George Pell at the Ballarat pool: 'Everything he did was done with a grandeur'

Cardinal George Pell was a larger-than-life figure at the Eureka pool in Ballarat through the summers of the late 1970s. This was when – it is now sensationally alleged – he sexually abused two boys in the pool.
"A big, strong, good-looking man," says Paul Tatchell​, a former mayor of Moorabool shire and himself a victim of rape by a notorious Catholic priest in Ballarat – Edward Dowlan​ – in the bad old days. Pell was on Richmond's reserves list to play footy 20 years before. He gave up sport for the church. But he had kept in shape.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/george-pell-at-the-ballarat-pool-everything-he-did-was-done-with-a-grandeur-20160729-gqgnu4.html 

Australia--Abuse case vs. Vatican’s #2 moves forward; SNAP responds

Police have sent to prosecutors their investigation into the second most powerful Catholic official on earth. Eight brave individuals – most of them alleged child sex abuse victims - have given sworn statements.
Three are courageously disclosing their names and giving credible interviews to a credible, mainstream news source in a new 30 minute program.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/abuse_case_vs_vatican_s_2_moves_forward_snap_responds 

George Pell and Denis Hart became archbishops but Father Tony Bongiorno didn't

According to Broken Rites research, the Melbourne Catholic archdiocese has finally been forced to admit that Father Anthony Bongiorno committed sexual crimes against children during his 30 years working in Melbourne parishes. Anthony Salvatore Bongiorno began training for the priesthood about 1960, aged 25, in the same trainee group as George Pell and Denis Hart, both of whom eventually became archbishops of Melbourne.
In 1994, Pell (then an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne) officiated at a requiem mass for Bongiorno's brother Sam. Anthony Bongiorno's child-sex crimes were covered up until some were exposed in the mid-1990s. The total number of Bongiorno's abused children is unknown. For example, in 1980, a woman in Bongiorno's parish learned that her son (aged 11) was a Bongiorno victim but this woman was murdered before she could expose Bongiorno about her son's abuse.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/81 

Why is Cardinal George Pell reluctant to re-appear in Australia?

Cardinal George Pell is a frequent flyer, travelling in comfort in Business Class. During his years as Archbishop of Sydney, he would regularly make the flight to Rome so as to keep an eye on career opportunities at the Vatican.
Now he has become the third most important person in the Vatican. He now possesses a Vatican passport. He still goes on plane trips from his Rome headquarters but is reluctant to re-appear in Australia.

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

Abbott 'insisted' on helping priest with case

Tony Abbott insisted on providing a character reference for a Catholic priest later struck off the clergy list by the Vatican following a child abuse case, the former priest says.
John Gerard Nestor, who attended Sydney's St Patrick's Seminary with Mr Abbott in the 1980s, was a priest in the Wollongong diocese in NSW when he was charged with the indecent assault of a 15-year-old altar boy in 1991.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1307092/abbott-insisted-on-helping-priest-with-case/ 

Churchgoer finally jailed after 40 years of child abuse

A CHURCH member who swore an oath to God to help young boys sexually abused them for more than 40 years. The devout Catholic Ronald Smith committed sex acts on eight young boys.
Smith, of Winchester Road, Colchester, has been convicted of 12 counts of committing sexual offences following a three-week trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/14650497.Churchgoer_finally_jailed_after_40_years_of_child_abuse/ 

In custody in Israel, fugitive rabbi indicted for sexual assault

JTA) — A rabbi who was extradited back to Israel from South Africa was indicted for several sexual assaults, including of a teenage girl.
Rabbi Eliezer Berland, 79, was arrested in April in Johannesburg and extradited to Israel earlier this month prior to his indictment at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court Friday, Army Radio reported.

http://www.jta.org/2016/07/29/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/in-custody-in-israel-fugitive-rabbi-indicted-for-sexual-assault 

Police must interview Pell

Jesuit priest and human rights lawyer Frank Brennan has called for Victoria Police to travel to Rome immediately to interview Ballarat’s Cardinal George Pell over allegations of child sexual abuse.
In an opinion piece for public affairs publication Eureka Street the outspoken priest said the whole saga wreaked of injustice and incompetent policing. He also called for the Victorian Government to take resolute action and demand Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton get to the bottom of the leaks.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4062849/police-must-interview-pell/?cs=2452 

Joan Isaacs: Catholic abuse victim’s book ‘To Prey and To Silence’ warns about dangers of grooming

WHEN Joan Isaacs told her parish priest she was being sexually abused, he advised the then teenager to “find a man her own age”.

Aged just 15 and full of shame and fear, the young Joan bravely revealed the months of grooming and sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of local priest Francis Edward Derriman. But despite reporting it, nothing happened, then there was silence — and lots of it.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/joan-isaacs-catholic-abuse-victims-book-to-prey-and-to-silence-warns-about-dangers-of-grooming/news-story/47518965cfc9ca797abce364e087ec92 

Support given for bill that would lift statute of limitations

Guam is on its way to becoming the first U.S. territory to allow victims of child sex abuse to sue their perpetrator at any time, without restriction, on retroactive cases.
As of Friday, there was no opposition to a bill that would remove time restrictions for suing child sex abusers. A public hearing on the bill is scheduled to resume Monday.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/07/30/support-given-bill-would-lift-statute-limitations/87696388/ 

How a sick priest groomed a girl, 15, for sex before driving her to the bush and assaulting her

A woman who was groomed and sexually assaulted by a chaplain when she was a young girl has spoken out about how she was silenced by her abuser and the Catholic Church. 

Joan Isaacs, 63, was fifteen-years-old when a 'charismatic' chaplain of the Sacred Heart Convent at Sandgate, Brisbane, started paying her and a select few of her classmates 'special' attention.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3712023/Woman-sexually-assaulted-priest-says-faked-terminal-lung-disease-groom-her.html 

Man: ‘My brother was raped by Archbishop Apuron

The younger brother of a man allegedly molested by Archbishop Anthony Apuron told lawmakers Thursday he remembers when his brother, Joseph Anthony “Sonny” Quinata, came home crying.
“Senators, I know my brother was raped by Archbishop Apuron. He was sodomized. He was only 9 years old,” John Michael “Champ” Quinata said as he testified on a bill that would lift the statute of limitations, allowing victims of child sex abuse to sue their alleged perpetrators at any time.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/07/28/man-my-brother-raped-archbishop-apuron/87650568/ 

Brother shares Sonny Quinata's story at public hearing

Justice shouldn't have an expiration date - that sentiment echoed all morning at the Guam Legislature during a public hearing for a substituted version of Bill 326. The legislation would lift the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases, and its introduction follows recent public accusations of molestation made against Archbishop Anthony Apuron.
And as was revealed today, one of the alleged victims almost took his secret to the grave.

http://www.kuam.com/story/32559698/2016/07/28/brother-shares-sonny-quinatas-story-at-public-hearing 

The Fall A priest charmed his flock, but victims say he had a dark secret

Editor's note: Part 2 of a two-part report about the Rev. Arthur Perrault, a Bristol native and one-time Connecticut priest from 1964-65 who decades later fled the country after multiple allegations of sexual abuse in New Mexico.
When the Rev. Arthur Perrault left St. Francis Church in Naugatuck he was sent to Via Coeli, a residential treatment facility run by the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, N.M.

http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2016/06/21/news/local/958778.txt 

Australian police investigate Vatican treasurer over abuse allegations

Cardinal George Pell, the Australian-born Vatican treasurer, is being investigated in relation to multiple allegations of child abuse in his home country, Victoria state police said.
Victoria state Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said on a Melbourne radio station program on Thursday that Victoria police had been investigating allegations against Pell for more than a year.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-abuse-pell-idUSKCN1072OQ?il=0

Philly Priest Jailed by ‘Lying, Scheming Altar Boy’ Freed

Monsignor William Lynn, who was convicted by the testimony of an alleged sex abuse victim whom a Newsweek story described, in its headline, as a “lying, scheming altar boy” earlier this year, is a free man.
Lynn was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institute at Waymart, Pennsylvania, where he served as prison librarian, checking books in and out for fellow inmates as well as keeping track of periodicals. He was paid 19 cents an hour.

http://www.newsweek.com/philadelphia-catholic-william-lynn-freed-484661 

TRUST' champions victims of clergy abuse in new play

"When trust is betrayed, community breaks down," James Hanson said. "We struggled for a long time to come up with a title, but 'TRUST' seemed so perfect because it's what human life is based on."
Hanson and his friend and artistic partner, John Woehrle, will bring a story of broken trust to The Black Box Theatre in St. Cloud this August in the form of Woehrle's stage play "TRUST."

http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2016/07/27/trust-champions-victims-clergy-abuse-new-play/86443782/ 

Victoria's top cop says sex abuse charges against George Pell still a possibility

Charges could still be laid against Cardinal George Pell over a string of allegations of child sex abuse going back decades, says Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton.
Mr Ashton appeared on radio on Thursday morning responding to explosive allegations aired on ABC 7.30, as well as subsequent claims by Cardinal Pell of a "conspiracy" to pervert the course of justice.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victorias-top-cop-says-sex-abuse-charges-against-george-pell-still-a-possibility-20160727-gqffih.html 

Court upholds priests 'seal of confession' in sexual abuse case

BATON ROUGE - A win for the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Baton Rouge today in a legal case that centered around a church doctrine prohibiting a priest from revealing what is said inside a confessional.

A state appeals court affirmed that Father Jeff Bayhi does not have to reveal any conversation between him and a woman who claims she was sexually abused by a now deceased parishioner.

http://www.wbrz.com/news/court-upholds-priests-seal-of-confession-in-sexual-abuse-case/ 

Painful search for the truth in the Goerge Pell saga

There can be only two possibilities in this saga: either the self-alleged victims are telling the truth, or George Pell is telling the truth (“Coincidental pursuit of Pell poisons atmosphere”, 29/7). The tragedy of alleged child sexual abuse, whether it occurs in families or in institutions, is that generally there are no third-party witnesses, and as the royal commission has painfully revealed, the power of the adult perpetrators combined with all-too-common cover-ups in institutions and families, conspire to silence victims and condemn them (without trial) to a life of shame, self-doubt and depression.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/letters/painful-search-for-the-truth-in-the-goerge-pell-saga/news-story/1fd28f3d94e6311ea8320531ffc32cd1 

Come Home (Cardinal Pell)

Pell abuse saga reeks of incompetent policing

Wednesday night's ABC 7.30 program carried allegations against Cardinal George Pell which, if true, are devastating: life ruining for victims like Damian Dignan and Lyndon Monument; confronting for all citizens committed to the wellbeing of children; and earth shattering for Catholics who still have faith in their church.
The ABC report is also troubling for those of us concerned about due process and the rule of law — not as academic notions for lawyers but as the secure bulwarks of a society in which everyone's rights and interests are protected.

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=49696#.V5rkhDU1eUl 

Clock ticking for Guam's Catholic church to respond to libel and slander lawsuit

There are new developments to report in the alleged child sex abuse scandal that's has rocked the local Catholic Church.  Archbishop Anthony Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana have been served. Four people have come forward accusing Apuron of sexual molestation, which he has denied.
Because the statute of limitations has run out to pursue criminal charges, the accusers filed the libel and slander lawsuit in hopes of forcing him to appear before a judge.

http://www.kuam.com/story/32530787/2016/07/26/clock-ticking-for-guams-catholic-church-to-respond-to-libel-and-slander-lawsuit 

Philly priest accused of covering for pedophiles to get new trial

PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Msgr. William J. Lynn, the first Catholic Church official convicted for a supervisory role over priests accused of sexually abusing children in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, must have a new trial.
The court rejected an appeal by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, which challenged a lower court's order of a new trial.

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pa-philly-priest-new-trial-20160727-story.html 

Anti-gay Aus cardinal faces more child abuse claims

Police child abuse investigations are turning up the heat on a senior Australian Catholic Church figure who was a vocal opponent of equality for glbti people. 
Cardinal George Pell, who was at various times Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney before relocating to the Vatican, regularly thundered against legal equality for glbti Australians and refused communion to openly gay Catholics.

http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/3/article_18577.php 

Christian Brothers refuse to apologise for child sex abuse

The religious community behind a Fife sex abuse scandal has refused to apologise to victims. Following the conviction of two former teachers of St Ninian’s in Falkland, the Congregation of Christian Brothers Trustees issued a statement expressing its “deep regret” at incidents of abuse.

The Courier offered the Catholic organisation the opportunity to clarify its position however their lawyer said they had nothing to add. 

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/228219/no-apology-but-sex-abuse-victim-forgives/ 

Your Say

Interest in Morpeth proposal not financial. I believe that the story in the Maitland Mercury on Wednesday, July 27 left out an important phrase in the story on the appeal for the proposed seniors development at 24 Edwards Street, Morpeth. 

In stating that the mayor and myself declared an interest in this matter the phrase “due to being members of the Joint Regional Planning Panel" should have been included.

http://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/4059514/your-say/

Multiple accusations of child abuse levelled against Australian Cardinal George Pell

Police in Victoria are investigating multiple child abuse accusations against Australian Cardinal George Pell.

The ABC reports Taskforce SANO has been investigating allegations against Australia’s most senior Catholic for a year. The claims originate from his home town of Ballarat, as well as from Torquay and Melbourne.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/a/32167641/two-men-claim-cardinal-pell-abused-them/#page1 

Archbishop of York and bishops 'failed to act' on rape claim

A priest has accused the Archbishop of York and four bishops of misconduct after they "failed to act" on allegations he was raped by a vicar.

The victim claims no-one responded when he brought the alleged offences to light. A complaint is being reviewed by the Church of England, his lawyer said.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36905483 

Cardinal George Pell is rejecting these allegations

Police are investigating multiple allegations of child abuse against Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal George Pell, including that he touched the genitals of children while swimming in a public pool in Ballarat in the late 1970s.
The allegations have now been referred by Victoria Police to the Office of Public Prosecutions for advice, the ABC reports.

https://startsat60.com/stories/news/cardinal-george-pell-is-rejecting-these-allegations 

Top pope aide investigated for Australia child abuse:

SYDNEY: Vatican finance chief George Pell is being investigated by Australian police over child sexual abuse allegations, a report by the national broadcaster said on Wednesday, as the leading Catholic cleric denounced the claims as "totally untrue.
"The new allegations against Pell being probed by police in Victoria state span two decades, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. They came just months after the cardinal admitted he "mucked up" in dealing with paedophile priests in the state.

http://gulftoday.ae/portal/bbd0824e-be1f-459b-b235-4a325acdb41f.aspx

Inquiry into child sex abuse investigating 7,000 submissions relating to Anglican church

The inquiry into child sex abuse in England and Wales is investigating 7,000 submissions of evidence relating to the Anglican church, according to the counsel to the inquiry.
In a preliminary hearing today at the Royal Courts of Justice, Ben Emmerson QC updated Justice Goddard, who is chairing the inquiry which could last at least another five years.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/inquiry.into.child.sex.abuse.investigating.7000.submissions.relating.to.anglican.church/91631.htm 

Incarceration, Sexual Abuse and Suicide Risk

We now know that Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia complete suicide at 74 per 100,000, seven times the non-Indigenous rate. We also know that Indigenous incarceration rates in Western Australia are 18 times the non-Indigenous rates. Is there a link between these horrible statistics?
The link goes back to colonisation and historical trauma, we are told. But how, exactly, does historical trauma become intergenerational trauma, and how does this trauma affect both the incarceration rates and the suicide rates of the First Peoples in a white settler country?

http://thestringer.com.au/incarceration-sexual-abuse-and-suicide-risk-12082#.V5lgNzU1eUm 

RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

Rudd’s UN dreams to go up in smoke  Kevin Rudd’s two-year bid for the post of UN secretary-general is expected to fail today.  According to The Australian, there is strong opposition in cabinet to the Turnbull government nominating the former Labor prime minister for the gig.
One Liberal MP said: “It will make people very angry if Malcolm Turnbull can’t find a place for former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott on his frontbench but can back a ­former Labor prime minister for the top job at the UN.”

http://www.news.com.au/national/rush-hour/rush-hour-the-stories-you-need-to-know-today/news-story/0f1f69bc09d0ca3c7c454dd88ae9fa9b 

Hon retracts Apuron statements, says church should assume any abuse allegation is serious

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai on Wednesday said he is deeply troubled by the sexual abuse allegations brought against Archbishop Anthony Apuron, and he has retracted past statements issued by Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana which accused Apuron's accusers of lying.
“Instead, the Archdiocese should always assume and believe that the intent of those who make allegations of sexual abuse is to bring to light serious claims of abuse,” Hon said during his first press conference since Pope Francis appointed him in June to temporarily oversee the Catholic Church in Guam.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/07/27/hon-retracts-apuron-statements-says-church-should-assume-any-abuse-allegation-serious/87604122/ 

George Pell: The surf club allegation

When local businessman Les Tyack walked into the Torquay Surf Club change rooms one day in the summer of 1986-87, he encountered a scene that struck him as "very odd" — George Pell with three boys he estimates were aged between 8 and 10.

"I said, 'Hi George', and at that time he was towelling, had the towel going across his shoulders drying his back, but he was facing three young boys standing about three or four metres across from him," Mr Tyack told 7.30.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/george-pell-the-surf-club-allegation/7664690 

George Pell: The swimming pool allegations

One of the earliest complaints against Cardinal George Pell being investigated by Victoria Police goes back to the summer of 1978-79 when he was Episcopal Vicar for Education in the Ballarat diocese.

One of the schools he was responsible for was the now notorious St Alipius primary school, where the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse has heard a ring of paedophile Christian Brothers abused many children.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/george-pell-the-swimming-pool-allegations/7664688 

George Pell subject of Victoria Police investigation into multiple allegations of sexual abuse

Police are investigating multiple child abuse allegations levelled directly against Australia's most senior Catholic cleric Cardinal George Pell, the ABC's 7.30 program has revealed.

Victoria Police's Taskforce SANO, which investigates complaints coming out of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, has been examining the allegations by complainants from Ballarat, Torquay and Melbourne for more than a year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/victoria-police-investigating-george-pell-over-abuse-complaints/7664674 

George Pell's career in the Catholic Church

Cardinal George Pell has been one of most prominent and controversial figures in the Australian Catholic Church for decades. Take a look at his career from regional Victorian priest to one of the most senior people at the Vatican.

Pell's introduction to the Church. George Pell was born in 1941 in Ballarat and grew up in the western Victorian city, where he attended the Loreto and St Patrick's colleges.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/george-pells-career-in-the-catholic-church/7665036 

Police investigating Cardinal George Pell child abuse allegations:

Police are investigating multiple allegations of child abuse against Australia's most senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal George Pell, including that he touched the genitals of children while swimming in a public pool in Ballarat in the late 1970s.
The allegations have now been referred by Victoria Police to the Office of Public Prosecutions for advice, the ABC reports.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/police-investigating-cardinal-george-pell-child-abuse-allegations-report-20160727-gqf8qn.html 

Cardinal Pell vigorously rejects sex abuse allegations

Australian cardinal George Pell reads a statement to reporters as he leaves Rome's Quirinale hotel after meeting members of the Australian group of relatives and victims of priestly sex abuses, Cardinal George Pell, the prelate brought in by Pope Francis to reform the Vatican's financial systems, has vigorously rejected accusations of sexual abuse reportedly being investigated by Australian police, saying that they amount to a "scandalous smear campaign."

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/07/27/cardinal-pell-vigorously-rejects-sex-abuse-allegations/ 

Hearing set on legislation lifting statute of limitations on child sex abuse

A continued public hearing for legislation that would lift the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases is set for Thursday. Last month, dozens rallied in support of Bill 326, stating "justice shouldn't have an expiration date".

http://www.kuam.com/story/32530548/2016/07/26/hearing-set-on-legislation-lifting-statute-of-limitations-on-child-sex-abuse 

Survivors must have a stronger voice in Goddard abuse inquiry

Despite public inquiries over the last two decades, such as the Waterhouse inquiry and the Utting report into child abuse in care homes, the institutions of government have failed to deliver justice for survivors or tackle child abuse. And official inquiries have repeatedly absolved central government and the establishment from guilt. Yet there is still no indication of when the £18m Goddard child abuse inquiry will hear evidence regarding high-level abuse and coverups at Westminster.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/26/survivors-must-have-stronger-voice-goddard-child-abuse-inquiry 

Pastor Bob Cotton calls for harsher penalties for people who conceal child sex abuse

A Hunter Valley pastor is leading a push for legislative change for harsher penalties for people who fail to report child sexual abuse to police.
Pastor Bob Cotton from Maitland Christian Church says the current penalty for concealing a serious indictable offence – a maximum of two years’ imprisonment – is inadequate punishment for those who cover-up the sexual abuse of children

http://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/4051262/pastor-calls-for-tougher-penalties-over-abuse-cover-up/ 

Police investigating child sex abuse cases involving North Richland Hills church

Police are looking into claims of sexual abuse at a church in North Richland Hills after the congregation made the allegations public during its weekend services.
During every mass at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church on Sunday, a letter was read. The letter said: “The Diocese of Fort Worth has received reports very recently of sexual abuse of children by a layman who is a member of St. John the Apostle parish. The abuse is alleged to have occurred over the last seven or so years.”

http://www.fox4news.com/news/181350799-story 

Archbishop Hon to hold first press conference

Nearly two months after the Vatican sent him to temporarily oversee the Catholic Church in Guam, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai will not only hold his first press conference but also confirmed that a revision of the local church’s policy for responding to sexual abuse accusations would include language on how to respond to allegations against the archbishop himself.
Hon’s first press conference set for Wednesday morning also comes five days after his name was included as a defendant in a libel and slander lawsuit filed by former altar boys who accused Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of sexually assaulting them in the late 1970s

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/07/26/archbishop-hon-hold-first-press-conference/87558588/ 

Pa. Supreme Court rejects Philly D.A.'s appeal in church sex-abuse case

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Msgr. William J. Lynn, the first Catholic church official convicted for a supervisory role over priests accused of sexually abusing children in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, must have a new trial.

The ruling came as the high court rejected an appeal by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, which challenged a lower court's order of a new trial.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160727_Pa__Supreme_Court_rejects_Philly_D_A__s_appeal_in_church_sex-abuse_case.html 

Police Investigate Reports of Child Sex Abuse at Church

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS -- When you go to church, you expect to sing, to pray, and to listen to a sermon.  But you don't expect to hear what parishioners at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church heard Sunday morning.
A deacon from the Fort Worth diocese read a statement on behalf of the bishop. He said the diocese was investigating sexual abuse of children by a volunteer at the church that happened several years ago but were just recently reported.

http://cw33.com/2016/07/26/police-investigate-reports-of-child-sex-abuse-at-church/

How Political Correctness Is Leading Us To Ignore Abuse on American Indian Reservations

Earlier this spring, Thomas Sullivan was fired. As Regional administrator of the Administration for Children and Families overseeing the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, Sullivan issued 13 different “mandated reports” about the problems of child abuse there. These reports were mandated not because his superiors asked him for his input — indeed, he had been instructed not to speak publicly about these matters. Rather, the reports are mandated because teachers, psychologists, and others who work with vulnerable populations are required by law to report abuses. Here’s a sample from Sullivan’s last one:

Valley of the damned: The cruel spot where two different churches made the ‘epicentre of organised paedophilia’

IT was a cruel game played out by vile abusers in an idyllic valley which will be revealed as the nation’s “epicentre for organised paedophilia”.

The game of “spotlighting”, ostensibly a weekend camping pursuit by young Anglican boys and their religious leaders was actually a guise for child sexual abuse.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/valley-of-the-damned-the-cruel-spot-where-two-different-churches-made-the-epicentre-of-organised-paedophilia/news-story/dfd986bbaa21754b4f6538fa7cea846c 

Goddard inquiry to contact UK spies for any Lord Janner intelligence

British spies are to be approached by lawyers for the official child sex abuse inquiry requesting any intelligence gathered on the late Labour peer Greville Janner.
Ben Emmerson QC, counsel to the independent inquiry, said his team had spoken to MI5 and will be contacting MI6 and GCHQ for any files held relating to Lord Janner, who died last year aged 87.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/26/goddard-inquiry-to-contact-uk-spies-for-any-lord-janner-intelligence 

Apuron accusers demand answers

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai has refused to meet with the former altar boys who have accused Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron of rape and molestation, according to attorney David Lujan, who outlined several concerns in a letter this month to the attorney for the Archdiocese of Agana.
Since May, three former Agat altar boys and the mother of an altar boy have accused Apuron of sexual assault in the late 1970s, when he was parish priest in Agat. They accused Apuron publicly, at several tearful press conferences near church property and in an interview with the Pacific Daily News.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/07/24/apuron-accusers-demand-answers/87497972/ 

Defrocked Southern Illinois priest who founded Camp Ondessonk has died

ELIZABETHTOWN — A one-time ambitious, popular Southern Illinois priest who spearheaded the creation of Camp Ondessonk in 1959, and nearly 50 years later was defrocked by the Vatican after allegations surfaced he sexually abused youth campers when he was director, has died.

Robert Vonnahmen, 85, was reportedly quietly buried in Elizabethtown in early May. It doesn’t appear that an obituary was written on Vonnahmen’s behalf, at least not one that is available online or otherwise readily accessible.

http://thesouthern.com/news/local/defrocked-southern-illinois-priest-who-founded-camp-ondessonk-has-died/article_088552b1-4cdd-5a39-8693-230246cc7665.html 

Forty years after abuse, Dennis Hastert due in prison Wednesday

Dennis Hastert admits he sexually abused teenage boys back in the 1970s. The man who rose from wrestling coach and hometown hero to speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and second in line to the presidency must now report to the Rochester Federal Medical Center in southeast Minnesota by 2 p.m. Wednesday.
That’s when Hastert, 74, is due to begin serving the 15-month prison sentence handed down in April by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin, who called Hastert a “serial child molester.” Roughly 40 years later, he is finally due to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/forty-years-after-abuse-dennis-hastert-due-in-prison/ 

Dillingham parish priest charged with attempted sexual assault

Father Michael Nicolai is the priest at Saint Seraphim of Sarov, the Russian Orthodox Church in Dillingham. Early on Saturday July 16, police were called to the parish home behind the church by his wife, who reported she had been assaulted.
Dan Pasquariello is the chief of Dillingham Police.  “The officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance. They went there, they interviewed all parties involved, they made an arrest. The information they gathered, after conferring with the district attorney, led them to charge Father Nicholai with attempted sexual assault and a physical assault.”

http://kdlg.org/post/dillingham-parish-priest-charged-attempted-sexual-assault#stream/0 

LNP to remove time limit on sex abuse claims

Child sexual abuse survivors will be able to seek damages from their abusers at any time if Queensland's LNP is restored to government.
Queensland's Liberal National opposition has promised to remove the three-year limit on lodging civil claims against alleged abusers if they are elected.  Opposition leader Tim Nicholls said the current three-year limit from a survivor's 18th birthdadenied them the opportunity to claim damages and seek justice.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/qld/2016/07/24/lnp-to-remove-time-limit-on-sex-abuse-claims.html 

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article91589332.html

The scandal of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church will not be over until the lessons of this global tragedy are recognised and acted upon. From my own experience, I am convinced that to set things right the church (for which I retain respect) must abolish the requirement for priestly celibacy. The good news is that this change can be made.
The requirement for celibacy has no basis in scripture; no aspect of Catholic faith is at stake in its abolition. It is a matter of what is termed "discipline" in the church and became mandatory only from the second Lateran council of 1139. Prominent church leaders have recently confirmed that it is open for debate. Pope Francis acknowledges the rule can change. The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, favours abolition.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-catholic-church-must-drop-celibacy-for-its-priests-or-lose-school-funding-20160722-gqbzaq.html 

Sexual abuse investigation underway at North Richland Hills church

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS  An investigation into sexual abuse of youths at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church is underway, police and church officials said Sunday.  A letter concerning the investigation was read at a Saturday Mass and Sunday morning services at the church, at 7341 Glenview Drive.

A sexual abuse investigation is underway at Saint John the Apostle Catholic Church, 7341 Glenview Drive, in North Richland Hills. A volunteer is accused in the sexual abuse of children. No one has been arrested.  The investigation is in the early stages, Detective Keith Bauman said Sunday in a telephone interview. No one has been arrested.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article91589332.html 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article91589332.html#storylink=cpy

Child sexual abuse: Is Pa. pro-child or pro-predator?

“It’s not over,” said state Rep. Mark Rozzi on Monday, moments after throwing the grand jury reports on sexual abuse of children on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

The Berks County lawmaker, himself a victim of abuse, was most likely referring to his ongoing battle to retroactively extend the period in which victims of decades-old childhood abuse could sue those who molested them, dropping the statute of limitations in criminal cases and extending the window for civil ones from age 30 to 50.

http://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/child-sexual-abuse-is-pa-pro-child-or-pro-predator/article_937c4c24-526d-11e6-a22b-2bb787a6a44f.html 

Mountain Home priest charged with rape released from jail

MOUNTAIN HOME -- A judge ordered Monday that a parish priest accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious man in Mountain Home be released without posting any bond.
Victor Franz Jagerstatter, 39, faces a felony rape charge. Elmore County Judge David Epis blocked KTVB from bringing news cameras into the courtroom or recording the proceeding.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/crime/mountain-home-priest-jailed-on-sex-abuse-charges/280563479

Catholic archbishop fights child abuse charge

The Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide will ask the NSW Supreme Court to dismiss a criminal prosecution alleging he failed to report child abuse by a priest.

Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic official worldwide to be charged with such an offence, had unsuccessfully argued that the prosecution was “unjustly oppressive” to him, and “will culminate in an unfair trial”, court documents show.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/catholic-archbishop-fights-child-abuse-charge/news-story/5c40a506563f5eecdb6125eeebf98215 

Memo details allegations against ex-archbishop of St. Paul

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lawyers investigating a Minnesota archbishop in 2014 found compelling and credible allegations from nearly a dozen people that he engaged in sexual misconduct and harassment, then retaliated when his advances were rejected, according to an internal church document made public this week.
Although Archbishop John Nienstedt eventually stepped down under fire as head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, he remains a priest in good standing and less than two weeks ago led Masses at a conservative Catholic leadership conference in California.

http://www.tommiemedia.com/news/memo-details-allegations-against-ex-archbishop-of-st-paul/ 

Survivors' group recommends high-profile lawyers to take on chairing of child abuse inquiry

SURVIVORS have written to Deputy First Minister recommending three big names to replace the former chair of Scotland’s controversial child abuse inquiry.
In Care Abuse Survivors (INCAS), which represents the largest number of survivors in Scotland, has asked John Swinney to consider giving the job to leading English human rights barrister Michael Mansfield, or Scottish lawyers Lord Malcolm or Lord McEwan.

http://www.thenational.scot/news/survivors-group-recommends-high-profile-lawyers-to-take-on-chairing-of-child-abuse-inquiry.20166 

Threat halted release of priests’ files in abuse cases

The Diocese of Gallup threatened to withdraw a monetary settlement that included $21 million for victims of clerical sexual abuse if claimants insisted that the church publicly release the personnel files of accused priests, attorneys for the claimants said.
Public disclosure of priest files became a “significant issue” during the final months of the diocese’s 31-month bankruptcy case, said James Stang, a Los Angeles attorney who represented the 57 people who filed claims against the diocese.

http://www.abqjournal.com/809285/threat-halted-release-of-priests-files-in-abuse-cases.html 

No Compassion: Far-Right Catholic Group Gloats Over Defeat Of Bill To Help Victims Of Clerical Abuse

A few days ago, I receive the July-August issue of Catalyst, the newsletter of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
If you’re not familiar with the Catholic League, it’s a right-wing outfit that exists mainly to scream loudly anytime anyone anywhere dares to criticize the clerical leaders in the Catholic Church or the political goals of the bishops. The group, based in New York City, is run by William Donohue, a man who, when it comes to the issue of sexual abuse of minors by priests, is either deliberately provocative or remarkably tone deaf.

http://blog.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/no-compassion-far-right-catholic-group-gloats-over-defeat-of-bill-to-help 

KY--Trial set for twice-accused predator priest

A November 28 trial date has been set for a Louisville priest who is accused of molesting two children and spent 30 years running a camp for kids.  
The cases are being prosecuted separately and there’s no date yet for the second trial. Fr. R. Joseph Hemmerle was suspended twice – in 2002 and again in 2014 - by Louisville archdiocesan officials because of abuse reports.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ky_trial_set_for_twice-accused_predator_priest 

Bendigo church screens documentary about childhood sexual abuse

A documentary detailing the pain endured by survivors of sexual abuse will screen at a Bendigo church on Wednesday night.

Epsom Community Church will show Humble Hope, a film featuring the stories of nine people who were victims of sexual assault in their childhood.  It also explains the role religion has played in their recovery.

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/4039901/survivors-stories-on-screen/

Phillips Exeter official 'brought to tears' by alumni messages regarding sexual misconduct

EXETER – The president of the trustees at Phillips Exeter Academy says she’s been brought to tears by many of the messages received from alumni in the wake of an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct on campus.
In a message to alumni posted on Facebook last Thursday, Eunice Panetta said trustees were grateful to those who were speaking up.

http://www.unionleader.com/education/phillips-exeter-official-brought-to-tears-by-alumni-messages-regarding-sexual-misconduct-20160718 

Mountain Home Priest Behind Bars, Charged With Sex Abuse, Exploitation of Vulnerable Adult.

A Roman Catholic priest in Mountain Home is behind bars at the Elmore County Jail, accused of the sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult. The Roman Catholic Diocese announced Friday that Father Victor Jagerstatter, 39, had been placed on administrative lead.
The Mountain Home News confirmed Friday that Jagerstatter had been jailed and, while few details have yet been released, the Elmore County prosecutor's office is investigating the case.

http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/mountain-home-priest-behind-bars-charged-with-sex-abuse-exploitation-of-vulnerable-adult/Content?oid=3854355 

The Priests: James Miller confronts his past, and the Catholic Church, in new book

The man looked down from the fourth floor window to a footpath where he'd decided to end his life.
It was 1997. He was pissed.
He'd made the decision to kill himself in an entirely matter-of-fact way after his pissed barrister mate lurched away to find a toilet. James Miller stepped onto the window ledge at Newcastle Law School's King Street Clinic. He was 35.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-priests-james-miller-confronts-his-past-and-the-catholic-church-in-new-book-20160721-gqaw2a.html

 

Patty Wetterling brings clout to board working to prevent clergy abuse

A board that reviews troubled Catholic priests in the Twin Cities archdiocese — once faulted for being insular and ineffective — has a new makeup and a high-profile member: Patty Wetterling, the state’s best-known advocate for child safety.

Wetterling’s reputation, built on her work since her 11-year-old son Jacob was abducted in 1989, adds another layer of credibility to the archdiocese’s Ministerial Review Board as it grapples with the aftermath of a clergy abuse scandal.

http://www.startribune.com/patty-wetterling-brings-clout-to-board-working-to-prevent-clergy-abuse/388034642/ 

6 claim they were sexually abused by priest who worked in Upper Montclair, Guttenberg

Abuse allegedly occurred in church, family homes and during trips to Poconos. Five men and one woman have stepped forward claiming they were sexually abused as kids by Father Michael "Mitch" Walters at churches in Upper Montclair and Guttenburg – where he was a priest in the 80s and 90s.
The allegations come after a year-and-a-half investigation by the organization Road to Recovery, which aids sexual abuse victims. Co-founder Robert Hoatson says he believes there are many more victims who have yet to step forward.

http://www.fios1news.com/newjersey/criminal-probe-nj-priest#.V5LFHzU1eUm 

Royal Commission will hold Hunter Catholic public hearing after historic Anglican hearing from August 2

THE Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold a public hearing into the Catholic Church in the Hunter almost immediately after an Anglican Church public hearing in Newcastle from August 2.
Back-to-back hearings will confirm the Hunter as Australia’s epicentre of institutional child sex abuse only three years after a NSW Special Commission of Inquiry exposed shocking systemic protection of paedophile priests within the Catholic Maitland-Newcastle diocese over decades.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4047417/back-to-back-hunter-royal-commission-hearings/ 

Celibacy is the greatest risk to child protection in the Catholic Church: survivor

THE man looked down from the fourth floor window to a footpath where he’d decided to end his life. It was 1997. He was pissed. He’d made the decision to kill himself in an entirely matter-of-fact way after his pissed barrister mate lurched away to find a toilet.
James Miller stepped onto the window ledge at Newcastle Law School’s King Street Clinic. He was 35.  He was always the boy most likely to achieve. Mind like a steel trap. Confident. Happy. A blond-haired, blue-eyed surfer in a town where his type were gods. Destined for great things.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4009583/dark-secrets-of-the-clergy/ 

Hunter people knew in their bones a royal commission was needed

FOUR or five years ago it was common for people to ask me a question, given the amount being written at the time about institutional child sexual abuse in the Hunter region, and particularly the Catholic Church.
Was the Hunter region the worst place in Australia for child sex abuse in churches? My answer, before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was established in November, 2012, was always the same.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4048235/the-more-we-know-the-better-the-change/

'Screaming was pointless,' survivors tell of school abuse by Christian Brothers

The Christian Brothers were meant to be men of God - a religious order within the Catholic Church. At their St Ninian’s school in Fife, though, two of the Brothers were men of unspeakable cruelty who stole innocence from children and left the deepest scars.
John Farrell and Paul Kelly were today convicted of 11 counts of sexual and physical abuse against six children in their care. Children as young as 11. The pair were doing it with impunity through the 1970s and 80s.

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-07-22/screaming-was-pointless-survivors-tell-of-school-abuse-by-christian-brothers/ 

Child abuse, the Church and the Goddard inquiry: Why we should all pray it succeeds

A year after it opened on July 9, 2015, the Goddard inquiry into institutional child sex abuse has spent nearly £18 million on highly-paid lawyers and setting up regional offices, but has still not heard any actual evidence. The inquiry is gradually creeping toward the point where it will, however, and next week there will be preliminary hearings about organisations including the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/child.abuse.the.church.and.the.goddard.inquiry.why.we.should.all.pray.it.succeeds/91248.htm 

Deciding on the Consecrated Life, With the Help of Speed Dating

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — As the seconds ticked away, the timekeeper cast her eyes across a student lounge on the Notre Dame campus here and announced it was time for the speed daters to change partners. So April Adalim, 24, got up and moved to a tall chair at a round table across from her newest suitor: a graying, bespectacled woman in a religious habit, Sister Theresa Sullivan of the Daughters of Charity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/us/notre-dame-alliance-catholic-education.html?emc=edit_tnt_20160722&eml_thmb=1&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y&_r=1 

Brave victim speaks out to reveal years of harrowing child abuse he suffered at Catholic order schoo

DAVE Sharp spoke out after a Catholic priest and a teacher were found guilty of a string of offences against troubled youngsters in the 70s and 80s.  A VICTIM of horrific child abuse has told of his hell at a residential school run by Catholic order the Christian Brothers.

Traumatised Dave Sharp spoke out after Catholic priest John Farrell and teacher Paul Kelly were found guilty of brutalising young boys in the 70s and 80s.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/brave-victim-speaks-out-reveal-8475861#te0jQcWHyKEY6GwV.97 

Mountain Home priest arrested on sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (News Release) - A Mountain Home priest is accused of sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult, according to the Mountain Home News.
Mountain Home Police arrested Victor F. Jagerstatter, 39, Friday for sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult, according to a news release. This investigation is on-going, and no more information will be released at this time.

http://www.kmvt.com/content/news/Mountain-Home-man-arrested-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-of-a-vulnerable-adult-387975702.html 

Archbishop Hebda: ‘We failed’ in case of abusive priest

Standing before reporters and cameras in Hayden Hall July 20, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said that the archdiocese failed in its handling of the case of Curtis Wehmeyer, a former priest who pleaded guilty in two courts of abusing three brothers while pastor of Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul.
“We failed to give priority to the safety and well-being of the children he hurt over the interests of Curtis Wehmeyer and the archdiocese,” Archbishop Hebda said. “In particular, we failed to prevent Curtis Wehmeyer from sexually abusing children. Those children, their parents, their family, their parish and others were harmed. We are sorry. I am sorry.”

http://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/archbishop-hebda-failed-case-abusive-priest/ 

Victim advocates plan to defy court order in lawsuit filed by once-accused St. Louis priest

ST. LOUIS • An advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse said Thursday that his group likely will defy a St. Louis federal judge’s order to hand over personal information about people who made accusations against a Roman Catholic priest.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has until Friday to provide communications sought in a civil suit by the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, who had been named in two counties on charges that were later dropped. Jiang is seeking damages.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/victim-advocates-plan-to-defy-court-order-in-lawsuit-filed/article_54fc80c2-7092-5b44-9aab-429be9456ce2.html 

END CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE! Priest writes shocking memo, exposing corrupt, predator clerics

A memo from an outraged priest has been published, along with a trove of other documents in a sex abuse cover up. The aim of the memo and the document release is to convince the Vatican to take action against two high ranking individuals.
LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - In 2014, the Vatican's ambassador to the United States ended an independent investigation into possible sexual abuse and misconduct by Archbishop john C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis. According to one priest, Rev. Dan Griffith, the decision to end the investigation was a cover up.

http://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=70013 

Vatican won't comment on alleged interference in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Vatican is declining to comment on an internal church document that indicates the Vatican's emissary in Washington interfered with an investigation into alleged misconduct by the former archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The newly released memo from the Rev. Daniel Griffith, one of the archdiocese's key leaders for ensuring the safety of children, accuses the apostolic nuncio of ordering Minnesota church leaders to wrap up the investigation into Archbishop John Nienstedt without pursuing all leads. Griffith also accused the delegate at the time, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, of ordering two auxiliary bishops under Nienstedt to destroy a letter in which they disagreed with Vigano.

http://www.fox9.com/news/177879640-story 

The only way to restore public confidence in Catholic bishops

The only way to restore public confidence in Catholic bishops... is for the catholic church to tell the TRUTH... Ann

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

The revelation that the apostolic nuncio in Washington quashed an investigation into the alleged misconduct of an American archbishop is another damaging blow to the wounded credibility of the Catholic hierarchy. Nearly fifteen years after the sex-abuse scandal destroyed public confidence in the bishops’ integrity, that confidence has still not been restored—precisely because stories like this one keep bursting into the headlines.

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=1168 

Former priest denies sex assault accusations

A former priest denies accusations he sexually assaulted a girl. Stephen Tarlton Dougherty, 59, appeared before a Bee County judge Thursday after a grand jury last month indicted him on a first degree felony of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Dougherty and his lawyer, John Pinckney of San Antonio, declined to comment outside the courtroom but referred to a court document in which the former priest and philanthropist pleaded not guilty.

http://www.caller.com/news/local/crime/former-priest-denies-sex-assault-accusations-38131139-b4e9-3f66-e053-0100007f208f-387876712.html 

Claim top priest saved career by not reporting sex monster

ONE of Australia's most senior Anglican clerics is refusing to comment on claims he did not report a "paedophile king pin" despite knowing  the notorious sex monster was attacking young boys in the NSW Hunter region.

The 7.30 Report last night revealed Achbishop of Perth Roger Herft knew Father Peter Rushton was raping and sexually assaulting children. 

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/did-senior-priest-save-career-not-reporting-sex-mo/3065764/ 

Vatican--Papal aide told bishops to destroy evidence two years ago; Victims respond

Two years ago, the pope’s top US aide ordered two bishops to destroy evidence and blocked an investigation into clergy sex crimes, misdeeds and cover ups, according to a newly-released memo written by an “insider” priest and chancery office insider.
Pope Francis must now discipline this wrongdoer. All four clerics - the nuncio who issued the order, the two bishops and the “whistleblower” priest (Fr. Daniel Griffith) – all kept silent, for two years, about this inappropriate and perhaps illegal move.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/vatican_papal_aide_told_bishops_to_destroy_evidence_two_years_ago_victims_respond 

Memo details allegations against ex-archbishop of St. Paul

MINNEAPOLIS — Lawyers investigating a Minnesota archbishop in 2014 found compelling and credible allegations from nearly a dozen people that he engaged in sexual misconduct and harassment, then retaliated when his advances were rejected, according to an internal church document made public this week.
Although Archbishop John Nienstedt eventually stepped down under fire as head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, he remains a priest in good standing and less than two weeks ago led Masses at a conservative Catholic leadership conference in California.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/twin-cities-archdiocese-admits-wrongdoing-in-abuse-case/2016/07/20/4d27eedc-4ede-11e6-bf27-405106836f96_story.html 

Memo: Vatican nuncio quashed sexual misconduct inquiry of Archbishop Nienstedt

The Vatican envoy to the United States quashed an investigation into alleged homosexual activity on the part of Archbishop John Nienstedt and ordered a piece of evidence destroyed, according to an 11-page memo unsealed Wednesday afternoon.
In the memo, Fr. Dan Griffith, then-Delegate for Safe Environment for the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, stated that in April 2014 Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., ordered two auxiliary bishops to have a St. Paul law firm quickly wrap its investigation and later that month instructed them to destroy a letter they had sent Vigano pushing back on his request.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/memo-vatican-nuncio-quashed-sexual-misconduct-inquiry-archbishop-nienstedt 

Cardinal Pell to lose major ally as chief financial officer to return home to Australia

One of Cardinal George Pell’s chief aides working on reforming Vatican finances is leaving his post, The Tablet can report. Danny Casey, in charge of the “project management office” in the Holy See economy secretariat, had been brought to Rome two years ago by his fellow countryman Cardinal Pell: the two had previously worked closely together in Sydney when Casey was the archdiocese’s business manager. 

“We are happy to confirm, as was anticipated when Danny commenced working in the Secretariat in 2014 for a 2-year term, he is leaving us at the end of September to return to Australia,” a statement from Cardinal Pell’s office confirmed. “We are enormously grateful for the contribution Danny has made to implementing the Holy Father’s Reforms.”  

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/5864/0/cardinal-pell-to-lose-major-ally-as-chief-financial-officer-to-return-home-to-australia 

New Campaign Invites Millennials to ‘Come Home’ to Catholic Faith

This is actually the Path to Healing... I went to one and it was to get you back into the catholic church... and while the priest was talking to us... he asked us why we left the church... as if to blame us for leaving... I left because i saw no goodness in the catholic church... it was... and still is... full of raping innocent children... and abuse.... greed for money and full control over you... How do the catholic church expect us... to go back into the church... who raped our Bodies, Minds and Soul... as little children in their so called care... Ann

 ==================================

Catholics Come Home, an organization dedicated to inviting those back to the Catholic faith, has launched a new campaign meant to reach out to the millennial generation.
In addition to its CatholicsComeHome.org website, the campaign has created CatholicsComeHome.com, an interactive website aimed at millennials who are seeking “something more.”

http://cny.org/stories/New-Campaign-Invites-Millennials-to-Come-Home-to-Catholic-Faith,14253 

Child Abuse Bill: A First Step, But Debate Must Continue

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved House Bill 1947, on April 12, which addresses childhood sexual abuse in both the criminal and civil arenas. The legislation would eliminate legal deadlines for the criminal prosecution of child abusers. Victims of childhood sexual abuse would also be afforded additional time to institute civil claims.
Currently, Pennsylvania law extinguishes a litigant’s right to file a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse at age 30. The proposed legislation would extend the statute of limitations to age 50 for a victim who suffered sexual abuse as a minor. The original bill included a controversial look-back provision, which would retroactively nullify the statute of limitations for expired civil claims.

http://www.law.com/sites/articles/2016/07/20/child-abuse-bill-a-first-step-but-debate-must-continue/?slreturn=20160620194410

Paedophile ring inside Newcastle Anglican Church exposed by whistleblowers

The Anglican Church of Newcastle buried complaints about sex abusers, including reports of a senior priest who was part of a paedophile ring that involved priests and lay people.

In exclusive interviews with 7.30, whistleblowers revealed how they have been harassed and had their lives threatened for their work to expose the truth.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-20/whistleblowers-reveal-paedophile-ring-in-newcastle-anglicans/7645228 

Father who raped daughter, 9, let off by courts on good-behaviour bond

A YOUNG woman was rushed to hospital after collapsing in despair when her rapist father not only escaped jail but was let off with a good-behaviour bond.
Her father had pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping his daughter, now 19, since she was just nine years old.  The woman's lawyer, Greg Walsh, called the sentence a "political and legal disgrace".

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/father-who-raped-daughter-9-let-off-by-courts-on-good-behaviour-bond/story-fni0cx12-1226672815342 

Clergy abuse timeline: How the Twin Cities archdiocese got here

A look back at the history of events in the child sex abuse scandal at the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

2013  May 23: A change in Minnesota law creates a three-year window for filing sex abuse lawsuits previously barred by statute of limitations, triggering a wave of lawsuits against the archdiocese seeking millions of dollars in damages.

May 29:The first lawsuit is filed, by a John Doe 1, in Ramsey District Court.

http://www.startribune.com/timeline-how-the-twin-cities-archdiocese-got-here/288727601/ 

New documents reveal former archbishop's 'gay lifestyle' and alleged cover-up

Documents released Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court detail allegations of  former Archbishop John Nienstedt’s “gay lifestyle” in his early days as a priest and bishop in Detroit. The documents also point to an alleged cover-up at the direction of a Vatican official.
 A confidential memo from the Delegate for Safe Environment for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, dated Nov. 22, 2013, raises concerns that Nienstedt’s past behavior may have affected his decisions involving Father Curtis Wehmeyer. In Dec. 2015, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi filed 6 criminal child endangerment charges against the archdiocese "to hold it criminally accountable for its failure to protect children." The church was accused of keeping Father Curtis Wehmeyer in the ministry despite knowledge of his sexual misconduct. Wednesday morning, Choi agreed to drop the 6 criminal charges as part of an  updated civil settlement.

http://www.fox9.com/news/177109505-story 

Lawsuit: Diocese of Corpus Christi, religious order failed to protect victim

A woman is suing the Diocese of Corpus Christi, a religious order and a former priest accused of sexual assault of a child in Bee County.
The lawsuit, filed July 12 in Nueces County on behalf of "Jane Doe 108," accuses Stephen Tarleton Dougherty of sexually assaulting her multiple times starting when she was 7 years old.

http://www.caller.com/news/local/lawsuit-diocese-of-corpus-christi-religious-order-failed-to-protect-victim-38047191-2aab-4dac-e053-0-387536321.html 

TX--Suit says priest abused girl for six years

A girl and her family are suing a Catholic priest and his church supervisors, charging that Fr. Stephen Tarleton Dougherty repeatedly abused her for six years, starting when she was seven, from 2005-2011. We applaud her for her courage and hope her bravery will inspire others who are suffering to come forward.

Catholic officials should yank Fr. Dougherty’s passport, so he can’t flee overseas. They should use pulpit announcements, church bulletins and parish websites, across the Corpus Christi diocese, to aggressively seek out other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers and beg them to call police. But they won’t. They’ll passively sit back and do the bare minimum.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/tx_suit_says_priest_abused_girl_for_six_years 

Attorney: Archdiocese ‘Cover Up’ Leads All The Way To The Vatican

An attorney in Minnesota is calling on Pope Francis to take action after documents released Wednesday show that, in his words, a “classic cover up” took place in the Twin Cities archdiocese, involving the former archbishop and top Vatican officials.
Jeff Anderson, an attorney who has represented hundreds of people claiming sex abuse by priests, told reporters Wednesday afternoon that documents recently made public show that former Archbishop John Nienstedt had a “sexual interest” in former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, as well as other priests.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/07/20/twin-cities-archdiocese-documents-to-be-released/ 

Bishop Ball case: Questions for Lord Carey

With the release of some of the letters written in support of Bishop Ball during the 1992-1993 police investigation, particularly those written by prominent people, we're starting to see more clearly how Ball was protected, writes legal specialist on child abuse Richard Scorer.

The spotlight has rightly fallen on former Archbishop Carey, who seems reluctant to discuss the subject. In response to further revelations in The Times, a spokesman for Carey said that he was "abroad" and "unlikely to be able to comment". But the questions mount, and we need to hear from him.

http://www.secularism.org.uk/blog/2016/01/bishop-ball--questions-for-lord-carey 

Church documents expose an even bigger cover-up than suspected in the Peter Ball case

To recap: Peter Ball was a prominent Church of England Bishop who served from 1977 to 1991 as Bishop of Lewes (part of the now notorious Chichester diocese) and then, until his resignation in 1993, as Bishop of Gloucester. Ball was more than just another Bishop, however: exceptionally well connected in establishment circles, he was a personal friend of Prince Charles and dined regularly with Margaret Thatcher. 

In 1992 Ball was investigated by the police for sexual offences against a 15 year old boy, Neil Todd. There followed an extraordinary campaign in support of Ball: nearly 2000 letters of support including from many prominent establishment figures. In March 1993, on the basis that the Todd offence was a one-off lapse, Ball was let off with a caution. He resigned as Bishop of Gloucester, but continued to officiate at church services. The suspicion persisted, however, that Ball had committed many other offences. Eventually, in 2015, following a second police inquiry, he was convicted of multiple sexual crimes spanning several decades, and imprisoned.

http://www.secularism.org.uk/blog/2016/07/church-documents-expose-an-even-bigger-cover-up-than-suspected-in-the-peter-ball-case 

Detroit priest gets tougher sentence for charity theft

Detroit — The Rev. Timothy Kane will spend at least three and as many as the next 20 years in prison after being resentenced Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court for stealing from a charity for the poor.
Kane — convicted in 2014 of using “straw” applicants to apply for Angel Fund grants through the Archdiocese of Detroit then pocketing some of the money for himself via kickbacks — had originally been sentenced by Judge Bruce Morrow to 12 months in county jail, to be served over a five-year period, during which he’d report to jail in Julys and Decembers and for two additional months.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2016/07/19/detroit-priest-charity-theft/87299232/ 

Child sexual-abuse victims and their supporters protest outside Basilica in Philadelphia

Monday could have been the day that clergy sex-abuse victim John-Michael Delaney finally got decades of frustration off his chest during a private meeting with Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput.
But in the days since Delaney told PhillyVoice of that meeting – something he’d avoided for decades on account of “not being able to be in the same room as a priest” – officials told the victim of one of the “archdiocese’s most brutal abusers” that the meeting was off.
 
http://www.phillyvoice.com/child-sexual-abuse-victims-and-their-supporters-protest-outside-basilica-philadelphia/

One woman's journey out of child sex abuse helps reform Massachusetts child sex crimes law

A highway exit sign triggered the flood of memories.  Rosanne Sliney was 24 years old when the sight of the exit sign unleashed a tide of memories long repressed: Her uncle sexually abusing her in his car. She was 5. He was her mother's brother, a beloved member of a large Italian-American family from That one trigger brought back the years of abuse, the pain, shame and guilt. Her uncle did unspeakable things to the young girl – in his home, his car, his business. Rumors long circulated among her relatives, but no adult – not family member, teacher or coach – sounded the alarm. Sliney endured the horror in silence for nearly 10 years, retreating from her school studies and the conventions of teen life.Massachusetts, her godfather.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/07/statute_of_limitations_chile_s.html

Lawmaker, a clergy abuse victim, protests legislative inaction from cathedral steps

Standing with others who had been abused by Catholic clergy, State Rep. Mark Rozzi hurled stacks of grand jury reports onto the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on Monday, and loudly vowed to continue trying to change Pennsylvania law so victims like himself can file suit in decades-old cases.
Stoking a legislative fight over the civil statute of limitations, the Berks County Democrat pledged to rewrite a pending House bill to include a two-year window in which any adult of any age could sue private institutions and individuals for abuse that occurred when they were children.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160719_Lawmaker__a_clergy_abuse_victim__protests_legislative_inaction_from_cathedral_steps.html 

Former Puerto Rico priest sentenced to prison for felony in sexual abuse case

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico  A former priest from the Mayaguez diocese who originally faced two felony charges of improper sexual behavior was sentenced on one of those charges July 14.
Then-Fr. Floyd McCoy Jordan, 65, served as vicar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Montserrat in Hormigueros at the time of the complaint.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/puerto-rico-priest-sentenced-prison-felony-sexual-abuse-case 

Real Life 'Spotlight' Lawyer Deluged With New Abuse Cases

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian has represented hundreds of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and was featured prominently in the film "Spotlight" - he was played by Stanley Tucci.

Garabedian tells Here & Now's Robin Young that since "Spotlight" came out, and particularly since it won the award for Best Picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, the phones at his Boston law firm have been lighting up with calls from more abuse victims coming forward.

http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/03/02/spotlight-garabedian-new-abuse-cases 

The Role of the Catholic Church in Yugoslavia’s Holocaust

During the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Catholic priests and Muslim clerics were willing accomplices in the genocide of the nation’s Serbian, Jewish and Roma population. From 1941 until 1945, the Nazi-installed regime of Ante Pavelic in Croatia carried out some of the most horrific crimes of the Holocaust (known as the Porajmos by the Roma), killing over 800,000 Yugoslav citizens – 750,000 Serbs, 60,000 Jews and 26,000 Roma.
In these crimes, the Croatian Ustasha and Muslim fundamentalists were openly supported by the Vatican, the Archbishop of Zagreb Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960), and the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husseini. Many of the victims of the Pavelic regime in Croatia were killed in the war’s third largest death camp – Jasenovac, where over 200,000 people – mainly Orthodox Serbs met their deaths. Some 240,000 were “rebaptized” into the Catholic faith by fundamentalist Clerics in “the Catholic Kingdom of Croatia” as part of the policy to “kill a third, deport a third, convert a third” of Yugoslavia’s Serbs, Jews and Roma in wartime Bosnia and Croatia (The Yugoslav Auschwitz and the Vatican, Vladimar Dedijer, Anriman-Verlag, Freiburg, Germany, 1988).

http://churchandstate.org.uk/2015/12/the-role-of-the-catholic-church-in-yugoslavias-holocaust/ 

The Right-Wing Doesn’t Want to Talk About Christian Atrocities, So Let’s Talk About Christian Atrocities

The right-wing’s been freaking about Obama bringing up the crusades and the Inquisition, to show that Christianity doesn’t have a blood-free history. Whether it’s posting videos with skewed definitions of the Crusades or claiming Islam is still worse because reasons, they’re in a blind rush to defend the tribe and, in the process, they’re not orchestrating a very effective defense.

History is full of atrocities committed by Christians for Christ, against not just other religions but against Christians themselves. Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?

http://churchandstate.org.uk/2016/03/the-right-wing-doesnt-want-to-talk-about-christian-atrocities-so-lets-talk-about-christian-atrocities/ 

Former MI5 chief 'involved in child sex abuse cover-up'

Newly discovered government documents also relate to senior Westminster figures, including Leon Brittan.  The former head of Britain's intelligence service urged the government to cover up allegations of child sexual abuse against a senior MP, freshly uncovered documents have revealed.

Writing to cabinet secretary Sir Robert Armstrong in 1986, MI5 director general Sir Antony Duff said "the risk of political embarrassment to the government is rather greater than the security danger".

http://www.theweek.co.uk/59321/former-mi5-chief-involved-in-child-sex-abuse-cover-up 

Abuse victim ‘appalled at intimidation’ by church

A British man who travelled to Verona in an attempt to forgive the Catholic missionary who sexually abused him at Mirfield seminary in Yorkshire almost 50 years ago is being prosecuted in the Italian courts on three counts of “trespassing, stalking and interference in private life”.

Mark Murray, 60, who filmed his encounter with Father Romano Nardo at the Verona headquarters of the Comboni missionaries in April last year, said he was “appalled and disgusted” when a letter summoning him for criminal proceedings in Verona on 14 September arrived at his home in Wales last week.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/17/catholic-abuse-victim-accused-of-stalking-after-confronting-priest