Archdiocese abuse victims to ask court to extend Aug. 3 claims deadline

Victims in Twin Cities archdiocese say publicity about Aug. 3 deadline to file cases was delayed. Chancery office of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in St. Paul. An attorney for sexual abuse victims called Thursday’s hearing “a significant moment in the case.”

The bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reaches a critical point this week, when a judge will be asked to reverse his decision to move up the deadline for filing clergy abuse claims.

http://www.startribune.com/archdiocese-abuse-victims-to-ask-court-to-extend-aug-3-claims-deadline/319130211/ 

Archdiocese abuse victims to ask court to extend Aug. 3 claims deadline

Victims in Twin Cities archdiocese say publicity about Aug. 3 deadline to file cases was delayed. 

Chancery office of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in St. Paul. An attorney for sexual abuse victims called Thursday’s hearing “a significant moment in the case.”

The bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reaches a critical point this week, when a judge will be asked to reverse his decision to move up the deadline for filing clergy abuse claims.

http://www.startribune.com/archdiocese-abuse-victims-to-ask-court-to-extend-aug-3-claims-deadline/319130211/ 

WA father lets 7 men abuse daughter:

A Christian preacher is among eight men charged over the abuse of a 13-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually exploited by her father over two years.
Police claim seven men made contact over the internet with the father who then organised for them to meet his daughter at various locations in Western Australia where the offences were committed. The men face a total of 503 charges for offences that allegedly happened when the girl was aged between 11 and 13. She is now safe and in care, receiving treatment.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/07/29/17/35/wa-father-lets-7-men-abuse-daughter-claim

55 priests defrocked for sex abuse since 2001

More than 50 priests in England and Wales have been defrocked for clerical sex abuse since 2001, new figures show.

There have been 55 laicisations since 2001 - meaning they have been evicted from the clergy - after new rules were put in place to protect children and vulnerable adults in the Catholic Church. But the Church, which has been rocked by a series of historic abuse scandals, received many more complaints of sexual misconduct against the clergy.

http://www.archindy.org/criterion/local/2015/07-31/arrest.html 

Judge blasts family who intimidated young victim of sexual assault

Three generations of women in a Gisborne family turned on a 12-year-old relative who claimed she had been sexually assaulted by her uncle, in a case that a judge said "made a mockery of notions of whanau". The case involved a mother and daughter forcing the girl to retract claims that her uncle had indecently assaulted her, after a jury had found him guilty.
The women, aged 48 and 29, and both closely related to the offender, have been jailed for three years for attempting to pervert the course of justice. They cannot be named, to protect the girl. When sentencing the pair in Gisborne District Court on July 16, Judge Tony Adeane said the girl was the subject of "a cruel course of ostracism by three generations of female relatives – grandmother, aunt and cousin".

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/70641919/Judge-blasts-family-who-intimidated-young-victim-of-sexual-assault 

Church safeguarding body announces partnership with abuse survivors

A panel of survivors of clerical abuse is to be set up to help put the voice of the victims at the heart of the work of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC).
The creation of the new panel was described this week by the commission’s acting chairman Christopher Pearson as an important new development. “It will significantly inform and influence the work of the NCSC and help improve the Church’s pastoral support for those hurt by abuse,” he said.

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2309/0/safeguarding-body-announces-partnership-with-survivors 

Bishop advises cautious optimism for a Catholic future in Boy Scouts

Charleston, S.C., Jul 30, 2015 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A leading bishop in Catholic scouting says Catholics should continue to be involved in the Boy Scouts and work to ensure good youth outreach and consistency with Church teaching in response to a national policy change that allows gay leaders.
“We’re willing to see how this policy can work and how we can remain consistent with our Catholic teaching and continue to charter troops with the Boy Scouts of America. We think we can do that,” Bishop Robert Guglielmone of Charleston told CNA July 28.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2015/07/bishop-advises-cautious-optimism-for-a-catholic-future-in-boy-scouts-2/ 

European royals killing naked children for fun at human hunting parties?

This is one in a series of articles taken from eyewitness testimony before the International Common Law Court of Justice in Brussels. Five international judges are examining evidence of child rape, torture, murder and kidnapping allegedly done by global elite members of the Ninth Circle Satanic Child Sacrifice Cult network. Regular Ninth Circle child sacrifices were said to take place in the catacombs of Catholic Cathedrals, the Vatican, on private estates and groves and government military bases in Belgium, Holland, Spain, Australia, Ireland, France, England and the US. 
At least 34 child mass grave sites were identified in Ireland, Spain and Canada – and refused excavation by the respective governments, Crown of England and Catholic Church. Named as present in Ninth Circle activities were Pope Francis, former Pope Ratzinger;Anglican, United Church of Canada and Catholic Church officials including Cardinals; members of European royalty including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip; officials of the Canadian, Australian, UK and US military and governments including the USA’s CIA, plus prominent government ministers, judges, politicians and businessmen from the US, Belgium, Holland, Canada, Australia, France, Ireland and the UK.

http://crazzfiles.com/european-royals-killing-naked-children-for-fun-at-human-hunting-parties/ 

Second stage of public hearing into Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat

The second stage of Case Study 28 will be held from 23 November 2015 in Melbourne. The first stage of the public hearing was held in Ballarat in May 2015. Because of the logistical issues relating to the anticipated level of interest in the community, the next stage of the hearing will held in the ceremonial court in the County Court complex in Melbourne.
The Royal Commission will provide a webcast of proceedings in the Trench room at the Ballarat Town Hall, Sturt Street, Ballarat, and the proceedings will be live streamed on the Royal Commission website www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au.

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2015-07/second-stage-of-public-hearing-into-catholic-churc 

Focus on abuse prosecutions: victims group

The greatest impact of the child abuse royal commission will be in prosecuting more offenders, an advocate for victims of pedophile priests says.
Cardinal George Pell and a bishop who knew about clergy sexually abusing children in Victoria's Ballarat diocese will front the commission's public hearing later this year.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/07/31/03/37/focus-on-abuse-prosecutions-victims-group

Religious education director accused of molesting boys from Indianapolis Catholic church

A man who served as a religious education director at an Indianapolis Catholic church was arrested on several child molestation charges. Oscar Vasquez-Guzman, 38, was charged Tuesday with two counts of child molesting, seven counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and one count of attempted sexual misconduct with a minor.
According to court documents, Vasquez-Guzman is accused of molesting two boys. The incidents allegedly occurred between Sept. 10, 2013, and July 20, 2015.

http://cbs4indy.com/2015/07/28/religious-education-director-accused-of-molesting-boys-from-indianapolis-catholic-church/ 

Former Lafayette priest named in abuse lawsuit

Two victims of sexual abuse by priests filed civil lawsuits Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, accusing a former Lafayette native and priest of violating them at a Crosier school in Onamia, Minnesota.
The lawsuit names the Crosier Fathers and Brothers as its defendants. But in each lawsuit, Father Gerald Funcheon, originally from Lafayette, is named as one of the priests who violated both men when they were teenagers.

http://www.jconline.com/story/news/crime/2015/07/28/former-lafayette-priest-named-abuse-lawsuit/30811477/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin= 

Jehovah's Witness abuser quoted scripture while assaulting daughter, royal commission told

As a child growing up in a strict Jehovah's Witness household she was taught to obey her father as head of the family and warned that outsiders were "worldly people" who served Satan.
In a harrowing day of evidence before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the woman detailed how her father repeatedly sexually abused her and her three sisters.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/jehovahs-witness-abuser-quoted-scripture-while-assaulting-daughter-royal-commission-told-20150728-gim9rh.html

Former Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns remembers ‘misbehaving’ priest

FORMER Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns has finally broken his silence about clergy sex abuse within the Catholic Church, telling a court he remembers a priest "misbehaving" in a sexual way.
Bishop Mulkearns was forced to give evidence against former priest Robert Claffey who has pleaded not guilty to a string of sexual assault charges. Appearing in Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Bishop Mulkearns, now retired, underwent a compulsory examination revealing evidence about child sexual abuse for the first time in almost two decades.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3243564/mulkearns-remembers-misbehaving-priest/?cs=12 

Paedophile priest praised for ‘change of heart’

A sentencing judge has welcomed a paedophile and former Christian Brother’s “substantial change of heart” after he pleaded guilty for the first time to sex assaults on two pupils at the North Monastery secondary school in Cork.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin referred to the 30 months already being served by Edward Bryan, 62, for the sexual abuse of three other students — charges on which he was convicted by a jury after his denials — and imposed a concurrent one-year sentence yesterday.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/paedophile-priest-praised-for-change-of-heart-345054.html 

Catholic Church prioritised protecting reputation above children in Ballarat abuse case, senior sergeant says

A senior sergeant on the 1990s Victoria Police attempt to charge a bishop with covering up the crimes of paedophile priests has broken his silence, saying the Catholic Church he encountered was more concerned with "brand protection" than protecting vulnerable children.

Chris O'Connor, who led the force's Child Exploitation Squad in the 1990s, worked on Operation Arcadia, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to prosecute Bishop Ronald Mulkearns for moving Gerald Francis Ridsdale from parish to parish in the Ballarat diocese, where the priest was able to abuse hundreds of children.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-29/catholic-church-put-reputation-over-children-in-ballarat-police/6658412 

Man accused of covering up some of Catholic Church's worst paedophiles gives evidence in court

The former Bishop of Ballarat, Ronald Mulkearns, has long avoided explaining how he dealt with complaints about numerous priests abusing dozens of children but he was finally forced to testify in a court, but how do those who tried addressing the issue years ago feel now?
Today, the man accused of covering up and moving on some of the Catholic Church's worst paedophiles was finally forced to testify in a Victorian court. For decades, the former Bishop of Ballarat has avoided explaining how he dealt with complaints about numerous priests abusing dozens of children. 7.30 Reporter Louise Milligan has tracked down a police investigator from the 1990s operation which tried unsuccessfully to press criminal charges against the bishop for covering up sexual abuse and a teacher who can prove she told the bishop about what was going on. This is her exclusive report.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4283371.htm

Eight charged with 500 abuse offences against Australian girl

Eight men have been charged with hundreds of child sex offences against a 13-year-old girl in Australia, including her father whom police alleged Wednesday organised the horrific abuse over two years.
The paedophile ring was smashed last week when detectives in Western Australia arrested the men, aged between 35 and 47, after a tip-off from the public.

https://nz.news.yahoo.com/world/a/29111090/eight-charged-with-500-abuse-offences-against-australian-girl/ 

First trailer for Catholic Church child abuse drama Spotlight

Check out the first trailer for the forthcoming drama Spotlight. Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo star in the fact-based story of child abuse in the Catholic Church. Based on the Boston Globe’s investigations that led to Cardinal Bernard Law resigning, having covered up years of abuse by priests.
Tom McCarthy is directing from a script he wrote with Josh Singer, the later worked on The West Wing series.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/first-trailer-for-catholic-church-child-abuse-drama-spotlight/ 

Victims advocates press Pope Francis to put NJ archbishop before new tribunal

Priests, nuns and canon lawyers who advocate for molestation victims urged Pope Francis on Wednesday to use the new Vatican tribunal he formed on negligent bishops to investigate the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, who has long been accused of sheltering abusive priests.
The plea comes as Francis prepares for his first visit to the U.S. in September, a trip which will take place against the backdrop of the broad unfinished business of the molestation scandal. The crisis erupted in 2002 with the case of one pedophile priest in the Archdiocese of Boston before spreading nationwide, then engulfing the Roman Catholic Church.

http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2015/07/victims_advocates_press_pope_f.html 

Sunday Herald linked Leon Brittan to child sex abuse in 2013

FORMER Conservative Home Secretary Leon Brittan is the latest and one of the most high profile figures to be linked to historic child abuse allegations.
The Sunday Herald was the first to report on the former Thatcher minister's connection. We reported in December 2013 that Brittan was being investigated by detectives leading Operation Fernbridge, but his name could not be revealed at the time for legal reasons

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13499862.Sunday_Herald_linked_Leon_Brittan_to_child_sex_abuse_in_2013/ 

The woman at centre of paedophile ring

A female rapist in the UK has been found guilty of running a paedophile ring which subjected five young children to sexual and physical abuse over more than a decade.
Ten people - including six women - were on trial accused of the child sex abuse which is said to have centred around Marie Black, 34, of Norwich.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11487953 

How To Stop People From Emotionally Manipulating You

If you are reading this right now, then chances are you have been manipulated by someone at some point in your life.  There is also a good chance you are being manipulated right now.  Teachers, co-workers, relationship partners, friends, and family are usually the ones who end up manipulating us because we feel as though we can trust them.  Because we feel like we can trust them, we open.
If we want to avoid being manipulated, the first thing you have to do is recognize that you are in fact being manipulated.  All this really requires is self-honesty and the willingness to admit to ourselves that we are being taken advantage of.  Once you recognize the problem, you can begin to fix it.  Here are 3 ways to avoid being manipulated and what you can do if you suspect someone is manipulating you:ourselves up to persuasion, manipulation, and being emotionally abused by them.

http://thespiritscience.net/2015/07/26/how-to-stop-people-from-emotionally-manipulating-you/ 

Paddy Power says it will 'destroy' Rolf Harris Ashes ad

Paddy Power, a major bookmaker in Britain and Ireland and owner of Australia's Sportsbet, has said it will "destroy" an ad reportedly related to the Ashes cricket series between Australia and England that features disgraced Australian entertainer Rolf Harris, who is currently serving jail time in Britain for sex offences.
The ad, which places an image of Harris alongside the words "the only Aussie we don't want to get out", has appeared on social media pictured on a billboard despite the company's claims that "it will never be released in public".

http://www.smh.com.au/world/paddy-power-says-it-will-destroy-rolf-harris-ashes-ad-20150717-gif4iw.html

Westminster paedophile scandal casts shadows over British establishment

London: In October 2012, Labour MP Tom Watson stood up in the British House of Commons and lobbed a grenade – metaphorically speaking. Tapping a sheaf of paper in his hands, he told the Prime Minister that police had – or used to have – a file of evidence containing "clear intelligence suggesting a powerful paedophile network linked to Parliament and No. 10". David Cameron leant forward, his brow furrowed. Mr Watson continued: "One of its members boasts of his links to a senior aide of a former prime minister, who says he could smuggle indecent images of children from abroad."  The leads were never followed up.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/westminster-paedophile-scandal-casts-shadows-over-british-establishment-20150726-gika7h.html 

Paedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of authority in Jehovah’s Witness church royal commission told

Officials in the Jehovah’s Witness Church destroyed notes, including those involving allegations of sexually assaulting children, in case they fell into the “wrong hands” — like those of their wives.
Church Elder Max Horley told the child sex abuse royal commission today that it was protocol to destroy notes including those he made during meetings between another elder Bill Neill and the teenage girl who accused him of abusing her.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/paedophiles-repeatedly-promoted-to-positions-of-authority-in-jehovahs-witness-church-royal-commission-told/story-fni0cx12-1227458483269?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20dailytelegraphtopstoriesndm%20%28Daily%20Telegraph%20|%20Top%20Stories%29 

Catholic Whistleblowers from darkness into light: a matter of conscience

Catholic Whistleblowers is a network of current and former priests, women religious, brothers, deacons, and laypersons who actively support survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Many of us have reported instances of sexual abuse to civil or church authorities, and we all struggle to expose the cover-up of abuse by church leadership. We are aware of how difficult it is to speak out on this issue, and we support each other in that effort.

http://www.catholicwhistleblowers.com/

Reclaiming a space for the Church; The vow of celibacy that binds the Catholic clergy

Pope Francis is seeking to find a place for the Church in a materialistic and market-oriented world where there is a new-found ethical and religious craving.

In the short span of two years of his papacy, Pope Francis has attempted to reform the archaic institutional layout of the Catholic Church that he heads, has striven to promote inter-religious dialogue, and has taken a stand on a set of key social concerns. 

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/reclaiming-a-space-for-the-church/article7474638.ece 

Crosiers sued for negligence amid sex abuse claims

Two men are suing a Roman Catholic religious order for alleged sexual abuse that occurred more than 30 years ago at a prep school in Onamia, Minn.

The complaints, filed Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court against the Crosier Fathers and Brothers, allege the two were each abused as minors by three clerics. One of the clerics, the Rev. Gerald Funcheon, was the subject of two suits filed in Ramsey County last November.

http://www.startribune.com/crosiers-sued-for-negligence-amid-sex-abuse-claims/318911901/ 

Time to get the facts right about child sexual abuse

This week’s disclosures about child abuse and its cover-up by Jehovah’s Witnesses has again shown why the work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse matters so much.
The sect is the commission’s 29th case study since September 2013. And there is still a long way to go because the depravity that destroyed young lives, which was hidden for decades, was so widespread. The commission’s report should provide insights and guidance about the best strategies for preventing such crimes and dealing with them in future. Current and past church leaders and others are morally obliged to co-operate. The vast majority are doing so.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/time-to-get-the-facts-right-about-child-sexual-abuse/story-e6frg71x-1227460782107 

Deadline for Claims Against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, is August 3rd

There is just over a week remaining for claims against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.   You must act by August 3rd.
The deadline is shorter than the rest of the state because of the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese.
If you or a loved one has a potential claim,  it is time to act.
Nationally renowned priest abuse attorney Jeff Anderson’s website details instructions. There are a number of key points:

http://minneapolis.legalexaminer.com/property-owners-liability-slip-fall/deadline-for-claims-against-the-archdiocese-of-st-paul-and-minneapolis-is-august-3rd/ 

Cardinal Pell raps pope's climate stance

An Australian cardinal leading efforts to clean up Vatican finances has courted controversy again - after a much-criticised stance on sex abuse - by chiding Pope Francis for his landmark encyclical on climate change.
George Pell, who last year likened a typical victim of sex abuse to hitchhikers, and the Church to the truck they happened to have taken, told the Financial Times that the Church had "no particular expertise in science". Pell told the Financial Times the church had "no particular expertise in science".

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/151374/Cardinal-Pell-raps-pope-s-climate-stance.html 

Victim of abuse by jailed former chaplain to the Queen tells of her relief

A WOMAN who was subjected to repeated indecent assaults by a former chaplain to the Queen when she was a teenager has told of her relief at seeing him jailed. Canon Stephen Palmer abused the girl at his home provided by the Church of England when he was assistant curate at Holy Rood in Stubbington in the mid-1970s.
I feel relieved as he’s told me so many times that nobody would believe me and I couldn’t do anything about it. I have done something about it – I has been believed by the jury.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/victim-of-abuse-by-jailed-former-chaplain-to-the-queen-tells-of-her-relief-1-6869598 

A careful grace: Accountability for sex offenders in the church

Many churches are faced with a terribly difficult dilemma of what to do when a sex offender wants to become part of the church community.  In my experience, most churches have little to no understanding of the many complex issues related to such a decision.  As a result, churches often make decisions that result in great harm to the children and abuse survivors in the congregation. Simon Bass is a dear friend and colleague who spends his life protecting children on the other side of the pond.
He is the Chief Officer of the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS), which is an amazing organization that is  transforming churches in the United Kingdom into much safer places for children and survivors.  I am thankful to God for introducing me to Simon and believe that his thought provoking guest post will help spark a much needed dialogue in this country on a topic many would prefer to ignore. – Boz

http://boz.religionnews.com/2015/07/25/a-careful-grace-accountability-for-sex-offenders-in-the-church/ 

Former Isle of Wight vicar jailed for sex offences

THE former vicar of Newport, Canon Stephen Palmer, has been jailed for three years and three months for sexual assaults on a 17-year-old girl in the 1970s.

During one assault, Palmer told his victim that no-one would believe her if she told them what he had done. At a sentencing hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday), Palmer stared impassively as he was jailed for six offences of sexual assault against the teenager.

 

http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/former-isle-of-wight-vicar-jailed-for-sex-offences-86474.aspx 

I may quiz Janner myself, says head of abuse inquiry: New experts to decide on his dementia

Suspected paedophile peer Lord Janner faces questions by the judge leading the national inquiry into historic child sex abuse. Justice Lowell Goddard said she will take personal responsibility for examining the actions of the former Labour MP, and will bring in her own medical experts to determine whether it is possible to confront the 86-year-old over the avalanche of allegations against him.

The announcement is a shot across the bows of Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders, who ruled this month that Janner should not be charged.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3060783/Goddard-inquiry-historic-child-sex-abuse-England-look-claims-against-Labour-peer-Lord-Janner-decision-not-prosecute-him.html 

Church ‘hid child sex abuse’

The Jehovah's Witnesses Church in Australia failed to report to police more than 1 000 cases of child sexual abuse going back more than 60 years, a government investigation into abuse and its aftermath heard on Monday.
Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which was launched in 2013 amid allegations of serial child abuse inside the Catholic Church in Australia, has a broad mandate to examine religious and secular organisations.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/church-hid-child-sex-abuse-1.1891169#.VbbWTvmXmUl 

Jehovah's Witnesses Church 'failed to Record 1,000+ Instances Of Kid sexual abuse'

Abuse: An Australian investigation is alleging Jehovah’s witnesses Became a blind eye to abuse for decades The Jehovah’s Witnesses Church in Australia failed to Record to police more than 1,000 Situations Of Kid sexual abuse going back more than 60 years, It’s Been claimed.
Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Was Once Introduced in 2013 amid allegations of serial Kid abuse Within The Catholic Church in Australia.

http://www.buzzstalk.com/jehovahs-witnesses-church-failed-to-record-1000-instances-of-kid-sexual-abuse 

To combat police terrorism, study the response to the church's abuse crisis

Shortly after we entered the 21st century, the 24-hour news cycle bombarded us with interviews and images regarding a sex abuse scandal within the Catholic church. For a while, it seemed as though every day there was a new allegation of abuse dating back decades.
Victim after victim emerged, sharing one heartbreaking story after another. Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests became the common understanding of the word "SNAP."

http://ncronline.org/blogs/intersection/combat-police-terrorism-study-response-churchs-abuse-crisis 

Revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Cosby

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award bestowed on civilians for their contributions to society. Bill Cosby does not deserve to be on the list of distinguished recipients.
PAVE: Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, a national nonprofit dedicated to sexual assault prevention and victim empowerment, is rallying supporters to remedy this injustice.


https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/revoke-presidential-medal-freedom-bill-cosby

Assignment Record– Rev. Reginald M. Krakovsky, T.O.R.

Summary of Case: A Third Order Regular Franciscan ordained in 1952, Reginald Krakovsky worked in parishes in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and West Virginia. He was assigned to several high schools, including a preparatory seminary, and he was a seminary novice master and procurator for missions in Paraguay. Krakovsky also did a short stint as an English instructor in Slovakia. He died July 14, 1997.
Krakovsky was accused in a 1995 lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy at a parish in the St. Cloud, Minnesota diocese in the early 1960s. His accuser said he knew of other former classmates who remembered being abused by the priest. Krakovsky's name was included on the St. Cloud diocese's list released in January 2014 of 33 credibly accused clerics.

http://www.bishopaccountability.org/Krakovsky_Reginald_M_TOR.htm 

Child sex abuse royal commission hears Jehovah's Witnesses failed to report 1,000 alleged perpetrators

More than 1,000 members of the Jehovah's Witnesses have been identified by the church as perpetrators of child sexual abuse since 1950, but not one was reported to police, an inquiry has heard.

The Jehovah's Witnesses church, which preaches that the end of the world is near, is at the centre of a child abuse royal commission hearing in Sydney today.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-27/jehovahs-witnesses-child-sexual-abuse-royal-commission/6649340 

Paedophiles repeatedly promoted ...

THE Jehovah’s Witness church repeatedly promoted paedophiles to positions of authority and never reported any case of child abuse to the police, the child sex abuse royal commission has been told today.
Church elders could now face criminal charges for concealment of serious indictable offences and failure to disclose sexual offences against minors, counsel assisting the commission Angus Stewart SC said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/paedophiles-repeatedly-promoted-to-positions-of-authority-in-jehovahs-witness-church-royal-commission-told/story-fni0cx12-1227458483269 

The Marist Brothers ignored the behaviour of this Brother. Now they face public scrutiny

This Broken Rites article tells how the Marist Brothers harboured a child-sex offender (Brother John William Chute) for more than 40 years, giving him access to Australian Catholic schoolchildren. Broken Rites has ascertained that the Marist Brothers appointed Chute (whose religious name is "Brother Kostka") to at least 12 Catholic schools in Australia between 1952 and 1993, ranging from Lismore in northern New South Wales to Marcellin College in Randwick, Sydney, as well as at least one school in Queensland.
His final school was Marist College in Canberra, and it was some Canberra pupils who finally got him convicted and jailed in 2008. However, this Canberra court case was confined to crimes committed within the Australian Capital Territory. Now, in 2015, John William Chute has been charged in New South Wales, regarding an alleged offence at Lismore. The official number for Chute's case in the New South Wales court system is 2015/00082050.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/90 

A prominent Marist Brother is jailed — 40 years after the crime

One of the Marist Brothers' most senior educators in Australia, Brother Peter Pemble, was jailed on 23 July 2015 (aged 67) for a child-sex crime which he committed 40 years earlier when he was in his twenties. In court, Pemble pleaded guilty to the offence, which was committed against a junior boy in a Marist school at Maitland (in the Hunter region, north of Sydney) in the early 1970s.
Eventually, Brother Peter Pemble became the principal of several Catholic schools in Sydney. The victim finally spoke to police, 40 years after the crime, because he still feels hurt by the sexual abuse and the cover-up.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/306 

What do Priests think of the Royal Commission?

Private commissions are being held around the country this week as part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. The Catholic Church has been the subject of many hearings, yet you don't often hear from those on the ground within the church.
So what do the hundreds of Catholic Priests across the country who've had nothing to do with the horrific abuse make of what they're hearing?  Our Community Correspondent for religious affairs, David McGovern, spoke with a refreshingly honest retired priest, Father John Begg.

Listen to Father John Begg: http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2015/07/what-do-priests-think-of-the-royal-commission-.html 

Rule-bound church kept child abuse secret

Elders in the Jehovah's Witnesses forced a girl to confront her father who was abusing her, and who blamed her for seducing him. The elders were friends of her father who was a highly regarded member of the church, which likes to keep its members isolated from the rest of society, a royal commission has been told.
Counsel for the commission Angus Stewart, SC, said a witness known as BCG would give evidence that her father's sexual abuse did not appear to qualify as "wrongdoing" in the eyes of the Church.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/07/27/03/35/jehovah-s-witnesses-face-inquiry 

Facts, not hysteria and hearsay

Victims of child sexual abuse have fought a long, painful battle for justice. Their cause, sadly, has been set back by the incompetence of, and shameful distortions by, Victoria Police. As John Ferguson revealed on Saturday’s front page, the police force vastly overstated the number of suicides related to child sex abuse by Catholic clergy in the state.
After claiming 43 church-related suicides had taken place, police now concede the real figure was one suicide in which church-related sex abuse was a contributing factor.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/facts-not-hysteria-and-hearsay/story-e6frg71x-1227457790004 

Scandal: Catholic Church abuses over 300 boys in Mount Cashel Orphanage [Christian Brothers Exposed]

The Vatican is the most criminal organization in existence. The Christian brothers were exposed in Canada for abusing children systematically in their catholic orphanage in the same period where they were abusing thousand of children in the residential schools, orphanages and mental institutions in Ireland as reported by the Ryan Report (2009).
In December 2000 The StarPhoenix reported that leaders of the Christian Brothers at the Vatican conspired to transfer ownership of the order's assets out of Canada to prevent court-ordered liquidation to pay compensation to sexual and physical abuse victims. It was also alleged that the Archdiocese of Vancouver conspired to shield Vancouver College and St. Thomas More Collegiate.

http://www.mygay.net/videos/video/nr6aJd4Kz_4/scandal-catholic-church-abuses-over-300-boys-in-mount-cashel-orphanage-christian-brothers-exposed.php 

Secrets of St Peter's: Shocking child abuse at Catholic Church school revealed

Express reporter Joanna Della-Ragione investigates shocking claims of historic child sex abuse at a former approved school, St Peter's in Gainford, County Durham. Speaking for the first time, the victims tell their own story and explain how the Catholic Church covered-up the appalling scandal. Filmed and directed by Daniel Luccesi. Warning: This film contains upsetting material.

http://www.mygay.net/videos/video/P9AjWq5ue9k/secrets-of-st-peters-shocking-child-abuse-at-catholic-church-school-revealed.php 

Father James Robinson's abuse victim 'thought it was love'

A victim of a former Roman Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing boys between 1959 and 1983, said he thought he was in love with the man who called himself Father Jim.

Richard John James Robinson, 73, originally from Aldridge in the West Midlands, encouraged the altar boy with gifts, outings and rides in his sports car.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-11595676 

Former priest jailed for 'wicked' sex abuse of boys

An "unimaginably wicked" former priest has been given a prison sentence of 21 years for sexually abusing boys in the West Midlands.

Richard John James Robinson, 73, was found guilty of 21 charges relating to offences against boys, all aged under 16, between 1959 and 1983.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-11595092 

Nine-month sentence for former Trinity principal slammed

CHILD abuse victim advocacy group Bravehearts has called for a review of paedophile sentencing practices following the "far too lenient" nine-month jail sentence of former Trinity Catholic College Lismore principal Peter Pemble.

The former Marist Brothers senior educator, now 67, was sentenced on Thursday in the Newcastle District Court. Brother Peter Pemble was not long out of teachers' college when he was sent to Marist Brothers High School at Maitland in 1971, Judge Peter Berman said. 

http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/ex-trinity-principal-jailed-for-sex-crimes-bravehe/2717888/ 

Essex D.A wants former priest held as 'sexually dangerous'

The first Catholic priest convicted and jailed for sex abuse is about to be released from state prison. Now 72-years-old, Ronald Paquin has served 12 of his 12 to 15 year sentence for raping and molesting an altar boy more than 50 times over a three-year period.
But, the Eagle Tribune reports that Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett says Paquin is still too dangerous to walk the streets. He wants the former priest held in Bridgewater State Hospital.

http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2015/07/essex_da_wants_former_priest_h.html 

The church hid the crimes of Brother Ted Dowlan (alias Ted Bales) but Broken Rites helped to expose this cover-up

This Broken Rites article is the most comprehensive account available about how the Christian Brothers organisation concealed the crimes of Brother Edward Dowlan (now known as Ted Bales). From the start, the Christian Brothers knew that Dowlan was committing criminal sexual assaults against Australian schoolchildren but, instead of dismissing him, the Christian Brothers kept transferring him to more schools, thus giving him access to more victims.
His victims were usually aged about 11 or 12 but some were as young as 8 or 9. In the 1990s, when some victims finally reported him to the police, the Christian Brothers supported Dowlan and tried to defeat the victims. The victims eventually won (by getting him jailed in 1996 and again in 2015), but their lives have been damaged by the Christian Brothers — and several of Brother Dowlan's victims ended up in suicide. Some other Dowlan victims have not yet contacted the detectives. The Dowlan cover-up will be mentioned in a public hearing of Australia's national child-abuse Royal Commission, which begins on 19 May 2015.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/60 

An ex-priest from Moree/Armidale NSW (name suppressed in an Armidale court) has been ordered to face a higher court on 76 sex-abuse charges

A former Catholic priest (from Moree and Armidale in northern New South Wales) faced 76 sex-abuse charges in the Armidale Local Court in 2012-2014. The charges involved offences which he allegedly committed against boys and  girls. For legal reasons, the Armidale magistrate imposed a media-suppression order, prohibiting publication of the ex-priest's name (at present) in relation to these Armidale Local Court charges. The ex-priest pleaded "Guilty" to 45 of these charges, and he will eventually be sentenced on those.
He pleaded "Not Guilty" to 31 other charges, and these contested charges are scheduled to go to trial in a higher court, the Sydney District Court in Sydney, beginning in early 2016. The Sydney judge will decide whether the Armidale magistrate's name-suppression order should be continued, or removed, during the Sydney District Court proceedings. Later, the ex-priest will be sentenced by the Sydney District Court regarding all the relevant charges that originated in the Armidale court, including the charges to which he has already pleaded "Guilty". Meanwhile, the ex-priest has been refused bail and he remains in custody, awaiting his court proceedings.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/223 

Former youth pastor gets 21 years for sex abuse

A former youth pastor was sentenced Thursday to 21 years in prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl last year. Nicholas Lawrence, 27, apologized for his behavior over the nearly seven-month period that he engaged in the illicit conduct, saying it was selfish of him and inexcusable.
“The words ‘I am sorry’ just don’t seem strong enough,” he said, adding that he has worked to modify his behavior so he could deal with things in a more appropriate manner.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150723/NEWS/150729606 

UK child abuse inquiry must look at Kincora

The Kincora sex scandal has been in the public domain for almost 40 years and still the young boys who were abused there have been denied full justice. No one still believes that the three staff members at the east Belfast home who were jailed in 1981 for crimes against 11 youngsters were the only abusers.

In fact, they might now be viewed as the scapegoats for a much wider paedophile ring that reaches into the higher echelons of the British Establishment.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/editors-viewpoint/uk-child-abuse-inquiry-must-look-at-kincora-31399858.html 

Vale woman fights for abuse victims' justice

OH MY GOD... when will it end... these nazareth house nuns... they abused children worldwide... good luck you sure need it... these nuns will never admit to the abuse... because if they do... their insurance will stop paying... for their lawyers bills... they are one evil lot of nuns... that ever walked this earth... what they say to TV... the Papers... and at the end of their so called apologies... that there was NO WRONGDOING... from that order of nuns... this is not an apology... it is re-abuse in it's highest form... Ann

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

A Vale woman who claims she suffered sickening abuse at the hands of nuns who were trusted to care for her leading a campaign fighting for justice and compensation for abuse victims. Helen Holland, 56, has made allegations that she endured ‘years of sadistic abuse’ at a care home run by the Sisters of Nazareth.
Ms Holland, of Alexandria, is the chairwoman of organisation Incas – In Care Abuse Survivors – and is now fighting to get compensation for hundreds of people who also claim they were abused while in the care of the state.

http://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/news/crime-courts/articles/2015/07/24/539880-vale-woman-fights-for-abuse-victims-justice/ 

Diocese wants to hold ‘bling’ bishop accountable for excesses

PARIS (RNS) A German Catholic diocese wants to take episcopal responsibility to a new level by making its disgraced former “bishop of bling” responsible for the 3.9 million euros ($4.9 million) in losses incurred during the luxury makeover of his residence and office.
Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst earned the “bling” label in 2013 when aides revealed he had spent 31 million euros ($34 million) — over six times the original estimate — on the stately complex opposite the Romanesque cathedral in Limburg, north of Frankfurt.

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/07/24/diocese-wants-hold-bling-bishop-accountable-excesses/ 

Kincora boys' home abuse: Files handed to HIA inquiry

The discovery of new state papers about the Kincora abuse scandal does not mean the inquiry into what happened should be extended, the NI secretary has said. There is pressure to include the east Belfast boys' home in the Goddard abuse inquiry in England and Wales.
However, Theresa Villiers said the right place for the new files to go was the Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA). It cannot compel witnesses or documents from agencies like MI5.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-33632706 

U.N. Official Quits Amid Scrutiny of Response to Sex Abuse Accusations

The most senior United Nations official to have been informed of accusations of child sexual abuse by French soldiers in the Central African Republic last year, who took no action at the time, has resigned from her post, United Nations officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The official, Flavia Pansieri, the deputy high commissioner for human rights, based in Geneva, is stepping down for health reasons, said a spokesman for the human rights office, André-Michel Essoungou.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/world/africa/un-official-flavia-pansieri-resigns-central-african-republic-peacekeeper-sex-abuse.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150722&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y&_r=0 

Vatican sexual abuse scandal compared to torture at U.N.

GENEVA - A U.N. committee compared the Vatican's handling of the global priest sex abuse scandal with torture Monday, raising the possibility that its failure to investigate clergy and their superiors could have broader legal implications.
But the Vatican's top envoy in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, claimed that the Holy See was getting its house in order after a decade-long effort to deal with a global priest sex abuse scandal.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vatican-sexual-abuse-scandal-compared-to-torture-at-un/ 

Vatican facing U.N. showdown on sex abuse record

The Vatican is gearing up for a bruising showdown over the global priest sex abuse scandal, forced for the first time to defend itself at length and in public against allegations it enabled the rape of thousands of children by protecting pedophile priests and its own reputation at the expense of victims.
The Holy See on Thursday will be grilled by a U.N. committee in Geneva on its implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Among other things, the treaty calls for signatories to take all appropriate measures to protect children from harm and to put children's interests above all else.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vatican-facing-un-showdown-on-sex-abuse-record/ 

Vatican reveals how many priests defrocked for sex abuse since 2004

The Vatican revealed Tuesday that over the past decade, it has defrocked 848 priests who raped or molested children and sanctioned another 2,572 with lesser penalties, providing the first ever breakdown of how it handled the more than 3,400 cases of abuse reported to the Holy See since 2004.
The Vatican's U.N. ambassador in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, released the figures during a second day of grilling by a U.N. committee monitoring implementation of the U.N. treaty against torture.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vatican-reveals-how-many-priests-defrocked-for-sex-abuse-since-2004/ 

Australia jails U.S. clergyman for abusing girls

An American clergyman suspected of child sexual abuse at a Pennsylvania school was sentenced on Friday to three years in an Australian prison for molesting three children in Melbourne more than 30 years ago.
Brother Bernard Hartman, 75, a member of the Roman Catholic Marianist religious order, had pleaded guilty in the Victoria state County Court in Melbourne in April to four counts of indecent assault involving two pre-teen sisters of male students at St. Paul's College in the late 1970s. A jury found him guilty in May of one count of indecent assault and two of common law assault for abusing a male student at the school in 1981-82.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-clergyman-bernard-hartman-sex-abuse-jailed-molesting-girls-australia/ 

Minnesota Catholic Archdiocese charged over sexual abuse by clergyman

Prosecutors in Minnesota brought criminal charges yesterday against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, accusing it of failing to protect children from a priest who pleaded guilty in 2012 to sexual abuse.

Prosecutors found “a disturbing institutional and systemic pattern of behavior” over the course of decades at the highest level of leadership in the archdiocese, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said.

https://christianspooksite.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/minnesota-catholic-archdiocese-charged-over-sexual-abuse-by-clergyman/ 

Dominican Fr. Thomas Doyle meets with members of pontifical commission on sex abuse

One of the most severe critics of the church's handling of the sex abuse scandal spent several days last month briefing members of the Vatican commission appointed to advise Pope Francis on the issue.

In a phone interview Monday, Dominican Fr. Thomas Doyle confirmed that he met with four members of the commission in London after he was approached to consult with the group by commission member Marie Collins of Ireland, who was raped by a priest as a youngster.

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/dominican-fr-thomas-doyle-meets-members-pontifical-commission-sex-abuse# 

NZ clergy members escape abuse charges; Outrageous they should be DEFROCKED

Why would we trust the church's national office... who handles the victims/survivors complaints... when the head man is a PRIEST RAPIST himself... what the hell is the catholic church up to... keep it all under cover... MY GOD... WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN YOUR CHILDREN??... even when we called out as children for your help... we got no help... but worse still now... that we know that what they did to us... was RAPE... one of the deadliest crimes... and sins of them all... we still call out in vine... the catholic church is covering up her crimes... and we the children of the catholic church... suffer in silence... we walk away... because of the mixed up messages... we keep getting from the enablers... that is from the Pope down... because all we hear is false promises... Ann

============================== 

Four New Zealand clergy members were never charged with sex offences against children despite the Catholic Church proving they had committed the crimes. The church has revealed the numbers of complaints coming forward - many historical - as it deals with decades of abuse by members.

According to church figures, 58 fresh complaints were made in the four years to the end of 2014. The oldest case dated back to 1946. Twenty-four are still being investigated but 26 were accepted as proven to a civil court standard. They involved 21 priests, nuns or teachers.

http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/nz-clergy-members-escape-abuse-charges-2015072510#ixzz3grmQvuad  

Catholic priests who abused New Zealand children will not be investigated; Outrageour the shoul be DEFROCKED

These priest should be stripped of their priesthood.. they should be defrocked... the Roman catholic church is just as guilty... as the rapist themselves... they are holding the rapist hands... just as Cardinal Pell walked along side... the worst rapist priest in Australia... the priest and nuns who rapped children... boys and girls... in New Zealand... should be made accountable... for their crimes...

Pell stood by this evil man... right throughout his court case... as though they were very close buddies... they even lived together for some years... and Pell says... he never knew what was going on... within their four walls... well which priest walked past the rapist bedroom... as he was raping a young boy??... why has the Pope not being told... about these priest in New Zealand... this is why I will never leave... what happened in the catholic church homes... and orphanages in New Zealand... because they are still hiding... and shielding the rapist priest and nuns... and we are left to carry our guilt and shame... to the day we die...  Ann

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

Four Catholic priests or brothers have never faced justice for sexually abusing children, despite the church accepting their guilt. The Roman Catholic Church in New Zealand has, for the first time, revealed the number of sexual abuse claims it has received, many of which are still being investigated.
They show the number of people coming forward is growing every year, decades after they were abused. But few, if any, are resulting in fresh complaints to police. Victims have said that, even now, the church remains unwilling to dig into the darker parts of its past. "If a victim came to me now, I'd say, 'Stay away from the church'," one victim said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/70377103/catholic-priests-who-abused-new-zealand-children-will-not-be-investigated

Teacher jailed for not reporting colleague's alleged sex with student

A middle school teacher who authorities say knew that a colleague was having sex with a student was sentenced to 30 days in jail Tuesday for failing to report the alleged abuse.
April Courtney, 35, of Wauconda, pleaded guilty to failing to report the alleged child sexual assault of a student at Gavin South Middle School in Ingleside by fellow teacher Michael Vucic.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-teacher-abuse-failed-to-report-charge-met-20150721-story.html 

Parishioners in Massachusetts church standoff to make case in court

Parishioners of a Massachusetts Roman Catholic church who have staged a decade-long vigil intended to stop the Boston archdiocese from closing it are due to argue their case in a state appeals court on Wednesday.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the last of a half-dozen Boston-area churches that parishioners have occupied 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since 2004 when the archdiocese listed it among some 70 parishes to be closed in a restructuring.

http://news.gnom.es/news/parishioners-in-massachusetts-church-standoff-to-make-case-in-court 

Church allowed abuse by priest for years

This article was prepared by the Globe Spotlight Team: reporters Matt Carroll, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Michael Rezendes; and editor Walter V. Robinson. It was written by Rezendes.
First of two parts
Since the mid-1990s, more than 130 people have come forward with horrific childhood tales about how former priest John J. Geoghan allegedly fondled or raped them during a three-decade spree through a half-dozen Greater Boston parishes. Almost always, his victims were grammar school boys. One was just 4 years old.

http://internetcrimefightersorg.com/catholic-church-child-abuse/ 

Canada--Convicted Orthodox archbishop released from prison

Victims want abusive bishop defrocked He’s been released early from Canadian prison SNAP to hierarchs: “Tell public where the molester is now” Group begs officials to limit his access to kids and parishes “You have a moral duty to disclose and warn families at risk,” victims say
A Canadian archbishop convicted of child sexual abuse has been released from prison early. A support group for victims wants church officials to defrock him, warn families about him and keep him away from parishes.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/canada_convicted_orthodox_archbishop_released_from_prison 

Gardaí may have interviewed victim of paedophile priest as ‘family favour’

A REPORT BY the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in Cloyne has found evidence of failures on the part of gardaí. However, GSOC is not recommending any disciplinary action as no offences appear to have been committed.

In 2011, the Cloyne Report outlined evidence that indicated gardaí did not act upon information they had in relation to complaints of sexual abuse in the Cork diocese. A public interest investigation was opened by GSOC in March 2012 as a result.

http://www.thejournal.ie/sex-abuse-cloyne-garda-failings-2231885-Jul2015/

Kincora Boys' Home: MI5 and the Westminster paedophile ring

It has been closed for over 30 years after a child sex abuse scandal broke in the early 1980s, but the grubby tale of Kincora Boys Home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is once again dirtying the news agenda – with more details emerging about who was involved and what they did.
Kincora was supposed to be a haven for boys aged 15 to 18 from troubled backgrounds, including those most at risk of abuse. But for some of the 168 who passed over its threshold, the experience was one of being tossed from the furnace into the fires of a man-made hell.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/kincora-boys-home-mi5-westminster-paedophile-ring-1512230 

Polish bishops condemn IVF law, warn Catholics to not use process

Poland's Catholic bishops condemned a law allowing state funding for in vitro fertilization, which was signed into law Wednesday by outgoing President Bronislaw Komorowski despite a seven-year church campaign to block it.
"As with abortion, Catholics cannot use in vitro -- among other reasons because the cost of the birth of a single human person is the destruction of other unborn children," the bishops' conference said.

http://ncronline.org/news/global/polish-bishops-condemn-ivf-law-warn-catholics-not-use-process 

Churches Are Required to Hire Pedophiles to Run Church Nurseries; Outrageous

On Tuesday, David Barton appeared on Missions Radio (click link for entire program), a podcast hosted by Kenneth Mitchell. The topics were mostly current events and Barton’s analysis of them. As with his history, his analysis of current events is also off the mark. In this clip, Barton claims churches have to hire pedophiles to run their nurseries.
Then, Congress has passed what’s called ENDA, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, passed this in ’06 under Pelosi and Reid and at that point in time, it says you cannot discriminate on the basis of hiring.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/2015/07/23/david-barton-churches-are-required-to-hire-pedophiles-to-run-church-nurseries/

Convicted child sex offender listed as violent

Convicted child sex offender listed as violent on VA state registry is "Care Director" pastor at Fairfax Community Church. It's come to this: as I told my husband a few days ago when I was alerted to this story, we now must caution parents and church members/attendees to search for church pastors and staff on sex offender registries.

Eric Nickle was convicted on October 13, 2000 for Indecent Liberties with a Child by Custodian. VA law code 18.2-370.1 is listed on Nickle's sex offender registry. His initial registration was on July 17, 2000 and renewed on July 20, 2015. § 18.2-370.1. Taking indecent liberties with child by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalties.

http://watchkeep.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/convicted-child-sex-offender-listed-as.html?m=1 

Vatican adviser: Married priests, women deacons would add 'dynamism'

"Married priests and women deacons should be reintroduced as soon as possible. That would bring new dynamism to the church," Dietmar Winkler, the future dean of Salzburg University's Catholic theological faculty, told the Austrian daily Salzburger Nachrichten in an interview during the Salzburg Festival.
He said he could not see why men who feel called to the priesthood should be forced to remain celibate. Asceticism, which religious feel called to, is a charism that could not be forced on people, Winkler said.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/vatican-adviser-married-priests-women-deacons-would-add-dynamism 

Mass baby grave in Tuam, Galway: Sisters of Bon Secours nuns 'have no burial home records'

The Sisters of Bon Secours nuns in charge of Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway, where the burial of hundreds of babies in a septic tank mass grave has been uncovered have said they no longer hold the burial records.

The nuns, which operated the home said they were shocked and deeply saddened by reports of the burial of 798 dead infants from 1925 to 1961. It was one of 10 similar homes across Ireland - three others which have little angels plots are believed to hold the remains of another 3,200 babies and infants.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/mass-baby-grave-in-tuam-galway-sisters-of-bon-secours-nuns-have-no-burial-home-records-30333786.html 

Amnesty International call for inquiry into allegations of abuse in Mother and Baby homes in Northern Ireland

Amnesty International has called for an inquiry into allegations of decades of abuse suffered in Mother and Baby homes in Northern Ireland. It comes after the Irish government published the terms of reference for a Commission of Investigation into such homes in the Republic of Ireland.
The Human Rights organisation accused Ministers in Northern Ireland of failing to respond to victims’ calls for a probe into abuse which they allege occurred in Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundry-type institutions in Northern Ireland over a period of decades.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/amnesty-international-call-for-inquiry-into-allegations-of-abuse-in-mother-and-baby-homes-in-northern-ireland-30895038.html 

Mother and Baby Homes inquiry 'does not want extra burden'

The judge-led inquiry into Mother and Baby Homes does not want to be burdened by including two more institutions in its investigations, a campaigner has claimed.

Dr Niall Meehan, whose research helped uncover the scale of infant deaths at Dublin's Bethany Home, launched a withering attack on Judge Yvonne Murphy for failing to recommend the inclusion of the Westbank Orphanage in Wicklow and the Braemar Rescue Home for Protestant Girls in Cork.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/mother-and-baby-homes-inquiry-does-not-want-extra-burden-31396886.html 

This Time It's About The Money

At both of Father Andrew McCormick's criminal trials, the alleged victim in the case, as well as the prosecutor, made a point of saying that the victim who claimed he was sexually abused as a 10-year-old altar boy wasn't in it for the money. That's why he hadn't filed a civil suit, the victim said on the witness stand at both trials.
On March 6, 2014, at Father Andy's first trial, the priest's defense lawyer, William J. Brennan, cautioned the jury that although the alleged victim had not yet filed a civil suit against the archdiocese, "I don't know what he's gonna do tomorrow."

http://www.bigtrial.net/2015/07/this-time-its-about-money.html

Catholic Church in Germany hit by mass withdrawals

More than 200,000 German Roman Catholics formally left the Church last year in a blow not just to its membership figures but to its income.
Germans who belong to a designated Church pay an additional proportion of their income tax – between eight and nine per cent – towards its support. However, they can opt out of this by notifying the tax authorities that they no longer wish to do so. Increasing numbers of Roman Catholics have been taking this step in recent years, with the 2014 figure representing a 22 per cent jump from the previous year, from 178,805 to 217,716.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/catholic.church.in.germany.hit.by.mass.withdrawals/59541.htm 

Character evidence will be produced in case against Philip Wilson

Newcastle Court has been told evidence relating to the character of Adelaide Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson will be produced in his trial for concealing child sexual abuse.

Wilson was not in court today, as his barrister Simon Buchen and the Crown gave an update of proceedings.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-22/character-evidence-will-be-produced-in-case-against-philip-wils/6639360 

Cardinal Keith O'Brien 'Blocked Sex Abuse Inquiry', Catholic Church Says

A disgraced former Cardinal blocked an inquiry into sexual abuse in the church, it has been revealed. The Catholic Church confirmed Keith O'Brien had scuppered the probe - a year before he resigned over his own inappropriate sexual conduct.
The report was commissioned by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland in 2011, but was halted the following year when O'Brien, then president of the conference, withdrew his support.

http://www.christiansanonymous.info/roman-catholic-church-sex-abuse-scandal-updates/ 

Man charged with rape of disabled women after Bible study

A Valparaiso man has been charged with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual battery for acts that allegedly happened between him and three developmentally disabled women at a Chesterton church after Bible study meetings.
Thomas Cooperider, 23, of the 800 block of Mirmar Drive in Valparaiso, is accused of committing the acts between November 2014 and April 2015 inside Liberty Bible Church, 824 N. Calumet Ave. in Chesterton, the probable cause affidavit states.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-church-worker-charged-st-0718-20150717-story.html 

Cardinal George Pell instructed his lawyers to crush this victim - and other victims

Cardinal George Pell is claiming now that he has "helped" the Catholic Church's sex-abuse victims. Therefore, let's look at how Pell treated one of the church's victims — a former altar boy, John Ellis. Cardinal Pell (as head of the Sydney Catholic archdiocese) instigated the archdiocese's legal battle against John Ellis, according to evidence and documents presented to Australia's child-abuse Royal Commission.
Pell's legal victory in 2007 (known as the "Ellis defence") now forces church-victims to accept a discounted in-house "Towards Healing" settlement instead of suing for proper compensation, the Commission was told. And this Broken Rites article demonstrates that John Ellis was not the only victim of his abuser, Sydney priest Father Aidan Duggan.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/280 

A Catholic Brother is in court in Victoria and is being investigated in NSW

Many years ago, Broken Rites began researching Brother "Gabriel" Mount, who had worked in Catholic children's homes conducted by the St John of God Brothers in New South Wales and Victoria. We discovered that he eventually became a priest (Father Roger Mount), working in Papua New Guinea.
In October 2014 he was brought back to Australia, where Victorian police charged him with multiple child-sex offences allegedly committed within Victoria. He is in custody in Victoria, where a magistrate has committed Mount to face a trial (due to begin on 3 July 2015). New South Wales police, also, are investigating Father Mount concerning incidents that are alleged to have occurred in NSW.

http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/308

Magdalene medical cards to be reissued

The HSE has been asked to reissue medical cards for women who were resident in certain institutions, including the Magdalene Laundries.
The request was made by the Minister for Primary Care, Social Care and Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch, after concerns were expressed that the cards in their current format ‘unnecessarily identified these women'.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=24792 

Paedophilia and the Vatican

Mick Armstrong’s article on Catholic and other church child abuse (Red Flag #49) is a worthy addition to his contributions to working class history over many years. However, Armstrong’s article can be pressed further.
The precursor to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was a NSW special commission of inquiry into high-level police and Catholic Church collaboration to protect paedophile priests in the Hunter region of NSW.

https://redflag.org.au/article/paedophilia-and-vatican 

Ex-priest John Farrell (from Armidale/Moree, NSW) fails to get his name suppressed in a Sydney court

Former Catholic priest John Joseph Farrell appeared in Sydney's Central Local Court on 30 June 2015, charged with 26 sexual offences which were allegedly committed against five boys between 1981 and 1984 in northern New South Wales. According to court documents, some of these 26 offences allegedly occurred while Father Farrell was based at the Moree parish (within the Armidale Catholic diocese); and some allegedly occurred when Father Farrell visited a parish at Tweed Heads (in the Lismore diocese) on the NSW north coast.
The Sydney magistrate refused to suppress Farrell's name. This court case is confined to these five children (and these 26 charges) and it does not include any charges which Farrell might face regarding any other children. Farrell was refused bail, and he will remain in custody pending his court proceedings.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/365 

Church sued for ’empowering’ child abuser

oshua Mitchell Markelwitz is serving 12-24 years in state prison for sexually abusing an underage girl while serving as a youth leader at Charlton United Methodist Church in Lower Paxton Township.
The abuse started when the girl was 12 years old and continued for several years. According to a civil lawsuit filed Monday in Dauphin County court, Markelwitz is not the only guilty party.

http://abc27.com/2015/07/20/church-sued-for-empowering-child-abuser/ 

The more things change

This morning the Vatican announced the appointments of three new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. And one of them is a problem: vicar general and moderator of the Curia of the archdiocese Joseph Brennan. LA’s vicars general have been a sorry lot.
Former vicar general Msgr. Michael Myers resigned in 2009 after a New York Times article showed that he allowed a self-admitted sex addict and molester to be a priest in the archdiocese. Another former vicar general, Msgr. Richard Loomis testified in 2009 that “Mahony ordered him not to inform parishes of allegations against the now defrocked Rev. Michael Baker.” So he didn’t

http://theworthyadversary.com/3561-the-more-things-change 

Bill Cosby Deposition Offers New Clues About Possible Sexual Abuse

A nearly 1,000 page deposition from 2006 provides new information about comedian Bill Cosby's pattern of possible sexual abuse against dozens of women. But why hasn't he been prosecuted yet?
We now know more details of Bill Cosby's alleged sexual abuse. The New York Times has published excerpts from a deposition Cosby gave in a lawsuit some 10 years ago. In it, the comedian admitted to a pattern of extramarital affairs. Over decades, dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse, yet he's never been prosecuted. NPR's Mandalit del Barco looks at some reasons why that might be.

http://www.npr.org/2015/07/20/424722489/bill-cosby-deposition-offers-new-clues-about-possible-sexual-abuse 

Catholics De-Frock More Than 50 Priests In Decade Long Sex Abuse Probe

Sex abuse allegations against Catholic priests have led to more than 50 'de-frockings' in England and Wales since new guidelines were put in place to protect children and vulnerable adults over a decade ago, it has been revealed.
The National Catholic Safeguarding Commission said 52 priests had been laicised - or defrocked - since 2001.

http://www.christiansanonymous.info/roman-catholic-church-sex-abuse-scandal-updates/ 

This priest assaulted two boys after their sister died in a road accident

A Catholic priest, Father Robert Claffey, indecently assaulted two boys after their sister died in a road accident, a court was told. The priest started visiting the boys' house after the accident to "comfort" them at bed-time.
Father Robert Patrick Claffey was a priest of the Ballarat Diocese in western Victoria. He pleaded guilty in Ballarat Magistrates Court on 18 February 1998 to having indecently assaulted the two boys, brothers aged 12 and 13, by touching their bodies on several occasions in 1978 while the boys were in bed.

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/20 

Accused Maumee priest will be sent back to home diocese in India

The Diocese of Toledo has announced that a priest accused of violating Diocesan policy, in behavior involving children, will remain on leave from Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Maumee and be sent back to his home diocese in India.
In May, Reverend  Samuel Punnoor was accused by a child of violations of the diocesan code of pastoral conduct; specifically, “Appendix A: Diocese of Toledo Code of Pastoral Conduct” of the diocesan “To Protect and to Heal: Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors.”

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/29579802/accused-maumee-priest-will-be-sent-back-to-india-after-investigation 

Uckfield 'legend' Christopher Howarth convicted of string of sex offences against young boys

A former Uckfield teacher and lay priest who claimed he was too fat to abuse young boys has been convicted of 26 offences. Ex-Uckfield Community College deputy headteacher Christopher Howarth stood trial on a string of sexual offences against two young boys.
One of his victims told the court how Howarth was considered a "legend" in the community and that he was initially apprehensive about going to the police, fearing no one would believe the accusations.

http://www.courier.co.uk/Uckfield-legend-Chris-Howarth-convicted-string/story-26932947-detail/story.html 

Alleged priest abuse victim says archdiocese halted probe early

A former Dubuque man who alleges he was sexually abused by a priest as fourth-grader in 1985 says the Archdiocese of Dubuque prematurely concluded its investigation of the incident in clearing the priest.
"It is clear that the archdiocese chose to make this decision before receiving all the facts," Jeff Buchheit said in a statement released through the Waterloo law firm of Dutton, Braun, Staack & Hellman, which is representing him in his claims against the archdiocese. "Clearly, the investigator was told by the archdiocese to stop working on the matter before all of his work on the case was complete."

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/alleged-priest-abuse-victim-says-archdiocese-halted-probe-early/article_0022b741-9ea6-5df7-8c86-61b9a2ae5bad.html 

Abuse crime laws must target institutions

Australia is ready for new laws to hold institutions criminally responsible for child sexual abuse, a report says. In a comprehensive examination of the country's criminal justice system, the sex abuse royal commission says Australian law punishes individual offenders but not organisations.
The report outlines possible new offences to cover organisational criminal liability for institutional abuse, which would make it less likely an organisation could plead that it, too, was a victim of rogue behaviour.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/07/20/abuse-crime-laws-must-target-institutions 

Pope Francis: Jesus Shows Us His Mercy by Teaching Us The Truth

In his first major public address since his return from an intense apostolic voyage to Latin America, Pope Francis said Jesus shows us his mercy by teaching us the truth, and he entrusted the fruits of his visit to his homeland to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Speaking to pilgrims at the Angelus in a hot St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope commented on the day’s Gospel from St. Mark (6:30-34). The Gospel account opens with Jesus’ compassion for the Apostles after their return from mission, as he takes them away “to a secluded place to rest a while.”

http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/article/pope-francis-jesus-shows-us-his-mercy-by-teaching-us-the-truth-5321032386740224 

Westminster paedophile scandal: Tory minister Leon Brittan 'liked boys to dress in women's underwear'

Former home secretary Leon Brittan and ex-MI6 agent Peter Hayman are among the suspects who were involved in paedophile rings operating in the 1980s, according to reports. The late Conservative MP and British diplomat were both named by alleged victims during an investigation by Australian current affairs programme 60 Minutes entitled Spies, Lords and Predators.
The show's reporter, Ross Coulthart, said the allegations of a paedophile ring involving politicians, lords, the police and other high-profile names as "Britain's biggest ever scandal", which has the potential to "rock the establishment".

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/westminster-paedophile-scandal-tory-minister-leon-brittan-liked-boys-dress-womens-underwear-1511687