Newcastle Herald Letters to the Editor: Monday, February 29, 2016

SO the Vatican wants Catholics and their clergy to ‘support' Cardinal George Pell when he gives video evidence to the sex abuse inquiry to let him know he’s loved and stop his feelings being hurt. How nice!
It’s a pity they weren’t so aware of the hurt feelings of the multitudes of children who were physically and emotionally brutalised by the priests, brothers and nuns in the past.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3755102/where-is-the-support-for-abuse-victims/ 

6-year-old raped by a priest in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: A six year old girl was raped by the priest of a temple in Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh.  The accused priest Ramkrishna Kewat, was arrested and presented before court on Tuesday. The incident took place at Badra village under Bhalumada police station of the district on February 21.

Is he a priest? He is an animal. He has to be punished severely for the crime.Lakshminarasimhan Krishnagopal The survivor's parents went to market in Kotma town leaving the girl at home, it was then that the accused took the girl to the temple and raped her, said police. 

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/6-year-old-raped-by-a-priest-in-Madhya-Pradesh/articleshow/51110054.cms 

Father John Fleming ‘a criminal, moral coward’, Supreme Court rules

FATHER John Fleming engaged in criminal, predatory, deceitful and morally reprehensible sexual behaviour with a minor while working as an Anglican priest, the Supreme Court has ruled.
On Wednesday, the court dismissed the now-Catholic priest’s defamation lawsuit, ruling The Advertiser and Sunday Mail’s reports about his illegal sexual misconduct were true.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/father-john-fleming-a-criminal-moral-coward-supreme-court-rules/news-story/61801f42380c2bf04c63c9d489e66b8d 

San Jose: Protesters demand that Catholic dioceses release names of predator priests

As passersby drove by honking their horns or cheering in support, four demonstrators waved signs in front of the Diocese of San Jose headquarters on Saturday as part of a nationwide protest to pressure U.S. Catholic bishops to disclose the names of 2,800 predator priests.

"Today, 30 dioceses in the U.S. have listed those priests in their dioceses that have been credibly accused or convicted or admitted guilt," said Tim Lennon, 68, who said he was molested at age 12 by a Catholic priest in Iowa, then often driven by that priest to another parish to say confession.

http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_29571597/san-jose-protestors-demand-that-catholic-dioceses-release

Victims put Cardinal George Pell on notice before royal commission into child abuse in Rome

STANDING outside the Vatican as storms clouds overhead were moments from erupting, Chrissie Foster has just six words for Cardinal George Pell as he today faces his accusers — “be a man, tell the truth”.

After a year of debate, weeks of planning and a lifetime of heartache for some, Cardinal Pell will take the stand at the royal commission into institutionalised sexual child abuse in a specially convened sitting in a hotel room in Rome.

http://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/victims-put-cardinal-george-pell-on-notice-before-royal-commission-into-child-abuse-in-rome/news-story/1202da40012608e7a99093acb905cac6 

Peter Fox turns up at Pell testimony

Former police inspector Peter Fox, who alleged church and police cover-ups of pedophile priest offending in NSW's Hunter Valley, has turned up to support abuse victims attending the testimony of Cardinal George Pell in Rome.
Mr Fox, who calls himself a "self-funded retiree", is in Rome on holiday with his wife, Penny, but on Monday will be at the elegant Quirinale Hotel to hear Australia's senior Catholic cleric give evidence by video link to the child abuse royal commission sitting in Sydney.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/02/29/02/51/peter-fox-turns-up-at-pell-testimony 

Top Vatican cardinal to testify about sex abuse

One of the highest-ranking Vatican officials is being compelled to testify in public starting Sunday about clerical sex abuse, an unusual demonstration of holding even the most senior Catholic bishops accountable.

Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis' top financial adviser, will testify in a Rome hotel conference room for three nights running, answering questions via video link from Australia's Royal Commission with his accusers on hand to confront him.

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3590212-155/story.html 

Father John Fleming suspended after Supreme Court judge finds he engaged in sexual behaviour with a minor

FATHER John Fleming has been ordered to pay the Sunday Mail’s court costs after he “rolled the dice” and lost a defamation lawsuit against a South Australian newspaper.
On Friday, Fr Fleming offered to pay a percentage of the costs associated with the Sunday Mail’s successful defence against the priest’s defamation suit.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/father-john-fleming-suspended-after-supreme-court-judge-finds-he-engaged-in-sexual-behaviour-with-a-minor/news-story/44df49e76e8f1a4afee1628b24af8c18 

Savile and Hall: BBC 'missed chances to stop attacks'

The BBC missed opportunities to stop "monstrous" abuse by DJ Jimmy Savile and broadcaster Stuart Hall because of a "culture of fear", a report says.

The Dame Janet Smith review identified 72 victims of Savile - including eight who were raped - and 21 victims of Hall, over five decades from 1959. She said BBC culture "was deeply deferential" and staff were reluctant to speak to managers about complaints.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35658398 

Oscars: Mark Ruffalo Joins Sexual Abuse Protest Outside Los Angeles Cathedral

Hours before the 88th Oscars were set to start, the Spotlight team of actor Mark Ruffalo, director-cowriter Tom McCarthy and co-writer Josh Singer joined a protest outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. They stood with members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, outside the cathedral calling for the names of pedophile priests to be released.
Ruffalo confirmed on Twitter on that he participated in the protest, tweeting, "Standing with the survivors of Priest sexual abuse!"

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-mark-ruffalo-joins-sexual-870649

Cardinal George Pell: more sinned against than sinning

Isn't it time someone spoke up for George Pell? I have never met him and have no ambition to do so. He seems to lack what you might call warmth; he comes across as remote, patrician, above the ordinary herd. But you could say the same about many academics or judges or public figures and it is hardly a reason to excuse the poor press that he gets.
In fact, the strident common tone of the media treatment of Pell should be a signal to people to wonder whether we are being manipulated. When all public commentary seems to agree on something, it is a duty of those who do not take their opinions from the media or from shock jocks to raise a small squeal of protest.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/cardinal-george-pell-more-sinned-against-than-sinning-20160223-gn17bb.html 

Victims of child sexual abuse come first, say Orthodox speakers

David Menachem Gordon was a lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge when he went missing one day in mid-August. Two days later, he was found dead, with his rifle beside him.
Gordon, who served in the Givati Brigade, lived for a time in White Oak with his family before making aliyah. He was a student at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh from 2008 to 2010, and his parents, Ruth and Jacob Gordon, were members of the Orthodox Gemilas Chesed Synagogue.

http://thejewishchronicle.net/view/full_story/27098707/article-Victims-of-child-sexual-abuse-come-first--say-Orthodox-speakers?instance=this_just_in

Catholic Church paid for a private investigator to 'dig up dirt' on the victims of a pedophile teacher.

Catholic Church paid for a private investigator to 'dig up dirt' on the victims of a pedophile teacher -

An investigator sent to dig up dirt on a pedophile Christian Brother's victims told lawyers the witnesses could be easily 'torn down' in court, an inquiry has heard. The Catholic religious order paid for Br Edward Dowlan's solicitors, who hired the private investigator to track down his victims in 1995.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3462087/Catholic-Church-paid-private-investigator-dig-dirt-victims-pedophile-Christian-Brother-Edward-Dowlan-told-lawyers-witnesses-easily-torn-court.html 

A message from Tim Minchin as abuse victims fly to see George Pell give evidence

“Many very serious questions remain about George Pell’s conduct as a leader of an institution that failed to curb decades of rampant child sexual abuse within its hallowed walls. This failure has resulted in hundreds of innocent people suffering lifelong emotional and physical damage. A shocking number have committed suicide.
Whilst his actions and appearance suggest a man in good health, Pell asserts that he is too ill to travel to Australia to answer these questions at the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.

http://dailyreview.com.au/a-message-from-tim-minchin-as-abuse-victims-fly-to-see-george-bell-give-evidence/37780 

Tim Minchin says George Pell should wash feet of child sex abuse survivors

Musician and comedian Tim Minchin says Cardinal George Pell should show contrition to survivors of child sexual abuse and “get on his knees and wash their feet” when he attends a public hearing of the royal commission in Rome on Monday.

Michin made the call in a statement posted on his website and comes after the viral success of his song, Come Home (Cardinal Pell), which has been viewed more than a million times since it was first performed on Channel Ten’s The Project. 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/26/tim-minchin-says-george-pell-should-wash-feet-of-child-sex-abuse-survivors?CMP=share_btn_fb#_=_ 

When evil visited Orkney: Untold story of ritual child abuse allegations on the island

TWENTY-FIVE years ago today, on February 27, 1991, a fleet of cars set off in convoy from Kirkwall on the Orkney mainland. It was barely light as they drove across the Churchill Barriers to the island of South Ronaldsay – they wanted to be sure that the children they were going to collect were still at home.
From the outcry they incurred later, you’d have thought they were kidnappers holding families to ransom, not police and social workers trying to protect children from one of the most vicious forms of child abuse humans have yet devised – satanic ritual abuse (SRA).

All men need intimacy. Even priests

But after four episodes and a speed read through Colleen McCulloch’s 692 breathless pages, I came to a single blinding conclusion: How dumb is it that priests can’t have sex?
I raised it with my maths teacher. How can you concentrate on trigonometry when there’s a nonsensical rule called celibacy preventing the lovely Rachel from getting it on with gorgeous Richard? (Somewhat concerning was the priest being called Ralph, but I digress).

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/all-men-need-intimacy-even-priests/news-story/b56741b990ddd9be8245c36413f9725f

Church officials should fight perv priests and oppression, not fight the Girl Scouts

News item: The Archdiocese of St. Louis has come out swinging against (wait for it!) the Girl Scouts.
The Girl Scouts, huh? The same badge-earning, cookie-selling, wholesome Americans who have been “helping girls discover their strengths, passions, and talents” for 104 years?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/church-fight-pervs-not-girl-scouts-article-1.2544681 

What can we expect from Cardinal George Pell's testimony to the child abuse royal commission?

The royal commission has received evidence by video link before but it is normally from the controlled environment of a court room.

Because of the speed with which this session has been organised, the four-star Hotel Quirinale was chosen. It had a room large enough to fit the expected number of media and supporters and the facilities to assist with this logistically complicated exercise.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-28/what-to-expect-from-cardinal-pells-royal-commission-appearance/7205710 

Fifteen people abused by the Catholic Church as children are in Rome to hear Cardinal George Pell

FOR Paul Levey, coming to Rome is akin to entering the lion’s den, an unknown forum that has been as physically as it has been emotionally challenging but one he says will be a defining moment for all victims of church abuse.
The Melbourne man and his partner Michelle East have made the long journey to the Italian capital to hear what Cardinal George Pell has to say about sexual abuse under his watch when he ran the Catholic Church in Australia and ask the Vatican’s number 3 man some awkward questions.

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/national/fifteen-people-abused-by-the-catholic-church-as-children-are-in-rome-to-hear-cardinal-george-pell/news-story/5328a1ff53c3c2bae1b7f663cf4238bb 

Retired Hunter solicitor Lou Pirona speaks about the death of his son, and the road to the royal commission

IT is two days before an Australian royal commission questions a cardinal in Rome about child sexual abuse, and a Hunter man is thinking about how it all started, with the death of his son.
John Pirona’s suicide in July, 2012, after he was sexually abused by Catholic priest John Denham as a child and left a final note that ended with the words “Too much pain”, was the catalyst for the Newcastle Herald’s Shine the Light campaign for a royal commission.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3754039/pell-the-pope-and-a-legacy/ 

The point in the film Spotlight that had me in tears

About the time Cardinal George Pell sits in a chair in the Hotel Quirinale in Rome on Monday to give evidence about his knowledge of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, celebrities will be climbing into limousines in Hollywood to attend the 88th Academy Awards.
Leonardo DiCaprio will be there, for his role in the violent historic action film The Revenant. George Clooney will be there too, because the Academy Awards wouldn't be the Academy Awards without him.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-point-in-the-film-spotlight-that-had-me-in-tears-20160225-gn47hv.html 

Sexual Assault Attorney Comments On Sentencing Of Priest Convicted of Child Abuse

AbuseGuardian.com reports on the sentencing of a former priest from the suburbs of Philadelphia who was convicted of multiple charges. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, February 17 for exploitation and child sexual abuse.
The former Catholic priest had most recently served at SS. Simon and Jude Parish in West Chester, PA, but, since his ordination in 1985, had served in the following parishes in the Philadelphia area: St. Ann, Phoenixville, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Doylestown, St. John of the Cross, Roslyn, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Southampton, St. Pius X, Broomall, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Morton, Annunciation B.V.M., Havertown. He was arrested in October of 2014 when Chester County police traced online activity involving child pornography to his computer located at the rectory of SS. Simon and Jude Parish.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2851147 

Judge rules priests not required to report alleged wrongdoing if learned during confession

A provision of the Louisiana Children’s Code that requires clergy to report allegations of wrongdoing, even if learned in the privacy of the confessional, is unconstitutional, a state judge ruled Friday in a long-running case involving the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge.
The case involves Father Jeff Bayhi and Rebecca Mayeaux, a 22-year-old woman who says she was 14 in 2008 when she told the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church pastor in Clinton in a confession that a 64-year-old parishioner was sexually abusing her. She alleges Bayhi told her to “sweep it under the floor and get rid of it.”

http://theadvocate.com/news/14993398-126/judge-clinton-priest-does-not-have-to-testify-about-confessional-exchange-with-teen-claiming-abuse 

More priests being investigated

Three pastors, formerly at St. Andrews Catholic Church, are alleged to have committed, or are charged with, child sexual abuse. It was back in 2010 that a CNN Special Report used Granite Falls as the setting for a story involving an 82 year old priest, Francis Markey, who died in jail in 2012 while facing charges of raping a 15-year-old boy in Ireland 40 years ago.

According to a statement issued then by the New Ulm Diocese, Markey filled in at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Granite Falls during an approximately three month period during the spring of 1982. Over those three months, a community’s worst fears would be realized as CNN would bring to light the voice of an anonymous local resident living across the street from the church alleged that he was abused by Markey as a child.

http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20160226/NEWS/160229717 

Trial pits Dominican Republic’s robust media, powerful Catholic Church

Santo Domingo.- A hearing in a slander case set for Thursday next week could set a precedent in the Dominican Republic, pitting an ever stronger and outspoken media against the powerful Catholic Church.
Catholic priest Manuel Ruiz charged five prominent journalists with slander stemming from the sexual abuse scandals caused by the late bishop Jozef Wesolowski and priest Wojciech Waldemar Gil (Padre Alberto).

http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2016/2/26/58366/Trial-pits-Dominican-Republics-robust-media-powerful-Catholic-Church 

George Pell: Parents of abused girls in Rome ahead of royal commission hearing

The parents of two girls who were abused by a paedophile priest have arrived in Rome ahead of Cardinal George Pell's highly-anticipated royal commission appearance.

Anthony and Chrissie Foster were among the first of an estimated 20 people — including survivors, their families and counsellors — to travel from Australia to watch Cardinal Pell's testimony from a hotel.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-27/parents-of-abused-girls-in-rome-for-pell-testimony/7204718 

Vatican, Sicily, France, India, Australia, Mexico – A Spotlight on Pope Francis Enabling Sex Abuse

In last two weeks, global events show that Pope Francis is enabling the clerical sex abuse of children by appointing, promoting and refusing to remove bishops with terrible histories of aiding and abetting abuse and by refusing to make meaningful change.

On Feb. 4, clerical sex abuse survivor and member of the pope’s commission on sex abuse, Peter Saunders, arranged for the movie, Spotlight, to be screened for members of the commission. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, the movie is about the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigations into the cover up by Catholic officials of serial pedophile priests.

http://churchandstate.org.uk/2016/02/vatican-sicily-france-india-australia-mexico-a-spotlight-on-pope-francis-enabling-sex-abuse/ 

Where were Boston’s TV stations during the Church sex abuse scandal?

One of the best things about Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s acclaimed film about The Boston Globe’s investigation of the city’s clerical sex abuse scandal, is its integrity. Vying for six Academy Awards in Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, the film chronicles The Globe’s crucial role in bringing the issue of abuse to light and exposing Cardinal Bernard Law’s part in the cover-up.
The film also points the finger at The Globe itself for having been so late in coming to the scandal. More than once in the film, a question is posed to the reporters: “What took you so long?”

http://www.cjr.org/criticism/where_were_bostons_tv_stations_during_the_church_sex_abuse_scandal.php 

Blow to the Catholic Church as spotlight falls on Cardinal Pell

It was approaching first light in Rome on February 19 when Cardinal George Pell was informed a Victoria Police investigation into sexual abuse allegations against him was about to be made public.
As his team carefully considered the predicament, crowds were starting to gather in the 5C cold for their Vatican pilgrimage. Back in Australia, the attention was turning to the weekend.
For Pell and his closest minders — religious and legal — the response to the claims that he had abused between five and 10 boys was as sharp as an Italian suit.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/blow-to-the-catholic-church-as-spotlight-falls-on-cardinal-pell/news-story/285fb725b057a36ef95122d3c0b1bf22 

Former Catholic priest Robert Flaherty jailed over 1970s child abuse

A former Catholic priest has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for child assault offences in New South Wales dating back to the 1970s.
Robert Flaherty, 72, assaulted three boys in their early teens in Sydney and at Mollymook, on the state's south coast, during the 1970s and 1980s, but was only arrested in 2013. A complaint was first made in 1972, however instead of being referred to police, Flaherty was transferred to a parish in Ryde.

http://canmua.net/world/former-catholic-priest-robert-flaherty-jailed-over-468640.html 

Child abuse victim joins vigil in Ballarat

John Skewes was sitting at home in Ballarat on Thursday, reading about all the allegations against and proven crimes by Catholic clergy in the regional city he has lived in all his life.
As a victim of abuse himself - not once but twice, although not by Catholics or Christian Brothers - Mr Skewes, 66, decided to drive to the Nazareth House nursing home, a grand Victorian building beside Lake Wendouree. This is where former Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns lies in palliative care, looked after by nuns. He is 85. Today he was giving evidence by video link to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/child-abuse-victim-joins-vigil-at-ballarat-20160225-gn3j1e.html 

The new push to end priestly celibacy

Those who want to overturn the ancient discipline are energetic, well organised and influential. But can they persuade Pope Francis to make such a radical change?

The Catholic Church is once again embroiled in arguments about whether priestly celibacy has a place in today’s world. As Catholicism in most Western countries faces a rapidly ageing priesthood, a severe shortage of vocations and declining congregations, abolishing or at least relaxing the ancient rule has become a major item on the agenda of those who advocate large-scale change in the Church. Moreover, the very idea of requiring perpetual celibacy from the clergy seems odd to today’s secular society.

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2016/02/25/the-new-push-to-end-priestly-celibacy/ 

Abuse inquiry hears priests moved 'to protect church'

A Victorian Catholic bishop who moved pedophile priests among parishes to avoid scandalising the church denies trying to cover up widespread child sex abuse.
But retired bishop Ronald Mulkearns says he's sorry and regrets not doing his job very well in handling pedophilia in the Ballarat diocese.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/02/25/abuse-inquiry-hears-priests-moved-protect-church

Rotherham Sexual Abuse Ring Trial Reveals Full Horrors Of What Happened, Three Brothers Convicted Of Sexual Exploitation

The horror of a gang's sexual abuse of young girls has been revealed in a trial that saw three brothers convicted of sexual exploitation.
The brothers and their uncle are among six people convicted of the sexual exploitation of girls, the youngest 11, in Rotherham, with the NSPCC praising the victims' "tremendous bravery" in testifying against their abusers who put them through "a living hell".

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/02/24/rotherham-sexual-abuse-gang-convicted_n_9306614.html 

The cardinal and the royal commission: the questions George Pell must answer

Cardinal George Pell is bold. Priests have told the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse over and over again that they knew something was going on back then and now regret doing little more than passing the awful news up the line.
They left it to others.
That’s not Pell’s position. He says he knew nothing – nothing while he was a priest in Ballarat about the paedophiles around him, and little about these men and their victims in his years as an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/26/the-cardinal-and-the-royal-commission-the-questions-george-pell-must-answer 

Girl Scouts Face Opposition From St. Louis Archbishop

 Can we say the same about the Boys Scouts??... what else has the catholic church got up her selves?...  she is so Common... it is laughable... Ann

 ====================================

Archdiocese of St. Louis is encouraging Roman Catholics to scale back ties with the Girl Scouts, advising church members to think twice about membership and even about buying their cookies.

The warnings came in a letter from Archbishop Robert J. Carlson and in a statement on the archdiocese’s website about how the church is distancing itself from the Girl Scouts, which it says supports transgender rights, homosexuality and other stances at odds with Catholic values.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/us/girl-scout-cookies-st-louis-catholics.html?emc=edit_tnt_20160225&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Jimmy Savile Inquiry Accuses BBC of Failing to Report Sexual Abuse

A culture of fear that persists to this day at the BBC and a permissive attitude toward stars allowed Jimmy Savile, the disgraced British television personality, to sexually abuse 72 victims, including children, according to a long-awaited report published on Thursday.

The three-year independent investigation was set up by the BBC, an institution deeply bound up in Britain’s identity at home and abroad, to scrutinize its own behavior and culture during the years it employed Mr. Savile, from 1964 to 2007, when he hosted popular shows like “Top of the Pops” and “Jim’ll Fix It.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/world/europe/jimmy-savile-report-bbc.html?emc=edit_tnt_20160225&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y 

Jehovah’s Witnesses’ sex abuse scandal is a lot like Catholic Church’s

The release of “Spotlight” – the Oscar-nominated film chronicling The Boston Globe’s groundbreaking investigation into child sexual abuse among Catholic priests – has refocused attention on problems in the church and trumpeted the importance of investigative reporting.
This week’s episode of Reveal goes behind the scenes with the real Globe reporters to learn more about how the story broke in 2002 – and what happened after the credits rolled.

https://www.revealnews.org/blog/jehovahs-witnesses-sex-abuse-scandal-is-a-lot-like-catholic-churchs/ 

Child abuse royal commission: George Pell's secretary asks colleagues in Rome to attend hearing for support

Cardinal George Pell's private secretary has sent an email to colleagues in Rome asking for them to attend a royal commission hearing beginning at 10pm (local time) on Sunday in Europe.

A copy of the email, seen by the ABC, was sent out to Fathers and Seminarians saying Cardinal Pell would be pleased if they could provide support with their presence at the hotel.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/royal-commission-george-pell-asks-colleagues-to-attend-hearing/7201282 

Detective: Church worker used his position to pressure 16-year-old into sex

The church worker charged with the rape of a 16-year-old met his alleged victim when she was 10 and warned her that she would be banned from mission trips if she told anyone about their activities, a Lexington police detective testified Tuesday.
Tony Sasnett, 39, was the home Bible study director for Greater Faith Apostolic Church on Clays Mill Road in Lexington. As a result of his church role, police and the prosecution argued, Sasnett was in a position of “special trust” with the victim, but his attorney, Dan Carman, disputed that contention at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing before Fayette District Judge Kim Wilkie.

http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article61934297.html

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article61934297.html#storylink=cpy

 

http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article61934297.html 

Paedophile bishop and a cover-up by the Church lasting 23 years:

The scandal of a predatory Bishop who escaped prosecution for child abuse for two decades deepened last night as it was claimed that the Church of England knew he was a serial abuser of ‘young men’. Peter Ball – who was eventually jailed after admitting the abuse last year – benefited from a ‘deeply sinister cover-up’.

Secret documents claimed that he had been let off 23 years ago to ‘prevent a scandal in the press’ – despite the Church of England being told he was a serial abuser. Ball resigned as Bishop of Gloucester in 1993, but returned to work within two years.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3461260/Charles-paedophile-bishop-cover-Church-lasting-23-years-Scandal-deepens-claims-religious-leaders-knew-clergymen-sexual-abuser-young-men.html 

Church pastor faces sex abuse charges as the community and family speak out

A community expressed relief after police arrest a man they are calling a sexually violent predator. Police arrested a Southern Ohio country church pastor Monday, and said he preyed on children and the disabled.
A Jackson County, Ohio Grand Jury charged 67-year-old Dennis Wright with 15 felony charges. Charges that included  seven counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and several other sexually related charges ... 

http://www.wowktv.com/story/31296844/church-pastor-faces-sex-abuse-charges-as-the-community-and-family-speak-out# 

Belgium uncovers its own Spotlight paedophile scandal

In Belgium, more than 1,000 people have reported sexual abuse committed by priests between 2012 and 2015. It’s just one of the striking findings of a report presented in Brussels by an inter-diocese Commission for sexual abuse in the Church. 

The victims were mainly children with 89 per cent still classed as juveniles at the time. Almost one-quarter (23 per cent) were under 10 and 71 per cent were male. 

http://www.west-info.eu/belgium-uncovers-its-own-spotlight-paedophile-scandal/ 

Christian Brother authorised funding for private investigator to track down abuse victims, child sex abuse hearing told

A senior Christian Brother authorised spending on a private investigator to track down victims of notorious paedophile Brother Edward Dowlan, the royal commission into child sexual abuse has heard.

Brother Brian Brandon was a provincial council member of St Patrick's province of the Christian Brothers, which covered Victoria and Tasmania, between 1984 and 1996.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/royal-commission-christian-brother-hired-private-investigator/7196650 

B.C. Court of Appeal grants time for accused sexual abuser appeal attempt

The B.C. Court of Appeal has allowed an "extraordinary" time extension to enable a man accused of sexually abusing his children to appeal a family case "more than three years out of time."

The decision comes after the court learned that the credentials of a so-called expert witness who testified in the major child abuse case were called into question by the accused father's legal team.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/judge-bc-sexual-abuse-errors-b-j-province-appeal-b-c-court-of-appeal-1.3462271 

Abuse inquiry hears from former Ballarat bishop

BALLARAT – [AAP] A Victorian Catholic bishop who knew about pedophile priests and moved them between parishes could help reveal the extent of the church’s knowledge of abuse.
Former Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns has only months to live and clergy abuse victims and their supporters hope he is open and honest when he appears before the child abuse royal commission appearance on Thursday.

http://www.echo.net.au/2016/02/abuse-inquiry-hears-from-former-ballarat-bishop/ 

Pell’s Rome identity missing in the Australian abuse debate

It’s undoubtedly an exaggeration to suggest that the entire nation of Australia will come grinding to a halt next Monday at 8 a.m. local time, when Cardinal George Pell is set to begin giving live video testimony before a Royal Commission examining child sexual abuse scandals.

Still, it sort of feels like that here right now. I’m in Australia this week, not to cover the Pell story, but to speak at several venues. It’s impossible to move around, however, especially in Catholic circles, without the conversation turning sooner or later to Pell and his discontents.

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/02/24/pells-rome-identity-is-missing-in-the-australian-abuse-debate/

Catholic priest who repeatedly raped New York woman when she was 14 is REINSTATED by the Church

No words can explain how I am feeling right now.... the world should be up in arms about this... what the hell is Pope Francis doing??... NOTHING JUST LIKE THE POPES BEFORE HIM...  Ann

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

A Catholic priest who was convicted last year by a U.S. court of sexually abusing a minor was reinstated by the church last month.

Indian priest Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, 61, was suspended for less than a full year by his local diocese in India five years ago after being accused of sexually abusing two girls during a posting to Minnesota.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3462976/Catholic-priest-convicted-sexually-abusing-minor-reinstated-church.html 

Former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns apologises for his handling of abuse allegations

too late for apologizes... the damage is already dome... to the victims-survivors... that to the mother church...  Ann

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

Former Catholic bishop Ronald Mulkearns has told a royal commission he is not sure if he knew child abuse was a crime during his time in charge of the Ballarat diocese, but he knew it was wrong.

The former bishop made his much-anticipated appearance at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse via videolink from the nursing home in which he now lives.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/royal-commission-former-ballarat-bishop-ronald-mulkearns-appears/7198260 

Sexual revolution 'contributed to' abuse

The "sexual revolution" of the 1970s may have contributed to Christian Brothers sexually abusing children in a Victorian community, a religious superior says.
Brother Paul Nangle suggested the cultural change made it possible for things to occur that would not be accepted by society today, when asked to explain how so many Brothers could have abused children under his watch.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/02/23/03/42/pedophile-christian-brother-wanted-love 

Hawai’i victims of abuse face deadline

The civil window, which was renewed in 2014, was an extension of a 2012 bill that gave victims of child sexual abuse the right to use the civil courts to expose their abuse and seek justice.  The law, which applies to both public and non-public entities (including the Honolulu Diocese and the Kamehameha Schools), has resulted in upwards of 80 lawsuits, although an exact number is not available at this time.
Despite all of this, to date, the Diocese of Honolulu refuses to release a list of credibly accused clerics, like more than 30 other dioceses have done. But considering they would have to include a former bishop and a well-loved Kailua priest, it’s no shock why they are keeping names close to the vest. And those are just the deceased ones. The living? We don’t know who they are, where they are, or what they are doing.

http://theworthyadversary.com/4127-hawaii-victims-of-abuse-face-deadline 

A personal story of child sexual abuse

A few months ago, I caught up for lunch with lawyer Judy Courtin, one of the staunchest advocates for the victims of the rape and sexual abuse of children and vulnerable others by, in particular, Catholic priests, and one of the people instrumental in the successful campaign to establish the royal commission into the response of churches and other institutions to these crimes.
She did her PhD on the issue, was a guest of mine in 2012 in the advocacy column I have written for the past six years, The Zone, and is now representing victims at the commission.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/a-personal-story-of-child-sexual-abuse-20160218-gmxfco.html 

Child sex abuse royal commission: Former Ballarat student 'beaten up by convicted child abuser'

A former student of St Patrick's College in Ballarat says he was beaten up by convicted child abuser Brother Edward Dowlan after reporting him to the school for "putting his hands" down students' pants.

Timothy Barlow told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse he took it as "common knowledge" that boys were being abused at the school as rumours about brothers sexually assaulting students in their dorms was well known

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-22/former-ballarat-student-beaten-by-convicted-child-abuser-inquiry/7189578 

Headmaster of school where teachers abused pupils said he thought kissing students was simply an 'expression of an eccentric old man'

A senior brother in the Catholic Church did not consider a teacher kissing his students to be sinister and thought it simply an 'expression of an eccentric old man' as it is revealed he hugged an accused child paedophile right after he admitted to physically abusing a year five student.

Paul Nangle, who was headmaster for St Patrick's College in Ballarat during the 1970s, presented evidence the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Tuesday.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3459947/Catholic-headmaster-Brother-Paul-Nangle-charge-school-Christian-Brothers-sexually-abused-children-said-thought-teacher-kissing-students-simply-expression-eccentric-old-man.html 

Tell Pope Francis It's Time to End Sexual Violence in the Catholic Church

Today Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is the largest, oldest and most active self-help group for clergy sex abuse victims, whether assaulted by ministers, priests, nuns or rabbis. SNAP is a confidential, safe place for wounded men and women to be heard, supported and healed. SNAP works tirelessly to achieve two goals: to heal the wounded and to protect the vulnerable.

https://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/tell-pope-francis-it-s-time-to-end-sexual-violence-in-the-catholic-church?cmpid=action-share 

French cardinal under fire for dealings with priest charged with abuse

French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon is facing questions about how he dealt with a priest who faces abuse and rape charges.
On Jan. 27, proceedings opened against Fr. Bernard Preynat, charged with "sexual aggression and rape of minors" between 1986 and 1991 at Lyon's Saint-Luc parish, where he ran a large Catholic Scout group over two decades.

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/french-cardinal-under-fire-dealings-priest-charged-abuse 

How to attend the Hearing in Sydney

How to attend the hearing in Sydney Date: Monday 29 February 2016 to Thursday 3 March 2016 (estimated)
Time: The Royal Commission hearing room will open to the public from 7:00am
Hearing hours: 08:00am – 12:00noon AEDT
Venue: Royal Commission, Level 17, Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/how-to-attend-the-hearing 

A priest on his way to breaking an abuse record

It seemed like a one of those sports records that would never be broken. But given what’s just happened, Fr. Joseph Jeyapaul could surpass Fr. Norman Rogge in the annals of the clergy sex abuse crisis.
Rogge is the only priest, as best we can tell, who was put back into ministry twice, after two child sex abuse convictions. Jeyapaul is half way to equaling this achievement. He’s just been convicted once. But last week, we learned that Vatican officials lifted Jeyapaul’s suspension and his bishop plans to reassign him soon.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/a_priest_on_his_way_to_breaking_an_abuse_record 

The well deserved anger of the abused child

I have witnessed, and been the target of, a lot of anger these past few weeks. One woman publicly and repeatedly attacked me because she disagreed with choices I’d made in trying to protect children from harm.
I listened to a man who, with eyes wide, talked about how he grew up in a family that refused him and his siblings medical care, even for broken bones.

http://religiouschildmaltreatment.com/2016/02/the-well-deserved-anger-of-the-abused-child/ 

Pell may never come home

Pell has set himself up so good... on the catholic people of Australia weekly money... given to their church openly...  which Pell took to Rome... and built himself a mansion... of all the worldly goods he could find... I thought that this pope was against... his bishops doing this same thing... who he had stood down... but as the people of Australia's money... was spent in Rome.... it is a totally a different story...  from the world dot Rome has raped... pillaged... murdered... so it suits them fine... to live their lives... as the rich and famous do... Ann

 ================================

Catholic leader says he doesn’t know if he will return to Australia.  Controversial Catholic leader Cardinal George Pell has admitted he does not know if he will ever return to Australia.
Speaking briefly to News Corp, the high-ranking Vatican Cardinal said he had “co-operated fully” with all requests from police and the royal commission on child sex abuse. Asked if he would travel to Australia to face those who’d accused him directly of sexual abuse, he said: “No, not this weekend for sure.”

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2016/02/22/pell-may-never-come-home/ 

Our search is for the truth concerning allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Pell

CARDINAL George Pell’s strident supporters are wrong to characterise the Herald Sun revelations of a secret Victoria Police investigation into the Cardinal as a “witch hunt” or a “smear”.
Our exclusive front page report by senior reporter Lucie Morris-Marr that Sano Taskforce has been secretly investigating the Cardinal was investigative journalism at its finest.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/our-search-is-for-the-truth-concerning-allegations-of-sexual-abuse-against-cardinal-pell/news-story/e4ed700708fcf5f0f64c16e8dd94f91f 

Fear, Guilt, Duplicity, and Cover-up in the Roman Catholic Church by Carol P. Christ

Last week I watched Spotlight, the film about the Boston Globe‘s exposure of priests’ sexual abuse of children, and then I watched it again. There are many reasons for my fascination with this film. I almost always root for the underdog, and in this story the underdog wins.
Moreover as a former Catholic (for a period of time) and as part-Irish, I relish an inside glimpse of the machinations of the all-male Church hierarchy and the all-male Irish power structure that supported it in Boston.

https://feminismandreligion.com/2016/02/22/fear-guilt-duplicity-and-cover-up-in-the-roman-catholic-church-by-carol-p-christ/

Father Bob Calls Tim Minchin Pell Song ‘A Cry From The Heart’

Good on you Fr. Bob... yours is like a voice... waking our SOULS from the dark... I was listening to Fr. Bob yesterday... and he bought tears and laughter within me... tears that these things happened to innocent children... and laughter... because he is so open and honest... and here was a priest... who talked and joked to the people... and his respect for the victims - survivors... poured out of him...  it was so heart warming to watch... Ann

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

Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire has dropped a bombshell on Cardinal George Pell by supporting Tim Minchin’s ‘Come Home (Cardinal Pell)’ song calling it “a work of art” and “a cry from the heart”.

Minchin released the song last week and had an instant number one hit on iTunes with a song about child abuse and the cover-ups of the Catholic Church. While the Melbourne Archbishop immediately went into protection mode for Pell, Father Bob says, “Jesus would be on the side of the victims”.

http://www.noise11.com/news/music-news-father-bob-calls-tim-minchin-pell-song-a-cry-from-the-heart-20160222 

Clergy abuse victims say Cardinal George Pell needs to look at them when he gives inquiry evidence.

Clergy abuse victims have the final go-ahead to be in the Rome hotel room with Cardinal George Pell when he gives videolink evidence to an inquiry.

The child sex abuse royal commission has finalised arrangements for Cardinal Pell to give evidence from the Hotel Quirinale conference room in Rome to its hearing in Sydney from Monday.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/30889042/clergy-victims-want-to-look-pell-in-eye/ 

Children of Shame... Nuns Raped and Abused Innocent Children also...

Why did they turn their back... on us innocent babies... and children... who's mothers were RAPED... and we were called the daughters of the devil... they thrashed us to get... the sin's of our mothers out of our Souls... not a day went by... without them reminding us wee children... that we were the product of the devil... and we were evil... we carry that shame with us still... it is so heartbreaking... so demoralizing... that we were treated with so much hatred... by god's servants.... nuns and priest... and their workers...  Ann

 =================================

  

Pell calls abortion a greater crime than sex abuse

This man will say anything... to keep away from child abuse... and child rape... you see that is what... the guilty people do... out of site... out of mind... and he has proved this time and time again... his stay of absent... is another sign of guilt...  Ann

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

Sydney's Archbishop George Pell told pilgrims at World Youth Day in Toronto "abortion is a worse moral scandal than priests sexually abusing young people".
During a catechesis session before a group of 500 young people, Pell was asked by a youth minister from Kentucky what Catholics should say when asked about the sex abuse crisis in the US Catholic church.

http://cathnews.acu.edu.au/207/174.php 

‘Spotlight’: Sacha Pfeiffer Tells Us Why This Movie Matters

There’s a strong argument to be made that investigative journalism is a mode of reporting without a true home today. It’s a method that grew up with the rise of the newspaper industry, and subsequently fell as each paper was forced to make cuts.
Enter Spotlight in 2015, a movie that shows us firsthand the power of the medium, even in its waning days. Nominated for Best Picture by the Academy, its story is one that practically begs to be told, highlighting the courageous reporters who first uncovered the Catholic Church’s systemic abuse of children.

http://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/spotlight-sacha-pfeiffer-tells-us-why-this-movie-matters.html/?a=viewall 

French cardinal under fire for dealings with priest charged with abuse

Lyon, France  French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon is facing questions about how he dealt with a priest who faces abuse and rape charges.
On Jan. 27, proceedings opened against Fr. Bernard Preynat, charged with "sexual aggression and rape of minors" between 1986 and 1991 at Lyon's Saint-Luc parish, where he ran a large Catholic Scout group over two decades.

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/french-cardinal-under-fire-dealings-priest-charged-abuse 

On Demand DVD News Reaeases Feb-22-28

every church should have this dvd... nuns and priest alike... nuns abused and raped children... like the priest did... if you do not like the thought of being seen... going to see this movie... this will be the time... to see it... as you can relax at home... and invite your close friends... who have the same idea as you do... about supporting the victims - survivors... as I know many who will not go... to see this movie... just for that same thing...
when will we see... anything done about the nuns... who RAPED... and ABUSED innocent children... in their homes and orphanages worldwide??...  Ann

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

Spotlight is right in there at the  top... 

 

http://www.channelguidemag.com/tv-news/2016/02/22/on-demand-dvd-new-releases-feb-22-28/

Commission says abuse victims will get to hear Cardinal George Pell give evidence from Roman hotel room.

do you know what it so good... about all of the Victims - Survivors today... how they are pulling together... and not caring which club... they have joined... they are acting as one now... and that is where they get their strength from... I know that it is very sad... knowing that millions upon millions have come forward... but look how strong they are... the TRUTH keeps us all together... and that is why we will all win... what we have longed for... for so many years... justice... peace that we now have the answers... and we do not have to... hide our shame anymore... because we were innocent of the crimes... which the rapist... and abusers... whipped into us children of yesterday... out time is now... we will soon be FREE... and start to live our lives... as other people do...
god speed my follow survivors to ROME... you have the world at your feet right now... and down here in the South... Australia and New Zealand... will keep you all in our hearts... and make sure that you all... have some time for yourselves... be strong... and know that we are all... with you in spirit... take care and keep safe...  Ann

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

Clerical abuse survivors from Ballarat will fly to Rome this weekend to hear Cardinal George Pell give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Around 15 survivors and support staff will fly on either Friday or Saturday ahead of Cardinal Pell's video evidence on Monday. The survivors will be in the same room as Cardinal Pell while he gives evidence - at this stage it looks likely to be at a Rome hotel.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/commission-says-abuse-victims-will-get-to-hear-cardinal-george-pell-give-evidence-from-roman-hotel-room-20160221-gmzxe8.html 

The Catholic Church Admitted in Writing to Satanic Ritual Sacrifice by Melbourne Priest

“The most extraordinary thing about today’s allegations of murders during satanic rituals involving a Melbourne priest is not that they’ve been made, but that the Catholic Church admitted in writing that it accepted they were substantially true.”
So opens an article about my experiences written by journalist, Gary Hughes, which appeared on the News Corp website on the 26th of May 2006. (link provided below) 

http://humansarefree.com/2016/02/the-catholic-church-admitted-in-writing.html 

Cardinal George Pell strolls around the Vatican with a friend

Cardinal George Pell strolls around the Vatican with a friend after denying child sex abuse claims - but is 'too ill' to fly to Australia to answer questions.  As police consider travelling to Rome to question Cardinal George Pell over child sex abuse allegations, Australia's top Catholic has been seen strolling along the streets in the early spring sunshine. 

Cardinal Pell, 74, dropped into his local café with a friend on Saturday afternoon, the day after explosive revelations that he is the subject of a year-long investigation by Victoria Police for the alleged sexual abuse of up to ten minors from 1978 to 2001.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3456596/Cardinal-George-Pell-pictured-walking-friend-Vatican.html 

Abuse survivors fear bishop ‘could take secrets to grave’

A former Ballarat bishop's forthcoming evidence about what the Catholic Church knew about paedophile priests could be a "game changer", according to a victims' group.
But others fear Ronald Mulkearns, who has terminal cancer and been given only months to live, may end up taking his secrets to his grave.  The former bishop has been scheduled to give his long-awaited evidence to the child sex abuse royal commission this week when hearings begin again in Ballarat on Monday.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ballarat-bishop-could-take-secrets-to-grave-20160221-gmzmi4 

Sexaul Abuse The Reel Countdown

potlight is a biographical drama directed by Tom McCarthy, with a screenplay by McCarthy and Josh Singer. The film tells the true-life story of a group of investigative journalists with the Boston Globe as they work to uncover a child-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Throughout a year of investigating, the “Spotlight” team discovers a systemic cover-up at all levels of authority in Boston (religious, legal, and governmental).
What is more horrifying is that Boston ends up being merely one of many child sex-abuse scandals centered on the Catholic Church around the entire globe. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, or whether you are planning on seeing it or not, it is absolutely worth your time to read the original publications from the “Spotlight” team, which earned the Boston Globe a Pulitzer Prize.

https://gaylantowle.wordpress.com/tag/sexual-abuse/ 

Christian Brother hugged after complaint

A pedophile Christian Brother was hugged by a superior after a child sex abuse complaint was made against him, an inquiry has heard.
Convicted pedophile Stephen Farrell has told the child abuse royal commission he was given a cuddle by Brother Paul Nangle after the 1970s St Patrick's Christian Brothers' superior received an abuse complaint involving Farrell and a year five student.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/02/22/03/35/christian-brothers-focus-of-abuse-inquiry 

Mitchell Garabedian Says Clergy Sexual Abuse Remains a Rampant Issue

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said clergy sexual abuse remains a rampant problem across the world, including in Boston. “Boston still is the hub of clergy sexual abuse. Clients are coming forward to me,” Garabedian revealed.
The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative team uncovered widespread sexual abuse and cover ups in the Roman Catholic Church fifteen years ago. The film Spotlight portrays the team’s investigation.

http://webn.tv/2016/02/21/mitchell-garabedian-says-clergy-sexual-abuse-remains-a-rampant-issue/ 

Cardinal Pell breaks silence over church sexual abuse allegations

Victims and the public alike have been waiting for Cardinal George Pell to respond to recent allegations as well as the furore over his absence at the royal commission into sexual abuse. Now, Australia’s highest Catholic leader has spoken out.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Cardinal Pell insisted that he would ‘of course cooperate’ with Victoria Police’s new investigation into allegations that he sexually abused between five and ten boys.

http://startsatsixty.com.au/current-affairs/news/cardinal-pell-breaks-silence-over-church-sexual-abuse-allegations 

The Truth About Child Abuse

Research and analyses of official data, conducted by The Saint George Educational Trust, regarding Child Sexual Abuse reveals that by far the largest number of cases of child sexual abuse involving Catholic clergy have been recorded in the USA.Over a 42-year period there were 10,667 cases of child sexual abuse and 81% of that sexual abuse was suffered by boys under eighteen years of age. [The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2004].

http://sget.info/2016/02/21/the-truth-about-child-abuse/ 

An unholy mess

Cardinal George Pell still has a lot of questions to answer before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. On medical advice he has decided not to risk the long plane flight home from Rome. This makes things much harder for victims seeking closure.
It makes things harder for others, including members of the Catholic Church and citizens wanting certainty about the appalling offences of the past and clarity about the failures of church leaders adequately to protect children from repeated abuse by pedophiles.

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=45994#.Vspa8tA1eUk

Abuse royal commission: archbishops call fair go for Pell

The archbishops of Sydney and Brisbane have called for George Pell to be treated fairly before­ the royal commission following reports of an investigation into ­allegations of child sexual abuse by the cardinal.
Archbishop of Sydney Anth­ony Fisher said yesterday that he hoped Cardinal Pell’s evidence before the child-sex abuse royal commission would be heard ­“respectfully”.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/royal-commission/abuse-royal-commission-archbishops-call-fair-go-for-pell/news-story/04289ecc1cc2dfe629a491fed3864b64?utm_content=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=EditorialSF&utm_source=TheAustralian&utm_medium=Twitter

HBE Publishing Releases “The Swan Garden”

CLOVIS, CALIF., February 19, 2016—HBE Publishing is proud to announce the release of “The Swan Garden” written by Anne Biggs. The book was published under the company’s imprint publisher, Paradigm Hall Press, and explores the terrible conditions of unwed pregnant women in Ireland during the 1950s and 60s.
“The Swan Garden” tells the story of a young woman who survives a brutal rape and gives birth in a mother baby home in Ireland, after which she endures horrific abuse in a Magdalene Laundry. While she does eventually escape, she never forgets the baby that was taken from her and gradually learns the truths that were kept from her all those years ago.

http://www.pressreleaserocket.net/hbe-publishing-releases-the-swan-garden/411319/ 

Addressing a known potential threat in church

Dr. Trudy Good is a clinical psychologist who has worked extensively in community mental health in Illinois and Massachusetts. She has a long-standing concern for how churches can be safe havens for children and persons who are marginalized.
Her clinical expertise includes working with people with a history of trauma, problematic sexual behaviors, and clinical risk management, and she has consulted and volunteered concerning organizational issues in several congregations. Dr. Good is the director of Good Havens: Safer Places. She participates in the Mennonite Congregation of Boston as well as St. Ignatius Catholic Church. She can be contacted at trudygood@gmail.com. This piece was originally published by Dove’s Nest.

https://themennonite.org/feature/addressing-a-known-potential-threat-in-church/

Frequent-flyer George Pell is avoiding a PUBLIC visit to Australia at present. Why?

Cardinal George Pell makes frequent trips away from his Rome headquarters. For example, in March-April 2015, he made a secret trip by air to Australia, and then he returned to Rome in time to "appear" by video-link (instead of really appearing in person) for a public hearing of Australia's national child-abuse Royal Commission a few weeks later (in May 2015). The Commissioners had approved Pell's May 2015 video-link because of the long distance if Pell had to fly to Australia from Rome. The Commissioners did not know of Pell's recent secret trip but the trip became known by the time of the May 2015 hearing. And Pell's video-link in May 2015 turned out to be a technological disaster.
The Commissioners then asked Pell to appear in person at his next scheduled public hearing in Australia (in December 2015) but Pell refused and his lawyers submitted a "sick note" (signed by one of his own doctors, not an independent one), citing his long-standing "health problems" (as a 74-year-old man) as grounds for getting yet another video-link. Meanwhile, a few weeks before his December 2015 "sick note", Pell travelled from Rome to France to tour the World War One battlefields (but Pell doesn't have "health problems" in France, only in Australia). Pell's next non-appearance by video-link is to be on 29 February 2016. Thus, Pell seems to be in no hurry to re-visit Australia while civil investigations are under way into allegations about clergy sexual abuse and allegations about the church's culture of cover-up.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/391 

Cardinal and bishop allowed known paedophile priest to move from parish to parish

The victim of a paedophile priest told a court that the then Cardinal of the Sydney archdiocese and a high-ranking bishop allowed the perpetrator to move on to other parishes despite knowing he had sexually abused a young boy.
Reading from his victim impact statement at the Downing Centre court on Friday the one time altar boy, now grown up, struggled to control his emotions as he told how the assault had ruined his life.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cardinal-and-bishop-allowed-known-paedophile-priest-to-move-from-parish-to-parish-20160219-gmz2uv.html 

Teen victims say Duggar pastor preyed on rape survivors who sought his help: ‘It’s just evil’

n exclusive interviews with the New York Daily News, survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of a Duggar family pastor detail how the Christian leader recruited them from their parents and preyed upon rape victims who came to him seeking help.
Bill Gothard, 81, who previously ran the Institute in Basic Life Principles which heavily influenced the lifestyle of the Christian reality show Duggar family, is currently the subject of a lawsuit filed in Illinois by eight women against board members of the IBLP and Gothard. It was an IBLP center that Josh Duggar was sent to for treatment after he was caught molesting his sisters.

https://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/teen-victims-say-duggar-pastor-preyed-on-rape-survivors-who-sought-his-help-its-just-evil/ 

French Cardinal Barbarin under pressure for failure to remove accused priest

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France, is under pressure to resign after acknowledging that he allowed a priest to remain in parish ministry after learning that the priest had been accused of sexual abuse.
The cardinal revealed that he first learned of accusations against Father Bernard Peynat "around 2007-2008." The allegations against the priest dated back to the years between 1986 and 1991. At the time, Cardinal Barbarin said, he was assured that there had been no new charges since 1991.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=27555

Fly police to Rome, say abuse advocates

CHILD abuse advocates have backed calls by Victorian police to be able to fly to Rome to interview Cardinal George Pell. According to theSunday Herald Sun, detectives from the Sano Taskforce are eager to question Cardinal Pell on multiple allegations that he abused between five and 10 boys over four decades while a priest and an archbishop.

“The investigating Sano detectives want to go, but that ­ultimate decision isn’t down to them,” a source told the newspaper. “It is with senior figures who will have to give them the go-ahead.”

http://www.ezspk.co.uk/2016/02/20/fly-police-to-rome-say-abuse-advocates/ 

Assignment Record– Rev. Francis McGrath

Summary of Case: After completing seminary training in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Francis McGrath was ordained for the Diocese of Trenton NJ in 1978. He assisted parishes in Redbank, Trenton and Tom's River, and he served for a time as chaplain at McCorriston High School. In 1995 a man reported to the Archdiocese of Baltimore that McGrath had sexually abused him as a minor in the early 1970s, when McGrath was a seminarian.
The archdiocese informed the Diocese of Trenton; McGrath admitted to the sexual abuse of "three or four victims" during his time in Trenton, and went on leave. The Official Catholic Directory shows McGrath as "Absent on Leave" through 2002, the year another individual alleged abuse by McGrath, in the mid-1970s. Ordained: 1978

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/McGrath_Francis.htm 

Catholic priest to stop saying mass at Melbourne primary school after parent backlash

A Catholic priest will stop saying mass at a Melbourne primary school where parents have pulled their children out of the fortnightly service as part of a protest over sexual abuse allegations.

Earlier this month dozens of parents would not allow their children to attend a school mass at St John Vianney Primary in Parkdale.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-20/priest-stops-saying-mass-melbourne-school-after-parent-backlash/7185646 

A sexual abuse survivor's questions for Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal George Pell is in a unique position to assist a better understanding of how the Catholic Church leadership in Ballarat, Melbourne, Sydney and Rome responded to allegations and instances of clerical sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults.
Let's look at some topics where complete, honest and forthright answers in his pending testimony to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would be welcome.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/a-sexual-abuse-survivors-questions-for-cardinal-george-pell-20160218-gmxgi5.html

Catholic school sex abuse scandal: Finding the courage to confront the past

Principals at schools caught up in the horrific Catholic sex abuse scandals are taking positive steps to prevent it happening again.  It took decades – and a firm psychologist – for Peter Blenkiron​ to find the courage to return to his old school. He didn't want to, but he knew he must. Not just for him; for all those other kids.
His psychologist slowly walked with him towards the grand, wrought iron gates. The looming red brick building looked the same. So did the steps behind the chapel, where the worst stuff happened. Blenkiron's heart was pounding, and his calloused hands were sweaty. And suddenly he was 11 again.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/henrietta-cook-ballarat-catholic-school-abuse--supporting-victims-owning-the-history-20160215-gmu9m1.html 

Former WA Catholic college student 'too embarrassed' to report sexual abuse

A former student at a Catholic college in Western Australia has told a Perth court he never spoke to anyone after he was sexually abused 45 years ago because he was "too embarrassed".

The man was giving evidence in the District Court at the trial of Catholic Bishop Max Davis, who is accused of sexually abusing five boarders at Saint Benedict's College in New Norica between 1969 and 1972.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-09/ex-student-testifies-against-catholic-bishop-max-davis/7153570 

Pope becomes more lenient on bishops over child abuse, again

The National Secular Society has strongly criticised Pope Francis' call for bishops who moved paedophile priests between parishes to resign and warned that this does not go nearly far enough.

According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis said aboard the papal plane back from Mexico that "any bishop who moves a suspected paedophile priest from parish to parish should resign".

http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2016/02/pope-becomes-more-lenient-on-bishops-over-child-abuse-again 

Rome--Victim of just-restored convicted perp priest blasts Francis

For immediate release: Friday, February 19 Statement by Megan Peterson, abused by Fr. Jeyapaul in MN, survivor19@live.com, 218 684 0073
Yesterday, Pope Francis added insult to injury when he said a bishop who transfers a predator should resign and asked "Is that clear?" Just days ago, the Vatican lifted the suspension of my perpetrator, even though he was pled guilty to child sex crimes. So, no, Francis, you are NOT clear. Your words do not match your actions. 

http://www.snapnetwork.org/rome_victim_of_just-restored_convicted_perp_priest_blasts_francis

Priest who sexually preyed on girls for three decades jailed for four years

Father Finian Egan, 79, who 'escaped punishment for 50 years', will be 83 when he is eligible for parole.  An elderly New South Wales priest who sexually preyed on young girls for three decades has been jailed for at least four years.
Father Finian Egan, 79, who "escaped punishment for 50 years", will be 83 when he is eligible for parole, Judge Robyn Tupman ruled in the district court in Sydney on Friday.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/20/priest-sexually-preyed-girls-jailed