.

Awareness, and to Stop Child Sexual Abuse and Child Abuse, committed by the catholic church, nuns and priest
and other Denomination Worldwide

Please be advised that some may find stories here Highly Uncomfortable & Upsetting to read.
" You shall Know the Truth and the Truth Will Set You Free.”

30 June 2015

Cardinal George Pell helped shift paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale between parishes, royal commission hears

SECRET church documents tendered to a royal commission reveal that Cardinal ­George Pell helped move Australia’s worst paedophile priest between parishes.
The revelation at the inquiry into child sexual abuse has sparked calls for the former Archbishop of Melbourne to return from The Vatican — where he now oversees the Catholic Church’s finances — to explain his involvement in the handling of vile pervert Gerald Francis Ridsdale.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/cardinal-george-pell-helped-shift-paedophile-priest-gerald-ridsdale-between-parishes-royal-commission-hears/story-fni0fee2-1227360061642 

You were not created to use condoms - Cardinal Wamala


HIS Eminence Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, presiding over celebrations to mark 120 years of Nsambya Catholic Parish on Sunday, called upon the faithful to eschew sexual immorality, telling them “you were not created to use condoms”. 
In a homily, replete with biblical allusions, the Cardinal, also Emeritus Archbishop of Kampala, stressed the importance of life, and the need for Christians to give ultimate value to this very precious gift from God.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/670320--you-were-not-created-to-use-condoms-cardinal-wamala.html 

Catholic Priest Confronts Church’s Sexual Abuse Scandal with His New Novel, ‘The Black Wall of Silence

In his new novel released by Dog Ear Publishing, Fr. Paul Morrissey, O.S.A., a prison chaplain in Philadelphia, confronts the struggle between loyalty and honesty in the Church during the crisis of sexual abuse and the cover-up by some of its bishops.
(PRWEB) June 29, 2015
The priest on the cover of this new book is rendered mute by his collar, both literally and figuratively. As Fr. Morrissey says, “We need to be able to speak honestly in the Church as Pope Francis has encouraged us. My hope is that this book will foster a discussion about sexuality, gender and power in the Church so that we can heal.” His book is dedicated to Pope Francis.

http://www.ssuchronicle.com/2015/06/29/catholic-priest-confronts-churchs-sexual-abuse-scandal-with-his-new-novel-the-black-wall-of-silence/ 

protest outside child sexual exploitation court hearing in Chelmsford

Far-right nationalists staged a protest in Chelmsford town centre today as three men were due to appear in court as part of an investigation into child sexual exploitation across Essex.
English Defence League activists gathered outside Shire Hall in Chelmsford, waving banners and handing out leaflets on so-called “grooming gangs”

http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/EDL-protest-outside-child-sexual-exploitation/story-26798772-detail/story.html 

Catholic Church 'tipped off' over child abuse priest

A paedophile priest fled the country after a police officer tipped off the Catholic Church in Birmingham, a sex abuse victim has claime. The man said the officer passed on documents about 30years ago which led to James Robinson being "spirited away" overseas. The priest was later jailed.
The Archdiocese of Birmingham has always denied knowingly covering up the activities of paedophile priests. West Midlands Police said claims about the officer were being looked into

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-33317255 

'Detached, egocentric and narcissistic paedophile with no shame or remorse

A man hovered in the yard beside Banbridge court house pulling on a cigarette waiting for the now retired Cardinal Sean Brady to come out. The retired Cardinal had spent Thursday morning telling the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry about the church's "flawed" response to complaints about Brendan Smyth, the paedophile priest back in 1975.
The man outside the court house watched as Cardinal Brady emerged to a whirr of cameras, got into a waiting silver car and drove away. Then he told a bit of his own story. He had been sexually abused by Smyth in various children's homes in Northern Ireland. Some years later he was doing time in Magilligan prison when Smyth was incarcerated there for abusing more than 40 children. Some of the other inmates attacked him with snooker balls in a bag but he never went near him. He was still terrified of the monster Brendan Smyth.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/detached-egocentric-and-narcissistic-paedophile-with-no-shame-or-remorse-31335112.html 

28 June 2015

Supreme Court sides with kids

A three year old child is brutally beaten by his mother’s boyfriend and then threatened to remain quiet or he’ll get another beating. One morning following another beating, the child goes to school with bruises on his face and is questioned by a concerned teacher. Petrified and not knowing what to do or say, the little boy eventually discloses the horrific abuse to the teacher who calls the police. It is later discovered that this boy had belt marks on his back and stomach, and bruises all over his body.
Police also find his 22-month old sister with black eyes, burn injuries, a swollen hand, and two pigtails having been ripped out of their roots.   The abuser, Darius Clark , is arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse. Justice seems to be having its way until shortly before the trial when the judge decides that the child isn’t capable of testifying against the defendant.

http://boz.religionnews.com/2015/06/27/supreme-court-sides-with-kids/ 

Abbot accused of lying about Fr Brendan Smyth

The former abbot of the Kilnacrott Norbertine Abbey in Co Cavan, Kevin Smith, has been accused of telling lies about his knowledge of when Fr Brendan Smyth first began sexually abusing children.
At the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Banbridge, Co Down yesterday it was alleged Abbot Smith lied to the RUC in 1997 when he was interviewed about Smyth’s activities. He told police it wasn’t until 1989 that he first became aware that Smyth abused children.

MA--Victims want Catholics to do more re 3 predators

Robert E. Kelley, Lowe B. Dongor and Gerard L. Branconnier are no longer priests. Worcester Bishop Robert McManus should use his vast resources to aggressively seek out and help others who are suffering because they were sexually violated as kids by these pedophiles.  And he should defrock, demote, discipline and denounce current and former church staffers who ignored or concealed their crimes.
Kelley was twice convicted of molesting kids, served two prison terms and is a registered sex offender. He worked at churches in Southbridge, Lunenburg, Leominster, and Gardner.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ma_victims_want_catholics_to_do_more_re_3_predators 

Paddy Clancy: I hope Brendan Smyth is constantly gyrating in his grave

The sicko's depravity gravely infected an organisation which so many once regarded as their rock of truth.  Brendan Smyth was a very evil man! Long before the horrendous details that are emerging in the Northern Ireland inquiry, all Ireland was aware what a scumbag he was.
Still, from beyond the grave he continues to add more horror to what we already knew. For the first time we have been hearing, in his own words to a doctor, that he sexually abused hundreds of children.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/news-opinion/paddy-clancy-hope-brendan-smyth-5946920 

Truth and Reconciliation report brings calls for action, not words

Canadians must believe in the need for reconciliation with Aboriginal Peoples to repair the damage caused by residential schools, aboriginal leaders said Tuesday, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its summary report and findings.
Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the commission, called for changes in policies and programs, as well as commemoration through education and memorials, in introducing the commission's summary report and 94 recommendations.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-report-brings-calls-for-action-not-words-1.3096863 

Rachel Notley calls for inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women

"We want the First Nation, Métis and Inuit people of Alberta to know that we deeply regret the profound harm and damage that occurred to generations of children forced to attend residential schools," Notley told the legislature Monday.
"Although the province of Alberta did not establish this system, members of this chamber at the time did not take a stand against it. For this silence, we apologize."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rachel-notley-calls-for-inquiry-into-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women-1.3123370 

Illegal adoptions: Exposing the pain of one of Ireland's hidden scandals

WHEN well-known scandals, like that of the mother-and-baby homes or the Magdalene Laundries, finally hit the public consciousness — we often hear a common refrain: "Oh it was a different time." Journalists and commentators get accused of imposing the morality and ethics of 21st century Ireland on an Ireland which bears no comparison.
As a result, we hear that the religious orders and nuns who ran these homes and institutions “did their best” operating within a very different set of moral boundaries. In short, people thought differently and the treatment of unmarried mothers and their children was an acceptable, if unfortunate, aspect of that society

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/illegal-adoptions-exposing-the-pain-of-one-of-irelands-hidden-scandals-273840.html 

No appetite to uncover scale of illegal adoption scandal

Calls for an audit of all the files held by accredited adoption agencies and by the State, so that the full scale of illegal adoptions and birth registrations can be uncovered, have always fallen on deaf ears, writes Conall Ó Fátharta
You really have to wonder how big a scandal needs to be before an Irish government decides to do the right thing and investigate the matter. The latest revelations — that the Government was informed by the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) almost two years ago that there “may be thousands” of cases where people had their birth history falsified so they could be illegally adopted — poses a very simple question: Why was this not investigated?

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/no-appetite-to-uncover-scale-of-illegal-adoption-scandal-323556.html

Smart and cunning, Brendan Smyth used his collar to groom the innocent

For 40 years Brendan Smyth used his position in the Catholic Church to target, groom and sexually abuse innocent young children. The Church was well aware of his crimes, but rather than address them he was simply moved from diocese to diocese.
A "very intelligent" man, he "used his intelligence and cunning to intimidate and oppose those who confronted him," revealed Fr William Fitzgerald, of the Norbertine Order, of which Smyth was a member.
 

Child death QC to lead abuse inquiry

A lawyer who has represented abuse victims has been appointed to chair a public inquiry into historical cases of child abuse in care in Scotland.
Susan O’Brien, QC, will lead the inquiry, which will cover children in formal institutional care including faith-based organisations, children’s homes, foster care, long-term hospital care and boarding schools.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article4454594.ece 

27 June 2015

Survivors of Ireland’s hellish Mother and Baby Homes are facing a €500,000 legal bill in their battle for compensation

Shame on you all... for making survivors pay legal bills... for fighting for justice of their childhood abuse... in the hell hole slave laundries... run by the catholic church nuns... why don't the lawyers get the blood money from the nuns... which they made from the young girls... and elderly women...  they never saw a penny... of that money the nuns made... from the blood which the nuns caused... by thrashing the girls if they got weak... because of lack of food... without a day off... even when they were sick... like all catholic church orphanages worldwide... they worked the children... until they had no more strength left in their wee bodies... to go any further... the catholic church nuns and priest... should be paying these legal fees... not the survivors... they have been through enough... and I call this re-abuse... of the worst kind... the women and men... of the catholic church abuse... and sexual abuse... are the Martyrs and Saints of today... we all shed our blood in the name of the god... and the Lord... as they whipped us... with what every they could get their hands on...  Ann

 =======================

Survivors of Ireland’s hellish Mother and Baby Homes are facing a €500,000 legal bill in their battle for compensation. Unlike the Commission on Child Abuse in 2002, victims will not be provided with free legal advice.
The previous inquiry racked up more than €55million in lawyers’ bills but survivors were not asked to pay. Support groups, already unhappy with the terms of reference for the probe, say this is another obstacle to justice.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/survivors-irelands-hellish-mother-baby-5919518

The same old song and dance...

For those of us that hoped that the leadership changes in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis would extend beyond the resignations of the two bishops and the appointment of an Apostolic Administrator, the first dash of cold water has now been tossed in our direction.
According to a memo sent to all priests today, Archbishop Hedba has asked several staff members, including the most recent Vicar General, to 'continue to play the same leadership role in the Archdiocese'.

http://canonicalconsultation.com/1/post/2015/06/the-same-old-song-and-dance.html

"You are not alone. Seeking justice for survivors of childhood abuse is more than a job -- it's our cause."

Jeff Anderson & Associates pioneered the use of civil litigation to seek justice for survivors of child sexual abuse and is recognized as one of the nation’s premier law firms to represent survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
Widely recognized as one of the most prolific and successful litigators of clergy sexual abuse cases against churches and other institutions, Jeff Anderson & Associates has handled priest abuse cases in numerous states throughout the nation.

http://www.andersonadvocates.com/?gclid=CJj1k6fkrMYCFYKXvQodoSQGvw 

New hope for clergy abuse survivors

Survivors of clergy sex abuse who have already received payments from the Catholic Church may be entitled to a further settlement, according to a leading lawyer.
Shine Lawyers partner Roger Singh has represented a number of people with claims and believes the evidence presented at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse may allow survivors who have already received payments to be open to further settlements.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3172985/new-hope-for-clergy-abuse-survivors/?cs=62

Fr Brendan Smyth victim: Police must be held responsible for abuse

A victim of a prolific paedophile priest has said Irish police must be held responsible for the abuse he suffered as a boy. Brendan Boland was sexually abused by Fr Brendan Smyth in the 1970s.
An inquiry heard this week that police in Dublin were aware of Smyth's activities as far back as 1973, more than 20 years before he was convicted. Mr Boland also said an apology to abuse survivors from a senior member of the Catholic church was "weak and feeble".

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-33285950 

Abuse’ nuns challenge Holyrood ministers

Poor Sisters of Nazareth are now called Sisters of Nazareth... sure they will fight this case... as hard as they can... they are the order of nuns who abused me... from 10years old... to 25years of age... they were... and still are nothing but vicious... ruthless... heartless women....  and should never be looking after children... or the elderly...when one nun gets weaker... and shows some remorse... for the abuse which they did to the children of yesterday... they will bring in a fresh harden nun... to take over their cause... of fighting against... the survivors whom they abused... many years ago in their care...  Ann

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

TWO religious groups have launched a legal challenge to block the appointment of a respected QC to chair Scotland’s national inquiry into child abuse. The Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth and the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent De Paul have raised judicial review proceedings against Scottish Government ministers.
 The move is designed to challenge a decision to appoint Susan O’Brien as the chair of Scotland’s child abuse inquiry, which is due to get under way later in the year.

Please help now' child abuse victims plea

Elderly child abuse survivors are pleading for help with health problems or at least funeral expenses as they come to the end of their lives still suffering from the trauma suffered at the hands of 'carers'. The child sex abuse royal commission on Friday published another 92 submissions it has received in response to a January consultation paper on redress.
Many of the newly published submissions were from abuse survivors and have been added to the 100 already received from governments, advocacy groups and institutions. In one handwritten letter the commission is told by a 70-year-old: 'the older I get the worse I get'.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/2015/06/26/-please-help-now--child-abuse-victims-plea.html 

Judgments - Bowden (Ap) V Poor Sisters of Nazareth and Others (Scotland) Whitton (Ap) V Poor Sisters of Nazareth

2.  The appellants are former residents of a children’s home called Nazareth House at Cardonald in Glasgow which was run by the religious order known as the Poor Sisters of Nazareth. In May 2000 they raised separate actions of damages against the respondents in the Court of Session for loss, injury and damage in respect of physical abuse which they claim to have suffered during their time there.
They maintain that they were regularly assaulted and subjected to cruel punishments, as a result of which they suffered pain and distress and long-standing psychological or psychiatric problems and that these led to their being disadvantaged in the workplace and to financial loss. The respondents deny these allegations. They also say that the actions are time barred, as the appellants’ allegations relate to events that are said to have happened many years ago.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldjudgmt/jd080521/bowden-1.htm 

Catholic charities raise issue of 'bias' over child abuse inquiry chairwoman

The Nazareth house order of nuns... need to be made accountable... for the rape and abuse... of innocent children in their so called care... they were and still are... heartless order of nuns... and should never be looking after children... or the elderly...
when one nun gets weaker... and shows some remorse... for the abuse which they did to the children of yesterday... they will bring in a fresh harden nun... to take over their cause... of fighting against... the survivors whom they abused... many years ago in their so call care... Ann

 ======================

Two Catholic charities have objected to the choice of chairwoman for Scotland's public inquiry into historical cases of child abuse. The Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth and the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent De Paul have lodged a petition for judicial review.
They raised the issue of bias over the appointment of Susan O'Brien QC, who has acted in a case against them.  The charities' petition will be heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-33285589 

26 June 2015

Brendan Smyth victim: ‘I could have been saved’

A WOMAN WHO was sexually assaulted by paedophile Brendan Smyth at the age of 13 has said that she may take legal action against members of An Garda Síochána who had known about his activities at the time of her abuse.
Smyth abused Rose (not her real name) in 1993, 20 years after his behaviour first came to the attention of gardaí.

http://www.thejournal.ie/brendan-smyth-abuse-victim-gardai-2180898-Jun2015/

Victims’ & Survivors’ Downing Street Anti Child Abuse Rally

Victims and survivors will be uniting opposite Downing Street on Saturday June 27th to urge the government to break the cycle of child abuse. The meeting, which takes place on Richmond Terrace directly opposite Downing Street, will start at 1pm and finish at 4.30pm.
Anyone with an interest in child safety and child abuse awareness is welcome to attend. A stage and PA system will be set up on the grass of Richmond Terrace to allow survivors and guests to speak.

http://researchingreform.net/2015/06/24/victims-survivors-downing-street-anti-child-abuse-rally/ 

Tuam committee have no say on graveyard

I am disheartened and dismayed to hear that the Tuam Graveyard Committee wishes to make representation to Minister Reilly in order to ‘implacably oppose’ the exhumation of the Tuam site.
My understanding was that they wished to create a memorial to the children who are presumed buried at the site ,and I made a generous donation on behalf of my mother to the committee in memory of my sister who is named as one of the missing children.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/yourview/tuam-committee-have-no-say-on-graveyard-309729.html 

Priest sex abuse allegations lead to Pa. AG agents' search of monastery

The only way to stop Catholic clerics who abuse children is to prosecute the people who oversee them and let it continue, said an Altoona lawyer who has successfully represented dozens of victims across Pennsylvania.
Attorney Richard Serbin said he thinks agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office were pursuing a broader investigation Thursday near this Blair County borough when they raided St. Bernadine Monastery, where a Franciscan friar accused of molesting children killed himself two years ago.

Brady’s evidence raises questions about 1975 abuse investigation

Hearing Cardinal Seán Brady’s evidence to the North’s Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry was to be reminded of a damning conclusion in Judge Yvonne Murphy’s 2009 report on clerical child sexual abuse in the Dublin archdiocese.
He told the inquiry in Banbridge on Thursday that clergy investigating child sexual abuse were bound to secrecy so that the Catholic Church’s “good name” could be protected. 

Even bishops should be held accountable

The long history of covered-up sexual abuses committed by priests within the Catholic Church has stained the reputation of the religious institution and remains a sensitive topic for Catholic members and clergymen. When such abuse cases are discovered, victims are often silenced and the offenders are whisked away to a new environment.
Bishops, higher ranked ministers holding local jurisdiction, often participate in such cover-ups and are not held responsible. However, Pope Francis has approved of a new office that will investigate bishops who cover up sexual abuse cases committed by priests.

http://www.redandblack.com/views/even-bishops-should-be-held-accountable/article_05888a3c-19f6-11e5-8d14-c38d9ff07905.html 

Rome summit looks to improve church’s handling of child sexual abuse

ROME — As the Vatican continues to work on policies to combat clergy sex abuse, a leading pontifical university in Rome hosted a conference this week on how the Catholic Church can better address the current crisis and released details of a new diploma program on protecting children.
A series of measures pushed through in recent months by Pope Francis has given Vatican officials new tools for dealing with child molesters within the church, but critics argue that the Holy See has been too slow to act on scandals globally.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/rome-summit-looks-to-improve-churchs-handling-of-child-sexual-abuse/2015/06/25/e2af0ce6-1b50-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html 

How often did police join in the cover-up of sexual abuse?

Cardinal Sean Brady has apologized yet again for the failure to stop the predatory behavior of a pedophile priest, the late Brendan Smyth. If you’ve been following the story you know that Cardinal Brady—now retired, but once the Archbishop of Armagh, successor to St. Patrick, and Primate of All Ireland—became aware of Smyth’s misconduct in 1975, when he was a relatively young priest handling canonical affairs for the archdiocese.
He informed archdiocesan superiors about the abuse, but did not inform police. Smyth remained on the loose, a menace to children, until his arrest in 1994.

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=1092 

"These were unspeakable crimes," said Cardinal Brady; So they knew Rape was a crime; The truth at long last

THE response to child sex abuse allegations was totally inadequate and ineffective, former Catholic primate Cardinal Sean Brady told an abuse inquiry. Cardinal Brady said he had been horrified by the unspeakable crimes and hoped a public inquiry would shed light on the church's dark history.
He said: "You have been tasked with inspecting a dark chapter in our history. But, I am confident that your patient and diligent work will cast a welcome light of truth on this situation and hopefully lead to a better future."

http://www.irishnews.com/news/2015/06/26/news/cardinal-brady-sorry-for-abuse-response-150258/ 

Three area priests in abuse cases defrocked

WORCESTER - Three former Worcester Diocese priests implicated in the sexual abuse of minors have been formally defrocked by Rome, the diocese has announced.
The three men, Gerard L. Branconnier, Robert E. Kelley and Lowe B. Dongor, have been dismissed from the clerical state by the Vatican and may never again function in any capacity as priests, according to a statement issued by Bishop Robert J. McManus.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20150625/NEWS/150629351 

25 June 2015

Sexual abuse survivor will challenge George Pell at Royal Commission

Concerns that death records were falsified in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home so children could “be brokered in clandestine adoption arrangements” at home and abroad were raised in an internal HSE report in 2012.
The unpublished report highlighted the “wholly epidemic” infant deaths rates at the Cork home and said: “The question whether indeed all of these children actually died while in Bessboro or whether they were brokered into clandestine adoption arrangements, both foreign and domestic, has dire implications for the Church and State and not least for the children and families themselves.”

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/bessborough-death-record-concerns-were-raised-in-2012-334106.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=click&utm_campaign=recirc

Sex-abuse victim tells priest's sentencing hearing wood smell triggers memories.

There's a smell that brings it all back. One whiff, and once again he's a little boy being raped by a priest in a dank furnace room at the Catholic mission in Igloolik, Nunavut. "Whenever I smell moldy wood, it takes me back to that place," the man told a court in Iqaluit on Monday during the sentencing hearing for his onetime tormentor. "It makes me angry."
Eric Dejaeger, a defrocked Oblate priest, was convicted last fall for 32 sex crimes ranging from indecent assault to bestiality against Inuit children. A long lineup of his former victims, who were children between 1978 and 1982 when the assaults occurred, are finally getting their chance to tell Dejaeger what he did to them in a two-day hearing which began under heavy security.

http://www.yorktonnews.com/community/sex-abuse-victim-tells-priest-s-sentencing-hearing-wood-smell-triggers-memories-1.1735340 

Victim of paedophile Brendan Smyth: 'I still don't know where the pictures are that he took of my body'

One of the victims who was "violated, raped, abused and humiliated" by Irish priest Brendan Smyth has said that the paedophile "will never be dead to her".
"I have flashbacks, I get triggers and sometime there's no warning," Loreto, who was previously known as Samantha, spoke under her real name on the Pat Kenny show this morning.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/victim-of-paedophile-brendan-smyth-i-still-dont-know-where-the-pictures-are-that-he-took-of-my-body-31323251.html 

Terms of reference for mother and baby homes inquiry are unacceptable

We, the undersigned, express serious reservations about the recently published draft terms of reference of the forthcoming southern Irish inquiry into mother and baby homes, and related matters.
We have every confidence in the capacity of the distinguished members of commission to investigate. We are not confident that the commission will be allowed to examine lives blighted outside institutions where unmarried mothers were forced to abandon their children.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/yourview/terms-of-reference-for-mother-and-baby-homes-inquiry-are-unacceptable-306797.html

Celebrate the past by burying it - History comes calling — loudly

OVER the last week or 10 days, our past — the history we cannot escape — has spoken loudly and occasionally with lethal force.  It has, as it so often does, divided societies and there hardly be a better example of dangerous division than the carnage unleashed in Paris by disaffected, deranged French citizens who also happened to be Muslim extremists.
History has also offered this society another opportunity — the Mother and Baby Homes Inquiry— to achieve a catharsis through what may be a shaming and horrifying process, one dependent on co-operation and truthful testimony.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/ourview/celebrate-the-past-by-burying-it--history-comes-calling-loudly-306582.html 

Departments had access to mother-and-baby home report

Two Government departments had access to a 2012 report on “shocking” levels of infant deaths at Bessborough Mother and Baby home — despite initial claims that it did not have the report. Earlier this month, the Irish Examiner revealed that a 2012 HSE report highlighted the “wholly epidemic” infant deaths rates at the Cork home and said:
“The question whether, indeed, all of these children actually died while in Bessborough, or whether they were brokered into clandestine adoption arrangements, both foreign and domestic, has dire implications for the Church and State, and not least for the children and families themselves.”

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/departments-had-access-to-mother-and-baby-home-report-338233.html 

Paedophile Brendan Smyth 'threatened to punch another priest' when he was warned to stay away from altar boys

Fr William Fitzgerald, who served with Smyth at Kilnacrott Abbey in Co Cavan during the late 1980s, described the serial child molester as a scary individual whose notoriety extended across the world.
Giving evidence to the Historical Abuse Inquiry (HIA) the 61-year-old Australian also said he had to bar Smyth from church rehearsals with nine altar boys.

 http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/paedophile-brendan-smyth-threatened-to-punch-another-priest-when-he-was-warned-to-stay-away-from-altar-boys-31327756.html

Editorial: Pope's words will pack a punch

Last week the big news from the Vatican was Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, "Laudato Si," or "Praise Be," that basically condemns human beings' thoughtless exploitation of the environment leading to climate change and its destructive forces that usually affect the poor the most.
He maintained that it was every world citizen's responsibility to reduce the human carbon footprint including politicians who make laws that should be designed to protect the environment, not cater to companies that capitalize on it with no regard for future generations.

http://www.eveningsun.com/editorials/ci_28372542/editorial-popes-words-will-pack-punch

Abuse probe to hear from cardinal

A long running public inquiry into child abuse is expected to hear from a former leader of the Catholic church in Ireland.  Cardinal Sean Brady, who resigned on age grounds last year, is due to give evidence to the Historical Abuse Inquiry (HIA) in Banbridge, Co Down later today.
The senior cleric faced fierce criticism after it emerged he had attended meetings where two teenage victims of paedophile priest Father Brendan Smyth were sworn to secrecy in 1975.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/abuse-probe-to-hear-from-cardinal-31328720.html 

Irish bishop seeks to discuss possibility of ordaining married men

An Irish bishop urged his colleagues to establish a commission to discuss the possibility of ordaining married men. Bishop Leo O'Reilly of Kilmore also wants the Irish bishops' conference to empower the commission to further study female deacons.
The proposal stemmed from a 10-month listening process that O'Reilly led in the Kilmore diocese, which led to a diocesan assembly and a new diocesan pastoral plan to tackle challenges facing the Catholic church, including the declining number of priests.

http://ncronline.org/news/global/irish-bishop-seeks-discuss-possibility-ordaining-married-men 

24 June 2015

Excluded agency ‘aware of illegal birth registrations’

The Government excluded an adoption agency from the mother-and-baby home inquiry despite being told almost two years ago that it had knowledge of “several hundred” illegal birth registrations.
An Adoption Authority (AAI) delegation told representatives of the Department of Children and the General Register Office (GRO) in June 2013 that St Patrick’s Guild was aware of several hundred cases of illegal birth registrations, a department note of meeting released under Freedom of Information reveals.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/excluded-agency-aware-of-illegal-birth-registrations-323568.html 

SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Bessborough death record concerns were raised in 2012

Concerns that death records were falsified in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home so children could “be brokered in clandestine adoption arrangements” at home and abroad were raised in an internal HSE report in 2012.
The unpublished report highlighted the “wholly epidemic” infant deaths rates at the Cork home and said: “The question whether indeed all of these children actually died while in Bessboro or whether they were brokered into clandestine adoption arrangements, both foreign and domestic, has dire implications for the Church and State and not least for the children and families themselves.”

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/bessborough-death-record-concerns-were-raised-in-2012-334106.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=click&utm_campaign=recirc 

He abused boy while training in Rome... yet he was still allowed to prey on kids for 40 more years

The Catholic Church has been accused of "protecting their own" rather than the child abuse victims of notorious paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.  Decades of failures by individuals and Church institutions to deal with Smyth and prevent further abuse are currently under examination by the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIAI).
During a day of shocking revelations yesterday, it emerged that suspicions within the Catholic Church about the serial child abuser were discussed even before he was ordained into the priesthood.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/he-abused-boy-while-training-in-rome-yet-he-was-still-allowed-to-prey-on-kids-for-40-more-years-31321861.html 

"Every time it happened another part of me died" - Victim of Brendan Smyth speaks out

A public inquiry was told yesterday that the priest admitted he may have sexually abused hundreds of children A public inquiry was told yesterday that a paedophile priest admitted he may have sexually abused hundreds of children.
It was revealed as the Historical Abuse Inquiry in Northern Ireland began an examination on the activities of Fr Brendan Smyth. Smyth was at the centre of one of the first paedophile priest scandals to rock the Catholic church here.

http://www.newstalk.com/Every-time-it-happened-another-part-of-me-died--Victim-of-Brendan-Smyth-speaks-out 

Former DPP Nicholas Cowdery accuses NSW police of collusion with Catholic Church

Former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nick Cowdery has accused the NSW Police Force of being "party ... to a Catholic Church conspiracy to thwart the criminal justice process".
The church's "blind reporting" of child sex allegations to police, with victims' details withheld, allowed church representatives to escape prosecution for concealing serious crimes "because it was colluded in by the Police Force", Mr Cowdery said in response to the Police Integrity Commission's Operation Protea report released on Friday.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/former-dpp-nicholas-cowdery-accuses-nsw-police-of-collusion-with-catholic-church-20150622-ghuqho.html 

LETTER: Brave coverage wins praise

THE past number of years has given us the unpleasant opportunity to see how so many people have been affected by the impact of massive sexual abuse and the response by the Catholic Church (‘‘Police a part of church cover-up: former DPP’’ Herald 23/6).
 Had the cover-up not been so extensive, many people, including my brother, may not have had to experience  both the sexual abuse and the years he has, and will, live with it.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3165747/letter-brave-coverage-wins-praise/ 

Let’s talk sex: seven questions

Last night I did a brief interview with Paul Clarke on UTV and  came away (as I often do from broadcasts) feeling deeply dissatisfied with my contribution. And as so often happens, it wasn’t what I said that left me banging my head on the steering wheel, it was what I hadn’t said.
The topic was the latest revelations about the hundreds of children whom Brendan Smyth  abused before he was ordained a priest and throughout his life as a priest. His is a notorious case and one that has done cruel and irreparable damage to the lives of so many. But the focus on Smyth and the damage he and other priests have done to the Catholic Church and the children they violated  raises, I think,  more general questions, some of which I  think I have the answer to and some of which I don’t.

Brendan Smyth: I have been at peace with God

Paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth found peace with god, an inquiry has been told. In a letter written in 1995 after his conviction for sexually assaulting more than 40 children in the North, the west Belfast-born priest said he hoped his victims could also find solace. He had lashed out at the media for adding to their distress.
Smyth, who died in jail in 1997, wrote: “I have welcomed the prison sentences imposed by the courts as a fitting means of paying my debt to society. “I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep sorrow to anyone who has in any way suffered as a result of my actions and also to those relatives, friends and members of my religious community who suffered because of the media treatment of these matters for a long time now.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/brendan-smyth-i-have-been-at-peace-with-god-338692.html

http://annfreespirit.blogspot.co.nz/p/blog-page_24.html

The nuns and priest will never be at peace with God

The nuns and priest will never be at peace with God... because you go to confession... your sins of raping children... boys and girls... will never be forgiven by God... because you never once admitted your crimes... to any one on this earth...  the children you raped... most of us have lost faith in God... and that is what you have to answer to God for... remember what Jesus told his apostles about his children??... And whosoever shall offend... one of these little ones that believe in me... it is better for him... that a millstone were hanged about his neck... and he were cast into the sea.

http://annfreespirit.blogspot.co.nz/p/blog-page_24.html

“The shame is no longer mine,” Ramsey County Board Chairman Jim McDonough said.

For 44 years — as a husband and father, working as a glazier for the public schools, volunteering for community programs and through five elections to the Ramsey County Board — Jim McDonough kept the secret.
But on his 60th birthday Tuesday, the Ramsey County Board chairman couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. Thanks to the Minnesota Child Victims Act, he said, he no longer had to.

23 June 2015

Former County Durham archdeacon denies eight allegations of historic sexual abuse

George Granville Gibson is accused of eight sex charges, some of which are said to have taken place in Consett, in the 1970s and 1980.  George Granville Gibson, often known as Granville, appeared before Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday facing eight allegations of historic sex abuse which are said to have taken place in Newton Aycliffe and Consett from 1977 to 1983.
The 79-year-old former Archdeacon of Auckland wore a charcoal suit with a blue shirt and pink tie and spoke to confirm his name, and enter not guilty pleas to all charges.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/former-county-durham-archdeacon-denies-9477730 

Smyth suspicions go back decades

The activities of Ireland's most infamous paedophile priest sparked concerns years before he was ordained, an inquiry has heard.  There was suspicion that Fr Brendan Smyth, who admitted sexually assaulting hundreds of children, had abused a boy while training in Rome during the late 1940s.
The revelations were made to the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry, which is examining whether systemic failings allowed Smyth - a member of the Norbertine order - to perpetrate the abuse over more than four decades.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/smyth-suspicions-go-back-decades-31319683.html 

Jehovah's Witnesses face abuse hearing

A national inquiry will in July examine the responses of another church, Jehovah's Witnesses, to allegations of child sexual abuse.
Jehovah's Witnesses, the sometimes controversial Christian church, is to face public examination by the royal commission into child sexual abuse in institutions. A public hearing into the church will be held in Sydney starting on July 27, the commission announced on Monday.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/06/22/jehovahs-witnesses-face-abuse-hearing

Pope Francis backs new Vatican sex abuse tribunal

The new office will be set up within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which will be mandated to judge all such cases connected to the abuse of children and vulnerable adults.  “I won’t go into who should and who shouldn’t because when you mention one there are other survivors who feel about their bishop or their archbishop exactly the same way as I would have felt about Cardinal Connell”, she said.
Pope Francis received the bishops of Latvia and Estonia in audience on June 11 and lamented the “dangerous perils” of relativism and secularism. “What one should have done and didn’t do”, he said.

http://sentinelrepublic.com/pope-francis-backs-new-vatican-sex-abuse-tribunal/5733/ 

Cardinal Brady to give evidence on Fr Brendan Smyth

Ex-primate acknowledges culture of ‘secrecy and silence’ over clerical child sex abuse.  Retired Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Sean Brady has stated there was a culture of “secrecy and silence” in the Catholic Church which believed issues of child abuse could be managed internally.
Cardinal Brady, who as far back as 1975 heard allegations of sexual abuse against Fr Brendan Smyth, is to give evidence at the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry in Banbridge, Co Down on Thursday.

Sex, lies and leadership: What we learn from the sex offender program and Catholic sex-abuse coverup

Two Minnesota stories converged last week. In the first, a federal judge declared the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) unconstitutional; the second was John Nienstedt’s resignation as archbishop of the MSP Catholic diocese.
Together, they tell a story of sex (power), lies (deception and coverup), and leadership (bureaucracy and shirking of responsibility) with equally tragic tales and little to praise in terms of the political or religious leaders of the state of Minnesota and the Catholic Church.

https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2015/06/sex-lies-and-leadership-what-we-learn-sex-offender-program-and-catholic-sex 

Fr Brendan Smyth: a timeline

Notorious paedophile cleric’s life has continued to have impact long after his death. The following is a selective list of articles from Irishtimes.com referring to the late Fr Brendan Smyth.
March 22, 1996
BRENDAN SMYTH was back in Magilligan Prison, Co Derry, last night after senior Garda officers interviewed him in Belfast about further allegations of sexual abuse in the Republic.

Former DPP Nicholas Cowdery accuses NSW police of collusion with Catholic Church

Former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nick Cowdery has accused the NSW Police Force of being "party ... to a Catholic Church conspiracy to thwart the criminal justice process".
The church's "blind reporting" of child sex allegations to police, with victims' details withheld, allowed church representatives to escape prosecution for concealing serious crimes "because it was colluded in by the Police Force", Mr Cowdery said in response to the Police Integrity Commission's Operation Protea report released on Friday.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/former-dpp-nicholas-cowdery-accuses-nsw-police-of-collusion-with-catholic-church-20150622-ghuqho.html 

Catholic Nuns Abuse Worldwide

The Vatican is being exposed for what it is: The most criminal organization in existence. The crimes that they have managed to commit against humanity for ... Starving children in catholic-run “homes” was the way the nuns enjoyed themselves. The food they gave me was disgusting slop and not much of it.
US Church Insiders Who Have Blown the Whistle on Alleged Child Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up. The burden of disclosing sexual abuse by Catholic clerics and its cover-up ... The Catholic sex abuse cases are a series of allegations, investigations, trials, and convictions of child sexual abuse crimes committed by Catholic priests, nuns ...
 

Cover-up of Smyth abuse went right to the top

The story of Fr Brendan Smyth is not just one of a predatory abuser who ruined the lives of countless children.  It is also one of cover-up and of turning a blind eye, the default position adopted over a period of decades within the Catholic Church, not just in Ireland, but in the UK and the US.
Belfast-born Smyth's reign of terror lasted over 40 years. This was only made possible through the willingness of church authorities to move him on whenever allegations surfaced.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/coverup-of-smyth-abuse-went-right-to-the-top-31322400.html 

Brendan Smyth may have abused more than 200 children

Inquiry in North hears notorious paedophile priest abused children for decades.  The Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry in the North heard on Monday that paedophile priest Brendan Smyth admitted that he could have sexually abused more than 200 children during his period in the religious life.
Junior counsel for the inquiry Joseph Aiken said that new information had emerged from its investigations about Smyth including how after his arrest he told a doctor in 1994 that more than 200 children may have been abused by him. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/brendan-smyth-may-have-abused-more-than-200-children-1.2258487 

22 June 2015

Resignations reflect Pope Francis’s hard line on sex abuse cases

Anyone who has doubts as to the severity of the “Francis revolution” currently blowing through the Vatican should probably take a look at last Monday’s Bollettino or news bulletin from the Holy See press office. Two items make for significant reading.
Firstly, the Holy See confirms that the pope has accepted the resignations of the Archbishop and Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese of St Paul and Minneapolis in the United States,and Lee Piché respectively.

Pope Francis Defies UN on Torturing Children

The UN Committee against Torture “found that the widespread sexual violence within the Catholic Church amounted to torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.” After Vatican officials were called to Geneva in May 2014 to respond to tough questions like why the pope believed his responsibility for protecting children against torture only applied on Vatican property, the committee issued its report.
The members “ordered the Vatican to hand over files containing details of clerical sexual abuse allegations to police forces around the world, … to use its authority over the Roman Catholic Church worldwide to ensure all allegations of clerical abuse are passed on to the secular authorities and to impose ‘meaningful sanctions’ on any Church officials who fail to do so.” With the exception of a couple of staged PR events, the pope has refused to take any of these measures.

http://churchandstate.org.uk/2015/06/pope-francis-defies-un-on-torturing-children/ 

Former Marist Brother William Cable jailed for sexually abusing schoolchildren

Former Marist Brother Francis Cable has been sentenced to at least eight years' prison for sex offences against 19 students at schools in Sydney and New South Wales' Hunter region in the 1960s and 1970s.
The 83-year-old, also known as Brother Romuald, was given a maximum sentence of 16 years. He had pleaded guilty to crimes against 17 boys in March, after a jury earlier found him guilty of 13 offences against two other boys.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-18/former-marist-brother-jailed-for-sexually-abusing-schoolchildren/6555824 

Three Signs It’s a Sexual Abuse Cover-Up and Not Just an Innocent Misunderstanding

In yesterday’s installment in this series on preventing and stopping sexual abuse, I created three pairs of fictional scenarios.  Scene A was a typical case of ordinary parish life mishaps; Scene B was covert sexual abuse.  Today I want to explain how I crafted those pairs, and what the hallmarks of covert abuse were that I put into all the Scene B’s.
Let’s pause here and encourage you to read up on this subject elsewhere.  My analysis below isn’t based on statistical modeling, and I don’t have academic credentials to hand you.  This is just me taking what I’ve seen and heard, both from my own experience with sexual abuse cases (limited) and reading and listening to the accounts of others.  I’m writing what I am not because I’m the world’s expert, but because this topic is so important that you can’t just sit around hoping someone more impressive will come along and answer all the questions.  I hope they will.  But meanwhile, we who’ve been in the trenches just share what we know.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jenniferfitz/2015/06/three-signs-its-a-sexual-abuse-cover-up-and-not-just-an-innocent-misunderstanding/ 

Female sexual abuse of children: ‘the ultimate taboo

Mother tried to own me, making me solely her possession. She kept me so isolated from other people that I never had any friends or confidants. Partly it was her way of keeping our‘secrets’ safe, and partly it was her way of making sure that I loved only her. She was so jealous of my relationships with other people. She said that she had me so she’d have someone to love her. Nothing was ever mentioned about my being loved. I was so brain-washed into feeling sorry for her that I could not have blamed her for the sexual abuse, even if I had wanted to.
Using sympathy and guilt worked wonders for Mother, enabling her to manipulate me into just about anything. She told lies upon lies to make me feel sympathy for her. She’s still doing it. What hurts the most about being sexually abused by your mother is the total isolation. If Mother could not love or nurture me, why did she have to keep me so isolated that I could not get love from someone else? It made me grow up believing no one loved or cared about me. I still find it difficult to believe. I don’t think that all the love in this world and the next will ever be enough to fill the void of not having known love, caring or nurturing all those years. I feel so bad and dirty inside that I cannot fathom anyone even wanting to love me.

https://www.kidscape.org.uk/media/82798/femalesexualabuseofchildren.pdf 

The Catholic church’s scandal: modern crisis, ancient roots

The sexual violation of young people within the Catholic church is the poisonous legacy of a long tradition of contempt for human sexuality in an institution which has privileged secrecy and unaccountable power over transparency and participation. But the silence and darkness revealed by the scandal must not be allowed to define the majority of Catholics who are the living church, says Tina Beattie.
The scandal engulfing the Roman Catholic church as a result of the exposure of widespread and long-lasting sexual abuse of children and young people by priests in a number of countries created a global media and political firestorm around the institution. Many analysts and commentators have reached for images such as “tsunami” to describe what is happening. Two eminent church historians not given to hyperbole – Diarmaid MacCulloch and Michael Walsh – have described it as the worst crisis facing the Catholic church since the 16th-century reformation (see Michael Walsh, “The Vatican’s fix: abuse and renewal”, 22 March 2010). 

https://www.opendemocracy.net/tina-beattie/catholic-church%E2%80%99s-abuse-scandal-modern-crisis-ancient-roots

Forgive you Father??... For You Have Sinned against God and Man

Decades of abuse by the Catholic Church resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements and the bankruptcy of the Diocese of Helena, but it will take more than money to make things right for survivors.
On a wall in the St. Ignatius Mission, amid periwinkle panels and gold-colored trim, a large mural depicts a pit of fire packed to the brim with agonized faces paying for their sins. Many of those faces are Native American, their brown complexion framed by black braids, surrounded by fire and brimstone.

Pope creates tribunal for bishops in abuse cases

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has welcomed Pope Francis’s announcement of a new Vatican department to deal with bishops accused of covering up or not preventing child sexual abuse by clerics.
But I think what the new regulations coming out from the Vatican means that there’s going to be a more efficient way of holding both myself and other bishops accountable to the Holy Father for our stewardship of our dioceses, especially in the area of the prevention of abuse of minors.

http://www.belljarnews.com/pope-creates-tribunal-for-bishops-in-abuse-cases/852726/ 

Ireland's shadowlands: Kim Haughton's haunting journey to sites of sexual abuse

Beaches, country lanes, picturesque ruins … Haughton’s landscapes capture the beauty of Ireland. But they are also crime scenes. She talks about photographing the horror that nobody wanted to see.
In 2011, Kim Haughton noticed a man standing outside St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin dressed in a clerical collar and fake devil’s horns. His name was John Deegan, and he was a survivor of sexual abuse. Every Sunday, Deegan protested outside the church at the failure of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Ireland to deal with evidence of widespread child abuse by priests.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/21/kim-haughton-sexual-abuse-ireland-catholic-church-photographs 

Nuns' report of sex abuse led to pressure on Blessed MacKillop

The religious congregation co-founded by Blessed Mary MacKillop has confirmed a media report that one reason clergy pressured a bishop to "destroy" her was that members of the order reported a suspected child-abusing priest.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. program Compass was scheduled to broadcast Oct. 10 that angry clergy pressured Adelaide Bishop Lawrence Shiel to "destroy" the nun after they heard that sisters reported Irish Father Patrick Keating, from the Kapunda parish north of Adelaide, was allegedly abusing children. The nuns reported the abuse to Blessed MacKillop's co-founder, Father Julian Tenison Woods.


http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1004135.htm 

21 June 2015

What is the cause of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church?

Question: "What is the cause of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church? Why are there pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church?"
Answer: In recent years, hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals have come forward claiming sexual abuse from priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Numerous "pedophile priests" have been identified. Sadly, rather than defrocking the priests (removing from the priesthood), the Catholic Church has in most instances attempted to cover up the sexual abuse by transferring the offending priest(s) to different parishes. The scandal and attempted cover-up continues to expand, reaching all the way to the papacy itself. So, what is the cause of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church? Why does pedophilia seem to be such a common problem among Roman Catholic priests?

http://www.gotquestions.org/Catholic-abuse.html 

Island charity supporter jailed for child sex crimes,

A charity supporter and former vicar who volunteered at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, the British Legion and was part of the Isle of Wight Music Dance & Drama Festival Committee, has been jailed for 7 years and 2 months after being found guilty of historic indecent assault, including abusing an altar boy.
John Charles Hibberd, 77, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault dating back as far as 1967 when he appeared at Kingston Crown Court in London yesterday (Friday).

http://www.islandecho.co.uk/news/island-charity-supporter-jailed-for-child-sex-crimes 

OKlahoma missionary found guilty of sexually abusing Kenyan children


A federal jury on Friday found former Edmond church missionary Matthew Lane Durham guilty of aggravated sexual abuse with children.
Durham, 20, had served as a volunteer at the Upendo Children's Home in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi since 2012. During his fourth trip, he was accused of sexually assaulting seven boys and girls under the age of 18 between April and June of 2014.

http://www.normantranscript.com/news/oklahoma-missionary-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-kenyan-children/article_d071d254-16bc-11e5-9d1d-07e0798e9196.html 

Archdiocese, MSOP: The clock runs out on denial and foot-dragging

Church and state in Minnesota have been united by recent events — united in disgrace, that is, as each finally has been called to account for long-standing and long-denied injustices. Real reform and recompense will be difficult for each of these sinfully proud institutions. But at least the truth has come out.
Archbishop John Nienstedt and a chief lieutenant resigned last week after years of pressure culminated in criminal charges against the Twin Cities archdiocese, alleging that church officials covered up and essentially tolerated clergy sexual abuse of children for decades.

Clergy Abuse Happens in ALL Denominations

“The boy told investigators that he was awakened by an apparent flash from a camera. He found his shorts and underwear at his knees and Perez next to him on an air mattress. The priest had the boy’s genitals in one hand and a cell phone in the other…” Read more here… Lest you think this is a post about Priest abuse, I’ll set the record straight. It’s not. It’s about child sex abuse by clergy, period. It takes place in all denominations. When I was small, my stepfather studied religion by day and came into my bedroom at night. My mother and grandmother dragged me from one church to another looking for something that “felt right.” I managed to get baptized into five different religions.

https://healingbeyondsurvival.wordpress.com/tag/clergy-sex-abuse/ 

Woodburn priest sentenced to 75 months in prison on sexual abuse charges

A Woodburn priest accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy during an overnight stay, then chasing him down the street in his underwear in August 2012 accepted a plea agreement Monday and was sentenced to more than six years in prison.
The Rev. Angel Armando Perez, 47, pleaded guilty in Marion County Circuit Court to charges of first-degree sexual abuse, driving intoxicated and furnishing alcohol to a minor. Accusations of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct and tampering with evidence were dismissed.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/04/woodburn_priest_sentenced_to_7.html 

A tale of 2 priests: Woodburn priest, best friend from seminary face similar sex charges

For most of their lives, the paths of Angel Perez and Uriel Ojeda ran along parallel lines, from devout boyhoods in Western Mexico, through years of prayer and education at Oregon’s Mount Angel Seminary and, finally, onto the pulpits of their own Catholic churches outside Portland and Sacramento.
They became the best of friends. Now both priests are accused of crimes 500 miles apart that could ultimately send them to prison and jeopardize the collars that once told the world they were brothers.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/08/sacramento_priest_close_friend.html 

Born Or Made Bad?

"Give me the child until he is seven and I'll give you the man."*
The two most self-serving exercises in the Western world would be Academy Award winners' speeches and crooks' pleas designed to persuade judges to go light in the sentencing stakes.
Actors feign surprise before reciting carefully rehearsed words while crims who passionately argue their innocence during a trial then move to Plan B after a guilty verdict, to offer a range of excuses as to why they did it in the first place.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/born-or-made-bad-20150619-ghqz3i 

Only 3 months left to file a claim in Archdiocese clergy sex-abuse bankruptcy case

Now is the time to come forward:

Survivors of clergy sexual abuse, who have not yet come forward to file a claim against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, have a little more than three months to do so. That’s 101 days from today, to be exact.
Aug. 3, 2015 is the final date to file a claim against the archdiocese.
That’s because a federal judge earlier this month set a date of Aug. 3rd as the deadline. It’s known as a “claims bar date,” in the world of bankruptcy law. It refers to the deadline by which people or companies must come forward and claim that they are owed money by a debtor.


http://noakerlaw.com/only-3-months-left-to-file-a-claim-in-archdiocese-clergy-sex-abuse-bankruptcy-case/ 

Sexual Abuse By Nuns: Why Are There So Few Lawsuits? [Part 2 of 3]

As is discussed in part 1 of this series, Nun sexual abuse is more prevalent than most originally thought. If that is the case, then why have there not been as many lawsuits for sexual abuse involving nuns? This article discusses some of the unique aspects of bringing civil claims relating to sexual abuse by nuns.
There is no question that civil lawsuits have played a major role in exposing and understanding clergy sexual abuse. In fact, Fr. Thomas Doyle, one of the heroes of the child protection movement in the Catholic church stated “The twists and turns of the civil discovery process have been the most important factors in exposing the extent and nature of clergy sexual abuse.” [1]

http://noakerlaw.com/sexual-abuse-by-nuns-why-are-there-so-few-lawsuits-part-2-of-3/ 

Pope Francis makes right move in holding bishops accountable

Pope Francis has taken an admirable if overdue step in creating a tribunal to deal with bishops accused of covering up for priests suspected of sexual abuse against children.
A new Vatican tribunal will conduct inquiries and hand out punishment to bishops who protect abusive priests or look the other way when legitimate complaints are made. The need was reinforced just days after Francis’ recent announcement when a Roman Catholic archbishop and a deputy bishop in Minnesota resigned over accusations the archdiocese of protected an abusive priest.

http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-editorials/editorial-pope-francis-makes-right-move-in-holding-bishops-accountable-20150620/ 

20 June 2015

How Prevalent is Sexual Abuse By Nuns [Part 1 of a 3-part series]

Most of the attention regarding sexually abusive clergy members has focused on sexual abuse by priests. Most media reports and most research involve abusive priests. The 2004 John Jay College study was limited to diocesan and religious order priests. Consequently, information about sexual abuse by nuns is not widely discussed or understood. This article discusses what is known about the prevalence of nun sexual abuse of children.
Initially, it must be noted that 4.6% of all sex offenders are female.[1]  However, some believe that this statistic is artificially low because women are more likely to be diverted from the justice system[2] and because societal and cultural stereotypes about female sexual behavior, including professional biases by police and prosecutors, discourage reporting of sex crimes by females.[3]

http://noakerlaw.com/how-prevalent-is-sexual-abuse-by-nuns-part-1-of-a-3-part-series/ 

PIC report on “blind reporting” of child abuse badly misses the mark

The Police Integrity Commission’s report into the practice of “blind reporting” of child abuse by the Catholic Church to the NSW police has failed to call for the end of this damaging practice and failed to even refer to key evidence provided to the PIC where the police admitted to shredding evidence of child abuse. “Blind reporting” is the practice where the Catholic Church removed the identities of victims of child abuse when making reports to the police.
The key Police document evidencing the Police practice of shredding evidence was provided to the PIC by Greens MP David Shoebridge in the week prior to the PIC hearing. It was a Freedom of Information response from the NSW Police that stated in part:

http://greens.org.au/node/11472 

An isolated Nienstedt tried to limit investigation into himself

On April 10, 2014 — seven months into the clergy sex abuse scandal — Archbishop John Nienstedt's top advisers gathered for a private meeting. They had just received several affidavits from an internal investigation of Nienstedt that had been authorized by the archbishop himself to address damaging rumors.
The sworn statements accused Nienstedt of inappropriate behavior, according to people who read them, including sexual advances toward at least two priests.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/19/nienstedt 

Stop dithering and give child abuse victims proper redress, expert urges MLAs

Stormont must start planning a "redress scheme" for victims of child sex abuse - including those preyed on by paedophile priests such as Fr Brendan Smyth and others assaulted in Kincora Boys' Home, an international expert has warned.
In Australia and Canada, ex-gratia payments are being made to survivors of child abuse who are now adults. In Canada it is £28,500 and in Australia it is an average of £14,400.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/stop-dithering-and-give-child-abuse-victims-proper-redress-expert-urges-mlas-31313470.html

Dear Pope Francis: Women’s Lives Matter

Annually:
47,000 women die from complications of unsafe abortion.
8.5 million women experience complications from unsafe abortion that require medical attention, and three million do not receive the care they need.”
If every woman who wanted birth control had access to it, there would be
150,000 fewer maternal deaths
640,000 fewer newborn deaths
600,000 fewer children becoming motherless
In his encyclical on the environment, “Pope Francis stated the protection of nature is ‘incompatible with the justification of abortion … How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties?’ he asked. He cautioned against seeking to exercise ‘absolute power’ over our bodies as if they were something that we own.”

https://opentabernacle.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/dear-pope-francis-womens-lives-matter/ 

Diocese names priests, sisters, staff accused of sexual abuse

The Diocese of Helena posted an online list Wednesday of every employee accused of sexually abusing a minor while working there.
The list dates back to the 1930s and includes the names of 80 priests, Ursuline Sisters, lay workers and others. A settlement between the Diocese and hundreds of victims requires that the names be posted and remain pinned to the Diocese homepage for the next decade.

http://helenair.com/news/diocese-names-priests-sisters-staff-accused-of-sexual-abuse/article_21cee896-519a-5b42-b63b-a8ea0a1a2ed9.html 

How 'strength' and 'courage' helped Los Altos woman and other abuse victims tell their stories


Thirteen women walked into a room in Portland, Oregon on May 31, each holding a rock in one hand labeled "strength" and a rock in the other hand labeled "courage."
The women, including Bonnie Rogers of Los Altos, had all been victims of a serial abuser when they were young students at the American School in Japan.

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_28335351/how-strength-and-courage-helped-los-altos-woman

Praise for Hunter police work as report condemns NSW cops

THE NSW Police Integrity Commission Operation Protea report is a damning indictment of the NSW Police Force's handling of child sexual abuse allegations, and a stunning reminder of the extraordinary results achieved by police in the Hunter Region.
In a week that has included the jailing of a notorious Hunter Marist Brother, and shocking diocesan revelations by Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson, the findings of the Operation Protea report are grim reading.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3159391/praise-for-hunter-police-work/ 

AL--Victims blast Catholic officials for “secrecy obsession”

Again, church lawyers are trying to make sure that Fr. Johnny Savoie won’t have to answer questions about his alleged child sex crimes under oath.
In February 2014, Savoie disclosed to his parishioners that he had been accused of molesting a child in Fairhope, Alabama. Earlier this year, the allegation surfaced during a separate civil lawsuit brought by several families charging bullying at Savoie’s parish school. Archdiocesan officials did not publicly announce the abuse report, nor did they suspend or remove Savoie during their purported investigation.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/al_victims_blast_catholic_officials_for_secrecy_obsession 

“Sister Act” Remake? Tell Us About REAL Black Sisters!

When news of Disney’s plan to reboot its wildly successful Sister Act franchise broke last week, media and fan reactions were as swift as they were predictable.
From TIME to The Guardian, divinely inspired headlines cheered the impending reincarnation of America’s favorite black Catholic nun and choir director on the silver screen. Some even began speculating about who among today’s leading black actresses might replace Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the first two Sister Act films and produced its Tony-award winning musical incarnation.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefont/2015/06/sister-act-remake-tell-us-about-real-black-sisters/ 

Indian police arrest key suspect in nun's rape

Police in India said Thursday they had arrested the main suspect in the rape of an elderly nun that sent shockwaves through the country's Christian community.
The nun, who is in her 70s, needed surgery after the attack in March, when a gang of robbers broke into the convent school where she lived in the eastern state of West Bengal.

http://www.ucanews.com/news/indian-police-arrest-key-suspect-in-nuns-rape/73810