TOP STORIES

Pope creates 20 new cardinals, including San Diego bishop
“In a ceremony to create 20 new cardinals, Pope Francis encouraged the College of Cardinals to have the same spiritual zeal for all people, whether they are in positions of power or ordinary Christians. ‘A cardinal loves the church, always with that same spiritual fire, whether dealing with great questions or handling everyday problems, with the powerful of this world or those ordinary people who are great in God’s eyes,’ the pope said Aug. 20 during the consistory, a prayer service during which he personally welcomed 20 churchmen into the College of Cardinals. Those who have this apostolic zeal are compelled ‘by the fire of the Spirit to be concerned, courageously, with things great and small,’ he said.” By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service

• ‘New generation’ of cardinals makes leadership more global, with zeal for evangelization, By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com
• Rome consistory showed Pope Francis’ vision is taking root, By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter
• Meet the 16 new cardinal electors, By Christopher Parker, Jill Rice and Cristobal Spielmann, America: The Jesuit Review

Pope Francis exhorts San Diego’s McElroy, new cardinals to practice ‘unassuming power’
“Pope Francis on Aug. 27 elevated 20 Catholic prelates from around the world — including San Diego’s Bishop Robert McElroy — to the rank of cardinal, exhorting that those who are often referred to as princes of the church must instead exercise an ‘unassuming power’ and preach the Gospel with an openness to all people ‘without exception.’ ‘The Lord wants to bestow on us his own apostolic courage, his zeal for the salvation of every human being, without exception,’ Francis said. ‘He wants to share with us his magnanimity, his boundless and unconditional love, for his heart is afire with the mercy of the Father.’” By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter

Cardinal McElroy’s elevation has ‘enormous significance’ for U.S. church
“As you can imagine, I am not often speechless. But when I finally reached the end of the receiving line at the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See’s residence to greet Cardinal Robert McElroy on Aug. 26, I couldn’t find the words. It has been three months since the news of his elevation to the cardinalate arrived — three months for it to sink in — and I was still not sure what to say. Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, knew what to say. ‘Ecstatic’ was how he described what so many Catholics were feeling at this moment. Wester spoke at a dinner for McElroy’s family and friends after the Mass of thanksgiving on Aug. 28. In discussions with pilgrims from San Diego, friends of McElroy’s from San Francisco or from college and seminary, and his brother bishops, ‘ecstatic’ was the exact word.” By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter

Poland’s Catholics complain of deep divide between clergy, laity
“A new report by the Polish bishops, summarizing the results of consultations with both the leadership and the rank and file of the Polish church, points to a deep division between clergy and laity and an urgent need to rebuild he relationship between the two groups. ‘It not a report about the state of the church,’ Archbishop Adrian Galbas, coordinator of the synodal process in Poland, told Crux, referring to a synthesis of the results of widespread consultations published Thursday (Aug. 25). ‘It’s a very personal document, giving an image of the church,’ Galbas said – and the image is fairly harsh.” By Paulina Guzik, Cruxnow.com

FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

Pope Francis’ big gamble: the Synod on Synodality
“Pope Francis’ synod on synodality, which will take place in October 2023, is the greatest gamble of this papacy. It may succeed in bringing greater unity to the church, or it could result in greater conflict and division. Synods under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were stage-managed affairs, where the agenda and debate were carefully controlled. Curial cardinals instructed the gathered bishops what topics could not be brought up or discussed. Although the purpose of the synod was to advise the pope, speakers spent most of their time quoting the pope to himself: ‘As you so wonderfully said …’” By Thomas Reese, Religion News Service, in National Catholic Reporter

Non-diocesan Catholic groups submit their own synod reports to the U.S. bishops
“Inmates, college students, climate activists, LGBTQ people, clergy sex abuse survivors, health care professionals, church reform advocates and older Catholics are among those who have participated in their own listening sessions for the grassroots consultation that has been held ahead of the 2023 Synod of Bishops in Rome. In all, 110 non-diocesan Catholic groups—universities, advocacy nonprofits, religious congregations, ministries and private associations of individuals, among others — submitted their own synodal ‘synthesis’ reports this year to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Julia McStravog, a consultant helping to coordinate the bishops’ synodal work.” By Brian Fraga, National Catholic Reporter

Church at Crossroads: bishops, priests, and lay Catholics speak out
“The story of Jesus meeting a skeptical Samaritan woman at the well told in the Gospel of John is, for many Christians, a story of encountering Jesus and choosing his well as the source of eternal life. As the Irish Church faces a crossroads ahead, with many big decisions to be made, Bishop William Crean of the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne wonders what wells sustain the Irish people today. The increasingly secularized nation has found new watering holes after decades of Church scandals.” By Conor Capplis, The Irish Examiner

The CCCB submits its national Synod synthesis to the Holy See
“The first phase of the ‘Synod on Synodality,’ listening at the diocesan level, has concluded. Synthesis Reports were prepared by each of Canada’s four Regional Episcopal Assemblies – Western, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic regions. These four regional reports were then received by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and used to draft a national synthesis, which has been submitted to the General Secretariat of the Synod of the Holy See on 15 August 2022. The national synthesis document is divided into 11 sections, collectively reflecting on the major themes of this process and the voices heard. This report is the culmination of a sincere listening exercise that occurred in every diocese across the country.” By The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

Catholics see synod listening sessions as significant for the entire church
“Evangelizing the whole church, taking personal responsibility for the mission to evangelize, engaging youth and young adults better, accompanying families, asking parishes to become more welcoming, understanding the experience of LGBTQ+ Catholics and allowing more women in church leadership roles. These are some common themes that surfaced in a sampling of U.S. dioceses’ synthesis reports on listening sessions they held in preparation for the world Synod of Bishops on synodality in October 2023.” By Catholic News Service

Synodal process described as an invitation to leadership in the church
“The synodal process that is underway is an invitation to people in the Catholic Church to listen to each other and can lead to greater leadership by laypeople within the church, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, told a webinar audience. ‘One of the most important fundamental intentions of the synodal process around the world, and particularly the U.S., is that we really do need to learn how to listen to each other again. We may think we do, but we really don’t,’ Bishop Flores said Aug. 25. He made the comments during the online program assembled by the Catholic Apostolate Center and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.” By Dennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service

Cardinal Grech: ‘Synodality, theme for reform of Roman Curia
“As the Cardinals of the universal Church arrive in the Vatican to discuss the reform of the Roman Curia, synodality will be an important element of their discussions. In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Mario Grech, the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, made this observation as he discussed synodality in the Church. He was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference on Friday (Aug. 26) at the Holy See Press Office presenting the second phase of the synodal process: the Continental Phase of the Synod on synodality, on the theme ‘For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.’” By Deborah Castellano Lubov, Vatican News

POPE FRANCIS

Pope declares ‘zero tolerance’ for Catholic Church abuse, saying he takes personal responsibility for ending it
“Pope Francis says he has taken it on himself to rid the Catholic Church of sexual abuse, telling CNN’s partner channel CNN Portugal that he was ‘responsible that it doesn’t happen anymore.’ In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview in Rome last month, the Pontiff said the church had ‘zero tolerance’ for abuse and said that ‘a priest cannot remain a priest if he is an abuser.’ The church’s response to sex abuse scandals has become one of the defining themes of Francis’ time as Pope, and he told CNN Portugal that every case of abuse within the church ‘hurts’ him.” By Ivana Kotasová, CNN

CARDINALS

Conservative cardinal calls for conclaves to be limited to Rome-based cardinals
“German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, a once influential conservative prelate known to be at odds with several aspects of the Francis papacy, has asked that the right to vote in a conclave be limited to those residing in Rome. Brandmüller said that there are too many cardinals who come from faraway places, so they lack experience with the Roman Curia and do not know one another, making them vulnerable to lobbies attempting to push a specific candidate forward.” By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com

World’s cardinals meet with Pope to reflect on Curia reform
“Just under 200 cardinals, out of the College’s 226, are participating on Monday and Tuesday (29-30 August) in closed-door meetings convened by Pope Francis to reflect on the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, the document reflecting the Pope’s reform of the Roman Curia. The event will most likely mark the Pope’s largest and most attended meeting with the College of Cardinals. In almost ten years of his pontificate, never has such a meeting been held, and such wide attendance was seen only eight years ago when the Pope called the synod on the family (2014-15), inviting some 180 Bishops and Cardinals.” By Salvatore Cernuzio, Vatican News

• ‘There will be surprises,’ By Joshua J. McElwee, Commonweal
• Pope’s meeting with world’s cardinals concludes, By CathNews.com

New cardinal says opposition to Vatican II ‘not Catholic’
“England’s new cardinal says those who are ‘stubbornly opposing’ the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council are in danger of adopting a position that is no longer Catholic. Cardinal Arthur Roche, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, was among 20 prelates admitted to the College of Cardinals on Saturday, with 16 of them under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a future conclave. He has one of the most sensitive and demanding jobs in the Church’s central government, requiring him to work closely with the Pope and with the world’s bishops in overseeing Catholic worship.” By CathNews.com

New cardinals feel honored, humbled, ready to promote renewal of church
“Becoming a member of the broad, unique body of the College of Cardinals is both a great honor and an invitation to help promote a renewal of the Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization, some new cardinals said. With 20 newly created cardinals representing 16 countries, and with the entire college of 226 members representing more than 90 countries, some also said they see their elevation as a way to help their home dioceses better comprehend the universality of the Catholic Church.” By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

• In consistory’s wake, debunking three persistent myths about cardinals, By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com

BISHOPS

A proposed agenda for U.S. bishops
“In mid-November the American bishops, gathered in a general assembly, will choose a successor to Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles to serve a three-year term as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A new vice president and chairmen of several conference committees also will be elected during the meeting. Except by the bishops themselves plus a handful of habitual bishop-watchers, the USCCB elections will probably not be much noted. But there are several issues of major importance for the future of the Church that need to be on the bishops’ agenda, and the results of the upcoming vote could go a long way to determining whether they make it there. Three issues in particular stand out.” By Russell Shaw, Our Sunday Visitor

WOMEN RELIGIOUS

Q&A with Sr. Marueen Geary, new president-elect of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious
“Maureen Geary didn’t see herself joining religious life. In her late 20s, she was an attorney and an accountant at a great law firm where she was happy. But something kept telling her that her gifts could best be put to use with the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the sisters who taught her from second grade on. Finally, in 1987 at the age of 31, Geary joined the Order of Preachers as a candidate — but kept working part time at the law firm, just in case. Now, she is president-elect of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents about 80% of the nuns and sisters in the United States.” By Dan Stockman, Global Sisters Report, National Catholic Reporter

WOMEN’S VOICES

She was an early church deacon. Catholic women now want to reclaim her example.
“On Saturday (Sept. 3) Amman and 55 other pilgrims from four countries gather in Mexico City at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to celebrate St. Phoebe’s feast day. In the presence of an archbishop, several priests and nuns and a host of Catholic lay women, the pilgrims will honor the little-known saint who makes a solitary appearance in the New Testament’s Letter to the Romans as an associate of St. Paul and a female deacon of the early church.” By Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service

LAITY & THE CHURCH

Lay Vatican leadership reportedly key topic at pope’s meeting with world’s cardinals
“While an official communique at the end of Pope Francis’ Aug. 29-30 meeting with the world’s Catholic cardinals only said that participants ‘freely discussed many aspects,’ participants told NCR that discussions centered around the extent to which lay individuals can be granted authority in church governance, term limits for Vatican officials, and the city-state’s finances. While the gathering took place behind closed doors, participants from four different continents said in interviews that much of the meeting took place in small group discussions, similar to the format used at Vatican meetings of the Synod of Bishops.” By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter

VATICAN

Vatican cardinal decries criticism of German ‘Synodal Way’ as ‘denunciation’
“The chief organizer of the Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality has decried as ‘denunciation’ the number of public criticism of the German ‘Synodal Way.’ Cardinal Mario Grech said he did ‘not agree with the method used by the critics’ of the German process in an interview with the German publication ‘Herder Thema.’ The secretary general for the Synod of Bishops added that he disapproved of the style: ‘I think a fraternal correction and dialogue is very positive. But why a public denunciation? It doesn’t help. It only polarizes further.’” By A.C. Wimmer, Catholic News Agency

FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

St. Louis Archdiocese continues planning to reduce 178 parishes to about 100 parishes
“Roman Catholics from throughout the St. Louis region are reluctant to cross highways and rivers to worship God in different places than they are accustomed to. That was one piece of feedback from a group of about 220 priests recently gathered to see dozens of potential ways to restructure parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. ‘It was a great first round of conversation,” the Rev. Christopher Martin, who is helping oversee the ‘All Things New’ initiative, told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday (Aug. 25) about the five-hour meeting.” By Jesse Bogan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Young Poles abandoning ‘frozen’ Catholic Church
“It is still one of Europe’s most Catholic countries but Poland is seeing a rapid secularization — particularly among younger generations. ‘The children on my courses barely know who Adam and Eve were,’ said Dawid Gospodarek, a journalist from the Catholic press agency who teaches ethics and religious culture at a school in Warsaw. According to the latest polls by the CBOS institute, 84 percent of Poles say they are Catholic and 42 percent say they are practicing. Among 18-24-year-olds, only 23 percent say they are practicing — compared to 69 percent in 1992.” By France24.com

New San Diego cardinal says political divisions are flowing into Church
“The only American in Pope Francis’s new crop of cardinals has pushed back against characterizations that he is somehow in rivalry with other local prelates who didn’t receive the red hat, saying such depictions are the result of a problematic polarization in U.S. Catholicism. Speaking to Crux during a sit-down interview in Rome, Cardinal-Designate Robert McElroy of San Diego, who will get his red hat from Pope Francis on Saturday (Aug. 27), said one of the most problematic trends in American Catholicism is ‘polarization along ideological lines, mostly within the Anglo community.’” By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com

VOICES

The ‘People of God’ and the continued battle over Vatican II
“‘The real problem with popes,’ a friend once said to me, ‘is that they die.’ What he meant was that no matter how consequential a particular papacy might be, it is still at the mercy of the next pope, who might have a radically different ecclesial agenda and a whole different set of emphases, theological and pastoral. And given the fact that the memory is a faculty which both remembers and forgets, with the forgetting often leading to a creative ‘misremembering’ (theologian Cyril O’Regan’s famous term) of the now past papacy, the door is left wide open for the revisionists to ply their trade in the interests of discrediting previous papacies in order to promote the agenda of the new guy in Rome.” By The Catholic World Report

A Eucharistic revival that renews the Church
“The Catholic bishops of the United States have launched a eucharistic revival over the next three years. Pope Francis has made a singular contribution to that effort with the recent release of his powerful and theologically rich apostolic letter on the liturgical formation of the people of God, ‘Desiderio Desideravi’ (‘I have earnestly desired’). He tells us that his aim is to ‘invite the whole Church to rediscover, to safeguard, and to live the truth and power of the Christian celebration’ as a means of more fully appreciating ‘the beauty of the Christian celebration and its necessary consequences for the life of the Church.’” By Cardinal Blasé Cupich, ChicagoCatholic.com

Rome consistory showed Pope Francis’ vision is taking root
“The Barque of Peter is currently floating along several currents. Pope Francis’ pontificate has brought about a renewed focus on pastoral theology, bringing the insights of the post-conciliar church in Latin America to the center of the universal church. It has placed concern for the environment at the heart of the church’s social teachings, and reoriented the work of the Roman Curia, as embodied in the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium. It has emphasized the church as the bearer of God’s tenderness, rather than as a bastion of doctrinal clarity. And, perhaps most importantly, it has revived synodality as a means of church governance.” By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

A lawsuit window for Pa. survivors of childhood sexual abuse could open as early as next May
“State legislative leaders are pledging to vote early next year on a constitutional amendment giving adults who say they survived sexual abuse as children two years to sue their alleged abusers and any institution that sheltered them. A 2018 Grand Jury report showed the statute of limitations may have closed for hundreds of Pennsylvanians who were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests as children decades ago. That report recommended lawmakers give all abuse survivors more time to sue.” By WITF.org

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

When words hurt instead of heal. What never to say to someone who has survived abuse by Catholic clergy
“As the daughter of a clergy abuse victim-survivor and a lay person who works for the Church, Jerri von den Bosch speaks often with fellow Catholics about her family’s experience with the abuse crisis: In June of 2021, I wrote 10 Things Never to Say to Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse that covered some of the hurtful things people sometimes say to clergy abuse survivors. Included were some more supportive things they might say instead. Many people read it and several clergy abuse survivors, including my mom, responded with additional things that they have heard from Catholics and would add to the list. I believe that most people who say these things are well intentioned; they are just not aware of how to walk with someone who has experienced trauma. So I present 6 Things Never to Say About Clergy Abuse Survivors, along with some things that you, as a supporter of abuse survivors, can say in response.” By Jerri von den Bosch, Milwaukee Independent

ALASKA

A priest left California after he was accused of sexual misconduct involving a parishioner. Now he’s in Fairbanks
“A Catholic priest who faced allegations in a civil lawsuit that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a ‘vulnerable’ adult parishioner is now working in Alaska. The Rev. Gerardus Hauwert arrived in Alaska this summer to serve Catholic parishes in the Fairbanks area, Robert Fath, vicar general of the Diocese of Fairbanks, announced to parishioners in an email in July. Hauwert is now a priest at Immaculate Conception Church, which describes itself as Interior Alaska’s oldest Catholic church.” By Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News

ARIZONA

Ruling that bankruptcy negates sexual abuse lawsuit is under challenge
“The Arizona Court of Appeals has agreed to hear arguments on whether federal bankruptcy law precludes a victim from suing the employers of the two Catholic priests who allegedly sexually abused her as a child several decades ago. The woman, referred to in court records as Jane HM Doe, is now about 50. She filed a nine-claim lawsuit in February 2020 against the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Phoenix, St. Mark Roman Catholic Parish Phoenix, and the Society of the Divine Savior USA Province concerning sexual abuse she alleges she suffered as a student at St. Mark in the late 1970s and early 1980s.” By Arizona Daily Independent

MASSACHUSETTS

A Cheshire woman’s long wait to see her abuser named by the Springfield Diocese is over
“A year ago, Sheri Biasin of Cheshire was still waiting for the Catholic priest who molested her to be listed as ‘credibly accused’ by the Springfield Diocese. The diocese, in a spirit of disclosure and healing, had just changed its policy to include priests who died before those accusations surfaced. But that new and more complete list, released in June 2021, did not mention the Rev. Daniel Gill. Now it does. The diocese said Wednesday (Aug. 31) it added Gill to its online roster Aug. 1, ‘based on a credible finding by the diocesan Review Board.’ By Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle

Diocese issues quarterly report on update to list of credibly accused clergy
“As part of its ongoing commitment to provide regular communications regarding its Safe Environment efforts, the Diocese of Springfield is today (Sept. 6) issuing a quarterly report on an update made to the online listing of ‘Finding of Credibility of Allegations of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.’ On Aug. 1, 2022, the name of the late Father Daniel L. Gill was added to the list based on a credible finding by the diocesan Review Board. Father Gill was ordained in 1958 and passed away in 1995. The abuse reported in this allegation dates back to 1967 to 1971 and involved a minor.” By IObserve.org

Former St. Mary’s pastor named among ‘credibly accused priests’
“A priest who once worked at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Padanaram is among those added to the Diocese of Fall River’s list of ‘credibly accused’ clergy last week. The diocese said the Rev. John Gomes, who retired from St. Mary’s in 2012, is accused of sexually abusing a minor. The alleged abuse happened ‘decades ago’ and did not occur at St. Mary’s or involve the parish, Rev. David Frederici said. Gomes also served in Fall River, Somerset, and Taunton, according to the diocese.” By Morgan Beard, Dartmouth Week

New Bedford priest accused of sexually abusing boy in Massachusetts and Maine
“A former altar boy and student at St. Anthony of Padua School is accusing a former priest of sexually abusing him in the rectory, in his car, and during an overnight trip to Maine more than 30 years ago. The Diocese of Fall River from the ministry in February and added his name to the list of clergy who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of children. Now, an Acushnet man is alleging that Degagne had molested him repeatedly when he was 12 and 13 years old in 1988 and 1989.” By Amanda Milkovits, The Boston Globe, on Boston.com

Man who went to Arlington Catholic High School sues three former archdiocese officials he says hired the vice principal he charges molested him
“A former student at Arlington Catholic High School yesterday (Aug. 25) sued two former priests in the Archdiocese of Boston – and a third, as yet unidentified priest – whom he blames in part for the times he says the school’s then vice principal came into the room where he was serving detention and molested him. The suit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court yesterday (Aug. 25) by attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has spent much of the last 20 years in  both in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere.” By UniversalHub.com

MISSOURI

Roman Catholic priest gets record expunged in dropped St. Louis sodomy case
“A St. Louis judge Thursday (Aug. 25) granted a Roman Catholic priest’s petition to expunge his 2014 arrest record in a St. Louis statutory sodomy case dropped by city prosecutors in 2015.

Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser found that the Rev. Xiu Hui ‘Joseph’ Jiang, 39, had met his legal burden to have the April 2014 arrest record expunged. Police arrested Jiang based on a boy’s accusation that Jiang molested him in the restroom at St. Louis the King school, the elementary school at the Cathedral Basilica.” By Joel Currier, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

NEW YORK.

Diocese objects to 74 non-diocesan claims
“On July 22, the Diocese of Rochester filed objections asking the court to disallow and expunge 74 claims (including several duplicates) asserted in its chapter 11 bankruptcy case. In an affidavit filed with the bankruptcy court, Father Daniel J. Condon, diocesan chancellor, noted that ‘A number of claims allege that the survivor was abused by a member of a religious order, a lay employee, volunteer, resident or student of a school or facility owned and operated by a religious order or other non-Diocesan entity.’’ By Karen M. Franz, Catholic Courier

With little explanation, diocese has reinstated 17 priests accused of sexual abuse
“Seventeen of the 29 Buffalo Diocese priests put on administrative leave since 2018 due to a sex abuse allegation involving a minor were later allowed to resume their priestly activities. The diocese publicized the priests’ returns to ministry by stating that a review board had examined the claims and found them to be ‘not substantiated.’ Diocese officials maintain that the review process is rigorous, independent and designed to protect children from potential abuse.” By Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News

New York Archdiocese goes to court to block probe of sex abuse involving Bishop Howard Hubbard
“The Archdiocese of New York has gone to court to keep under wraps hundreds of pages of records involving an Albany bishop accused of sexually abusing children. The records pertaining to Howard Hubbard, who served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany between 1977 and 2014, are being sought in connection with a lawsuit brought against him and another former priest. Both have been accused of numerous child sex abuse claims, according to an Albany Times Union report. Hubbard has vigorously denied the allegations, and the former priest — Francis Melfe — is now dead.” By Isabel Vincent, New York Daily Post

WASHINGTON

Yakima diocese priest arrested for rape
“A Yakima Diocese priest has been arrested in Benton County on suspicion of third-degree rape with an aggravating factor of being a person of trust. Reverend Tomás Vázquez Téllez, 49, was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 7th. He is now in the Benton County Jail awaiting his charges. The arrest follows a Kennewick Police Department investigation of a reported rape that occurred August 19th and 20th at the suspect’s home in the city.” By KIMA-TV News

WISCONSIN

‘We have to hold people to justice’: Clergy abuse victim opens up; AG Kaul shares what the state is doing
“As a number of protesters gathered outside of Rembert Weakland’s funeral, who was archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002 after a sexual abuse scandal, a survivor of clergy abuse is speaking up and his concern with the statewide Clergy and Faith Leaders Abuse initiative. ‘We have to hold people to justice no matter who they are,’ said Peter Isely, director of Nate’s Mission and survivor of clergy abuse. At just 13 years old, Isely said his abuse began less than a week after attending a minor seminary. The abuse done by one of his faith leaders.” By Yukare Nakayama, KAKE.com

Victims of clergy sexual abuse to hold press conference objecting to public funeral celebrating former Archbishop Robert Weakland
“In 2019, the Archdiocese removed Weakland’s name and statue from the downtown Cathedral acknowledging his guilt in protecting abusive clergy. This is why victims expected a private funeral mass after the announcement of his death last week. But Archbishop Listecki rejected this option in favor of a public celebration, inviting city leaders, the public, and the press to attend. During his tenure as Archbishop of Milwaukee, Weakland transferred dozens of known sex offenders into new assignments where they were warmly welcomed by trusting Catholic families. These offenders then proceeded to abuse their children.” News Release from NatesMission.org

AUSTRALIA

Families of clergy abuse victims’ new legal precedent paves way for litigation
“A Supreme Court ruling in relation to a lawsuit levelled against the Catholic Church has been heralded as a potential new precedent for loved ones of alleged victims of clergy abuse. The court this week ruled the Catholic Church could not use a legal argument pertaining to the so-called Ellis defense. The defense was named for choirboy and prevented abuse survivors from suing unincorporated organizations such as the church.” By Laura Mayers, ABC Ballarat

CANADA

Sex misconduct suit hangs over Ouellet
“Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s legal battle over allegations he made unwanted sexual advances toward a young intern over a decade ago might place him between the Church’s Code of Canon Law and Canadian law. Between the Church’s long and complex tradition of law and Canada’s common law system, there’s not much agreement on what constitutes sexual assault or how allegations are investigated and brought to trial, one of Canada’s most senior canonists told The Catholic Register, Msgr. Roch Pagé, professor emeritus of Canon Law at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.” By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register

Though Harper government agreed to ‘forever discharge’ Catholic Church of settlement obligation more can be done
“A 2015 decision by Canada may have released the Catholic entities from their $25 million settlement for residential school survivors, but that doesn’t mean the Catholic corporation still can’t do something substantial, says Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, chair of the Governing Circle for the National Truth and ‘Maybe it’s not going to be $25 million. Maybe it’s going to be the churches are going to say ‘in lieu of the money, maybe we can do something … about the Doctrine of Discovery’, because that was very much part of the discussion when the Pope was here,’ said Wesley-Esquimaux.” By Shari Narine, Regina Leader-Post

COLOMBIA

Catholic Church reveals list of 26 alleged pedophile priests in Columbia
“The Catholic Church in Colombia has released the names of 26 priests who were investigated for alleged sexual abuse of minors there, local media reported Saturday (Aug. 27). The Archdiocese of Medellin revealed the list of those accused between 1995 and 2019 in response to a court ruling in favor of Juan Pablo Barrientos, a journalist investigating an alleged network of pedophile clergy. “Most of these priests … were suspended for a little while, and went back to being priests again,” said Barrientos, who has been investigating sexual assaults by priests for years, in a video released Saturday (Aug. 27).” By Agence France-Presse on MacauBusiness.com

GERMANY

Priests transferred by German diocese continued to abuse
“A German diocese transferred priests who were alleged or convicted perpetrators of abuse to new locations in and outside the diocese, where they reoffended against young people and children, according to a new report. German Catholic news agency KNA said the independent commission’s interim report on abuse in the diocese from 1946 to 2021 showed 513 victims of abuse in the Trier Diocese’s area of responsibility ‘could be identified by name or anonymously’ for the period from 1946 to 2021.’In a large number of cases at least … no measures were taken on the part of the diocese to protect potential victims from sexual abuse,’ the commission said.” By CathNews.com

GREAT BRITAIN, SCOTLAND, AND WALES

I once looked up to my uncle, the Jesuit priest and teacher – then I discovered the monstrous truth
“On a summer evening in the first decade of the new millennium, I had arranged to meet a friend at a gastropub in London. I walked into the large, open-plan room, a crowd already at the counter. There was no sign of my friend, so I went to the bar to get a drink while I waited. ‘You next?’ asked the man beside me. He had traces of silver in his hair, somewhere in his 50s. ‘No, after you,’ I said, before we started to chat. I told him my name. I wasn’t expecting what came next.” By David Orr, The Guardian

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

Every single victim of this monster deserves justice, says brave abuse survivor as more complaints against ‘Fr. Filth’
“Evil pedophile and former ‘singing priest’ Fr Tony Walsh is at the center of five new complaints to Gardai, The Irish Sun on Sunday (Aug. 28) can reveal. The fiend — now known as ‘Fr Filth’ — is being investigated by the Protective Services Bureau over the abuse of five boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Statements have now been taken by the abuse victims and a file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.” By Stephen Breen, The Irish Sun

NICARAGUA

Nicaraguan judge sentences priest to 49 years for rape
“A judge in Nicaragua sentenced a Roman Catholic priest to 49 years in prison Friday (Sept. 2) for the rape of a 14-year-old girl. Judge Edén Aguilar Castro sentenced Rev. José Leonardo Urbina to 24 years in prison on two counts of abuse and 25 years for one count of rape. However, Aguilar Castro ruled that Urbina would serve only 30 years. Nicaraguan law limits maximum sentences in most cases to 30 years.” By Associated Press