Religious Studies Professor and Papacy Expert Opines on Pope Francis’ Apology for Abuse in Chile

In a letter on April 11 to the bishops of Chile, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for his “serious errors of assessment and perception.” His apologies were directed to the victims of Fr. Fernando Karadima, whose abuse of at least three men when they were children was witnessed and covered up by Chilean Bishop Juan Barros. Until recently, Pope Francis had maintained that Bishop Barros was actually the victim of “slander.” In 2011, the then 80-year-old Fr. Karadina was found guilty by a Vatican tribunal, and sentenced to a life of “prayer and penance.” In times past, a personal apology from the pope would have been close to unthinkable.

https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-apology-for-abuse-in-chile-would-once-have-been-unthinkable-94958 

Exclusive Excerpt from ‘The Dictator Pope: The Inside Story of the Francis Papacy’

The following is an excerpt from the book “The Dictator Pope: The Inside Story of the Francis Papacy.” What Happened to “Zero Tolerance” for Clerical Sexual Offenders? The phenomenon of widespread homosexuality among clergy and bishops had been public knowledge since at least 2001, when the Boston Globe began a series of exposés on the clergy sex abuse scandals. The John Jay Report, an investigation commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, published in 2004, found that more than 80 percent of the victims of clergy sexual abuse had been adolescent males. Reports from dioceses around the world—including national bishops’ conferences in Australia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, the Philippines, India, and most of Europe—found similar results.

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/henry-sire/exclusive-excerpt-dictator-pope-inside-story-francis-papacy 

Gay Chilean sex abuse victim to meet with Pope Francis

Pope Francis has invited a gay man from Chile who was sexually abused by a priest to meet with him at the Vatican. Juan Carlos Cruz on Sunday told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview from Philadelphia that Francis invited him to be his “guest” at his official residence near St. Peter’s Basilica from April 26-May 1. Media reports indicate Francis will meet with Cruz on April 28-29. Cruz told the Blade that Francis wants “to spend as much time as possible with me.”

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/04/16/gay-chilean-sex-abuse-victim-meet-pope-francis/ 

Lawyers make final remarks in Australian cardinal's sex case

A lawyer for the most senior Vatican official to be charged in the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis told an Australian court on Tuesday that Cardinal George Pell could have been targeted with false accusations to punish him for the crimes of other clerics. Defense and prosecution lawyers were making their final submissions in the Melbourne Magistrates Court in a hearing to determine whether the case against Australia's highest-ranking Catholic was strong enough to warrant a trial by jury.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12034322&ref=rss 

Churches push for inclusion in Royal Commission into abuse

The Anglican and Catholic churches are making their most concentrated push yet to get the Royal Commission into abuse expanded to fully include them, with both writing to the Prime Minister. Draft terms of the inquiry exclude scrutiny of institutions where abuse in churches or other groups had no state involvement. But a letter sent to the Prime Minister, chair of the commission and children's minister, which is signed by Catholic Bishop Patrick Dunn and Sister Katrina Fabish, supports the inquiry and wants the terms to include church institutions.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/353367/churches-push-for-inclusion-in-royal-commission-into-abuse 

Vatican will be terrified of state inquiry, whistleblower says

An international Catholic whistleblower says the Vatican will be "quaking in fear" in case the New Zealand Catholic Church is included in an inquiry into abuse. The Government has repeatedly stated it wants to leave Churches and other non-state institutions out of the upcoming Royal Commission. Some survivors of clerical abuse are pushing for Commission chair Sir Anand Satyanand to reverse that during the current public consultation phase. "I do not know of an inquiry that has taken place that has limited itself in such a way," said Father Tom Doyle, of Virginia, who's been involved in a dozen-plus abuse inquiries around the world and across the US.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/352103/vatican-will-be-terrified-of-state-inquiry-whistleblower-says 

Child sex survivor breaks silence to challenge Australian Catholic Church on 'unfinished busines

 WOMAN who forced the Catholic Church to remove a notorious Hunter paedophile priest from the Philippines in 1995 after he “retired” there to live near a school with 7500 children said the Australian church is yet to take responsibility for crimes against children in developing countries. Anthea Halpin, a victim of Father Denis McAlinden, was owed “a debt of gratitude for her courage” in standing up for Philippines children after the Australian church allowed the priest to live near the San Pablo schools complex for more than a year despite knowing of his decades of offending, said Philippines ambassador to New Zealand, Jesus ‘Gary’ Domingo.

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5261267/we-owe-her-a-debt-of-gratitude-philippines-ambassador-to-hunter-woman/#slide=1 

Catholic Whistleblowers want 'substantial revisions' to church's sex abuse policies

A Catholic watchdog group is challenging the U.S. bishops to make "substantial revisions" to their nearly two-decade-old policies regarding sexual abuse of minors, and to include abuse survivors and the laity in the process. Explore Pope Francis' environmental encyclical: Get this free readers' guide when you sign up for the weekly Eco Catholic email. Among seven reforms to the guiding documents — the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Young People, or the Dallas Charter, and the Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons — proposed by the Catholic Whistleblowers are: extending its zero tolerance policy regarding sexual abuse to any cleric, religious or church employee, including bishops complicit with abuse; posting to diocesan websites the names of any person affiliated with a diocese with substantial abuse allegations against them; and working with state legislators in every state to reform statutes of limitations laws.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/catholic-whistleblowers-want-substantial-revisions-churchs-sex-abuse-policies 

The New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care ONLY... UPDATED

I have done it... I could not put it into words so I phoned up... The New Zealand Royal Commission Inquiry Into Child Rape and Child Abuse today... the man I talked to was really nice and let me do the talking... I told him my views about Why: the churches should be in with the state inquiry... Tears flowed from my eyes which he could also hear from my shaky voice... I told him that my book should be in their office... which they have had since last year... so he is going to look into that for me... I also told him that I had not heard if they got it or not... so he will send me an email as soon as he gets it... as I spoke to him for over an hour... he will also write my complaint up and put my name forward to met up with The Commission Inquiry... So a very good day for me....

I feel that I have now done the beginning... to fix what was done to us men and women... in the catholic church New Zealand orphanages... which we are paying the nuns for abusing us... THIS MUST STOP AND THE NUNS SHOULD PAY BACK ALL THE MONEY WE HAVE GIVEN THEM... WITH INTEREST... AS THEY DID TO US... we should NOT be paying these nazareth house nuns... FOR ABUSING and RAPING US FOR YEARS both day and night... Ann  

Link to My EBook
They Promised Heaven But Led Me to Hell 
Years In Two Catholic Orphanages Left Their Hidden Scars... 

Answer to my phone call...

Dear Ann Thompson

Thank you for your phone call to the Royal Commission on the 10^th of April. I have looked for the book that you told me had been sent to the Royal Commission “They promised me heaven but lead me to Hell”. Unfortunately I have been unable to locate your book here in the office. I have asked other staff if they had seen it in the office but no one recalls seeing it at all.

I have noted that you wish the Terms of Reference for the Royal Commission to be expanded to cover children who were placed in the care of the Church. You have also indicated that you would like to meet with the Commission when it is established. I have bought your request to the attention of the Chair.

Sir Anand Satyanand will carefully consider all submissions made about the Terms of Reference and will report to the Minister on the results of the consultation process.

He will not be naming any individual submitters in his report to the Minister on the Terms of reference.  To protect the integrity of the process and your privacy, he intends to make orders to prohibit publication of submissions made by individuals and the identity of the submitters. This will not stop you from making your submission public if you wish. 

If you have any concerns about the extent of confidentiality, or if you do not want your submission to be treated as confidential, please let the Commission know. When contacting the Royal Commission please quote reference number RC 15

Thank you for being so open with me yesterday Ann. I do hope that you were not too distressed after sharing your story with me.

Yours sincerely

Royal Commission into Child Abuse in New Zealand  

By keeping my book away from the Royal Commission Inquiry... is another way to keep the catholic church orphanages away... and out of the Royal Commission Into Child abuse in New Zealand... please help us men and women who were abused... and raped by nuns... priest and their workers... to get a fair hearing in... The New Zealand Royal Commission Inquiry into Child Abuse... we need all the help we can get... Let NO week go by without your say... Thank you... Ann Free Spirit

I was raped by a nun from age 12 ... then she had my baby

London - A grandfather has revealed the horrific sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of a Roman Catholic nun who went on to have his baby. Edward Hayes was just 12 and living at a children’s home when he was singled out and raped by Sister Mary Conleth, who was then in her 20s and has since died.Hayes said the abuse happened "almost daily" at the former John Reynolds Home in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, until the nun became pregnant in 1956 and was sent back to Ireland and discharged from her role in the Church. Hayes, 76, who has waived his right to anonymity, claims the case could be "the tip of the iceberg" in abuse by nuns.

https://www.iol.co.za/news/world/i-was-raped-by-a-nun-from-age-12-then-she-had-my-baby-14233417 

Canon law expert: Apuron may have been convicted of solicitation

After former altar boys tearfully went public with allegations, a law was passed to open doors for lawsuits against the church, clergy and others. Wochit Former Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron may have been charged with solicitation in the confessional and child sexual assault as part of his secretive canonical trial, but his penalty seems to match that of being found guilty of solicitation, a canon law expert said. "For civil legal reasons, I guess they backed off of child sexual abuse and proceeded on solicitation because it gets the same final result but also does not trigger civil liability back in the hundreds of cases in Guam," said canon law expert Patrick Wall, a former Catholic priest and Benedictine monk who left the ministry in 1998.

https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2018/04/04/canon-law-expert-apuron-may-have-been-convicted-solicitation/484015002/ 

Avoiding an apology

Pope Francis is famous for his compassion, so it is surprising that he has refused to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in Canada’s residential schools. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked the Pope to consider offering an apology, but last week, his hopes — and those of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people — were dashed. A letter from the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said the Pope “felt that he could not personally respond” to the request for an apology.

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-avoiding-an-apology-1.23253145 

Hart to depart with Pope poised to pick Melbourne's next Archbishop

The Catholic Church in Australia faces a pivotal moment in its history, with an official search now underway to replace long-serving Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart. Senior Catholic sources have told The Age that a highly secretive selection process is near completion, with Pope Francis to have the final say on Archbishop Hart’s successor.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/hart-to-depart-with-pope-poised-to-pick-melbourne-s-next-archbishop-20180404-p4z7oc.html