UPDATE: Attorney blasts reinstatement of Dilworth-Hawley priest accused of sexually abusing teen

An attorney representing a man who claims a Catholic priest sexually abused him as a teen expressed outrage Wednesday, Dec. 27, that the Crookston Diocese has reinstated the priest as pastor of the Dilworth and Hawley parishes. The diocese announced on Tuesday, Dec. 26, that Father Patrick Sullivan resumed his priestly duties at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Dilworth and St. Andrew's Parish in Hawley. Sullivan had been placed on administrative leave after the abuse allegations surfaced in 2016.

http://www.wday.com/news/4379395-update-attorney-blasts-reinstatement-dilworth-hawley-priest-accused-sexually-abusing

Crookston diocese reinstates priest after no charges filed in abuse inquiry

CROOKSTON, Minn. — The Catholic Diocese of Crookston has reinstated a priest who was placed on administrative leave as pastor of parishes in Dilworth and Hawley after allegations of abuse surfaced in early 2016. The Rev. Patrick Sullivan has been reinstated to priestly ministry at St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Dilworth and St. Andrew’s Parish in Hawley, the diocese said in a statement released Tuesday.

https://www.twincities.com/2017/12/26/crookston-diocese-reinstates-priest-after-no-charges-filed-in-abuse-inquiry/

Bishop in Western NSW says child sex abuse report needs study before comment

BISHOP of Bathurst Michael McKenna plans to study the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse before having his say on them. There were 409 recommendations aimed at keeping children safe in a 17-volume final report handed down on December 15. One key recommendation was religious ministers should be forced to report information confided in them during a confession.

http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/5140486/bishop-not-ready-to-respond-to-report-on-child-sexual-abuse/

Every new title coming to Netflix Canada in January

Spotlight The best older title coming to Netflix this month is undoubtedly Spotlight, a dramatization of the Boston Globe’s investigation into child sex abuse in the Catholic church. It won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2016 thanks to its snappy writing, its understated ensemble performance, and its amazingly accurate depiction of the inner workings of a newspaper. Available January 18.

https://torontolife.com/culture/movies-and-tv/every-new-title-coming-netflix-canada-january-2018/

Reform': Lone protester targets St Patrick's over Christmas

THE findings of the Royal Commission into child abuse has made a Gympie man launch his own crusade in the hope of reforming one of the region's biggest parishes. Over the past week, Frank Lightfoot has been protesting with homemade signs calling for the reform of the Catholic Church following the release of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

https://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/reform-lone-protester-targets-st-patricks-over-chr/3299803/

Priest on Leave for Child Sex Abuse Allegations Returns to “Ecstatic” Welcome

A Roman Catholic priest who was accused of sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old boy returned from leave after an internal church investigation, and he received a hero’s welcome. Rev. Patrick Sullivan, a Minnesota priest who went on leave for 20 months, came back to the pulpit just in time to celebrate Christmas. The local diocese posted a statement cheering Sullivan’s return, emphasizing that its clergy abuse review panel decided the boy who accused him was “not credible.”

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/12/28/priest-on-leave-for-child-sex-abuse-allegations-returns-to-ecstatic-welcome/

Justin Smith: 2017 was an annus horribilus for the church

It was expected and damning, but they still tried to push back against one of the recommendations — that the secrecy of the Catholic confessional should be broken in matters of child sex abuse. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher looked like an idiot when he responded to the media. Archbishop Fisher began by saying the confessional was “entirely confidential”, but then smiled at the cameras and said the recommendation wouldn’t work because abusers’ confessions would be “extremely rare, if ever”.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/justin-smith-2017-was-an-annus-horribilus-for-the-church/news-story/971ed327261e9ab2245a201cd725e919

'It saddens me and turns my stomach upside down.'

TWO LOCAL priests reflected with sadness on the history of child sexual abuse within Catholic institutions after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse presented its final report to the Governor General on Friday, December 15. After 54 years working as a Catholic priest in the Darling Downs and beyond, Fr Terry Hickling said the thought of abuse within the Church shocked and disappointed him.

https://www.warwickdailynews.com.au/news/local-priests-respond-to-abuse/3296735/

Opinion: Inquiry into abuse of children in state care long overdue

If Australia can do it so can we. It's not a job for the faint hearted and it'll take a few years if we want to do it justice - undertake a review of the care of children in state institutions. Australia's review took five years. The former prime minister Julia Guillard thought a review was warranted and long overdue. Her Government set up the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The upshot: It is not a case of a few "rotten apples". Society's major institutions have seriously failed, the report stated.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503435&objectid=11963892

Deafening Silence from Pope Francis as NY Catholic Leaders Ensure Rape Covered-Ups

Pope Francis is still silent as the Jonathan Carey Foundation has revealed a rape cover-up scandal far greater than the Catholic Church pedophile priest scandal We are at a defining moment in time to bring critical changes, we must protect our children and vulnerable people with disabilities. Leaders protecting sexual predators can no longer escape Justice.” — Michael Carey - Advocate for people with disabilities and their families ALBANY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, December 30, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The questions now are why is Pope Francis silent? Why is the Pope not taking emergency actions to protect disabled women and children worldwide and in New York State, many of whom are Catholic, from being raped by sexual predators within Church and government institutions? Why is Pope Francis silent regarding atrocities that continue in New York State that his Church leaders are involved in that he is aware of?

http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/423980591/deafening-silence-from-pope-francis-as-ny-catholic-leaders-ensure-rape-covered-ups

Abusive Priest Escapes Justice by Killing Himself Amid Police Investigation.

A Catholic priest who was being investigated for “questionable texts” and phone calls with a 16-year-old boy killed himself by jumping from a building on Wednesday, signaling there may be much more to this case.Rev. James Csaszar, who was also being investigated for misusing money from the Church of the Resurrection in the Columbus (Ohio) suburb of New Albany, jumped to his death from a room at the Aqua Hotel in Chicago. Previously, the Diocese had suspended him for “excessive and questionable” texts and phone calls with the young boy. Church officials also contacted the local police.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/12/24/abusive-priest-escapes-justice-by-killing-himself-amid-police-investigation/

Not the time: Bishop won’t comment on Royal Commission into abuse

BISHOP of Bathurst Michael McKenna plans to study the recommendations put forward from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse before having his say on them. The 409 recommendations, aimed at keeping children safe, were handed down in a 17-volume final report on December 15. Bishop McKenna, whose diocese includes Catholic parishes in Orange, Dubbo, Mudgee and Cowra, said it was not the right time to respond to the report’s recommendations

http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/5140092/not-the-time-bishop-wont-comment-on-royal-commission-into-abuse/

Indigenous culture has a part to play in protecting the next generation of children

For many people, and especially Aboriginal people, talking about sexual abuse is considered shameful. Since colonisation, Aboriginal children and girls have been vulnerable to rape and sexual abuse. According to UN Women, one in every three Indigenous women and girls is estimated to have been a victim of rape in her life. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse took evidence from Aboriginal people across Australia about their experiences of institutional child sexual assault. Only a few of the accounts of abuse given to the commission by Aboriginal people have resulted in police laying charges.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-21/forced-removal-aboriginal-children-at-all-time-high/9277170

Fallen Kings: How Cardinal Law's Reign Cemented The Church's Fading Power

When the cardinal's residence was built in the 1920s atop a hill in the leafy, most western outpost of Boston, it was modeled after an Italian palazzo. The grand mansion, replete with ornate mahogany and marble appointments, stood as a testament to the Boston Archdiocese's stature in the very Catholic city of Boston. Political candidates — local and national — would come calling, and even the pope came to visit. When Cardinal Bernard Law took up residence in the Renaissance Revival mansion, Boston's Roman Catholic movers and shakers would flock to the backyard for his garden party fundraisers.

https://www.npr.org/2017/12/23/572945832/fallen-kings-how-cardinal-laws-reign-cemented-the-church-s-fading-power

Abusive Priest Escapes Justice by Killing Himself Amid Police Investigation

A Catholic priest who was being investigated for “questionable texts” and phone calls with a 16-year-old boy killed himself by jumping from a building on Wednesday, signaling there may be much more to this case. Rev. James Csaszar, who was also being investigated for misusing money from the Church of the Resurrection in the Columbus (Ohio) suburb of New Albany, jumped to his death from a room at the Aqua Hotel in Chicago. Previously, the Diocese had suspended him for “excessive and questionable” texts and phone calls with the young boy. Church officials also contacted the local police.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/12/24/abusive-priest-escapes-justice-by-killing-himself-amid-police-investigation/

Sexual predator abused children — and treated priests who did the same

Long-hidden documents show how the same man, prominent Honolulu psychiatrist Dr. Robert Browne, played a central role in two of Hawaii's biggest sex abuse scandals. Browne is accused of sexually assaulting more than 30 former students at Kamehameha Schools over nearly three decades, from 1958 to 1985. And, the documents show, he was also treating Catholic priests in Hawaii who had been caught abusing children. Those priests weren't turned into the police, but were often instead sent for psychiatric treatment — to be "cured" of their pedophilia problem. Not surprisingly, one priest in particular who was getting therapy from Browne went on to molest kids for decades. 'I could not believe God allowed this to happen' For the dozens of Hawaii children who were sexually assaulted by men of the cloth, houses of worship became places of hell.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37095696/sexual-predator-abused-children-and-treated-priests-who-did-the-same

'He was evil': Sex abuse survivors slam Vatican over Bernard Law funeral

Washington: Survivors of clergy sexual abuse reacted with outrage after the Catholic Church honoured disgraced former Boston Archbishop Bernard Law with a full cardinal's funeral on Thursday. Law was honoured with the standard funeral Mass of cardinals who live at the Vatican, as he did. The ceremony did not include mention of his role in the Boston archdiocese sex abuse scandals that spanned decades and triggered a domino effect that saw similar scandals worldwide unmasked. Pope Francis led a short benediction at the service.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/he-was-evil-sex-abuse-survivors-slam-vatican-over-bernard-law-funeral-20171222-h09lwy.html?platform=hootsuite

Royal Commission: Former PM Julia Gillard says public wants action after five-year abuse inquiry

Community is "waiting and watching" to see responses to royal commission final report and recommendations REMOVING tax concessions to push “recalcitrant” churches to act on child sexual abuse reforms would have community support because “the public won’t tolerate” inaction after the five-year child abuse royal commission, said Julia Gillard on the eve of the commission’s final report.

http://www.victorharbortimes.com.au/story/5117717/julia-gillard-warns-the-public-wont-tolerate-inaction-on-royal-commission-report/?cs=7#slide=1

Concerns about the road ahead for survivors of child abuse

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold its last public hearing on Thursday, before the final report is handed to the Federal Government. But is there enough support for survivors after the inquiry comes to an end, and how can we ensure that child sexual abuse is a crime of the past? The World Today speaks to lawyer and victim advocate Dr Judy Courtin. Duration: 9min 3sec Broadcast: Tue 12 Dec 2017, 12:20pm

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/radio/local_sydney/audio/201712/twt-2017-12-12-judy-courtin.mp3

Protect children and help victims: group

The need for ongoing help for adult survivors of child sexual abuse is being overshadowed by necessary reforms to prevent others from becoming victims, a victims' advocate fears. In Good Faith Foundation CEO Helen Last says the child abuse royal commission has already helped lead to the strengthening of measures to protect children but she is concerned there is not as much focus on the adult victims of historical abuse.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-5168069/Protect-children-help-victims-group.html

Royal commission: Abuse still haunts Queensland man four decades on

Kelvin Johnston waited 40 years for his day of reckoning. It came in November this year when the school teacher who molested him while on a school camp, Wilfred Mentink, was thrown in jail. Mr Johnston, who was just 14 when he was sexually abused, said the vile acts he had to endure still haunt him to this day. His heart goes out to the thousands of child abuse victims hoping for justice today as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hands down its final report. "We want action. Really people have to take the attitude [that] it all starts now," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-15/four-decades-on-abuse-still-haunts-queensland-man/9260464

Catholic Bishops Tell Parents to Reject Their Trans Children, Because That’s Totally What Jesus Would Do

It’s almost Christmas time, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. (Well, okay, not really, but you know.) If you’re not up on Christ’s teachings, he was generally in favor of love and acceptance, and not so keen on rejecting folks. Sadly, it looks like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) need a bit of a refresher course. They just wrote an open letter where not only do the Catholic bishops reject trans people, but they urge the parents of trans kids to reject their children too.

https://hornetapp.com/stories/catholic-bishops-reject-trans-people/

Lawyers release report naming abusive priests to prompt victims to apply for diocese’s fund

A flock of legal eagles on Thursday released a list of Kings County’s most corrupt Catholic priests that they hope will encourage sexual-abuse victims to apply for compensation from the Diocese of Brooklyn before it’s too late, according to one of the lawyers. We’re hoping to raise awareness with this report about the Brooklyn Diocese, the availability of this program for survivors, and specifically that the clock is running and there’s a hard deadline,” said Jerry Kristal, who works for law firm Weitz and Luxenberg, which released the list as part of a multi-firm collective called Lawyers Helping Survivors of Child Sex Abuse.

https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/40/51/all-brooklyn-priest-sex-offender-list-2017-12-22-bk.html

Global effort to get kids out of orphanages gains momentum

Soft toys on the beds and posters on the walls. No more than three children to a room. One of the girls living in the four-bedroom house gushes about getting makeup for her birthday. In this group home on a leafy street in Bucharest, Romania's orphanage nightmares seem far away. The horror stories emerged quickly after the 1989 toppling of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu: shocking accounts of thousands of children beaten, starved and humiliated in overcrowded, underfunded state-run orphanages.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/12/19/global-effort-to-get-kids-out-orphanages-gains-momentum.html

Catholic priest released from jail, but has no apology for sexual assaults

A former Catholic priest who sexually assaulted young girls over three decades has been released from jail after spending four years behind bars. Now 81, he was freed at the earliest possible opportunity, but when confronted by Seven News there was no apology for his actions. His stint behind bars over, Finian Egan had ample opportunity to show his contrition but he did not say a word when confronted.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/38353019/catholic-pedophile-priest-released-from-jail

The Hurt Is Still There’: Abuse Survivors Grapple With Cardinal’s Death

BOSTON — News of the death of Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who failed to remove sexually abusive priests from the ministry when he was archbishop of Boston, drew a sulfurous outcry in his old archdiocese on Wednesday from survivors still in pain from having been betrayed by the church they trusted. “I hope the gates of hell are open wide to welcome him,” Alexa MacPherson, 42, said at a news conference. Another survivor, Robert Costello, 56, called the Catholic Church “the world’s largest pedophile ring.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/us/cardinal-law-omalley-boston-abuse-survivor.html?emc=edit_tnt_20171220&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y

Nothing sacred about Church confessional — not a damned thing

I was on the phone to a friend talking about a tricky dynamic she’d been trying to navigate between her and a colleague. My friend is strong, successful and capable. She is generous and kind, bloody hilarious and great with people in general. Still, she’d been having problems with a particular chap and couldn’t nail down why. She said part of it was his demeanour, the way he spoke to her, the way she felt belittled by him, but even that wasn’t enough to explain her overwhelming sense of paralysis and nausea.

https://thewest.com.au/opinion/gemma-tognini/nothing-sacred-about-church-confessional-not-a-damned-thing-ng-b88695065z

Bernard Law, Powerful Cardinal Disgraced by Priest Abuse Scandal, Dies at 86

Cardinal Bernard F. Law, whose stature as archbishop of Boston and America’s senior Roman Catholic prelate was shattered in a maelstrom of scandal, acrimony and resignation in 2002 after it was revealed that he had protected abusive priests for years, died on Wednesday in Rome. He was 86. The Vatican confirmed the death in a news release.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/obituaries/cardinal-bernard-law-dead.html?emc=edit_tnt_20171220&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y

Celibacy an evil ideal if child abuse a risk factor

IF you let Catholic priests have sex, will they be less likely to have sex with the wrong people? (And by wrong people, let’s be clear, we mean children. Wrong to the point of evil). There’s a long and twisted history to both celibacy and child sex abuse within the Church. We’re picking on the Catholics, here. But celibacy — abstaining from marriage and sex — is part of many religious traditions.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/rendezview/tory-shepherd-celibacy-an-evil-ideal-if-child-abuse-a-risk-factor/news-story/a6974837a16ec9e6c4b46256052f2ea2

The Catholic Church’s denial continues to run deep

LET’S open today with a confession. Sometimes when I’m in the city with a bit of time to spare before a meeting, I slip into St Stephen’s cathedral in Elizabeth St for a few minutes of quiet contemplation between the colonnades. I’m not even sure if you’d call it prayer as such but, regardless, that fragment of down time as the city bustles by outside I find both calming and buoying.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/rendezview/the-catholic-churchs-denial-continues-to-run-deep/news-story/d9fb9398d98fbd3855fa29fb22d240b6

The Case of Irene Garza & the Catholic Church

here was a recent episode of one of my favorite podcasts, My Favorite Murder episode 99: “Shin Kick,” which discussed the murder and case of Irene Garza, and instantly I thought, I need to write about this, but how? Well, life finds a way. Today, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse finished a 1,000-page report, filled with recommendations to the Church including that “Catholic priests should not be forced to live a life of celibacy, and the sanctity of the confessional should not prevent religious figures from reporting child sex abuse.” According to the findings by the Royal Commission, 61.8% of sexual abuse cases connected to religion came from the Catholic church.

http://en.brinkwire.com/23391/the-case-of-irene-garza-the-catholic-church/

Sexist blindness stands in the way of action on child abuse in the Church

When I was nine years old, and a year after my mother died, my father became a Catholic and my elder sister and I were also "received into the Church", as it was then described. The Church into which we were received was in many ways significantly different from most contemporary expressions of Catholicism. It was unashamedly exclusive, genuinely seeing itself as the One True Church and that all other Christian denominations were at best misguided. (My sister and I were re-baptised, just in case.) People of other faith traditions – including Christ's own Judaism – were generally quite profoundly misunderstood or pitied, or regarded as souls in need of conversion.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/sexist-blindness-stands-in-the-way-of-action-on-child-abuse-in-the-church-20171218-h06gja

Dedicated, overworked personnel sustain gov’t hospital’s program for abused women and children

Across from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH)’s emergency room, a large, green building leads to two special units designed to protect women and children. The bigger one is the Child Protection Unit (CPU), a two-story office complete with equipment, facilities and staff. Beside it, the smaller, cramped room called the Women’s Desk has only tables strewn with paperwork. Both serve as the Women and Children Protection Units (WCPUs) of the PGH, created under the 1997 Administrative Order 1-B, later repealed by the Women and Children Protection Program in 2013 to reinforce implementation.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/12/17/17/dedicated-overworked-personnel-sustain-govt-hospitals-program-for-abused-women-and-children

Hear the children's voices, honour their cries with action

And we will keep shouting from the rooftops and the airways... WE WILL NOT GO AWAY... Ann  
            =========================================================
"More than 15,000 survivors or their relatives have contacted the commission." Almost as soon as they can speak, children learn from the reactions of adults that speech has consequences. They try to work out what they should and should not say, when and to whom. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse calls for a systematic overhaul of structure and governance practices which allowed cultures of abuse to flourish. After far too many lost decades, some children - many of them now adults themselves - have had their say in the final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The commission acknowledged that thousands more remain silent, unable or unwilling to disclose what they went through. So now it is the adults' turn to speak up. The commission's recommendation that ministers of religion, out-of-home care workers, registered psychologists and school counsellors be placed under the same mandatory reporting laws as police, doctors and nurses when it comes to child sexual abuse should be a beacon to all of us: silence is no defence. We cannot pass by and hope someone else will see, and say. In this scenario, the responsibility is ours.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/hear-the-childrens-voices-honour-their-cries-with-action-20171218-h06fag.html

Judge tosses lawsuit against suspended priest

A lawsuit against a former Cambria County Catholic priest was tossed by a Blair County Judge on Friday because it didn’t fall within the state’s statute of limitations guidelines. In her ruling, Blair County Judge Jolene G. Kopriva called the two sisters’ claims “untimely” because they were filed more than three decades after incidents against them occurred. “At times we reach that point in law, owing either to binding precedent or statutory authority, where a wrong may regrettably have no redress,” the judge wrote, according to a story published in Sunday’s Altoona Mirror.

http://www.tribdem.com/news/judge-tosses-lawsuit-against-suspended-priest/article_9ef41162-e3a9-11e7-a2a4-5780921349b5.html

Broken Bay bishop warns of coming release of paedophile priest

THE Catholic bishop of Broken Bay has taken the unprecedented step of warning his parishioners of the impending release of a paedophile priest from jail. Finian Egan is due to be released from Long Bay Prison on parole tomorrow after serving four years of an eight-year sentence for the rape and abuse of young girls over three decades on NSW Central Coast and in Sydney.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/broken-bay-bishop-warns-of-coming-release-of-paedophile-priest/news-story/0cfc4de7929d25d25c216952dab8dec6#_=_

Scot stripped of MBE after sex abuse history revealed

AN “UPSTANDING citizen” given an MBE for services to a Scottish town has been stripped of the honour by the Queen after he was jailed for battering and sexually abusing children. Trevor Francis received his 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours award from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for his services to the community in Aberdour, Fife, where he worked as a station master for more than 20 years.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/890017/Sexual-abuse-Queen-Scot-stripped-MBE-after-sex-abuse-history-revealed

Child abuse: Shocking figures show worrying INCREASE of children in danger in Scotland

It comes as a major inquiry into alleged child sex trafficking of Roma children in Glasgow continues. The latest revelations from the charity NSPCC Scotland show that 265 cases were passed on to authorities in 2016/17, up from 187 in the previous year. There were also a further 167 contacts where helpline staff gave advice about sexual abuse against young people. The figures form part of a total of 4,677 referrals made UK-wide last year, up from 3,578 in 2015/16.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/893582/Scotland-child-abuse-reports-increase-Roma-children-Glasgow-NSPCC-MSP-Liam-McArthur

Ample lessons to be learned from Australian commission of inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse

EDITORIAL: The report of an Australian commission of inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse makes harrowing reading. It reveals systemic abuse so pervasive and widespread that the report describes it as a "national tragedy". New Zealanders as well as Australians should read this report – all 17 volumes of it. Our countries are culturally similar in many ways and we would be naive to think that the lessons (and 400 recommendations) that are now being absorbed in Australia would not apply here equally.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/99938214/ample-lessons-to-be-learned-from-australian-commission-of-inquiry-into-institutional-child-sexual-abuse

The Catholic Church must be forced to change, writes Susie O’Brien

CLERGY should not have to be celibate — it’s not natural, and it’s a key factor in the incidence of child abuse. It should also be illegal for priests not to report allegations of abuse made in the confessional to police. If they harbour abusers, then they should face criminal charges. CHURCH REJECTS KEY RECOMMENDATIONS BY ROYAL COMMISSION ROYAL COMMISSION CONCLUDES WITH WARNING: ABUSE STILL HAPPENING

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/susie-obrien/the-catholic-church-must-be-forced-to-change-writes-susie-obrien/news-story/be0f54722a9c3579f79f1771cdaa71b7

Survivors vow to replace Loud Fence ribbons removed from St Patrick’s Cathedral

They should stay on until every man and women who were abused as children are compensated... and helped in the many way in-which most their needs are seen to... then every one given an acknowledgment ... for the raped and abused which was done to them... a written and public apology for the world to see and witness... they need payment made as reparation for lost of their families... their children... and their injuries... Ann
                =========================================================
The very visible sign of Ballarat’s child sexual abuse history – the fluttering ribbons of the Loud Fence of St Patrick’s Cathedral – have been removed and placed in a reflection garden in the church grounds. On Sunday, about 60 parishioners removed the hundreds of ribbons that survivors had placed there from the early days of the Royal Commission hearings in to child sexual abuse in the Ballarat diocese. The removal of the ribbons drew mixed reactions from survivors and families, as did their placement in a glass-topped chest.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5126333/survivors-vow-to-replace-loud-fence-ribbons-removed-from-st-patricks-cathedral/

One step too far: the trigger that makes women walk out on abusive husbands

What a difference it makes when we listen. Actually listen. Thousands of heart-rending, vile stories have been aired at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, established by former prime minister Julia Gillard. Assault, rape, beatings, shame, cover up, police inadequacy and ignorance, poor mental health, suicides, a stubborn, ugly insistence on defending institutions' reputations, generational legacies, lives destroyed, families gutted, decades blotted with gut-wrenching pain. So much important, painstaking, difficult work remains to be done. But thank God we have at last listened to the survivors of child abuse.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/one-step-too-far-the-trigger-that-makes-women-walk-out-on-abusive-husbands-20171215-h055v5.html

The abused are many, and so are the dead, but do Church leaders really get it?

In politics, it is rare that a mechanism for unqualified good is put in place. A body called by the highly provisional title, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse, might have proved to have been a squib if not given appropriate powers and if not well-led. But it was given such powers, and like others, I was delighted to hear the Prime Minister refer to the completed hearings as "an outstanding exercise of love".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-16/tom-keneally-royal-commission-the-abused-are-many/9263368

Calls for New Zealand child abuse inquiry after damning Australian report

8,000 people gave testimony of abuse in religious institutions. Credits: Image: Getty; Video: Newshub An Australian Royal Commission into child abuse has found an overwhelming amount happened in faith-based institutions. The final report filled 17 volumes and detailed how institutions failed thousands of children in care. It's strengthened calls for New Zealand's Royal Commission Inquiry - however the Catholic Church has rejected several key recommendations.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/12/calls-for-new-zealand-child-abuse-inquiry-after-damning-australian-report.html

Scourge of child abuse is not limited to institutions

The final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is bracing reading for Australians and confronting for the nation. “Tens of thousands of children have been sexually abused in many Australian institutions,” it says. “We will never know the true number. Whatever the number, it is a national tragedy, perpetrated over generations within many of our most trusted institutions.” That this has happened in our midst is a fact of unspeakable evil and often a consequence of unforgivable inaction. Yet perhaps more chilling is the finding that this is not only historic. “Child sexual abuse in institutions continues today,” the commission found. “We were told of many cases of abuse that occurred in the last 10 to 15 years in a range of institutions, including schools, religious institutions, foster and kinship care, respite care, health and allied services, performing arts institutions, childcare centres and youth groups. We heard in private sessions from children as young as seven years of age who had been recently abused.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/scourge-of-child-abuse-is-not-limited-to-institutions/news-story/bf2b5dbe02f4c118c79071fdfc43a9f8

Vox Sentences: Don’t expect the Catholic Church to fix its sex abuse problem anytime soon

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what's happening in the world, curated by Ella Nilsen. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions. The FCC axes net neutrality rules, with dramatic implications for the internet as we know it; the Catholic Church gets called out in a damning new report about priest sex abuse scandals in Australia.

https://www.vox.com/vox-sentences/2017/12/15/16782548/vox-sentences-catholic-church-abuse-problem

Cuomo Must Resign Immediately

Powerful and wealthy people have protected Governor Andrew Cuomo and this is the only reason why he has been able to get away with protecting and shielding countless sexual predators for years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo must be stopped and held accountable for enabling sexual predators, pedophiles and rapists to continue to rape vulnerable women and children

http://www.military-technologies.net/2017/12/16/cuomo-must-resign-immediately-2/

The Case of Irene Garza & the Catholic Church

There was a recent episode of one of my favorite podcasts, My Favorite Murder episode 99: “Shin Kick,” which discussed the murder and case of Irene Garza, and instantly I thought, I need to write about this, but how? Well, life finds a way. Today, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse finished a 1,000-page report, filled with recommendations to the Church including that “Catholic priests should not be forced to live a life of celibacy, and the sanctity of the confessional should not prevent religious figures from reporting child sex abuse.” According to the findings by the Royal Commission, 61.8% of sexual abuse cases connected to religion came from the Catholic church.

https://www.themarysue.com/irene-garza-catholic-church/

Suburban man charged with sexually abusing children while working with Catholic group in South America

Jeffery Daniels left his native Peru in 2001, moved to the U.S., married and started a family, leaving behind the elite Catholic society he’d spent years with for a life in the quiet north Chicago suburb of Antioch. Now, in the wake of an explosive report issued earlier this year, Peruvian prosecutors have charged Daniels and three other men in connection with alleged sexual abuse that occurred at the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae in Lima.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-chicago-area-man-peru-child-sex-abuse-claim-20171214-story.html

Latest: Vatican responds to Australia child abuse report

Update 6pm: The Vatican has said the devastating report by Australia's Royal Commission into institutional sex abuse is "thorough" and deserves to be "studied seriously". In its first comments on the inquiry released on Friday, the Vatican said it was committed to helping Australian victims of paedophile priests find healing and justice.

Five-year Royal Commission into child abuse slams Catholic church in sweeping final report - and refers more than 2000 cases to police

The abuse royal commission has recommended a national memorial for child sex abuse survivors and a national strategy to prevent future abuse, including appointing a federal minister for children's issues. The $500 million, five-year royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse handed over its final 17-volume report on Friday, having heard harrowing evidence from thousands of survivors in numerous church, sporting, government and community organisations.

Catholic watchdog group exposes Hollywood sex abusers who also bashed Catholicism

In the wake of the ongoing sexual abuse crisis across media industries and in politics, a Catholic watchdog agency has released a list of those accused of sexual misconduct who also have a record of bashing Catholicism. “Many of those public figures who are now in the hot seat over allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as many of their enablers, have a record of bashing Catholicism,” the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights report states, “oftentimes for the sexual offenses of a tiny minority of priests.”

Coalition Calls On NYS GOP Senators To Pass Child Victims Act

A coalition of organizations, advocates, and sex abuse survivors from across New York has kicked off a campaign to extend the statute of limitations in New York for child sexual abuse crimes. The group hopes to convince Republican state senators to support the effort and began Wednesday at the district offices of two Hudson Valley senators. Marci Hamilton is CEO and academic director of Philadelphia-based CHILD USA, which aims to protect children from abuse and neglect. She is a founding member of New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators.

Child abuse inquiry sits for the last time

Justice Peter McClellan AM addressing the public hearing into the nature, cause and impact of sexual abuse (Case Study 57) during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual The commission has held private sessions with more than 6500 survivors and will hear from another 2000 people up until the time it hands over its final report in December. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Jeremy Piper The thousands of abuse survivors who came forward to give evidence of their suffering are being acknowledged for their strength and courage ahead of the final hearing of a royal commission. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold the half-hour sitting in Sydney on Thursday mark the end of the $500 million five-year inquiry set up under the Gillard Labor federal government.

Today is a landmark milestone for sexual abuse survivors

Overwhelming, intense and nerve-racking are some of the words used to describe what clergy abuse survivors may be feeling as they wait for a final report. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse officially concludes when the report and recommendations are delivered to the Governor General on Friday.

Stop child sex abuse by making celibacy optional for Catholic priests, Royal Commission recommends

Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse released a report on Friday (15 December), listing recommendations to the government and institutions in the country to curb sexual abuse of children. The results of the exhaustive five-year investigation paid special attention to testimonies by victims of abuse by clergy members of the Roman Catholic Church. The 21-volume report comprised 400 recommendations, including the idea of making celibacy for priests optional. It suggested that the Church in Australia make a plea to the Vatican to reassess rules regarding compulsory abstinence from sex for priests.

The child abuse commission didn't flinch. Can Australia show the same courage?

It’s huge. Don’t believe anyone who tells you they’ve already absorbed its lessons. Digesting the 17 volumes of the report of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse is a work in progress for the nation. It’s going to take time. Journalists and economists are given a head start on the Australian federal budget each year: a few hours’ lockup to help them get on top of the budget before it’s delivered. We – survivors, bishops, lawyers and journalists – should have been locked up with this for a week.

Sex abuse royal commission: Salvation Army's response to child sexual abuse 'appalling', commission finds

The Salvation Army's failure to respond appropriately and compassionately to victims of child sexual abuse was "appalling", the Royal Commission has found. Though the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard more allegations against the Catholic Church than any other organisation, it was followed by the Anglican Church, the Salvation Army, the Uniting Church and others, including contemporary out-of-home care in which the commission identified persistent weaknesses and failures that exist today.

Calls for priests to report abuse admissions made during confession

Australian child abuse victim advocates are welcoming a call for priests to start spilling what they hear at the confessional. The country's Royal Commission into institutional child abuse has wrapped up with nearly 60 recommendations aimed at churches in particular. Christine Foster started advocating for victims, after her two daughters were raped by a catholic priest in the 1980s.

Vatican should consider voluntary celibacy to cut child abuse risk: royal commission final report

Compulsory celibacy among Catholic priests contributed to child sexual abuse in Australia and local church leaders should ask the Vatican to consider introducing voluntary celibacy, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has recommended in its landmark final report. After five years, 444 days of public hearings and 8013 private sessions, the commission delivered its 17-volume final report in Canberra on Friday and set a six-month deadline for a response from government on 189 new recommendations.

Australia inquiry finds decades-long epidemic of child sexual abuse

A royal commission investigating the sexual abuse of children in Australia found Friday (Dec 15) that the nation was gripped by an epidemic dating back decades, with tens of thousands of children sexually abused in schools, religious organisations and other institutions. The commission, the highest form of investigation in Australia, urged the government to consider and respond to its conclusions and 189 recommendations, among them the establishment of a new National Office for Child Safety and penalties for those who suspect abuse and fail to alert the police, including priests who hear about abuse in confessionals.

They Promised Heaven But Led Me to Hell

What about the catholic church orphanages this is my story I have it coming out as an ebook with bookbaby... a must read for every one in new Zealand to read... as well as the world... they must know what us innocent children went through because of our mothers being Raped... and we were the devil's children who had to be punished... for our mothers sins as well as our own...

you think only of the state abused men and women and every time I see or read about this... it tears me apart to think that still after all of what us men and women have been through... that there is a very big path between us victim, survivors... just because of the different names of the orphanages. home and family homes...

Names of orphanages... home... and state home ... DO NOT CHANGE THE EXTENT AMOUNT OF THE ABUSE... WHICH WAS INFLICTED UPON THE INNOCENT CHILDREN IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HOMES AND ORPHANAGES WORLDWIDE...

Do I have to have a drink or two before I can write what exactly what I mean... about the difference between us abused children for this Royal Commission Inquiry in New Zealand... the Sate Government children run homes... it should be for ALL OF THE CHILDREN not just for the state...
Please help ALL OF US MEN AND WOMEN WHO WERE ABUSED AS CHILDREN... we all need help... I need help right now and have for years... abuse never leaves you...

WHY HAVE YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN TURNED YOU BACK ON US FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ORPHANAGES?... Ann Free Spirit =  Ann Thompson

https://www.facebook.com/theypromisedheavenbutledmetohell/ 

Protect children and help victims: group

When you don't get the right sort of help you stay forever the Victim... we need to talk about the abuse... which happened to us as children in all walks of life... we need to turn the Victim word around to Survivor... and then we will be able to start to heal... I started my long joinery in 1993... so many ups and downs... I was blaming myself still even today... it creeps over you like a dark shadow ready to take over your mind... the worst was talking to the wrong people... who turned a deaf eye and their backs to me... which was the catholic church my abusers... and still all that I saw from them was not help... but their backs... 
I went to the church first because I wanted them to see and hear about the damage... the humiliation of my person... that the priest and nuns had caused me personally... my healing is far from over... in 2016 I found a lovely support person an ACC counselor... who lets me talk until I am all out of words... and I found that way... was the only way in-which... I could release all that had imprison my wee mind as a child... in the clouds of poison toxic ...which had taken over my young life as a little 18month old baby... and through-out the many year up to the present days... I can now at long last call myself a Survivor... not a Victim... but still a long way from the real person that I want to be... that is free from pain and torment...   Ann 

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

The need for ongoing help for adult survivors of child sexual abuse is being overshadowed by necessary reforms to prevent others from becoming victims, a victims' advocate fears. In Good Faith Foundation CEO Helen Last says the child abuse royal commission has already helped lead to the strengthening of measures to protect children but she is concerned there is not as much focus on the adult victims of historical abuse.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-5168069/Protect-children-help-victims-group.html

4,444 vitcims: The travesty of sexual abuse in Australia’s Catholic Churches

Four thousand four hundred and forty four cases of sexual abuse in 35 years. The number is astounding. So much abuse, so many lives tormented. These numbers come from recently released information about Australia’s Catholic archdiocese. From the Guardian: Seven per cent of Australia’s Catholic priests were accused of abusing children in the six decades since 1950, according to new data from the royal commission.

https://toysoldier.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/4444-vitcims-the-travesty-of-sexual-abuse-in-australias-catholic-churches/

The sex abuse royal commission went to some dark places — here's some of what it found

Case studies including horrific stories of abuse were aired during public hearings held by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse from September 2013 to March 2017. After five years of emotionally exhausting and confronting public hearings, the Commission will hand its report to the Governor-General this Friday. What you need to know: Most of the 57 case studies related to particular organisations and institutions, while others looked at broader issues like redress and civil litigation, criminal justice, out-of-home care and the harmful sexual behaviours of children in schools. Over 400 hearing days, 1,200 witnesses gave evidence. It was impossible for the Commission to hold hearings into all the institutions raised by survivors in private sessions. Instead, the Commission chose case studies by looking at how many people had reported abuse in a particular institution or group of institutions; the availability of witnesses and documents; whether the case raised systemic issues; the need to cover a range of institutions and the requirement hearings be held in all states and territories. The hearings were broadcast live online, giving everyone the chance to follow the Commission's work whether it was sitting in a capital city or regional centre.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-14/royal-commission-child-sex-abuse-case-studies/9250972

Catholic school teacher accused of abusing student in the '90s

A Catholic school teacher has been accused of repeatedly raping and sexually molesting a student from 1994 to 1996, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday in local court. Michael J. Unpingco, a teacher at San Vicente Catholic School in Barrigada, allegedly sexually abused and molested a plaintiff identified in court documents only as S.L.H. to protect his privacy. The student asked the math teacher to stop abusing him, but Unpingco would allegedly make S.L.H. feel guilty by saying he should permit the abuses because of the personal favors he did for him, the lawsuit says.

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2017/12/14/catholic-school-teacher-accused-abusing-student-90-s/951004001/

Gerald Ridsdale victims battle for compo

Victims of Australia’s worst pedophile priest, Gerald Ridsdale, are still locked in highly contested court battles with the Catholic Church despite Truth Justice Healing Council guidelines which urge compassion and decry making victims prove facts the church knows are true. Lawyers for the diocese of Ballarat and its Bishop Paul Bird are contesting a Supreme Court compensation claim brought by a woman whom Ridsdale has ­already pleaded guilty to abusing.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/gerald-ridsdale-victims-battle-for-compo/news-story/f28b83710aa230d8a29b328ee453437f

Horrifying evidence from former orphans of North Coast Children's Home

The royal commission's third public hearing has heard confronting testimony from those who grew up in the Lismore children's home which was run by the Anglican Church between the 1940s and 1980s. Former residents described humiliation, deprivation and arbitrary punishment by staff, as well as sexual abuse at the hands of clergy. Transcript icon-minus MARK COLVIN: The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard horrific personal accounts from former residents of the New South Wales North Coast Children's Home.

http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/pm/horrifying-evidence-from-former-orphans-of-north/5100400

Undeniable: The advocates and agitators who fought for justice

As the royal commission into child abuse prepares to report back to government this week, we highlight the courageous individuals who took on powerful institutions to help expose a national shame. Suburban Melbourne parents Chrissie and Anthony Foster learned in the 1990s that two of their daughters, Emma and Katie, were raped by their local priest, Father Kevin O'Donnell. Emma began harming herself after the trauma forced upon her. Teenage Katie got drunk to avoid her haunting memories and was hit by a car, leaving her permanently disabled.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-12/undeniable-the-people-behind-the-child-abuse-royal-commission/9222566

The key events that led to the child abuse royal commission

The advocates and agitators who fought for child abuse survivors Map: Ballarat 3350 After five years of emotionally exhausting and confronting public hearings, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is about to hand its report to the Governor-General. Here are some of the key events that led to the pivotal national inquiry.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-12/royal-commission-child-sexual-abuse-timeline/9222816

'We were little slaves': Child abuse survivors share stories ahead of royal commission findings

Dallas Phillips describes her childhood in Western Australia as akin to slavery. It began in the Wheatbelt town of Goomalling, where the Noongar woman was beaten by a local priest. "I still see him in my sleep. He was a really, really bad man," she said. She acted out against the abuse and was sent to the Benedictine Community of New Norcia, about an hour's drive away.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-14/wa-child-abuse-survivors-tell-of-hell-on-earth/9256606

Abuse survivors say journey isn't over yet

Survivors of institutional child abuse say they've shed tears, demons and much shame during a long-running royal commission, and now they want action. As the five-year $500 million inquiry wrapped up in Sydney on Thursday a collection of more than 1000 messages from survivors was handed to the National Library of Australia. The book, which counsel assisting Gail Furness said was too heavy to lift, tells a story of stolen childhoods, painful confrontations and inspiring resilience by its anonymous contributors.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/12/14/12/17/abuse-survivors-journey-isn-t-over-yet

UPDATE 2-Peru prosecutor probing alleged abuse seeks to jail Catholic society founder

A public prosecutor in Peru is seeking the pre-trial detention of Luis Figari, founder of an elite Catholic society who is accused of sexually and physically abusing children and former members of the group, the attorney for the victims of the alleged abuse told Reuters on Wednesday. The prosecutor will ask a judge to order Figari and three other former leaders of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae to spend up to nine months in jail ahead of trial, said Hector Gadea.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/peru-religion-abuse/update-2-peru-prosecutor-probing-alleged-abuse-seeks-to-jail-catholic-society-founder-idUKL1N1OD1FG

‘It was us against everyone’: how abuse survivors will keep pushing for change

Manny Waks, a survivor of sexual abuse who exposed crimes against children that occurred within the secretive Jewish Yeshivah community, describes the work of the child abuse royal commission as “life-saving” and “life-changing”. On Thursday morning the six royal commissioners led by Justice Peter McClellan will sit for a final time in front of abuse survivors and advocates, many of whom followed the commission’s work around the country. Guardian Australia spoke to Waks and other advocates and experts about the commission’s work over the past five years and what they hope will change once its work is done.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/14/it-was-us-against-everyone-how-abuse-survivors-will-keep-pushing-for-change

Kristine Ward, 'moral advocate for survivors' of abuse, remembered

A memorial Mass Dec. 9 in Dayton, Ohio, will remember Kristine Ward, a lay Catholic compelled by the Boston Globe's 2002 clergy sex abuse investigations to become a prominent advocate for survivors. Ward died Nov. 9 after a years-long battle with cancer. The Mass will take place at Queen of Martyrs Church, in Dayton, followed by a celebration of life reception.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/kristine-ward-moral-advocate-survivors-abuse-remembered

Brexit: An Australian perspective

Thomas More lived in an era when Europe was called Christendom. The Catholic Church, under the monarchical, albeit not hereditary, authority of the papacy exercised legislative, executive and judicial power over most of the territory over which the European Union exercises such authority today. The matters that are now regarded as appropriate for such supra-national jurisdiction are primarily economic. In the 16th century, the centralised institutions were little concerned with trade or competition policy and the like. They focused on religious observance, health, education, tourism – then called pilgrimage – and the regulation of much of social life.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/brexit-australian-perspective

Mistrial Avoided in Former Priest’s Murder Case

An expert witness’s brief mention of John Feit’s 1960 polygraph during testimony in the former Catholic priest’s murder case is not enough to declare a mistrial, a Texas judge ruled from the bench Wednesday. Hidalgo County Judge Luis Singleterry said Wednesday morning that he has no reason to believe that the witness, researcher Richard Sipe, acted in bad faith when he told jurors that he had reviewed the ex-priest’s 1960 polygraph.

https://www.courthousenews.com/mistrial-avoided-in-former-priests-murder-case/

Church revealed for all its 'hypocrisy and self-interest, says Australian abuse council head

Francis Sullivan, the chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council that was set up to coordinate the Catholic Church’s response to the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse, has said the Church “has scandalised the faithful and those who rely on it as a moral compass and prudent guide”. He made the statement in his regular blog, after speaking to the Australian bishops' plenary meeting in Sydney last week. The Royal Commission’s final report, to be delivered on 15 December, will make recommendations that aim to support and inform the Australian government, institutions and the general public in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in institutional contexts.

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/8194/0/church-revealed-for-all-its-hypocrisy-and-self-interest-says-australian-abuse-council-head

An update from Bishop Vincent Long about the Royal Commission

Dear friends, Re: Royal Commission Update The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will shortly release its final findings on public hearings, and its recommendations, related to the Catholic Church in Australia. These case studies included evidence around the pain and hurt that was inflicted upon victims of abuse by Church authorities, including Diocese of Parramatta personnel.

https://catholicoutlook.org/update-bishop-vincent-long-royal-commission/

'Catastrophic failure' of Catholic Church leadership in Ballarat caused 'irreparable suffering': royal commission

The Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse has released a damning report into the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, describing its handling of clergy child sex abuse as a "catastrophic failure of leadership". The commissioners found a culture of secrecy and failures in the church's structure led to children being abused across the diocese over a number of decades.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-06/royal-commission-report-on-ballarat-archdiocese/9231832

Royal Commission into Child Abuse: ‘Forgotten Australians’ call for day of recognition

RAY Leary and his brother Ken are “forgotten Australians”. They’re part of a generation of children — approximately half a million boys and girls — removed from their homes by the police and courts and institutionalised between the 1920s and 80s, where an overwhelming number of children suffered physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of their supposed carers.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/royal-commission-into-child-abuse-forgotten-australians-call-for-day-of-recognition/news-story/ccff8cca899f7d351fbbc66f6c6c2357

Royal Commission: Former PM Julia Gillard says public wants action after five-year abuse inquiry Joanne McCarthy

Community is "waiting and watching" to see responses to royal commission final report and recommendations REMOVING tax concessions to push “recalcitrant” churches to act on child sexual abuse reforms would have community support because “the public won’t tolerate” inaction after the five-year child abuse royal commission, said Julia Gillard on the eve of the commission’s final report.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5117717/julia-gillard-warns-the-public-wont-tolerate-inaction-on-royal-commission-report/?cs=7

Grappling with Rome: David Marr's lessons from the royal commission

In the squalid history of the Catholic church’s part in the sexual abuse of children, the only law that really counted was the Vatican’s. As Australia’s massive public inquiry into the scandal delivers its final report, has that changed? by David Marr When I grew up on the sheltered Protestant north shore of Sydney one of the givens about the Catholic church was that when push came to shove it would obey Rome rather than the law.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/13/grappling-with-rome-david-marrs-lessons-from-the-royal-commission

Church of England draws flak for refusing to scrap confessional secrecy amidst sex abuse scandal

The Church of England has come under fire for refusing to do away with the secrecy of the sacrament of the confession after claims that it has covered up the sex abuse acts of some of its ministers. Vicars who hear confessions about a serious crime hold back from telling the police what they have learned because of ancient laws governing the privacy of the sacrament. However, senior figures have been pushing clergy to scrap the secrecy in light of claims that the Church of England repeatedly covered up sex abuse acts done by ministers, The Daily Mail detailed.

http://www.christiandaily.com/article/church-of-england-draws-flak-for-refusing-to-scrap-confessional-secrecy-amidst-sex-abuse-scandal/61617.htm

Undeniable: Politicians must 'resist religious influence' when child abuse royal commission makes recommendations

Justice for survivors of child sexual abuse now hangs on the courage of politicians to resist religious influence and self-interest when acting on the royal commission's recommendations, according to a ground-breaking former Victorian MP. More than 1,300 witnesses 8,000 private sessions of personal accounts from survivors "It's over to you. You are the ones directly responsible," Ann Barker said in a message to parliamentarians across the nation.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-13/child-abuse-royal-commission-church-forces-cant-dilute-response/9222662

Catholic Church Ballarat Diocese looks toward change after Royal Commission

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to hear Anne Levey has not stepped foot inside a Catholic church for more than two years.
Her son Paul’s tale of being sent to live with notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale in Mortlake in the mid-1970s was among the most harrowing heard across more than two years of testimony.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5110021/an-institution-in-crisis-where-to-now-for-ballarats-catholic-church/ 

From an empty shell, survivors ready to take on next chapter

For Gary Sculley, a world of complete evil has become a little brighter because he now knows there are good people out there. That has been the power of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
It is nearing two years since Mr Sculley first broke his silence publicly on the horror disgraced paedophile Christian Brother Gerald Leo Fitzgerald inflicted on him at St Alipius Boys School in Ballarat.

http://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/5110505/from-an-empty-shell-survivors-ready-to-take-on-next-chapter/?cs=7 

Gender of claimants by Catholic Church authority type

Catholic Church authority type Male (%) Female (%)
Archdioceses/dioceses 66 34
Male religious institutes (religious brother members only)
97 3
Male religious institutes (priest members only) Male religious institutes (priest and religious brother members)
69
81
31
19
Female religious institutes 42 58
48. The average age of the claimant at the time of the first alleged incident of child sexual abuse
was:
a.     11.4 years of age for all claimants
b.     10.5 years of age for females
c.     11.6 years of age for males.

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/gender_of_claimants_by_catholic_church_authority_type.pdf

She went to confession in 1960 and vanished. The priest was her killer

For more than five decades, the black-and-white image of Irene Garza has haunted the US town of McAllen, Texas, her story painfully recounted again and again.
She was a 25-year-old dark-haired former beauty queen, her high school's first Latina drum majorette, the first in her family to graduate from college. She was named Miss All South Texas Sweetheart, and worked as a teacher for disadvantaged children.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/99698821/she-went-to-confession-in-1960-and-vanished-the-priest-was-her-killer 

Bishop who convinced men to strip naked and pray wants to join Bristol's Catholic diocese

A disgraced former Church of England bishop who was jailed for sexual abuse wants to switch faiths so he can "live and worship in anonymity".
Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, has asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in Bristol, a spokesman for the Church confirmed.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bishop-who-convinced-men-strip-894662 

Disgraced sex abuse bishop trying to hide

A FORMER Church of England bishop who was jailed for sexual abuse, and his twin brother, want to switch faiths so they can “live and worship in anonymity”.
Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, has asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton, in Bristol, a spokesman for the Church confirmed.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/NEWS/15708259.Disgraced_sex_abuse_bishop_trying_to_hide/ 

Father Roy Moore would be suspended

I never thought that anyone could be more stupid than the U.S. Catholic bishops in dealing with sexual abuse of minors, but the Republican Party has done it.
Before the sex abuse crisis began to be exposed by the National Catholic Reporter in the mid-1980s, bishops would move an abusive priest to another parish and try to cover up the crime. This does not happen today. Now any accusation is referred to the police and, if the accusation is credible, the priest is suspended until an investigation has taken place.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/signs-times/father-roy-moore-would-be-suspended 

South West Centre Against Sexual Assault the trauma of abuse is ongoing

THE trauma of Warrnambool children abused by the Catholic Church is ongoing and should never be forgotten, according to the boss of the South West Centre Against Sexual Assault.
The comments by centre manager Mary Clapham come after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Assault released a scathing report which condemned the church’s Ballarat diocese leaders, who were responsible for parishes across the region.

http://www.standard.net.au/story/5108713/south-west-victims-continue-to-live-with-the-trauma-of-abuse/?cs=72 

Archbishop accused of hiding abuse claims

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has been accused of covering up child sex abuse by the Catholic clergy for nearly three decades.
Crown prosecutor Gareth Harrison told the Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday that Wilson had allegedly been involved in a number of cases where he had tried to prevent abuse claims being reported to police from between 1976 and 2004 to protect the Catholic Church.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/12/06/10/03/adelaide-archbishop-fit-to-stand-trial 

Catholic Church moved priests, allowing pedophiles to target more children

The Catholic Church's catastrophic and inexcusable failures to deal with pedophiles in its ranks in Australia led to more children being sexually abused by its Ballarat clergy, a royal commission has found.
Protecting the church's reputation and avoiding scandal drove the Diocese of Ballarat's handling of abuse complaints spanning at least three decades, the inquiry has found in its report released today.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11954518 

Catholic abuse report findings to be released

The prime minister and premiers must act now to ensure reforms recommended by the child sexual abuse royal commission are not shelved or lost in politics, a key Catholic Church adviser says.
The church's Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan has called on Malcolm Turnbull and state and territory leaders to immediately set up a COAG committee to implement the recommendations in the inquiry's final report, which will be released on Friday.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/politics/federal/2017/12/11/catholic-abuse-report-findings-to-be-released.html 

Caldey Island: police investigate second man over sexual abuse claims

Detectives are investigating a second man over accusations of sexual abuse on Caldey Island after it was revealed that a Cistercian monk allegedly abused at least 11 girls in the 1970s and 80s.
Police said the alleged assault took place at about the same time, and the accused was visiting the island off Tenby in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/23/caldey-island-police-investigate-second-man-sexual-abuse-allegations 

Paedophile priest Peter Searson worked under various bishops, including George Pell

y a Broken Rites researcher, article updated 5 December 2017
For years, the Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese knew that Father Peter Searson was committing sexual offences against boys, girls and women but he was allowed to continue in parishes, including at the Doveton parish (in Melbourne's south-east), where he survived for years under the supervision of the regional bishop for the south-eastern suburbs, Auxiliary Bishop George Pell. The Victoria Police investigated Searson for sexual offences in parishes but found it difficult to extract evidence from "loyal" church people. Eventually, after 35 years as a priest, the police managed to charge Searson with physical assault. Thus, Searson's abuse thus became public. The church authorities were forced to dump Searson from parish work. Hoping to protect the church's public image, the church also removed his name from the published list of retired priests.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/19 

Why Australia's royal commission on child sexual abuse had to happen – explainer

The inquiry which investigated decades of sexual abuse in institutions delivers its final report on 15 December   • The Reckoning, part 1: David Marr on the road to the royal commission

What is the royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse?  The royal commission delivers its final report to the Australian governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove, on 15 December, after five years’ work. 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/11/why-australias-royal-commission-on-child-sexual-abuse-had-to-happen-explainer

Victims fear abuse report will be shelved

Child abuse victims and their advocates fear the $500 million royal commission's final report will be shelved and they may face a battle to get governments and institutions to act.While survivors are grateful their voices have finally been heard and cover-ups exposed, there are concerns over what happens after the five-year inquiry ends on Friday.

https://thewest.com.au/politics/law-and-order/victims-fear-abuse-report-will-be-shelved-ng-s-1807852 

Report gives Ballarat abuse survivors ‘ultimate confirmation’ of failures

Witnesses at the Ballarat hearings will never forget the testimony of brave adult men as they recalled the horrific abuse they suffered as children in Catholic schools, choirs and orphanages.

Many shook violently and sobbed as they recalled in fine detail the beatings, the psychological terror and the vile sexual attacks all endured at the hands of the supposedly good men of the cloth.  

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/12/06/ballarat-abuse-report/

The Long Shadow of Childhood Trauma

A new study suggests that stress experienced early in life damages the ability to assess risk, creating young adults with poor decision-making skills.
Punishment—or the threat of it—is generally considered an effective way to shape human behavior; it is, after all, the foundation of our criminal justice system. But what if there’s a subset of the population for whom this paradigm simply doesn’t apply? New research suggests that there is such a group: survivors of childhood trauma.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/12/the-long-shadow-of-childhood-trauma/547388/ 

Hundreds of charges from abuse inquiry

Hundreds of people may be charged with child abuse thanks to a royal commission that advocates say has already helped victims achieve some justice by uncovering the truth.
The five-year inquiry has referred 2559 matters to the authorities, mostly the police. So far 204 prosecutions have been commenced. Hundreds more are currently under investigation and hundreds are awaiting investigation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-5163937/Hundreds-charges-abuse-inquiry.html 

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says Trump's accusers 'should be heard'

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, says the women who have accused US President Donald Trump of touching or groping them without their consent "should be heard".
Haley's comments, made on CBS' Face the Nation, diverged from the White House position on the more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of misconduct.
Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said the White House's position is that the women are lying and that the American people settled the issue by electing Trump despite the accusations.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/donald-trumps-america/99743899/us-ambassador-to-the-united-nations-nikki-haley-says-trumps-accusers-should-be-heard 

Archbishop Philip Wilson was 'shocked' when told of sexual abuse claims in 1970s, court told

Then why did you NOT do anything about it... but covered it up... you walked away from the sufferings of the children... the children were the little soldiers of Jesus Christ... you took from us little children... the most important part of Spirit.... Our Faith... was taken away from us... the first time we were raped by God's brides and servants nuns and priest... THAT is what hurt us the most...  Ann

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The man who claims his child sexual abuse was covered up by the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, has told a court his claims shocked the clergyman four decades ago.

Peter Creigh has asked for a non-publication order on his name to be lifted, with Newcastle Local Court told he was ready to have his identity revealed.
Archbishop Wilson is accused of covering up abuse by Hunter Valley priest Jim Fletcher, who is now dead, in the 1970s.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-07/philip-wilson-trial-accuser-allows-identity-to-be-revealed/9235304