Pope opens bishops summit amid abuse storm

Pope Francis has opened a gathering of bishops with the Catholic Church in a swirling state of crisis over sex abuse, urging its leaders not to let the next generation's faith be snuffed out "by our own shortcomings, mistakes and sins". In signs of the extraordinary pressure the Church has come under from the worldwide abuse scandal, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia had called for the "youth synod" to be cancelled so the Vatican could concentrate on preparing another bishops' meeting on preventing sex abuse.

https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/pope-opens-bishops-summit-amid-abuse-storm/news-story/cadd3e66792eae90a2eeb83d4f0aa364 

Oral sex, then holy water: Report documents abuse by US priests

A priest raped a seven-year-old girl while he was visiting her in the hospital after she'd had her tonsils removed. Another priest forced a nine-year-old boy into having oral sex, then rinsed out the boy's mouth with holy water. One boy was forced to say confession to the priest who sexually abused him. Those children are among the victims of roughly 300 Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania who molested more than 1000 children - and possibly many more - since the 1940s, according to a sweeping state grand jury report released on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ Time) that accused senior church officials, including a clergyman who is now the archbishop of Washington DC, of systematically covering up complaints.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/106283531/us-report-identifies-more-than-1000-victims-of-priest-abuse?rm=a 

California's Catholic bishops targeted in sex abuse lawsuit

A man who says he was sexually abused decades ago by his parish priest says he is suing all Catholic bishops in California and the Archdiocese of Chicago, seeking to compel church officials to release records on clergy abuse. The Los Angeles filing by Thomas Emens claims a civil conspiracy among church officials to cover up clergy sexual assault and move offending priests to other parishes.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/107567694/californias-catholic-bishops-targeted-in-sex-abuse-lawsuit 

Lawsuit claims Diocese of Lafayette allowed one of its priests to sexually abuse multiple children

A civil lawsuit filed this week claims the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette allowed one of its priests to prey on children. The lawsuit accuses father James Grear of child molestation and argues the Diocese endangered children by keeping the allegations secret for decades. Attending a catholic youth rally at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 1982, an anonymous victim claims he was sexually molested by Grear.

https://fox59.com/2018/09/27/indianapolis-ind-a-civil-lawsuit-filed-this-week-claims-the-catholic-diocese-of-lafayette-allowed-one-of-its-priests-to-prey-on-children-the-lawsuit-accuses-father-james-grear-of-child-mo/ 

221 priests, 8 bishops face probes for abuse and cover-up in Chile

In the total is Fernando Karadima, the country’s most infamous predator priest, who was removed from the clerical state by Pope Francis on Thursday in an “exceptional” decision communicated by the Vatican on Friday, the same day the man who once led an impressive lay movement in Santiago was informed. ROME - According to the latest count by the Chilean national prosecutor’s office, some 221 priests and 8 bishops are being investigated up and down the country on charges of sexual abuse and cover-up, all due to allegations made from the year 2000 to date.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2018/09/29/221-priests-8-bishops-face-probes-for-abuse-and-cover-up-in-chile/ 

My 30 years as a priest have brought no little disappointment

Starting out, I never dreamed I would fall foul of Rome or become disgusted by its failings When Archbishop Desmond Connell ordained me to the priesthood on October 2nd, 1988, it seemed a good time to be a priest in Ireland. Fresh-faced and enthusiastic, I had high hopes. I was delighted to become part of a team conducting parish missions, as Irish Redemptorists had done for more than a century.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/my-30-years-as-a-priest-have-brought-no-little-disappointment-1.3647970 

Priest carried out 'litany of offending against young boys' - report

A Catholic bishop says the Church could consider releasing the names of clergy who abuse children, even if they don't go through the courts. Bishop Paul Martin has released a file on predator priest Cornelius O'Brien to one of his victims, a Christchurch man now in his 50s. The church would also consider making public the names of abusers even when they had not gone through the courts, but where church investigations had found they were guilty, the bishop said. "You could publish the name of people who have had complaints upheld against them, yes," he said, indicating he would raise this approach with the conference of New Zealand bishops.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/366789/bishop-says-catholic-church-should-consider-naming-abusers 

Bishop says Catholic church should consider naming abusers

A Catholic bishop says the Church could consider releasing the names of clergy who abuse children, even if they don't go through the courts. Bishop Paul Martin has released a file on predator priest Cornelius O'Brien to one of his victims, a Christchurch man now in his 50s. The church would also consider making public the names of abusers even when they had not gone through the courts, but where church investigations had found they were guilty, the bishop said. "You could publish the name of people who have had complaints upheld against them, yes," he said, indicating he would raise this approach with the conference of New Zealand bishops.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/366789/bishop-says-catholic-church-should-consider-naming-abusers 

Priest's sexual abuse at Upper Hutt school admitted: It's 'criminal'

The Marist Fathers has admitted a priest who led one of its top secondary schools sexually abused children. But decades on they will not release the file on Francis Durning, rector of St Patrick's College in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, in the 1950s. He was publicly remembered in Catholic obituaries as a man of "profound integrity" but a victim said other clergy nicknamed him "Fred the Fiddler" for his habit of abusing boys. The victim, who RNZ will not name, is now in his 70s. He was a 13-year-old boy when the head of the school asked him into his office.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367124/priest-s-sexual-abuse-at-upper-hutt-school-admitted-it-s-criminal 

NZ Catholic Church withholds findings on sex abuse claims

The Catholic Church has withheld its findings about a child sex abuse accusation for months from the man who laid the complaint. The man said he was "re-traumatised" and it proved the church's pledge to put victims first were empty. This comes at the same time as the church hired a Wellington public relations consultant in the run-up to the Royal Commission into state abuse. RNZ has been privy to documentation and emails from the church about the man's case. He wishes to remain anonymous.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367733/nz-catholic-church-withholds-findings-on-sex-abuse-claims 

Six Buffalo bishops let priest accused of sex abuse in 1980s remain in parishes

Six Buffalo Diocese bishops or auxiliary bishops allowed the Rev. Brian M. Hatrick to remain in parishes for decades after a teenage boy complained Hatrick sexually abused him in the early 1980s. Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz, the current No. 2 ranking administrator in the Buffalo Diocese, and current Syracuse Diocese Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, formerly a high-ranking administrator in Buffalo, kept Hatrick in ministry even after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops set its “zero tolerance” policy.

https://buffalonews.com/2018/10/01/six-buffalo-bishops-let-priest-accused-of-sex-abuse-remain-in-parishes/ 

Under scrutiny over clergy abuse, Francis asks Catholics worldwide to pray rosary

Rome — As the Vatican and the Catholic Church's leadership deal with a continuing crisis of accountability for clergy sexual abuse, Pope Francis is asking the faith's 1.3 billion members worldwide to pray the rosary each day in October to "protect the church from the Devil."

https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/under-scrutiny-over-clergy-abuse-francis-asks-catholics-worldwide-pray-rosary 

Priest: German bishop shouldn’t attend Youth Synod after allowing LGBT ‘love’ stories in diocese

In light of the recent revelations that Bishop Felix Genn of Münster, Germany, does not stop or hinder one of his priests from spreading books for youth that promote homosexuality, another one of his own priests has now gone to the public saying that such inaction should rule out the bishop from participating in the October 2018 Youth Synod in Rome.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/priest-german-bishop-shouldnt-attend-youth-synod-after-allowing-lgbt-love-s