers-highlight-obstacles-in-addressing-abuse.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150525&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Catholics gather for Mass in Ballarat, and call for survivors to be heard

Normally swung shut and baldly unadorned, the wrought iron gates of the early Gothic church were flung wide open on Sunday morning, and tied with colourful ribbons.
They will remain that way at St Patrick's Cathedral throughout the course of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat, as an expression of the parish desire to be open to this ongoing pain.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/catholics-gather-for-mass-in-ballarat-and-call-for-survivors-to-be-heard-20150524-gh8ehx.html 

Ireland to Roman Catholic Church “Get Lost!” R.I.P Catholic neocons! (And good riddance)

Conservative Roman Catholics hate Pope Francis because he loves Jesus more than power. And now “Catholic” Ireland has led the way for freedom and human rights on marriage equality, not because of but in spite of Church teaching and political power. 
Ireland is “the” Church. Rather Ireland was the Roman Catholic Church. Now it’s a free country. The Church approved, aided and abetted abusers of thousands of children for decades in Ireland, the domestic abuse and virtual slavery of women, the oppression of an entire society- for centuries. Now the canary in the mine has died. As goes Ireland so will go the Church

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frankschaeffer/2015/05/ireland-to-roman-catholic-church-get-lost-r-i-p-catholic-neocons-and-good-riddance/ 

Scotch College reveals five cases of abuse, calls for victims to come forward

One of Australia's most prestigious private schools has acknowledged, for the first time, that at least five students have been abused on school grounds.
In what's seen as a breakthrough for abuse survivors and their advocates, Melbourne's Scotch College has finally admitted it settled a handful of historical claims – most of which relate to sexual abuse – dating back to the 1960s.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/scotch-college-reveals-five-cases-of-abuse-calls-for-victims-to-come-forward-20150524-gh8gmh.html 

Evidence Catholic Church In Scotland Buried 20 Child Sex Abuse Allegations

The BBC says it has seen evidence that the bishops in the Catholic Church in Scotland knew of 20 allegations of child sex abuse by priests between 1985 and 1995.
The revelations comes after the recent resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien over his admitted “inappropriate behavior” with young priests as far back as 1980. O’Brien was not accused of child sex abuse.

http://www.inquisitr.com/563367/evidence-catholic-church-in-scotland-buried-20-child-sex-abuse-allegations/ 

Margaret Thatcher Part Of Secret Files On Jimmy Savile

Margaret Thatcher is part of secret files recently released regarding Jimmy Savile, the popular BBC presented accused after his death in hundreds of child sex abuse claims.
Margaret Thatcher’s appearance in the secret files seems mainly to be centered on letters sent from Savile in the 80s, including requests for the then-Prime Minister to appear on his show, Jim’ll Fix It.

http://www.inquisitr.com/458042/margaret-thatcher-part-of-secret-files-on-jimmy-savile/

Murphy-O’Connor admits shame over 1980s sex abuse case

Former Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has admitted he is deeply ashamed of the way he handled sex abuse allegations concerning a Catholic Church priest in the 1980s.

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor told a festival crowd how, as the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, he allowed priest Michael Hill to become the chaplain of Gatwick Airport despite Hill confessing to him that he had abused young boys.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/murphy-o-connor-admits-shame-over-1980s-sex-abuse-case-1.2222895 

24 foster homes and 30 social workers - ministry says sorry

As a young boy, Daryl Brougham thought his name was Daryl Foster. He lived in at least 24 foster homes until the age of 18. He estimates he had more than 30 social workers, and attended about seven primary schools and 10 secondary schools.
He was admitted to hospital as a baby, just 4 months old, with urine burns and eczema. Three months later he was placed in the so-called care of the state, in 1980.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11450773 

Ballarat priests involved in child sex abuse sent on 'treatment' trips, inquiry told

Catholic priests involved in the sexual abuse of young children were repeatedly moved to different parishes in Victoria and sent on “treatment” trips to the US and Italy before eventually being convicted of their crimes, the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has heard.
The opening day of hearings in the Victorian town of Ballarat featured the start of evidence from 17 men who said they were abused at five Catholic institutions in the area.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/19/ballarat-priests-involved-in-child-sex-abuse-sent-on-treatment-trips-inquiry-told 

First Nations group wants wider search for files related to residential school abuse

The Assembly of First Nations and a lawyer representing some survivors of Canada’s residential schools wants Ottawa to search all departments and agencies for historical records related to abuse in the schools.

The First Nations umbrella group wants Canada to search all federal departments and agencies for the historical records, while Ottawa lawyer Fay Brunning, who is representing nine former attendees of one particular school in Ontario, wants the search to “at least’’ involve the RCMP, Health Canada and Department of Justice.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/05/19/first-nations-group-wants-wider-search-for-files-related-to-residential-school-abuse.html 

New Zealand: 1 BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

My name is Grant Mahy. In 2011

I was claimant in New Zealand’s Historic Abuse claims. Shortly after this experience I began studying a Masters Degree in Human Rights. Additionally, I established the website www.newzealandchildabuse.com to give historic abuse claimants a voice. Through this website I have made contact with other historic abuse claimants and remained in contact with them over issues surrounding their experiences in institutional care and their experiences in the historic claims process. Further, I have been active in lobbying the New Zealand Government to hold a public inquiry into what went on in their institutions and to create an independent and impartial mechanism to resolve cases of institutionalised historic abuse. Other than this, I have accessed Official Information Act (OIA) material in order to have a better understanding of the State’s handling of the historic abuse claims. 

http://www.hrc.co.nz/files/8714/2950/4669/Grant_Mahy.pdf 

Child sex abuse inquiry: 'No plans' to remove convicted paedophile Robert Best from Christian Brothers order

The head of the Christian Brothers' Oceania chapter has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse there are no plans to remove paedophile Robert Best from the order.
Best is one of three Christian Brothers who worked in Ballarat in regional Victoria, who have been convicted of abusing children under their care. He is currently in prison, but is expected to be released when he is aged in his 80s.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2015-05-22/child-sex-abuse-inquiry-no-plans-to-remove-convicted-paedophile-robert-best-from-christian-brothers-/1450556 

Minnesota Child Victims Act continues to rock Catholic Church

Fallout continues to jolt Catholic institutions across Minnesota as a landmark law permitting lawsuits for older claims of clergy sex abuse marks its second anniversary this week.

Just last week the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis removed a priest from active ministry in Richfield — bringing to 69 the number of accused priests it has identified since the law was passed.

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-child-victims-act-continues-to-rock-catholic-church/304823961/ 

Continued Outrage That Finn Will Ordain Seminarians, St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese Under New Criminal Investigation,

In the area of the abuse crisis in the Catholic church, several stories and pieces of commentary in recent days that deserve attention, I think:
1. In her editorial today for NSAC News entitled "Tin Ears, Hard Hearts, and Hubris," Kristine Ward of National Survivors Advocates Coalition publishes once again the recent text of the letter to the national USCCB advisory board on which I commented a week ago. The letter expresses consternation that resigned, criminally convicted Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City will be ordaining seminarians tomorrow.

http://en.paperblog.com/news-in-catholic-abuse-crisis-continued-outrage-that-finn-will-ordain-seminarians-st-paul-minneapolis-archdiocese-under-new-criminal-investigation-sensational-accusations-against-1225101/ 

Priest pleads guilty to sexual assault of a minor in Minnesota

OSEAU, Minn. -- A Catholic priest pleaded guilty Friday to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl while serving in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston. The guilty plea comes nearly 10 years after Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, 60, assaulted the girl at his home in Greenbush, Minn.

Jeyapaul was extradited from his home country of India to the U.S. in November to face criminal charges brought in two different cases in Minnesota 9th District Court in Roseau, Minn., both alleging sexual abuse by Jeyapaul of underage female parishioners.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/crime/3751341-priest-pleads-guilty-sexual-assault-minor-minnesota 

Senior Vatican official offered bribe to child sex abuse victim, inquiry hears

David Ridsdale tells Australian inquiry that in 1993 he informed Cardinal George Pell about being abused and was offered money to buy his silence.  A senior Vatican official, who is also Australia’s highest ranking cleric, has been accused of attempting to bribe a victim of child sex abuse to keep quiet about the molestation he suffered from a paedophile Catholic priest.
The victim, David Ridsdale, told an Australian royal commission into child sexual abuse that he called Cardinal George Pell in 1993 to report being abused by his uncle Gerald Ridsdale, a former priest who is in prison after committing more than 130 offences against children as young as four between the 1960s and 1980s. 

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/20/cardinal-george-pell-offered-bribe-to-child-sex-abuse-victim-inquiry-told 

Sydney Archbishop says Cardinal to front Royal Commission into sex abuse

An Australian Catholic Archbishop has said Australian Cardinal George Pell will return to Australia to answer questions at the Royal Commission into institutional child sex abuse if he is asked, local media reported Friday.
Pressure is mounting on Pell, the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Vatican in Rome, in the wake of allegations he tried to bribe the nephew of pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale to stay quiet about sexual abuse while Ridsdale was based in the Victorian country town of Ballarat. Further, the Royal Commission heard Pell was told of allegations of child sexual abuse as early as 1974. "(Pell) may not have the intestinal fortitude or the ability to see beyond his own vanity, but it's his ambition that got him there and it will take his humility to get him out of there,"Paul Tatchell, a victim of catholic church sex abuse, told the Royal Commission hearing on Thursday. 

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=283432 

Send Cardinal Pell back to Australia to appear at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

Roman Catholic Church

His Holiness Pope Francis

Send Cardinal Pell back to Australia to appear at the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.

Cardinal Pell should be made to attend the Australian Royal Commission in person, to see and listen to the pain of the victims first hand and explain his actions and decisions. Writing a statement or appearing by video link from afar is a cowards approach and should NOT be supported by the Vatican. 

 

https://www.change.org/p/pope-francis-send-cardinal-pell-back-to-australia-to-appear-at-the-royal-commission-into-institutional-child-sexual-abuse?recruiter=3314017&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-action_alert-reason_msg&fb_ref=Default 

Gay marriage will split the Catholic Church

Ireland, for so long the most overtly Catholic state in Western Europe, has voted for gay marriage by a stupendous margin – 62 per cent. Never before has a country legalised the practice by popular vote.
It would be naive to ask: how could this happen? Hatred of the Church is one of the central features of modern Ireland, thanks not only to the paedophile scandals but also to the joyless quasi-Jansenist character of the Irish Church, which was handed complete control of education in the Free State after partition in 1922. (Many of its priests were outstandingly holy and charitable, but you’ll get your head bitten off if you suggest that in today’s anti-clerical republic.)

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/05/gay-marriage-will-split-the-catholic-church/