The Bulletin: Bleak task ahead for Oranga Tamariki inquiries

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Third Oranga Tamariki inquiry announced, Herald highlights iniquities in health sector, and significant new claims around Operation Burnham. A third inquiry into Oranga Tamariki has been announced, and this one looks like being the most significant.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/20-06-2019/the-bulletin-bleak-task-ahead-for-oranga-tamariki-inquiries/

Whistleblower Claims Rector of Washington, D.C. Basilica Is a Member of the 'Gay Mafia'

Vatican whistleblower Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò claimed over the weekend that while he was the papal nuncio to the United States, he saw "documentation" alleging that the rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., sexually molested male students at the Catholic University of America.

https://pjmedia.com/faith/vigano-rector-of-washington-d-c-basilica-msgr-walter-rossi-is-a-member-of-the-gay-mafia/ 

'Secret' Catholic files called key to exposing the full clergy abuse scandal

Bruce Novozinsky says he was a 16-year-old seminary student when his longtime parish priest, the Rev. Gerry Brown of St. Mary of the Lake in Lakewood abused him and attempted to rape him. "It cost me part of my youth, my trust in those who I was taught to trust, and decades of my life" said Novozinsky, an Upper Freehold resident.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2019/06/19/secret-catholic-files-called-key-exposing-full-abuse-scandal-victims-priests/1327728001/ 

Birmingham Archdiocese 'ignored abuse to protect reputation'

Children could have been saved from abuse if the Church had focused less on its reputation, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has said. More than 130 allegations of abuse were made against 78 individuals associated with Birmingham's Catholic Church.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-48703484 

Editorial: Call 911, not the church

New Zealand call 111 the police... NOT THE PRIEST or the catholic church... everything will go to rome and that will be the end you will hear... Ann ============================================== 

Archbishop Jose H. Lopez, left, of Los Angeles and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, conduct a meeting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last fall. The bishops have announced an insufficient plan to police themselves on matters involving sexual abuse. Catholic bishops came out last week with their plan to deal with bishops who commit or cover up sexual abuse. Their idea is that they will watch each other, and it is wholly insufficient.

https://buffalonews.com/2019/06/21/editorial-call-911-not-the-church/ 

Vatican abuse investigator: ‘You never get used to it, you feel your heart and soul hurting’

In a remarkably frank and detailed speech, the Vatican official heading the department charged with reviewing clergy sexual abuse allegations told an assembly of Catholic journalists that his investigators and the press “share the same goal, which is the protection of minors, and we have the same wish to leave the world a little better than how we found it.”

 https://grandinmedia.ca/vatican-abuse-investigator-never-used-ti-it/

Catholic Church Hypocrisy: Vows to fight child abuse yet lobbies for statute of limitations on child abuse cases

New York: In a sensational three-page report released last week the Roman Catholic Church has spent over USD 10 million on lobbying in eight Northeastern states in the US since 2011 at thwarting legislation that would extend or waive the statutes of limitation for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

https://goachronicle.com/catholic-church-hypocrisy-vows-to-fight-child-abuse-yet-lobbies-for-statute-of-limitations-on-child-abuse-cases/ 

How priests played with a woman’s emotions

Finally we have another true and interesting story between priests and a woman. Please read carefully. We have to remember that we are not gods. There is no room for judging. Hopefully it will enlighten other women to come forward with their story. Our blog’s main aim is to tell more people that what happened in secrecy to your private and personal life, is not just you.

https://maltesemarriedcatholicpriest.wordpress.com/2019/06/24/how-priests-played-with-a-womans-emotions/

Presence of disgraced cardinals at ordination of new bishop causes uproar in Chile

After Pope Francis accepted the resignation of one of the two newly appointed auxiliary bishops of Santiago, Chile before his episcopal ordination, the second auxiliary’s ordination, in Rome, was tainted by the presence of two disgraced former archbishops of the Chilean capital.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2019/06/24/presence-of-disgraced-cardinals-at-ordination-of-new-bishop-causes-uproar-in-chile/ 

Guam's clergy sex abuse claims now exceed 220, with 2 months to go before filing deadline

With barely two months to go before the Aug. 15 deadline to file claims against the Archdiocese of Agana, the number of childhood sexual abuse allegations made against Guam's clergy and others associated with the Catholic Church have exceeded 220. These numbers do not include a church-related libel case and two childhood abuse cases that did not involve the archdiocese.

https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2019/06/23/guam-clergy-sex-abuse-claims-above-200-two-months-ahead-deadline/1543648001/
 

New Pa. court ruling may help older clergy abuse claims proceed

A Pennsylvania court has ruled that an evolving legal landscape means a woman can pursue her lawsuit claiming officials in the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese worked to conceal her alleged molestation by a priest. A three-judge Superior Court panel Tuesday reinstated Renee Rice's lawsuit alleging the diocese and two bishops illegally tried to cover it up to protect their reputations and that of the parish priest she claims abused her.

https://www.readingeagle.com/ap/article/new-court-ruling-may-help-older-clergy-abuse-claims-proceed 

Advocates dissatisfied with bishops' abuse plan

Under intense public pressure, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops approved new steps this week to deal more strongly with the clergy sex-abuse crisis. But activists and others say the moves leave the bishops in charge of policing themselves and potentially keep law enforcement at arm's length. As their national meeting in Baltimore concluded

http://www.journalgazette.net/features/faith/20190614/advocates-dissatisfied-with-bishops-abuse-plan

Catholic Church sex abuse memorial reinstated as survivors call for meeting with Bishop

The head of the Catholic Church in Auckland has called on parishioners to respect child sex abuse memorial ribbons after abuse survivors raised concerns. The destruction of a "Loud Fence" memorial outside an Onehunga church on June 1 sparked claims of re-victimisation from a survivors' group, which said the church continued to minimise or misunderstand the gravity of past abuse.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/113474166/catholic-church-sex-abuse-memorial-reinstated-as-survivors-call-for-meeting-with-bishop 

Trial date set for Argentine priests accused of abusing deaf children

Two priests accused of sexually abusing minors at a school for deaf children in Argentina will stand trial Aug. 5. The priests and a former employee at the Antonio Provolo institute will face charges of the abuse of more than 20 children, the AP noted. One of the priests involved is Fr. Nicola Corradi, who is a member of the Company of Mary, an Italian religious community which operates schools for deaf children in several countries, including Argentina and Italy.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/trial-date-set-for-argentine-priests-accused-of-abusing-deaf-children-45171

2 Catholic orders name 65 priests accused or convicted of abuse; 27 served in Arizona

Two Catholic religious orders recently released lists naming 65 clergy accused of sexual abuse against minors dating back decades; 27 of the men served in Arizona. The newly released information comes as American bishops met this week in Baltimore for a conference that focused on how to respond to the church's sex-abuse crisis, which has increasingly caught the attention of state prosecutors across the U.S.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/06/15/2-catholic-orders-release-names-who-served-arizona-accused-child-sex-abuse/1435770001/ 

Trauma has no Timeline

To where shall our money go? If you have followed some of the recent scandal news that broke this week, involving bishops, money and the statute of limitations, you may find the reaction to that news surprising. Some were angered, some questioned why spend money on something like that and then some found themselves asking why people wait so long to go to authorities.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/steelmagnificat/2019/06/trauma-has-no-timeline/ 

Pope Francis’ Arch Nemesis Comes Out of Hiding to Slam Him on Predator Priests

The archbishop who once called on the pope to resign now says the pope is a liar who needs to repent. There are few scandals in the sordid history of the American Catholic church more painful than the saga of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a high-ranking prince of the church who fell from grace amid a slew of lies and cover-ups.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/pope-francis-arch-nemesis-carlo-maria-vigano-comes-out-of-hiding-to-slam-him-on-predator-priests 

Another Voice: Catholic schools need supporters to keep the faith

It was not surprising to read the recent Buffalo News headline, “Unhappy Buffalo Catholics are giving less.” It was sad. Not surprising. Certainly understandable. Catholic leadership continues to struggle to regain the trust of the faithful. Clergy abuse is a horrific crime. The associated cover-ups are criminal as well.

https://buffalonews.com/2019/06/17/another-voice-catholic-schools-need-supporters-to-keep-the-faith/ 

Bp. Strickland demands that laypeople be allowed to investigate abuser bishops

Bishop Joseph Strickland called for the U.S. bishops to support proposed efforts before them to reveal specifics related to the scandal surrounding disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. McKnight had said, “I believe it should be mandatory that we involve laity in the investigation of any case of sexual abuse by a bishop or corruption, cover-up.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bp-strickland-demands-that-laypeople-be-allowed-to-investigate-abuser-bishops 

We the People Have Brought Garcetti’s Plague on Ourselves

These people generally feel that everything has a good and noble purpose even if we cannot divine it. Other people are non-teleological and believe there is no pre-set objective. Rather, what happens today was caused by what happened yesterday and all the prior yesterdays and the same pattern will determine the future. While goodness is not inherent in the nature of things, they believe that they can impose truth, justice, and prosperity on society. Some call it, Tikkun Olam, helping to create the world.

https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/los-angeles/17857-we-the-people-have-brought-garcetti-s-plague-on-ourselves 

The Catholic Church Still Isn’t There on Abuse Prevention

RAPE is a CRIME report this vile crime to the police... and there you will get justice done for you... the priest and nuns who rape children and have to report to the pope WHY... because the pope will send them away for a holiday... which they call a retreat... be very aware of this... rape is a crime and it should be reported to the police... Ann Free Spirit

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

Two stories came across my radar earlier this month. Each dealt with different aspects of what the Catholic Church is (and is not) doing on preventing child sexual abuse. The upshot is this: the Church is still dragging its heals. Preventing child sexual abuse and holding abusers accountable is simply not on the top of their priority list. Instead, they’re prioritizing things like protecting the Church from local hostility, and ensuring that penitents have access to confession and the forgiveness it brings, without having to face legal consequences for their actions.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2019/05/the-catholic-church-still-isnt-there-on-abuse-prevention.html
 

As Cardinal DiNardo Leads A Crucial Meeting Of Bishops, Survivor Advocates Demand His Resignation

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests says the head of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops lacks “leadership” and “moral authority.” The archdiocese said in a statement DiNardo will not resign. The archdiocese has said it acted proactively in these cases by suspending the priests and ordering them to undergo therapy, and is cooperating with law enforcement.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2019/06/10/336187/as-cardinal-dinardo-prepares-to-lead-a-crucial-bishop-meeting-victim-advocates-demand-his-resignation/ 

Divorcing God Survivor Andrew Madden reveals clerical abuse ruined future to be priest in new documentary fronted by Oliver Callan

‘THE Church thought the man who abused me was a better fit for the priesthood than I was,’ brave survivor Andrew Madden has said. Irish Sun columnist Oliver Callan fronts a new documentary on ­Ireland’s relationship with religion. Growing up as a gay man in Monaghan, he said: “I never heard anything homophobic from the altar but at the same time I never heard anything positive.

https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/4199059/andrew-madden-clerical-abuse-ruined-priest-documentary-oliver-callan/# 

State prosecutors step up scrutiny of Catholic Church

Hundreds of boxes. Millions of records. From Michigan to New Mexico this month, attorneys general are sifting through files on clergy sex abuse, seized through search warrants and subpoenas at dozens of archdioceses.

The office of Iowa's top prosecutor is also examining records obtained on a voluntary basis.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2019/06/11/catholic-church-records-hands-many-states-attorneys-general-iowa-michigan-nebraska-new-mexico/1420335001/ 

Priest and lay reform organizations take on clerical culture

Pope Francis has repeatedly called out the clerical culture’s danger to the Catholic Church and its faithful, for example, calling clericalism “our ugliest perversion.” Now a nationwide Catholic priests’ organization and two international lay reform groups have developed the BridgeDialogues: Laity & Clergy re-Imagining Church Together to show Catholics what they can do to recognize and prevent this perversion which blocks the laity from achieving their full potential in the Church.

https://voicefaithful.blog/2019/06/07/priest-and-lay-reform-organizations-take-on-clerical-culture/ 

Liberia: Police Monitor Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Power Abuse Within the Catholic Church

MONROVIA – The Liberia National Police say it is closely monitoring allegations of clerical homosexuality within Catholic Church. Police Spokesman, Moses Carter said Liberian laws will be enforced if anybody is found culpable of violations. “The Catholic Church is an institution. If any individual in the Catholic Church commits an act it does not becloud the entire church said individual must be made to face the full weight of the law.”

https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-police-monitor-allegations-of-sexual-harassment-and-power-abuse-within-the-catholic-church/ 

What Catholic bishops must do to prevent sexual abuse and hold clergy accountable

The Roman Catholic Church has been plagued by sexual abuse scandals for years. Here's what it can do to clean up now and to prevent future abuse. Rarely do Americans pay attention to the biannual assemblies of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops, but the gathering that starts on Tuesday in Baltimore will be different. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/10/catholic-church-sex-abuse-bishops-laity-clergy-accountable-column/1400804001/

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò gives his first extended interview since calling on the pope to resign

In his first extended interview since he called on Pope Francis to resign last August, accusing the pontiff of covering up for a sexual abuser, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò corresponded by email with The Washington Post over two months, writing 8,000 words in response to nearly 40 questions. Here we present that exchange. Selected passages containing unverified allegations have been removed. Others have been lightly edited for clarity. The conversation took place in English.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/archbishop-carlo-maria-vigano-gives-his-first-extended-interview-since-calling-on-the-pope-to-resign/2019/06/10/00205748-8b79-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4c3daffd7e5av 

Archbishop who called on pope to resign says Francis was 'blatantly lying to the whole world'

After writing a letter calling on Pope Francis to resign on the grounds that he had tolerated a known sexual abuser, Carlo Maria Viganò refused to disclose his location or say much about his self-imposed exile. In the instant he became one of the most controversial figures in modern Catholic Church history, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò went dark.

https://nationalpost.com/news/world/archbishop-who-called-on-pope-to-resign-says-francis-was-blatantly-lying-to-the-whole-world 

Sex abuse crisis the focus as US Catholic bishops convene

As the Roman Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal grows ever wider in scope in the US, bishops convene for a national meeting in Baltimore on Tuesday under heavy pressure to acknowledge their oversight failures and give a larger role to lay Catholics and secular authorities in confronting the crisis.

https://nypost.com/2019/06/10/sex-abuse-crisis-the-focus-as-us-catholic-bishops-convene/ 

CNA Newsroom: Clerical Abuse Survivors Speak

We've had a year-long news cycle about abuse and cover up in the Church. We've heard a lot from the bishops. We've heard a lot from journalists and commentators. But, how much have we heard from the victims themselves? This week on CNA Newsroom, two survivors of clerical sex abuse share their stories - and their hopes for the future.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column/cna-newsroom-clerical-abuse-survivors-speak-4024 

Lies, Lies and MORE Lies

Two stories broke earlier this week that were pretty significant on their own, but when you look at them together, the conclusion is especially noteworthy. The upshot, Pope Francis is lying when he told a reporter he knew nothing about McCarrick because senior Vatican officials knew all about McCarrick including Donald Wuerl who has gotten caught for the second time lying about all this.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-lies-lies-and-more-lies 

'Sexually violent' ex-priest pleads guilty to assaulting boy in St. Louis County

A former priest in the St. Louis area and known sexual predator with multiple offenses in three states admitted Wednesday to abusing a boy in the 1990s while he was a chaplain at DePaul Health Center. Frederick Lenczycki, 74, pleaded guilty in St. Louis County Circuit Court to two charges of sodomy.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sexually-violent-ex-priest-pleads-guilty-to-assaulting-boy-in/article_e492747a-c46f-518b-a5bd-a4f56793e758.html 

Polish prelates use emergency session to admit to Church abuse failures

The Polish bishops’ administrative council met in emergency session on May 22 and later admitted the Church failed to act against clerical sexual abuse. The meeting came amid outrage over a two-hour documentary, ‘Just Don’t Tell Anyone’, that included drastic accounts of cover-up of clerical sex abuse in Poland. The film had more than 19 million views within six days of its May 11 YouTube posting.

https://www.irishcatholic.com/polish-prelates-use-emergency-session-to-admit-to-church-abuse-failures/

Archdiocese Responds To Associated Press Story Of Woman Who Accuses Catholic Cardinal Daniel DiNardo Of Dismissing Sex Abuse Case

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston categorically rejects the unprofessional, biased and one-sided reporting contained in today’s Associated Press story headlined “The Reckoning.” At each step in this matter, Cardinal DiNardo has reacted swiftly and justly — and has always kept the welfare of the Pontikeses in mind. A number of the quotes attributed to the Cardinal are an absolute fabrication.

http://wtaw.com/2019/06/04/archdiocese-responds-associated-press-story-woman-accuses-catholic-cardinal-daniel-dinardo-of-dismissing-sex-abuse-case/ 

US Catholic Church reviews massive rise in sex-abuse…

During the period from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, 1,385 adults came forward with 1,455 allegations of abuse, according to the annual report of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection. That was up from 693 allegations in the previous year. The report attributed much of the increase to a victim compensation program implemented in five dioceses in New York state.

https://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/news-summary/us-catholic-church-reviews-massive-rise-in-sex-abuse/ 

Cardinal George Pell Launches Appeal Over Sex Abuse Conviction

George Pell will today appeal against the six-year jail sentence handed to him for sexually abusing two boys. The Catholic Church's former third in charge was convicted late last year and was sentenced in March for his crimes while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s. The 77-year-old has maintained his innocence from the start and his lawyers will try to argue against his conviction on three grounds in the Victorian Supreme Court.

http://www.ladbible.com/news/news-george-pell-launches-appeal-conviction-at-victorias-supreme-court-20190604 

French sex abuse commission gets to work

France’s first ever independent commission set up by the Catholic Church to examine claims of clergy sex abuse has now launched its appeal for witnesses to offer testimony. The Catholic French bishops’ Independent Commission of Inquiry into Sexual Abuse within the Church (CAISE), which was formally established in November 2018, opened itself up for testimonials this week and will seek to chronicle clergy abuse dating back to the 1950s.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2019/06/05/french-sex-abuse-commission-gets-to-work/ 

Cardinal George Pell calls child abuse charges 'bizarre' at launch of appeal

Jailed Australian Cardinal George Pell launched an appeal on Wednesday against his landmark conviction for child sex abuse, branding the charges against him as "bizarre" and "impossible". Pell, 77, left his prison cell under police guard to attend the two-day hearing, battling his conviction in December on five counts of sexually assaulting two choirboys in Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996 and 1997.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/05/cardinal-george-pell-calls-child-abuse-charges-bizarre-launch/ 

Disgust as memorial ribbons for Catholic Church child sex abuse victims vanish

Child abuse victims are shocked after commemorative ribbons with heartfelt messages vanished from a church. The colourful ribbons honouring sex abuse victims have gone less than one week after Mike Ledingham​ launched his book The Catholic Boys on Saturday at a church in Onehunga, Auckland.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/113265186/disgust-as-memorial-ribbons-for-catholic-church-child-sex-abuse-victims-vanish 

The Catholic Church Paid Lobbyists Millions to Block More Sex Abuse Lawsuits

So that’s where the congregation’s money is going. According to a new study titled “Church Influencing State: How the Catholic Church Spent Millions Against Survivors of Clergy Abuse,” between 2011 and 2018, the U.S. Catholic Church spent more than $10 million on lobbyists to fight against legislation that would have allowed victims of pedophile priests to sue the Church for damages even if prior statutes of limitations had passed. And that was just in northeastern states.

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/06/05/the-catholic-church-paid-lobbyists-millions-to-block-more-sex-abuse-lawsuits/ 

Cardinal George Pell appears in court to appeal convictions for sexually abusing choirboys

The most senior Roman Catholic found guilty of child sex abuse has appeared in court to appeal his convictions for molesting two choirboys in an Australian cathedral. Cardinal George Pell’s lawyers argued he could not have abused the two victims undetected moments after Sunday mass while dressed in archbishops’ robes in the late 1990s.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/cardinal-george-pell-child-sex-abuse-appeal-australia-catholic-church-vatican-court-melbourne-a8945216.html 

'My Catholicism died the day the George Pell trial began.'

My Catholicism died the day George Pell was convicted. Will it be resurrected if his appeal is upheld this week? No. Pell didn’t kill my faith, but his trial was the virus that finished it off. To be honest, it had been unwell for some time. I’d been dragging it to mass for Christmas and Easter for years, telling myself it was fine, that seeing familiar faces and singing a few favourite hymns would perk it up.

https://www.mamamia.com.au/george-pell-appeal/ 

Disgraced Australian Cardinal George Pell begins appeal against conviction for child sexual abuse.

Disgraced Australian Cardinal George Pell has left his prison cell and attended the opening hearing in his appeal against conviction for child sexual abuse. The 77-year-old was convicted in December on five counts of assaulting two choirboys in Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996 and 1997. The Vatican's former number three, who managed church finances and helped elect two popes, was sentenced in March to six years in prison.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/0605/1053520-pell_appeal/