Court orders New Ulm, Duluth dioceses to release sex abuse documents

A Ramsey County judge has ordered Catholic officials in New Ulm and Duluth and the religious order Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate to release all documents pertaining to alleged clergy sex abuse dating as far back as 1949.
Ramsey County Judge John Guthmann issued the order after hearing arguments in the case of a man who accuses the Rev. James Vincent Fitzgerald of sexually abusing him when he was boy in 1976.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/01/28/sex-abuse-documents 

Abusive priest list must be released

A Ramsey County judge has ordered the Diocese of New Ulm to release all the records it has pertaining to reports of sexual abuse by any of its priests prior to 1978.
That order includes a New Ulm Diocese list of priests who were credibly accused of molesting children. It is the only Catholic diocese that hasn't made its list public, either voluntarily or through a court order. The lists were created during an investigation into abusive priests throughout the country that was started by the Catholic Church.

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/abusive-priest-list-must-be-released/article_c02990db-7832-5b17-9415-f104fce87e12.html 

46 years after alleged abuse, lawsuit against Catholic Church settled

For more than four decades, the woman known in court documents as Jane Doe was silent about her claims that she was sexually assaulted by her priest.
While she pursued her career and marriage, the target of her allegations, Father Bede Mitchel, continued to teach and work in the Catholic Church and maintained a good reputation, according to one church official.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article8830559.html 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article8830559.html#storylink=cpy

Paedophile gangs targeting children in state care in Victoria for sexual abuse

Organised gangs of men are sexually exploiting children in out-of-home care and enticing them into trading sex for money, drugs and alcohol.
An ABC investigation has found children as young as 12 are being exploited by the men. Some of the children have been transported between towns and even interstate, while the ABC has also been told that some abuse has been filmed by paedophiles.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-11/criminal-gangs-enticing-children-in-state-care-into-prostitution/5313632 

Government departments ordered to hand over recent data on exploitation in state care

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has turned its sights on the sexual exploitation of children in state care over the last decade.

The ABC can reveal the commission has ordered private organisations and government departments across Australia to hand over 10 years' worth of data relating to the alleged and proven sexual abuse of children in care.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-15/child-abuse-inquiry-turns-focus-to-exploitation-in-state-care/6019660 

The clergy sex abuse scandal plaguing Granada

Pope must immediately fire archbishop. Statement by Miguel Hurtado of London (UK), Spokesperson of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

(+44 (0)7 787 63 82 45 Michael.uk.1982@gmail.com)

Ten priests have been charged for either child abuse or covering up the crime in the biggest clergy sex abuse case in Spain’s history.  So far four courageous victims have come forward. We fear that the number could be significantly higher.

https://christianreforms.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/the-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal-plaguing-granada/ 

Rabbits and Rebels

The babies came one after the other in my family, six in eight years’ time, then a miscarriage, a seventh, and finally a dire medical warning: An eighth child might leave the rest without the young woman who had brought us into this world. My mother went to her general practitioner first, then the Roman Catholic bishop. The doctor said stop. The cleric said shame if you do.

In our neighborhood, we were the small family, at least among the Irish and Italians. A few doors down, there were 12 kids in one house, 14 in another. We could almost field a full baseball team. But the Flynns, they could put an entire football lineup on a snowy field at Thanksgiving, with reserves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/opinion/rabbits-and-rebels.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150130&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y&_r=1 

State laws examined in abuse paper

The child sexual abuse royal commission suggests it may be appropriate to amend state and territory laws so the property trusts of churches and religious bodies can be sued for abuse.
In a consultation paper on redress and civil litigation launched on Friday the commission looks at who is a proper defendant when it comes to being sued.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/01/30/10/04/state-laws-examined-in-abuse-paper 

Paedophile driving instructor abused kids in the woods after luring them with the promise of offroad lessons

TREVOR Cole, 57, subjected six boys, the youngest just nine, to horrific attacks on remote forest tracks.  A PAEDOPHILE driving instructor abused kids after luring them with the promise of offroad lessons.

Trevor Cole, 57, subjected six boys, the youngest just nine, to horrific attacks on remote forest tracks, a court heard today. He now faces jail after being convicted of a string of offences at an eight-day trial.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/crime/paedophile-driving-instructor-abused-kids-5068309 

Independent committee to investigate sexual abuseI in Germany schools and Catholic institutions

Five years after the exposure of the German sexual abuse scandal affecting schools and Catholic institutions, victims are calling for an independent committee. They claim that important issues are still unresolved. 
Being able to speak to the well-attended Federal Press Conference was a special experience to him, said Matthias Katsch. When it was made public five years ago that the former student at the Catholic Canisius College had been a victim of sexual abuse, he did not have the courage to use his real name, using a pseudonym when talking to journalists.

http://www.dw.de/independent-committee-to-investigate-sexual-abuse/a-18216129 

Female victims often overlooked in horror stories of clergy abuse

They are Californians with shared histories of violence, abuse and unspeakable betrayal. At age 6, one was sodomized in the church sanctuary by the family priest, then raped again at 8 by a second priest in another state.

Another was lured into a sexual relationship at age 16 by one priest, who invited six other priests along for the "fun" over the next four years. Still another Californian remembers wandering into the rectory at about age 8, only to be raped. Who are they?

http://www.snapnetwork.org/female_victims/females_often_overlooked.htm 

Boston church review board dismissed accusations by females

When a woman complained to the Archdiocese of Boston in 1994 that the Rev. Lionel P. Ouellette had molested her as a schoolgirl in Lynn, the church ruled he could keep his job. When the Rev. Paul G. McPartland was accused by a woman, who said he had tried to sexually molest her in a car at Castle Island when she was 16, the church took no action.

Records made public yesterday detailing alleged sexual misconduct by six priests suggest that women who complained that they had been assaulted as girls often received dismissive treatment by a church review board. ''Victims, male and female, were discounted, but it was even more pronounced with respect to women,'' said David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. 

http://www.snapnetwork.org/female_victims/boston_board_dismissed.htm 

Former Catholic priest and advocate for immigrants joins Episcopal church

Richard Estrada, 72, has made a name for himself in Los Angeles. He founded the first homeless shelter for immigrant youth in the city, planned the historic immigration march of 2006, and provided thousands of gallons of water to those crossing the border, dying of fatigue. Now a former Catholic priest, Estrada recently decided to join the Episcopal church.
Estrada's concerns and motives fall with the 52 percent of Catholics who favor gay marriage and the 70 percent who favor ordination of women as clergy without special requirements. He told the Los Angeles Times that he felt "the pain of his gay and lesbian parishioners who were ashamed of their sexuality, and of women who he felt were treated as second-class citizens." Estrada joined the Episcopal church in August, partly because women, gays and lesbians are allowed to serve as priests and bishops.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/former-catholic-priest-and-advocate-immigrants-joins-episcopal-church 

Child abuse down by 12 percent but still way too high.

Child abuse down by 12 percent but still way too high Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has welcomed latest child abuse statistics showing that the number of children abused in the year ended June 2014 fell by 2,306 or 12 percent on the previous year.
“Let there be no doubt that our child abuse figures remain appallingly high but it is pleasing to see the numbers going down for the first time in 10 years,” says Mrs Tolley. During the year to June 2014, 16,289 children had 19,623 findings of abuse substantiated compared to 18,595 children with 22,984 findings of abuse in the previous year.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1501/S00097/child-abuse-down-by-12-percent-but-still-way-too-high.htm 

Yet again Government fail victims.

Adoption campaigners have again expressed concerns that tens of thousands of people could be excluded from the mother and baby home inquiry. Ahead of a Dáil debate on the terms of reference for the inquiry today, the Adoption Rights Alliance expressed fears that the investigation will be limited to only the practices and procedures of institutions, adoption agencies and individuals with a direct connection to a mother and baby home. 
The group said that if the scope of the inquiry was not widened, tens of thousands of mothers who gave birth in State and private maternity homes but suffered the same fate of forced and illegal adoptions as those born in mother and baby homes would be excluded. 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/004838.html 

Mother and baby homes inquiry terms ‘fail to reference justice or redress’

Natural mothers have hit out at the terms of the mother and baby home inquiry for failing to reference justice or redress for those affected. The criticisms come in advance of the second debate on the issue to be held in the Dáil this evening. The Government is under mounting pressure to include Magdalene Laundries, private adoption agencies and a myriad of related institutions in the inquiry.

In a statement, the Irish First Mothers Group said the failure to mention justice or redress meant the Commission “fails the standard for such inquiries as identified in a 2014 UN human rights review which found that Irish inquiries and redress schemes failed to meet the UN standard for ‘thorough and effective investigations’

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/2015_01.html 

Father Figure

In the controversy over child abuse by Catholic priests, one group is being overlooked--adult wome.  Alexandra Roberts talks about her 11-year friendship and sexual relationship with Father Fred Tollini of Santa Clara University, tears well up, and her voice grows shaky. Part of the pain comes from knowing that some will assume she's to blame for any entanglement with a man of the cloth. 

In the current controversy over sexual abuse by the clergy, the victims are children, not adults. For years, Roberts didn't think she'd been exploited. "I just thought it was an affair gone wrong," she says. But after a series of eye-opening events, she came to believe differently. 

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.27.02/priests-0226.html 

Child abuse victims come forward over ordeal at Worcestershire school for 'delinquent' boys

VICTIMS of a child abuse scandal at a former Worcestershire school continue to come forward after others bravely spoke out about their rape ordeal.

We have previously reported the abuse at St Gilbert's in Hartlebury near Worcester after victims waived their right to anonymity to speak about the rapes and beatings they suffered at the approved school. 

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/11750049.Child_abuse_victims_come_forward_over_ordeal_at_Worcestershire_school_for__delinquent__boys/ 

Ex-Boy Scout describes mental scars left by abuse at trial

A California man suing the Boy Scouts of America over sexual abuse suffered at the hands of a volunteer Scout leader was so scarred by the incident that he once threw up outside a Taco Bell when he saw someone who looked like the man, he testified in the opening day of a civil trial.
The 20-year-old man, who was 13 when he was molested in 2007, told jurors Monday that shortly after the abuse he secretly taped the Scout leader making a partial confession because it was "a 13-year-old's word against a Scout leader, an adult."

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2025546108_apxboyscoutssexabuse.html 

Lecherous Nuns And Priests, Murder Plots and Coverups: Meet The Mother Superior of Catholic Scandals

In the 19th century, a scandal involving sex and murder at a Rome convent ensnared practically every major player in the Catholic Church hierarchy. Nuns using visions of God to persuade novices to have sex, threesomes with priests, the poisoning of a fat German princess, a prominent theologian shacking up with a vicaress, young nuns murdered, fetuses removed from an abbess, and cardinals, the Jesuit superior general, and the pope all enthralled by a beautiful and charismatic fraudulent saint—it’s enough to put The Decameron to shame.

The hard-to-believe story that contains all of these juicy nuggets—the 1858 scandal at the convent of Sant’Ambrogio in Rome—is the subject of Hubert Wolf’s rigorous and stunning new book, The Nuns of Sant’Ambrogio: The True Story of a Convent in Scandal. Translated by Ruth Martin, it is a hybrid of high and low perfect for the modern reader—racy and yet simultaneously erudite.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/28/lecherous-nuns-and-priests-murder-plots-and-cover-ups-meet-the-mother-superior-of-catholic-scandals.html 

Sex abuse victim tried to kill himself four times

A MAN who was sexually abused in a midlands boarding school by a Franciscan Brother yesterday revealed how he tried to kill himself four times, and claimed his fiance was main reason he was still alive.
The victim told Mullingar District Court that Brother Seamus O'Callaghan of St Anthony's Secondary School, Clara, Co Offaly "had tarnished my life" adding "I don't believe his apology." The Brother, now aged 62, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexually abusing three boys who were pupils at the school between 1978 and 1990. 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/001032.html 

Vile and incomprehensible acts

I was appalled by the content of the Ferns Report, where 21 priests systematically abused young girls and boys, resulting in 100 cases over a 40-year period.
Among the worst cases involved a priest who sexually abused 10 young girls on the altar, with another priest organising beach parties for youngsters, providing them with drugs, condoms and alcohol. 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/000793.html 

Abuse victims must speak up

I AM a victim of sex abuse under the Christian Brothers in Belfast. Does the Catholic Church not realise the pain, hurt, suffering and downgrading that we had went through at the hands of these evil people? The Church not only ruined my life, my body, my mind, my childhood, but, most of all, they took away my faith. They took everything that was sacred and ruined it, soiled it and made me feel so ashamed and dirty.
I was first abused by the Christian Brothers at the age of nine. No-one was there to help, not even God. My mother, priests and Christian Brothers brushed it under the carpet. Under threats and punishment I was told never to tell anyone about it. What my brain-washed mother called it was "my shame." 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/000791.html 

Sexual abuse by nuns in the Netherlands

Former monk and priest, and now advocate for victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, Patrick J Wall, says sexual abuse of children has been part of the culture of the Catholic Church as far back as 60 AD and despite constant attempts by the Popes to curtain the problem, it has never been snuffed out.

Sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church by women is recognized relatively less often than abuse by men. The commission for reporting sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church received a total of 59 complaints. In 8 of the 22 completed cases so far, the complaint was upheld.

https://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/sexual-abuse-by-nuns-in-the-netherlands/ 

Predator Priests & Nuns

Predator priests. We want people to know it happened, it’s happening today. Every 1-in-4 girls is sexually abused and every 1-in-6 boys. What are these crimes? Merely inappropriate touching? No. Not at all. We’re run across things we don’t want to know about. For example, a predator priest while telling a child she’s the bride of Christ, and threatening to have God kill her parents if she tells, and while reading to her from the bible, is raping her. This is called, ‘Catholic ritual abuse’ ... it’s quite common. You’ll learn about it in this book. 

You’ll also learn about the priest who helped a teenager before her marriage to see ‘if her womb was big enough for child-bearing’, by checking it with his fist. You’ll learn of kids who contracted AIDS from priest, kids who were murdered by priests and nuns, women who were raped by priests and became pregant, dioceses that paid for abortions of children, girls who were raped by Catholic priests and bore their children and raised them -- everything you need to know to wake up, to step out of denial, to embrace the severity of the epidemic, and hold the perps and the institutions that support them, accountable. 

http://www.calypsokingsandcarnivalqueens.4t.com/rich_text_7.html 

Dozens Allege Sex Abuse by Nuns

Spotlighting the role of female clergy in sexual abuse for the first time, a victims advocacy group said yesterday that it had identified about 100 people in the United States who said they had been assaulted by Catholic nuns, sisters and other female religious workers.
At a news conference, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called for other victims to come forward so they could share their stories and receive help. The group also asked the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a national female clerical organization based here, to allow victims to speak at their annual meeting next month in Fort Worth, Texas. 

http://www.snapnetwork.org/female_victims/dozens_allege_nuns.htm 

Seeking Clarity on Catholic Church, Nuns, Child Abuse and Survivors

There’s a lot of Rage in here, names are being named, pain is being expressed and there’s even talk of murder and damnation! Wasn’t murder mentioned? Okay, then…for years I was under the impression that were fate some day to put me in the vicinity of a Nun of any order laying a violent hand on a child, well…
Of course, these are mostly the voices of children that never got to be heard before, including mine. It’s a form of celebration really; and like they say, to every time there is a season.

https://firetender.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/seeking-clarity-on-catholic-church-nuns-child-abuse-and-survivors/ 

Warning of sexual abuse by nuns

At first, Mary Dunford's story sounds all too familiar: a life shattered by pain and confusion after being sexually abused by a trusted church figure decades ago. But Dunford, 63, of Oakdale says it was a nun, not a priest, who abused her while she attended a Roman Catholic boarding school as a teen-ager. Years after she brought the abuse to the attention of the order that ran the school, she is clear about her agenda.
Dunford wants help for any victim of sexual abuse in the church, not just victims of priests. The clergy abuse scandals that have erupted this year around the United States have almost exclusively involved allegations against priests. However, scattered claims of misconduct by some nuns have emerged. "It is important to say that nuns have abused children, too,'' Dunford said. 

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/716765/posts 

German nuns investigated for sex abuse

Two German nuns are under investigation for the alleged sexual abuse of children in the Pope's native Bavaria, as a Vatican expert warned that the abuse scandal rocking the Church is likely to drag on for years. The two sisters, along with four priests, are at the centre of fresh allegations of the abuse of minors in the diocese of Regensburg in southern Germany.

The new investigation was announced by a spokesman for the diocese, although there were no further details of when and where the abuse took place or how many children were involved. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/7498766/German-nuns-investigated-for-sex-abuse.html 

Alleged Victims Recall Abuse by Nuns

Nine former students at a now-defunct school for the deaf claim in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that they were beaten, sexually molested and emotionally tormented by the nuns who ran the school. The plaintiffs are suing at least 14 nuns, along with two priests, an athletic instructor and a former top official in the Boston archdiocese, according to their attorney, Mitchell Garabedian (search).
The victims, three women and six men, were between the ages of 7 and 16 when they were allegedly sexually and physically abused between 1944 and 1977. They are now 41 to 67 years old.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/05/12/alleged-victims-recall-abuse-by-nuns/ 

Search continues for site to remember victims of abuse

A site is still being sought in Dublin for a memorial to victims of institutional abuse, after a €31,000 spend on an earlier unsuccessful plan. An Bord Pleanála refused permission for the proposed Journey of Light project to the rear of the Garden of Remembrance in November 2013. The design was chosen from a competition run on foot of a recommendation of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse in 2009 to commemorate those who suffered. 
Victims’ organisations were represented on a committee set up to oversee the design and commissioning of a memorial with a €500,000 budget.In July 2012, they picked a design for a civic area with water features, seating ,and with the words of the Government apology to abuse victims to be engraved in the walls. 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/ 

Barnardos Family Tracing Service

ORIGINS is the name of the family tracing and information service from Barnardos.

Who can apply to the Origins Service?

Origins is for people (and their families) who spent all or part of their childhood in an Irish industrial School and are interested in tracing information about their parents, siblings or other relatives. The service is available to people in Ireland and abroad.

What does Origins do?

Experienced professional staff, offer advice, support and mediation in your search for your family of origin. Around 50% of the cases dealt with by the Origins team have led to reunion with their family of origin. Many of these cases involved reuniting sisters and brothers who were separated as children.

The service is completely confidential.

 http://www.alliancesupport.org/family-tracing-services.html

Times Letters page Added on January 20, 2015 Mother and baby homes inquiry

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

http://www.alliancesupport.org/family-tracing-services.html

Victoria sees spike in child sex abuse offences as more victims come forward

A spike in the rate of child sex abuse offences in Victoria is the result of increased reporting, according to police and the State Government. Victoria Police statistics show a 43 per cent rise in child sexual abuse cases over the past five years.
About 2,700 cases of abuse were reported between 2009–10, that figure jumped to more than 3,900 offences in 2013–14. The figures show girls aged between 10 to 14 years were targeted in about three-quarters of all reported offences.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-13/spike-in-child-abuse-offences-as-more-victims-come-forward/5741694 

Lawyers questioning role of judge in clerical abuse case

Lawyers for clerical sex abuse victims will be filing an application in court requesting the judge to abstain from hearing their case because of his connection to Radju Marija. Lawyers acting on behalf of clerical sex abuse victims will be filing an application in court requesting the judge to abstain from hearing their case because of his connection to Radju Marija.
Mr Justice Joseph Micallef, who is presiding over the victims’ case for financial compensation against the Church and two priests defrocked from the Missionary Society of St Paul, is the president of the local Radio Maria Association.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150125/local/lawyers-questioning-role-of-judge-in-clerical-abuse-case.553230 

Senate Inquiry into "Forced Adoption"

Senate Inquiry into “Commonwealth contribution to former forced adoption policies and practices.” After 13 years of calling and lobbying for a Senate Inquiry, and giving evidence and making submissions into 10 Senate Inquiries Origins successfully gains a Senate Inquiry into Forced Adoption instrumented by the Greens Party, see below on how to contribute to this historic event. Senate Inquiry into “Commonwealth contribution to former forced adoption policies and practices.” 

http://www.originsnsw.com/senateinquiry.html 

Abuse solicitor welcomes potential statute of limitations removal

A Newcastle solicitor specialising in compensation for survivors of child sexual abuse says he would welcome the removal of the statute of limitations on historic abuse claims. In New South Wales, victims of child sexual abuse typically have between three and 12 years to sue for damages, but the government is considering extending or scrapping the time limit.
Peter Kelso said although the limitation seems arbitrary, when it was first introduced legislators would not have been considering its impact on victims of historic sex abuse. "There would be no way they would have been thinking about historical child sex abuse case," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-23/abuse-solicitor-welcomes-potential-statute-of-limitations-remov/6042198 

Priest snubs judge's accusations of knowledge

RETIRED Catholic priest Ron Pickin has denied being part of ‘‘an organised criminal activity’’ within the Church in the 1970s and 1980s that protected sadistic predator priest John Denham.
Father Pickin, 81, said Denham was ‘‘a crook’’, but denied knowing he sexually abused boys, denied watching Denham sexually abuse a boy or boys, and said Sydney District Court Judge Helen Syme was wrong to say he was actively or tacitly complicit in those crimes.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2839597/priest-denies-he-knew-of-denham-offending/ 

Mixed race children and their mothers seek to add to inquiry

Some mixed-race Irish children were not considered fit for adoptio. Last month, during a discussion on the forthcoming commission of investigation into mother-and-baby homes, Anne Ferris put on the Dáil record the experiences of mixed-race children who, like her, spent time in such institutions.

“These mixed-race Irish children were not considered by the church or the State to be appropriate candidates for adoption. Their stories of racial discrimination, physical abuse and mental abuse are truly shocking,” the Wicklow TD said.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/mixed-race-children-and-their-mothers-seek-to-add-to-inquiry-1.1887469 

Nun's stomach pain turns out to be baby

A nun has shocked her convent in Italy after she gave birth to a baby boy following complaints of bad stomach pain.
The sister claimed she had no idea she was pregnant until she was rushed to hospital in agony, then giving birth soon after, the Daily Mail reports.

https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/odd/26088564/nuns-stomach-pain-turns-out-to-be-baby/ 

Court rejected appeal. Former priest loses sex assault appeal

A former priest and school principal has had his appeal against his conviction for the sexual abuse rejected. Con Desmond, aged 79, with an address as Woodlands, Kilrush Rd, Ennis, Co Clare, had pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of indecently assaulting a pupil at St Stephen’s De La Salle National School in Waterford between 1978 and June 1980.
He was found guilty by a jury at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court and sentenced to two years on each count in February 2013 . Desmond’s appeal, on grounds of delay and conflicting evidence, was rejected by the Court of Appeal yesterday. 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/004836.html 

Survivors at odds with Government

Justice for Magdalenes is preparing a critique on the McAleese report into the Magdalene laundries. Magdalenes Research (JFMR) group have said they “are not going to stop what [they're] doing” as they prepare to release a critique of the McAleese Report.
The government-appointed report was released in November 2013 and was heavily criticised by the JFMR survivors group.

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/004833.html 

Listen to us? Mother and baby home survivors must be heard

Last Friday marked a day of hope mixed with despair. I, a natural mother, sat and listened to the proposed terms and references of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission. These terms of reference were compiled in such a way that no legal action can ever be brought by me before the courts
In my own case, I was abducted from the UK, imprisoned in such an institution operating under the guise of a mother and haby home. n their inhumane treatment of expectant mothers and their profitable contracts with pharmaceutical companies, they treated us like rats in a laboratory test.

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/004832.html 

Truth hidden behind wall of silence

LAST YEAR, thanks to the tireless work of Catherine Corless, the world was made aware of the 796 babies that lay forgotten in Tuam. Those of us who have campaigned on these issues were on the one hand relieved that the world was finally taking notice but on the other, we thought: 
‘They don’t know the half of it In the case of deaths in the Magdalene laundries, the inter-departmental committee on the laundries (IDC) made sure we only knew the half of it The McAleese report acknowledges that just over half of the 1,638 women (that we are aware of) died in these institutions.

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/archives/004828.html 

A 92-year-old Sydney priest is charged with buggery of a child from 40 years ago

A Catholic priest, Father Theodore Arrivoli (now aged 92), who has ministered in many parishes around the Sydney region during the past 60 years, was charged in court on 15 January 2015 regarding alleged sexual assaults of two children near Sydney in the 1970s. The alleged offences include buggery.
This court hearing was a "first mention" procedure, with a magistrate in the Penrith Local Court, north-west of Sydney. This was a brief administrative process for the charges to be officially filed in court. Father Arrivoli has not yet been required to indicate how he will plead in answer to the charges.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/343 

Child abuse inquiry’s legal adviser is asked to explain ‘bullying’ row to MPs

The troubled official inquiry into child sex abuse has come a step closer to its early demise with its legal counsel, the leading human rights lawyer Ben Emmerson QC, being summoned by MPs to clarify his call for the removal of one of its members.
The move by Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, comes a day after the panel member, Sharon Evans, a child abuse survivor, said Emmerson had “bullied and intimidated” her.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/21/child-abuse-inquiry-legal-adviser-westminster-bullying-row 

Ignored again and again: Pressure to widen scope of baby home inquiry

The Government is under mounting pressure to include Magdalene laundries, private adoption agencies and a myriad of related institutions in the upcoming mother and baby home inquiry. 
The Dáil debate on the terms of reference saw a succession of opposition politicians add their voices to those of adoption campaigners who have expressed concern that the investigation will be limited to only the practices and procedures of institutions, adoption agencies, and individuals with a direct connection to a mother and baby homes. 

http://www.alliancesupport.org/news/

Cautious welcome to mother and baby inquiry

As the government begins the process of setting up the inquiry into the Mother and baby homes and other related matters through the dail, Midleton Woman Joan McDermott has cautiously welcomed the investigation.
Earlier this month the minister for children James Rielly announced the long awaited blue print. In his Dail speech he said the commission would have wide ranging powers. The three person inquiry chaired by Justice Yvonne Murphy will span over 80 years, and will have three years to complete its task.

http://frontpagenews.ie/2015/01/1001/ 

Stand in Solidarity with Magdalene Laundry Survivors

Only two years ago Enda Kenny stood before Magdalene survivors, the Dáil and the citizens of Ireland and apologized for what had been done to women in the Magdalene Laundries. The survivors were promised help and support for their remaining years. Our Taoiseach is breaking this promise already.
Access to health and community care is the biggest worry facing survivors, over two thirds of whom suffer from serious health issues. The very first recommendation of Mr Justice John Quirke last year was that survivors be given access to all the health services provided by a special HAA card. Instead they have been offered little more than the basic medical card. 91% of the women already have a basic medical card but they really need the enhanced services and supports available with the HAA card such as optimum psychological care, nursing care, physiotherapy, any necessary medicines and appliances and private GP, dental, ophthalmic and aural services if necessary.

https://uplift.ie/magdalene-laundries/ 

Mother and baby home survivor: My son is in his 42nd year – I might never get to hug him

THE TERMS OF reference announced today for the inquiry into the mother and baby homes have been broadly welcomed by groups representing the women who lived in these institutions and their children.
The investigation, chaired by Judge Yvonne Murphy, will examine how the women were admitted, the treatment of women and children, the mortality rate among children and burial arrangements, among other things.

http://www.thejournal.ie/mother-and-babies-inquiry-1873093-Jan2015/ 

Priest Child Abuse Investigative Journalist, Joanne McCarthy, Receives 'Bizarre' Police Requests

Joanne McCarthy, Newcastle Herald reporter, admitted in the Newcastle Supreme Court that NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell had summoned her for a "bizarre" request that "threw" her off and made her wish she was not there.
Ms. McCarthy said that the Commissioner requested for some tips on how to handle allegations of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church's Maitland-Newcastle diocese. She said that during the meeting, the Commissioner probed for names and numbers of all the abused victims.

http://au.ibtimes.com/priest-child-abuse-investigative-journalist-joanne-mccarthy-receives-bizarre-police-requests-1311294 

Israel Arrests Russian Priest On Child Abuse Charges; Extradition To Home Country Soon

A Russian priest in Israel is facing extradition after Russia sounded an international arrest warrant for the alleged sexual abuse of two minor girls. Grozovsky, 35, belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church. This father of four is a known figure in social circles. Grozovsky is also claimed to have served as adviser to Maksim Mitrofanov, director of FC Zenit sports club, reported AFP.
The Israel police arrested Gleb Grozovsky on Sunday and is planning to extradite him to Russia. Grozovsky arrived in Israel in September 2013 as a tourist and applied for citizenship. Israel rejected his request and asked him to leave. But the Russian priest asked the High Court to act against the directive, but the verdict of the court has been released yet.

http://au.ibtimes.com/israel-arrests-russian-priest-child-abuse-charges-extradition-home-country-soon-1372445 

The church protected Father John Sidney Denham, a judge says.

his Broken Rites article shows how a Catholic religious order, the St John of God Brothers, has paid big money to lawyers, trying to defend an Australian child-abuser, Brother Rodger William Moloney. And the order says that it will continue protecting him permanently.
Moloney, who has worked in Australia and New Zealand, was jailed in New Zealand on 1 August 2008 for sexually abusing intellectually-handicapped boys.

https://rapevictimsofthecatholicchurch.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/how-the-church-authorities-tried-to-protect-a-child-abuser-brother-rodger-moloney/ 

How the church authorities tried to protect a child-abuser, Brother Rodger Moloney.

This Broken Rites article shows how a Catholic religious order, the St John of God Brothers, has paid big money to lawyers, trying to defend an Australian child-abuser, Brother Rodger William Moloney. And the order says that it will continue protecting him permanently.
Moloney, who has worked in Australia and New Zealand, was jailed in New Zealand on 1 August 2008 for sexually abusing intellectually-handicapped boys.

https://rapevictimsofthecatholicchurch.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/how-the-church-authorities-tried-to-protect-a-child-abuser-brother-rodger-moloney/ 

Priest's abuse worst judge had seen

A Catholic priest who treated schools as a 'paedophilic smorgasbord' will spend at least another 13 years in jail after being sentenced for systematically abusing dozens of vulnerable boys. John Sidney Denham, 73, had already been jailed for at least 14 years in 2010 for his 'sadistic' sexual assault of boys as young as five.
But on Friday Judge Helen Syme sentenced him to at least another 13 years for the abuse of another 18 boys, describing his crimes as some of the worst the courts have ever seen. 'As the crown rhetorically asks, How much worse does it get?" she stated. 

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/2015/01/24/priests-abuse-some-of-worst-seen--judge.html 

Dartford woman vows to seek justice for abuse she claims she suffered at a convent

A woman who claims she suffered beatings during her five years at a convent has vowed to seek justice, as hundreds of alleged victims urge Home Secretary Theresa May to rethink an inquiry into child abuse.

Rosalinda Hutton, 57, of Littlebrook Manor Way, Dartford, was one of 300 people at Parliament last week to demand changes after the resignations of two senior inquiry panel judges.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/i-was-victim-of-convent-30612/ 

Priest's 'pedophile smorgasbord'

For years a Catholic priest viewed a NSW school where he taught as a "pedophilic smorgasbord" catering to his depraved desires. Unfettered by the church, John Sidney Denham abused dozens of boys whenever and wherever he chose.
He found new victims during his frequent transfers to parishes across the state. Denham, at 73, is already in the middle of a jail term, handed to him in 2010 for his sexual assault of boys as young as five.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/national/a/26080514/priest-s-abuse-some-of-worst-seen-judge/ 

Catholic church settles lawsuit against lawyers

The law firm of Paine Hamblen has settled a bankruptcy malpractice case regarding its multi-million dollar representation of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane. A settlement signed Friday by the law firm and the church ends the acrimonious lawsuit and closes a bankruptcy case that was first filed in December 2004.
The settlement amount and some other terms were not disclosed, though neither side was awarded lawyer fees and court costs. The two sides reached the agreement with the help of retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ralph Mabey, who led a mediation effort in mid-January.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jan/23/catholic-church-settles-lawsuit-against-lawyers/ 

Disabled boys were abused in a St John of God institution.

One of Australia’s Catholic religious orders – the St John of God Brothers (SJOG) – has specialised in accommodating boys who have an educational (or intellectual) disability. This Broken Rites article is about court cases in the 1990s (and also in 2006) involving Brother Bernard Kevin McGrath, who was jailed for committing sexual crimes against disabled victims.
Bernard Kevin McGrath (born 22 May 1947) grew up in New Zealand. In the 1960s, aged 18, he joined the St John of God Brothers (SJOG), a Catholic religious order which was conducting residential institutions in Australia and New Zealand for disabled boys. For his training, he went to Sydney where the SJOG order has its headquartes for Australia and New Zealand. Most of McGrath’s working life has been spent at SJOG institutions in Australia and New Zealand.

https://rapevictimsofthecatholicchurch.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/disabled-boys-were-abused-in-a-st-john-of-god-institution/ 

How the church concealed Father Terry Pidoto’s life of crime

This Broken Rites article is the most comprehensive account available about how the Catholic Church protected Father Terry Pidoto for 25 years while he committed crimes against boys in his parish.
Terrence Melville Pidoto was jailed in Melbourne in 2007 for seven years after being found guilty of 11 charges including rape. Pidoto’s priestly career revolved around boys. His superiors and colleagues in the Melbourne archdiocese knew this but they tolerated him, thereby giving him access to victims.

https://rapevictimsofthecatholicchurch.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/how-the-church-concealed-father-terry-pidotos-life-of-crime/ 

Report: Catholic church kept child abuse a secret for years.

Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Dublin covered up decades of child abuse by priests to protect the church's reputation, an expert commission reported Thursday after a three-year investigation.
Abuse victims welcomed the report on the Dublin Archdiocese's mishandling of abuse complaints against its parish priests from 1975 to 2004. It followed a parallel report published in May into five decades of rape, beatings and other cruelty committed by Catholic orders of nuns and brothers nationwide in church-run children's workhouses and orphanages from the 1930s to mid-1990s.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-11-27/news/0912010144_1_dublin-archdiocese-dublin-archbishop-diarmuid-martin-priests 

Royal Commission: Survivors flee hearing in tears

“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them: for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs”. At these opening words from the Bible, spoken by the Catholic Church’s barrister Peter Gray, SC, the hearing room at the royal commission into child sexual abuse erupted in anguish and anger.
Some cried out: “What an insult”, “What a joke” and “Good Lord”. Some walked out. Outside the room, sobbing and wailing could be heard.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/royal-commission-survivors-flee-hearing-in-tears-20131209-2z0ru.html 

Somerset County priest charged with child sexual exploitation involving orphanages

For a decade, a Western Pennsylvania priest traveled to orphanages in Central and South America under the guise of doing relief work.

But on Thursday, federal officials arrested the priest, the Rev. Joseph D. Maurizio, 69, alleging that he promised candy and cash to orphaned boys to watch them shower, have sex or fondle them, court records show.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/6860977-74/maurizio-interfaith-ministries#axzz3Pb3aGjhS 

7 men file sex abuse suits against Chicago Presbytery

Seven men filed suit Wednesday against the Chicago Presbytery and related organizations, claiming they were sexually abused by a now-deceased minister whose trail of allegations led to a multimillion-dollar settlement.

Perhaps making this newsworthy is the alleged existence of an individual previously unheard of namely a "gay pedofhile" attracted to not just same-sex adolescents but both sex infants and toddlers. This could be a one- in- a- million discovery.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-douglas-mason-lawsuit-met-20150121-story.html 

The Devil Makes Them Do It

“A modern pope gets old school on the Devil.” Those words headlined a Washington Post story last spring probing Pope Francis’ belief that Satan is active in the world. As much as he’s been hailed as a modernizing force in the church, Francis, the paper reported, “has not only dwelled far more on Satan in sermons and speeches than his recent predecessors have, but also sought to rekindle the Devil’s image as a supernatural entity with the forces of evil at his beck and call.”
And while other religions speak of demonic possession—The Dybbuck is a classic drama based on the doctrine in Judaism—the Post reported that the Vatican detects a recent resurgence of Catholic exorcisms. In June, Francis officially recognized the International Association of Exorcists (IAE), a group of priests with members in 30 countries.

http://www.bu.edu/today/2015/the-devil-makes-them-do-it/ 

Bobcat Goldthwait does the impossible in his latest film — again

I’m a guy from Boston. If I hear that a book or film is about child abuse, the switch in my brain automatically clicks off. For me, the words “entertaining” or “funny” don’t mesh well with the words “molest” or “rape.” There is enough sadness and human cruelty in the lives of my friends and family--I don’t need or want that in my entertainment.
But after talking with Bobcat Goldthwait about his new film Call Me Lucky, which premieres at Sundance this month, I’m throwing that all out the window. 

http://boingboing.net/2015/01/22/bobcat-goldthwait-does-the-imp.html 

Royal commission's public hearings into child sexual abuse to begin in Sydney

Make no mistake, few institutions caring for children in Australia are likely to be spared the scrutiny of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Public hearings begin in Sydney today and the commission's chief Janette Dines says it will look "very broadly at institutions". 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-15/abuse-royal-commission-hearings-underway-in-sydney/4958230 

Curia to hear abuse allegations behind closed doors before filing police report

Apostolic Administator Charles Scicluna was aware of 'human' case dealing with allegations of abuse against Fr Charles Fenech 'but not of criminal case.
The Curia’s new commission on the protection of children is investigating an alleged case of abuse that has not yet been referred to the police, Apostolic Administrator Charles J. Scicluna said on PBS’s Dissett. 

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/48764/curia_to_hear_abuse_allegations_behind_closed_doors_before_filing_police_report#.VMGHmi4dlkd 

Vatican picks child abuse board chief

The Vatican has announced that its long-time sex abuse prosecutor, Bishop Charles Scicluna, has been named to head a new board to hear appeals by priests who are accused of molesting minors.

Bishop Charles Scicluna will head the new panel, which includes some of the Vatican's most senior and seasoned canon lawyers. Pope Francis announced the creation of the panel last November in a bid to speed up the Vatican's review of appeals by priests sanctioned for abuse. 

http://www.english.rfi.fr/europe/20150121-vatican-picks-bishop-head-board-investigate-child-abuse-priests 

Durham conference studies long-term effects of sex abuse

The consequences and implications of the sex abuse crisis within the Roman Catholic Church': that's the title of an international conference taking place in the northern English city of Durham this week. The three day meeting, which opened on Wednesday, has been organised by Durham University's Centre for Catholic Studies and its Project for Spirituality, Theology and Health, with the support of the Jesuits, Benedictines, Marists and St Patrick's national seminary in Maynooth, Ireland. Philippa Hitchen is the only journalist attending the closed door meeting which brings together a wide range of professionals and interested individuals. Please find the text and audio of her first impressions of the conference, below...

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/01/22/durham_conference_studies_long-term_effects_of_sex_abuse/1119335 

Parents of the victims of alleged paedophile priest remain unforgiving

Parents of five of the boys who were allegedly sexually abused by catholic priest Georg Kerkhoff are hoping that he will be locked up for a long time.

Two of the parents said they were disappointed in the justice system in South Africa after charges against the priest in the Brits Magistrate’s Court were dropped to make way for the 56-year-old cleric’s extradition to Germany.  

 

http://www.thenewage.co.za/149477-1007-53-Parents_of_the_victims_of_alleged_paedophile_priest_remain_unforgiving 

'If you tell, you go to hell'

As Pope Benedict continues his visit to Britain, Channel 4 News north of England Nick Martin meets three clerical sex abuse victims who tell him their harrowing stories. Therese Albrecht looks me straight in the eyes and says: "I planned the whole thing; I was going to buy a gun, go see the priest who abused me, shoot him in the head and then kill myself - that's how bad it got."

She did not, because she feared she would go to hell for killing the priest. Ms Albrecht is a straight talker. A former New York cop, she was abused at the age of eight by her parish priest. 

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/aposif+you+tell+you+go+to+hellapos/3768582.html 

Nunavut abuse victim hurls scripture at pedophile ex-priest Dejaeger

Convicted child molester “shall be punished with everlasting destruction,” woman says. The pedophile ex-priest Eric Dejaeger “did not know God,” an Igloolik sexual abuse victim declared Jan. 20 in a victim impact statement that quoted from St. Paul the Apostle’s instructions on how to live a good life. Dejaeger, who appears before the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit this week for a sentencing hearing, is guilty on 32 counts, most of them sex crimes against Inuit girls and boys committed between 1976 and 1982 in Igloolik.

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_abuse_victim_hurls_scripture_at_pedophile_ex-priest_dejaeger/ 

Magdalene survivor: ‘They’re ignoring my basic human rights’

Diane Croghan was 13 years old when she climbed inside a laundry van to escape the Sisters of Mercy Training School in Summerhill, Co Wexford. After more than three years of isolation, hard work and abuse at the Magdalene laundry at Summerhill, Diane decided to run away to Dublin.

“It was dreadful, we weren’t allowed to speak with one another,” she says. “I think we worked from 7am-7pm but I’m not sure. We didn’t know the time, we had nothing to show us what time it was.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/magdalene-survivor-they-re-ignoring-my-basic-human-rights-1.2071627 

Let's Stop Calling Bill Cosby's Victims 'Accusers'

More than two dozen women so far have alleged sexual misconduct against the iconic comedian. When journalists and bloggers call these victims "accusers" it perpetuates a culture of victim blaming.
One of the latest developments in the ongoing news and entertainment spectacle surrounding the iconic comedian Bill Cosby's alleged serial sexual predation has to do with how his lawyers and handlers have decided to double down on their long-time, aggressive strategy of insulting his alleged victims, and raising questions about their character and motives.
For years Cosby's team has responded to allegations of sexual assault against the famed entertainer by claiming the women who came forward were engaged in a "shakedown," according to a recent New York Times article. In at least one case they presented a newspaper with "damaging information" about an alleged victim, and in other instances threatened news organizations with defamation suits and other consequences if they published or broadcast damaging information about Cosby's alleged behavior.

http://womensenews.org/story/media-stories/150120/lets-stop-calling-bill-cosbys-victims-accusers 

Death list reveals blood on the hands of the Catholic Church

A group in the Hunter has compiled a list of more than 30 former Catholic school boys all of whom have two things in common – they were raped by Catholic paedophiles and they died from suicide or drug-related deaths. The group have prepared submissions calling for an investigation by the Royal Commission. 
The youngest boy on the list was only 13 when he took his own life in his bedroom in 1974. He was one of three students on the list who were from the same year at a Hunter Catholic high school during a period in which men who were later charged with child sex offences had regular contact with students.

http://royalcommission.com.au/death-list-reveals-blood-hands-catholic-church/ 

Woman Sues Priest, Diocese Over Alleged Sexual Abuse When She Was 8

A 20-year-old Long Island college student is suing a Roman Catholic priest, his Diocese and the parish he worked for over alleged sexual abuse she suffered when she was 8 years old.

The lawsuit also alleges the Diocese of Rockville Centre failed to alert families to known allegations of sexual abuse against dozens of its priests over the years and allowed many of them, including the plaintiff's alleged abuser, the Rev. Gregory Yacyshyn, to continue working in positions with access to children.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Diocese-of-Rockville-Center-Chlid-Sex-Abuse-Gregory-Yacyshyn-Lawsuit-New-York-Cover-up-289332481.html 

What is priest’s duty to report abuse?

A Baton Rouge trial judge will be allowed to determine whether a teenager’s communications with her Catholic priest about alleged sexual abuse by an older parishioner were actually confessions or if the priest had a duty to report the allegations.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Tuesday to intervene in the case, which has pitted state laws meant to protect children against the age-old secrecy surrounding religious confessions.

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/louisiana-news/baton-rouge-news/item/815840-what-is-priests-duty-to-report-abuse