Posts Tagged accountability

A daring hope for Catholic women / The Boston Globe

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Synod on Synodality, Voice of the Faithful, Women, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church, Women in the Church on September 25, 2023

Catholic women are a cornerstone of their communities. However, there is currently no available path for women toward formal, vocational ministry within the church, despite the integral role many women play in fulfilling unmet ministerial needs of the community. 

By Kelly Meraw, The Boston Globe

“Next month, Catholics from around the world will gather in Rome to discuss and discern the future of the Catholic Church. It is part of an ongoing church-wide conversation, known as the Global Synod on Synodality, about listening to the Holy Spirit and renewing the church as a healing presence in communities, particularly in places like Boston, shaken by the clergy sex abuse crisis.

“Catholics in the United States are invited to be part of that ongoing discernment process. Our participation is crucial for ensuring the conversation remains focused on the needs of all Catholics and how we continue to be a community in an increasingly diverse and connected world. Among the many questions that will be discussed at the synod is how we should rethink women’s participation in the church. It’s a question that will have a meaningful impact not only on the lives of Catholic women but on all Boston Catholics.

“Catholic women are a cornerstone of their communities. However, there is currently no available path for women toward formal, vocational ministry within the church, despite the integral role many women play in fulfilling unmet ministerial needs of the community. Those of us who feel a call from God to minister in sacramental ways (baptizing, celebrating marriages, funeral services) and to preach must be flexible in our approach.”

By Kelly Meraw, The Boston Globe — Read more …

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Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup, Sept. 22, 2023

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Focus news roundup, Voice of the Faithful, VOTF Focus News Roundup on September 21, 2023

Sept. 22, 2023

TOP STORIES

Vatican considers child sexual abuse allegations against a former Australian bishop
“The Vatican is considering the findings of a church investigation into ‘very serious and deeply distressing’ child sexual abuse allegations against a former Australian bishop, a church leader said on Tuesday (Sept. 19). Christopher Saunders, now 73, resigned in 2021 as bishop of Broome, an Outback diocese of northwest Australia larger than France but with a population of only 50,000, after police announced they had dropped a sex crime investigation. He had stood down a year earlier after media reported the allegations.” By Rod McGuirk, Associated Press, in The Seattle Times

Research reveals over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse by Swiss Catholic Church clergy
“The latest study revealed over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse by Swiss Catholic Church clergy and other employees, with 74% of such abuses involving minors, the University of Zurich said on Tuesday (Sept. 12), describing the cases as the ‘tip of the iceberg.’ The University of Zurich conducted a study commissioned by the Swiss Bishops’ Conference that documented 1,002 cases of sexual abuse committed by Catholic clergy, church employees, and religious in Switzerland from 1950 to the present. The university said in a press statement that this is the first study that has allowed an independent research team to look into church archives for files on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church environment.” By Tino Kirez, Anadolu Agency, on AA.com

Editorial: Pope Francis, it’s time to release the women deacons report
“By all accounts, Pope Francis has had an eventful papacy. This first pope from the Americas has breathed new life into the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, refashioned the Vatican’s staid bureaucracy, and pushed the Catholic Church to focus on the needs of the environment and global peripheries. One especially interesting turn: Only 22 years after Pope John Paul II claimed the church had ‘no authority whatsoever’ to ordain women as priests, Francis in 2016 created a first-of-its-kind papal commission to study the history of the ordination of women as Catholic deacons. Even more, in 2020, after that commission had wrapped up its work, the pope created another.” By National Catholic Reporter Editorial Staff

Synod 2023: What has Pope Francis said about synodality?
“The Synod on Synodality is set to launch the first of two assemblies on Oct. 4. The global meetings in Rome are the culmination of two years of preparation, and during that time, much has been said about synodality, including by the pope. In some of his more recent comments on synodality, Pope Francis said, ‘speaking of a ‘Synod on Synodality’ may seem something abstruse, self-referential, excessively technical, of little interest to the general public,’ but it is ‘something truly important for the Church.’” By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency

TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

Catholic Church has ‘a lot to learn’ from others about accountability, warns theologian
“A leading theologian has said it is crucial for the Catholic Church to understand the need to learn from other organizations when it comes to accountability. Fr Eugene Duffy, lecturer in theology at Mary Immaculate College in the University of Limerick and All Hallows College, Dublin City University, said, ‘A Synodal Church Needs Accountability. “We need external organizations to offer an evaluation and scrutiny of our performances.’ He noted the role of the National Board for Safeguarding in the Irish Church which was completely independent of the hierarchy and monitors every diocese on a regular basis in regard to their compliance to best practice and standards. Another issue was the need for a reform of mindsets and attitudes, Fr Duffy noted.” By Sarah Mac Donald, The Tablet

Conservative critics of the synod and Francis are embarrassing themselves
“At chanceries and rectories across the land, The Synodal Process Is a Pandora’s Box: 100 Questions and Answers, is arriving with the obvious goal of seeking to undermine the synodal process Pope Francis has begun. I was surprised they did not stop at 95 and nail the text to the doors of St. Peter’s. My colleague Christopher White, NCR Vatican correspondent, explained the source of the volume on Monday. The book is published by Tradition, Family and Property, a reactionary group that started in Brazil in 1960, and distinguished itself for opposition to Vatican II and affinity for right-wing juntas.” By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter

Grand jury reports only scratch the surface
“These days I read with a newer lens as an abuse survivor, after finally recognizing/acknowledging the sexual, spiritual, and emotional abuse inflicted by a lay teacher at my Diocese of Allentown school, Msgr. Bornemann Memorial Central Catholic High School in Reading, PA. With the survivor lens in mind, my curiosity was piqued by Kevin Clarke’s article, ‘The Complicated Legacy of State investigations of the Catholic sex abuse crisis.’ I began reading with an open mind; after all, over the last three years, I have come to know numerous survivors whose stories were included in the PA Grand Jury Report (my high school and local parish were hubs for abusive clergy). Their stories laid bare the web of moral and ethical corruption in various Catholic dioceses in PA.” By Paige N. Eppenstein Anderson, on SnapNetwork.org

FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

Follow NCR for reports on Pope Francis’ momentous Synod of Bishops
“What is shaping up as possibly one of the most important gatherings in the long history of the Catholic Church is taking place in Rome Oct. 4-29, 2023. Pope Francis is hosting the first of two back-to-back assemblies of the Synod of Bishops to consider questions that have the potential to change the course of Catholicism. Among items on the agenda: the possibility of women serving the church in ordained ministry, how the church can better include LGBTQ Catholics and priestly celibacy. NCR is there in strength to report on this momentous event. Follow along with reports and analysis from Vatican correspondent Christopher White; news editor Joshua McElwee, who covered Francis’ papacy from 2014 to 2021; NCR senior correspondent Heidi Schlumpf; and Rhina Guidos, Latin America regional correspondent for Global Sisters Report.” By National Catholic Reporter

What is at stake at the looming synod in Rome?
“Just over the horizon, one of the most important events to take place in the Church since the Second Vatican Council will convene in Rome on Oct. 4 and conclude on Oct. 28. I am speaking of the much discussed Synod on Synodality, which appears to be the capstone event in the pontificate of Pope Francis. Pope Francis has acknowledged that for most average Catholics, the upcoming synod probably does not mean very much to them on a day-to-day, practical level … Nevertheless, he reiterated his conviction that the synod is ‘something truly important for the Church.’ I agree with that assessment. There is much at stake in the synod which I hope to outline briefly in what follows.” By Larry Chapp, Our Sunday Visitor

10 things to know about October’s Synod on Synodality in Rome
“The eyes of the Catholic world turn to Rome Oct. 4, as the worldwide Synod of Bishops convenes on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi to focus on ‘synodality’ and understanding what it means in terms of “communion, participation and mission” in the church. Here’s what it is, how we got here and what to expect.” By Maria Wiering, OSV News, in The Pilot

Is synodality just another word for collegiality
“In October, the Catholic Church is going to have an international meeting in Rome on the topic of synodality. This is an unfamiliar term to most Catholics, except those of Eastern traditions, whose bishops regularly come together in synods to govern the church. In the Western church, we call such meetings ‘councils,’ not synods. What then is synodality? My own unsophisticated understanding is that it is another word for ‘collegiality,’ a term that became popular after the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s … But synodality goes beyond collegiality as a practical vision for the church.” By Thomas Reese, National Catholic Reporter

Cameroonian priest: African Synod delegates likely to resist pro-LGBTQ+ ideas
“A Cameroonian priest has suggested that African delegates to the Synod on Synodality assembly next month at the Vatican may be quite resistant to any efforts at being more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. Writing in The Tablet last month, Fr. Ludovic Lado, S.J. reflected critically about how negatively the church in Africa has been receiving the synodal process, and specifically when it comes to questions of gender and sexuality.” By Robert Shine, NewWaysMinistry.org

Monday starter: UISG plans series of online conversations on synodality
“The first of a three-part series of conversations by the International Union of Superiors General, or UISG, on synodality and the upcoming October Synod Assembly will be held at 2 p.m. Central European time on Sept. 14. The conversation on ‘overview and opportunities’ will have a particular focus on the issue of communion, one of the topics being addressed by the upcoming synod.” By Chris Herlinger, Global Sisters Report, National Catholic Reporter

‘You can count on us.’ Synod organizers attempt to dismiss fears ahead of fall meeting
“As Catholic bishops and lay people prepare to gather in Rome this October to begin discussions on the main challenges facing the church, tensions over the topics — and the stakes — of the summit have grown. Papal allies and organizers of the October 4-29 event — the ‘Synod on Synodality: Communion, Participation and Mission’ — are trying to defuse the tension and reassure faithful that the church has nothing to fear from the discussions even if they will take place behind closed doors.” By Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service

Behind the synod opposition: far-right groups, political activists and Cardinal Burke
“Far-right Latin American groups with deep ties to traditionalist Catholics in the United States, and a long history of defying Vatican II reforms, are driving the opposition to next month’s closely watched Vatican summit on the future of the Catholic Church. Despite efforts to drum up resistance to Pope Francis’ Synod of Bishops, theologians have described their efforts as a ‘malignant force’ in the church, but with waning influence sustained by considerable financial backing.” By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter

A modest proposal for synod punditry: first accusation of ‘heresy’ or ‘rigidity’ loses
“In just under a month’s time, the curtain will go up on the first of two keenly anticipated Synods of Bishops on Synodality, often styled as Pope Francis’s own miniature version of the Second Vatican Council. The event is destined to draw extensive media coverage, most of which likely will focus on a narrow canon of issues (women clergy, married priests, transgender rights, same-sex unions, and so on) and will play up tensions and conflicts … The concern is that in the media, the synod is going to come off as a sort of ‘brawl to settle it all,’ frustrating hopes for consensus.” By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com

POPE FRANCIS

The Pope and the Americans: the U.S. episcopate is unparalleled in its resistance to Francis
“The Vatican and the U.S. Catholic Church have had a special relationship since the beginning of the political and religious experiment called ‘American Catholicism.’ But that relationship has become more complicated—and fraught—over the course of Francis’s papacy. This was demonstrated most recently in late August when remarks the pope made in Portugal during the World Youth Day gathering were published by the Jesuit-run and Vatican-vetted Civiltà Cattolica. ‘You have seen that in the United States the situation is not easy,’ he told a Jesuit who’d spent a sabbatical year in the U.S. ‘There is a very strong reactionary attitude. It is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally. I would like to remind those people that indietrismo [being backward-looking] is useless and we need to understand that there is an appropriate evolution in the understanding of matters of faith and morals.’” By Massimo Faggioli, Commonweal

The Pope’s coming Vatican showdown with American conservatives
“Pope Francis’s ‘apostolic journey’ to Mongolia earlier this month had the unexpected consequence of bringing Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a singular and controversial French Jesuit scientist who died nearly seventy years ago, into the news cycle. As it turns out, Teilhard’s theology of cosmic spiritual progress is a useful way to understand the challenges that Francis is currently facing, as he and the Church prepare for a global synod next month in Rome. There, three hundred and sixty-three clerical and lay leaders representing two rival conceptions of the Church will encounter one another for several weeks of behind-closed-doors dialogue—a process that is meant to be amicable but may lead to open conflict prior to a second session next October.” By Paul Elie, The New Yorker

BISHOPS

Bishop Flores: Synod hopes to help Catholic Church listen more to lay people
“October’s general assembly in Rome for the Catholic Church’s Synod of Bishops on synodality aims to address human reality — not abstractions — in order to more effectively share Jesus Christ and his Gospel with others, said Bishop Daniel E. Flores, a U.S. member of the global assembly’s preparatory commission. ‘If we do this right … in our own local churches we can develop a style of listening and decision-making that involves more hearing from people ‘in the trenches,’ so to speak,’ he said, such as hearing from ‘people who are struggling and who are dealing with families that are in crisis, or families that are struggling, that are split, because of controversial realities that are affecting their lives.’” By Maria Wiering, OSV News

WOMEN’S VOICES

Synodal discernment and women in the diaconate
“The People of God have asked. The Synod may answer. What about women deacons? The Instrumentum Laboris states, ‘Most of the Continental Assemblies and the syntheses of several Episcopal Conferences call for the question of women’s inclusion in the diaconate to be considered. Is it possible to envisage this, and in what way?’ Persons and pressure groups on both sides of the issue are making their opinions known. But opinion is not fact, and lobbying is not discernment.” By Phyllis Zagano, The Tablet

The synod could change whether women can be ordained as deacons or priests. These women are hopeful.
“Advocates for women’s ordination — to the diaconate, the priesthood or both — say they are hopeful about the upcoming synod in Rome, despite some high-profile opposition to the possibility of expanded leadership opportunities for women in the church. While they would like to see concrete proposals that increase women’s participation, those who spoke to NCR said they are also excited about the process of synodality itself and believe the Oct. 4-29 series of meetings will surface fruitful conversation and dialogue.” By Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter

Australian Catholic women echo global call for Church reform
“Although Australian Catholic women are frustrated about discrimination, abuse and patriarchy in the Church, a study has exposed a surprising generational divide. Source: Most older women – particularly those aged over 55 – were dissatisfied with the lack of options for leadership, the gendered language in the liturgy, and the ban on remarriage after divorce – but many of those aged 40 and below supported the status quo. The authors of the study – which surveyed 17,200 women from 104 countries, including 1769 from Australia – say the generational difference could be due to life experience, the influence of migration, or the fact young people grew up in a more conservative Church.” By CathNews.com

Surprise split among Catholic women over sex, divorce and patriarchy
“Although Australian Catholic women are frustrated about discrimination, abuse and patriarchy in the church, a study has exposed a surprising generational divide: older women are hungry for reform, but younger devotees have little interest in relaxing rules on sex, contraception and the priesthood. Most older women – particularly those aged over 55 – were dissatisfied with the lack of options for leadership, the gendered language in the liturgy, and the ban on remarriage after divorce – but many of those aged 40 and below supported the status quo.” By Jordan Baker, The Sydney Morning Herald

LAITY & THE CHURCH

Developing the voice of the laity
“The synodal listening sessions opened the door to   hearing the voice of the laity in a new way, as parishes across the world were asked to share their stories, hopes, and disappointments about living within the Catholic Church in order to guide where it goes next. Yet, according to the 2023 U.S. National Synthesis Report, dioceses entered the process with ‘a combination of excitement, confusion, and skepticism.’ In fact, ‘several dioceses noted some apprehension and even opposition as they began their synodal listening’—due, in part, to a feeling the process would be futile.” By Kayla August, Commonweal

FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

The Catholic diaspora: independent communities as the church’s ‘research lab’ (Part 1)
“Martha Ligas learned about the Community of St. Peter in Cleveland six months before she ventured into a worship service. She hesitated because she did not want to step over an invisible line that she had straddled for so long, one foot in and one foot out of the Roman Catholic Church. For this young but lifelong Catholic, a product of Catholic schooling from elementary through Loyola University Chicago and an advanced degree in ministry at Boston College, leaving the institutional structure was a difficult decision. ‘Catholic is just how I see the world,’ she said. ‘I knew nothing else than Catholic.’ The Community of St. Peter is an independent community, not affiliated with the Cleveland Diocese, that self-describes as Catholic, eucharistic, and ‘preserving and renewing a living tradition.’” By Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter

VOICES

Marginalized by Rome: no room in ‘enlarged tent’ for traditionalist Catholics
“We live in the midst of a ‘synodal renewal of the Church.’ This Church ‘listens’ and ‘accompanies’ God’s people, especially those on the ‘margins.’ Starting in October of 2023, representatives of the Catholic Church begin meeting in Rome for the First Session of the Synod of Synodality. Here, the Church takes the information gleaned from the various ‘listen sessions’ and begins to identify new ways to ‘accompany’ its people, again, especially those on the ‘margins.’ Well, not all marginalized. Some, like the infinitesimally small number of Traditionalists who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), get a deaf ear from the Vatican and the Synod of Synodality.” By Dennis Knapp, Patheos

The Church’s costly failures in handling clergy abuse
“Its cover-up is causing many good people to lose faith and trust in the institutional Church. The shocking truth about clerical sexual abuse of minors and women religious was revealed in research by Missio Aachen released in 2020. The pressures on women religious never to complain are immense. They are told by priests that suffering in silence is a great virtue. Complaining of abuse invites retaliation and even expulsion from their congregation, the research reveals. These are secret crimes now being exposed around the world to the shame and embarrassment of the members of the institutional Church.” By Father Shay Cullen, UCANews.com

Opening the door for more victims to sue over sexual abuse
“Criminal sexual assault charges against Theodore McCarrick were dismissed last month after a Massachusetts judge ruled that the 93-year-old defrocked cardinal was incompetent to stand trial. But Mitchell Garabedian, the lawyer who represented the plaintiff in that case, is still pursuing civil lawsuits related to McCarrick filed in New York and New Jersey. He is able to do so because those states lifted statute of limitation restrictions on such cases for a set window of time … A bill filed by (Massachusetts) state Senator Joan Lovely of Salem would do that by entirely eliminating the statute of limitations on civil child sexual abuse cases. But to make that happen, lawmakers must overlook the objections of the Catholic Church, which opposes the measure.” By The Boston Globe Editorial Board

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Maine AG defends law eliminating statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims
“Maine’s attorney general pushed back Monday (Sept. 18) against a constitutional challenge by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, saying a 2021 law that removed the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse is not only constitutional but necessary to give victims time to ‘come to terms with the harm they have suffered.’ In filings to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Friday, Attorney General Aaron Frey defended the law against objections from the diocese, which has argued that the law is unconstitutional because it creates new liability and exposes defendants to ‘tens of millions of dollars’ in potential claims.” By Emily Allen, Portland Press Herald

California Assembly member Dawn Addis bill to address childhood sexual assault clears legislature heads to governor
“Legislation by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) that will end California’s arbitrary civil statute of limitations for minors who have experienced sexual abuse was approved by the State Assembly on a bipartisan basis on Tuesday. The bill – Assembly Bill 452 – now goes to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom for his consideration.” By Sierra Sun Times

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

Alleged victims of influential Vatican artist left ‘speechless’ after new Rome diocese report
“Women who say they were abused by a once-prominent Jesuit artist said Sept. 19 they had been revictimized by his superiors, saying Pope Francis’ recent gestures and an apparent effort to exonerate him publicly showed church pledges of ‘zero tolerance’ were just a ‘publicity stunt.’ In an open letter published on an Italian survivor advocate site, the women lashed out at a declaration from the Vicariate of Rome, which Francis nominally heads as Bishop of Rome and recently tightened his grip over. The Vicariate reported Sept. 18 that it had uncovered ‘seriously anomalous procedures’ used in the Vatican investigation into Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik.” By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, in National Catholic Reporter

Catholic clergy abuse survivors of color endure compounded trauma
“As Kevin Johnson recalled an encounter with an abusive priest, the image of George Floyd on the ground, a knee to his neck, came to mind. Decades earlier Johnson, too, gasped for air during moments of terror. He was 16 then, a Black teen daydreaming in a church-run community pool, when a white, Josephite-order priest who’d befriended him years prior allegedly molested him underwater. ‘He dragged me under, where there was no oxygen, wrestled and assaulted me,’ Johnson told NCR. ‘I would eventually be allowed to return to the surface and breathe. It was not a knee to the neck but a hand down the front of the trunks.’” By Kate Collins Scott, National Catholic Reporter

With Catholic Church foot-dragging comes the chance to evade justice
“After a judge declared him incompetent to stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy in Wellesley in the 1970s, the Zoom image of Theodore McCarrick showed an old man with a blank face, hunched over a table in a room at the assisted living facility in Missouri that is now his home. Yet when the remote session ended, one could still imagine the defrocked and disgraced cardinal smiling in triumph — just like any other aging gangster who beat the system. The charges against McCarrick, 93, were dismissed last week after two medical experts found he suffered from dementia. That makes him a living symbol of the cost of the decades-long coverup of clergy sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Church.” By Joan Vennochi, The Boston Globe

CALIFORNIA

Long Beach-based priest charged with possessing more than 600 images of child pornography
“A Long Beach-based priest on Thursday was charged in Ventura County with possession of child pornography, prosecutors said. Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara, 38, was arrested Wednesday (Sept.13) in Long Beach, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office. He is accused of possessing ‘over 600 images of child sexual abuse material, including images and videos of prepubescent minors under the age of 12.’ ‘As a priest, the defendant is in a position of tremendous power, authority and trust. The alleged crimes deeply violate that trust and involve a disturbing number of sexual images of young boys,’ District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement.” By Sid Garcia, ABC-TV7 News

LOUISIANA

Louisiana grand jury charges 91-year-old disgraced priest with sexual assault of teenage boy in 1975
“A state grand jury has charged a now-91-year-old disgraced priest with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 1975, an extraordinary prosecution that could shed new light on what Roman Catholic Church leaders knew about a child sex abuse crisis that persisted for decades and claimed hundreds of victims. The priest, Lawrence Hecker, has been at the center of state and federal investigations of clergy sex abuse and a deepening scandal over why church leaders failed to report his admissions to law enforcement even as they permitted him to work around children until he quietly left the ministry in 2002.” By Jim Mustain, Associated Press

New Orleans archbishop: local Catholic institutions must help with cost of clergy abuse claims
“Contradicting promises he made when his archdiocese declared bankruptcy in May 2020, New Orleans’s archbishop, Gregory Aymond, told the area’s Catholic churches, schools and other ministries that they will now have to share some of the costs of resolving hundreds of clergy abuse claims. Aymond’s notice came in a letter on Friday (Sept. 7), at the end of a particularly bad news week for his organization. One day earlier, a grand jury in New Orleans indicted the retired archdiocesan priest Lawrence Hecker on charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature and theft.” By Maya Yang and David Hammer, WWL-TV4 News, in The Guardian

MARYLAND

Catholics condemn Archdiocese of Baltimore for bankruptcy response to sexual abuse lawsuits
“It is with disgust, but not surprise, that I read about the Baltimore archdiocese’s plan to consider bankruptcy as a response to their history of child sexual abuse (‘Archbishop concedes the Baltimore archdiocese is considering bankruptcy; survivors say they’d oppose the move,’ Sept. 5). I would like to particularly respond to two points in Archbishop William Lori’s email to Baltimore archdiocese Catholics …” Reader Commentary in The Baltimore Sun

MASSACHUSETTS

Advocates condemn Mass. judge’s dismissal of Catholic sexual abuse case
“Last week, a Massachusetts judge dismissed the criminal charges of sexual abuse against Theodore McCarrick, a priest who was once one of the most powerful men in the Catholic Church in America. A former cardinal and bishop, McCarrick had been charged with sexually assaulting a teenager nearly 50 years ago. The victim alleges the abuse lasted for about two decades. McCarrick, now 93, reportedly suffers from dementia, and Judge Paul McCallum of the Dedham District Court deemed him incompetent to stand trial.” By Kana Ruhalter and Arun Rath, WGBH Boston National Public Radio

NEW YORK.

Recently ordained New York priest arrested over charges of sexual abuse of minor
“A Catholic priest ordained just over four years ago for the Diocese of Syracuse, New York, has been charged with several counts of child sexual abuse and removed from ministry. Fr. Nathan W. Brooks, 36, faces four misdemeanor counts of third-degree sex abuse, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child for incidents that took place between 2019-2021. According to a news release issued by the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office, the complaint was filed Aug. 22, and Brooks was arrested Aug. 31.” By Gina Christian, OSV News, in National Catholic Reporter

Despite substantiated claim, retired Buffalo priest won’t be charged for abusing minor in the ‘80s
“The Diocese of Buffalo’s Independent Review Board conducted an investigation into a retired priest and found the allegation he abused a minor is true. However, The Rev. Joseph Vatter will not be facing any criminal charges. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn says the alleged abuse happened back in the early 1980s. However, he says the statute of limitations in this incident was only three years, so no charges can be filed.” By Danielle Church, WGRZ-TV2 News

Maryvale district paid $8.4 million to settle child sex abuse claims from 1970s
“Cheektowaga Maryvale Union Free School District paid $8.4 million to settle five Child Victims Act lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of students in the 1970s by a music teacher. The district agreed to separate confidential settlements with the five plaintiffs over the past year, according to legal documents released to The Buffalo News in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. The largest settlement, for $3.5 million, went to a 60-year-old Lockport man identified in court papers as AB 504 Doe, who alleged being repeatedly molested by Stanley K. Bratt, a music teacher at Maryvale East Elementary School from 1968 to 1980.” By Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News

AFRICA

Shun ‘culture of silence’: Kenyan Catholic nun on safeguarding in South Sudanese dioceses
“The people of God in South Sudan are being cautioned against the ‘culture of silence’ in the face of abuses against children and vulnerable adults. In an interview with ACI Africa, Sr. Jacinta Ondeng spoke about the training on safeguarding that she had been facilitating under the auspices of Solidarity with South Sudan (SSS), an initiative of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the Union of Superiors General (USG), established in response to a request from the members of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC).” By Kerbino Kuel Deng, AciAfrica.org

AUSTRALIA

The Australian portion of a Vatican-ordered investigation into former Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders has been completed
“Extracts from the 200-page report prepared by the Vatican’s investigators detail how they identified 67 Aboriginal boys and men who they said may have been subjected to delictual acts or grooming behaviors by the bishop. The Vatican investigation found Bishop Saunders was a ‘predator’ who sexually assaulted four Aboriginal men and boys and groomed dozens more. The investigation under the Vatican’s Vos Estis Lux Mundi papal inquiry powers also found Bishop Saunders spent thousands of dollars of Church money each month on cash payments, mobile phones, alcohol and cigarettes for ‘vulnerable’ Aboriginal men and boys.” By Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

Roman Catholic Archbishop Tim Costelloe fronts WA parliamentary inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse
“The difficulties survivors of child sexual abuse face when attempting to pursue justice is a reality of complexities of the church, the Catholic Archbishop of Perth says. Timothy Costelloe made the statements while testifying before the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee’s inquiry into the options available to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in Western Australia who are seeking justice.” By Briana Shepherd and Keane Bourke, ABC News Australia

CANADA

Deadline looming for abuse survivors to apply for compensation from N.L. archdiocese
“Survivors of abuse at the hands of Mount Cashel’s Christian Brothers and Roman Catholic clergy in the St. John’s Archdiocese have until the end of the month to apply for compensation. And that court-imposed deadline has prompted an influx of new claimants to reach out to lawyers like Geoff Budden, who has spent the last three decades pursuing justice for abuse victims. Budden said at least two dozen people have come forward in recent months; people who say they’ve lived with trauma for decades, and never told their story — until now.” By Terry Roberts, CBC Canada

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This activist is bringing the message of ‘zero tolerance’ for clergy abuse to the doorstep of the Vatican
“For Gemma Hickey, their trip to Italy this week is a mission to demand that Pope Francis sign a proposed zero tolerance law for clergy abuse. ‘Shuffling predator priests around from place to place is unacceptable,’ said Hickey, who founded the Pathways Foundation that addresses the gaps in service for individuals who have experienced abuse within religious institutions. Hickey, along with 10 other clergy abuse survivors and allies, is engaging in a pilgrimage to Rome. They will carry an eight-foot wooden cross and walk 120 kilometres from Montefiascone to Italy’s capital, finishing in St. Peter’s Square during the Pope’s noon blessing on Sept.27.” By William Ping, CBC News Canada

B.C man alleges sex abuse by military priest
“A Surrey man has filed a lawsuit against the federal Catholic military authorities and the government and the Roman Catholic Church in Calgary, alleging sexual abuse by a priest of officer rank. ‘The plaintiff is now 73 years old,’ said the B.C. Supreme Court notice of civil claim filed Sept. 7 by lawyer Sandra Kovacs on behalf of her client, known only as R.C. in the claim.” By Jeremy Hainsworth, Alaska Highway News

CHILE

In Chile, justice eludes victims of Catholic clergy sex abuse years after the crisis exploded
“Soon after she learned what happened, Helmut Kramer’s mother grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the priest out of photographs from her son’s baptism. ‘She kept the photos after that,’ said Kramer, who was sexually abused at age 12 in a Jesuit school in Antofagasta, a city in northern Chile. ‘My mom is still Catholic, but she never attended Mass again. She says that she will never set foot in a church, and she does not trust the pope or any priest,’ the 53-year-old Chilean said.” By María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press, on ABCNews.go.com

Over 30 women with ties to Legion of Christ support claim by alleged victim of gang rape in Chile
“A group of 32 former Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, lay women who dedicate their lives fully to Christ through their membership in an international Catholic federation that also includes the Legion of Christ, published an open letter on September 5 supporting a Chilean women who alleges being gang-raped by Legion of Christ priests in Santiago (Chile) between 2008 and 2010. ‘We experienced an environment where abuse of power and conscience was prevalent, and where the described sexual assaults in the lawsuit could have taken place,’ stated the signatories of the civil lawsuit filed last June.” By Antonia Laborde, El Pais International

GERMANY

Catholic Church investigates claims against late cardinal
“The German Dioceses of Essen and Paderborn have separately announced an investigation into sexual abuse allegations brought against Cardinal Franz Hengsbach (1910-1991) in 2011 and 2022. Hengsbach is accused of having sexually assaulted three individuals, at least two of whom were young women, one a minor, throughout his career. The first of these alleges that he abused a 16-year-old girl in 1954 while he was an auxiliary bishop in the city of Paderborn. The alleged victim originally came forth with the accusations in 2011, 10 years after Hengsbach’s death.” By Deuschte Welle

GREAT BRITAIN, SCOTLAND AND WALES

Personal injury sheriff allows proof in case detailing sexual abuse in Catholic care home in 1973
“Pursuer GD sought solatium damages for abuse she said occurred over three weeks in the summer of 1973, when she was aged 11 … Together with her three sisters and two brothers, the pursuer was a resident at the defender’s care home, Nazareth House, for three weeks in July and August of 1973. She averred that, during this time, she was sexually abused by a male priest in the shower, with the knowledge of the Sisters that looked after their group. It was further averred that the Sisters, particularly a Sister Y, had physically assaulted her, often for seemingly no reason.” By Mitchell Skilling, Scottish Legal News

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

Kenneally abuse one of most serious cases of pedophilia in Ireland
“The garda in charge of investigations into convicted child abuser Bill Kenneally has agreed with the chair of an inquiry into the abuse that it was one of the most serious cases of pedophilia discovered in Ireland. Chair Mr. Justice Michael White, a retired High Court judge, said the children who came into contact with Kenneally were at risk and defenseless.” By Orla O’Donnell, RTE.ie

PHILIPPINES

Vatican dismisses Filipino priest for alleged child abuse
“Pope Francis has dismissed Filipino Catholic priest Pio Cultura Aclon for sexual abuse involving minors, announced the Diocese of Borongan where the priest is based. Aclon is ‘no longer a cleric and cannot exercise priestly ministry in the Church,’ Borongan diocese said in a circular on Sept. 17. ‘The laicization process of the priest underwent due process, and Aclon was given the opportunity to defend himself against the allegations of his alleged victims,’ diocesan chancellor Father James B. Abella told UCA News.” By UCSNews.com

SWITZERLAND

Swiss abbot says he is target in sexual abuse investigation
“A high-ranking Catholic cleric indicated on Wednesday (Sept. 13) that he was being investigated by the Conference of Swiss Bishops in connection with allegations of sexual abuse and their cover-up. Jean Scarcella has withdrawn from his role as father-abbot of Saint-Maurice until the end of the investigation. ‘The investigation also concerns an accusation that was made against me,’ Scarcella wrote in a press release. He indicated that he took the decision to suspend his office in agreement with the Abbey Council and the President of the Conference of Swiss Bishops (CES) to guarantee the independence of the investigation.” By SwissInfo.ch

THAILAND

French missionary priests suspected of child sexual assault in Thailand
“According to France 24 news agency, two members of the Paris-based Foreign Mission Society of Paris, a part of the Catholic Church’s mission, were involved in sexual abuse against former students at a boarding school in Thailand. One of these two missionaries has passed away, and the other, whose name is not mentioned in the report, continues to serve within the Foreign Mission Society of Paris. This report marks the fourth case of sexual abuse by Christian missionaries in the past two months, raising concerns about the safety of children in religious institutions.” By Fidel Rahmati, The Khaama Press News Agency

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Sweeping study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church since mid-20th century / Associated Press in National Catholic Reporter

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on September 13, 2023

‘The situations identified surely amount to only the tip of the iceberg,’ said historians Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier in a statement.

By Jamey Keaten, Associated Press, in National Catholic Reporter

“A sweeping, year-long study of sex abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland published Sept. 12 has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal.”A sweeping, year-long study of sex abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland published Sept. 12 has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal.

“With few exceptions, those accused of wrongdoing were all male. Nearly three-fourths of the documents examined showed the sexual abuse involved minors.

“The report, commissioned by the Swiss Conference of Bishops and led by two University of Zurich historians, offers a deep look at sexual abuse and harassment that has confounded the Catholic Church across the globe in recent decades — upending the lives of many victims and their families, and tarnishing the image of the institution.

“The authors said in a statement that they identified 1,002 “situations of sexual abuse,” including accusations against 510 people. The abuse, they wrote, affected 921 people.

“‘The situations identified surely amount to only the tip of the iceberg,’ said the historians Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier in a statement.

“Among other findings, which were admittedly not exhaustive, over half — 56% — of the cases of sexual abuse involved men or boys. Some 39% of victims were women or girls, while sourcing did not allow for the remaining 5% percent to be identified by gender, according to the study.”

By Jamey Keaten, Associated Press, in National Catholic Reporter — Read more …

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Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup, Sept. 8, 2023

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Focus news roundup, Voice of the Faithful, VOTF Focus News Roundup on September 7, 2023

Sept. 8, 2023

TOP STORIES

Pope Francis blasts reactionary American Catholics who oppose church reform
“Pope Francis blasted what he described as groups of ‘very strong, reactionary’ American Catholics, warning against becoming ‘backwardists’ who oppose change in the Catholic Church. ‘The situation in the United States is not easy: There is a very strong, reactionary attitude. It is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally,’ said the pope. ‘I want to remind these people that backwardism is useless, and it is necessary to understand that there is a correct evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals.’” By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter

How dark money is influencing the Catholic Church
Some conservative Catholics like to disparage social changes. They say these changes are the work of worldly and sinful forces antithetical to the church’s values … The irony is that elite donors (and the wealth they control) are enabling contemporary conservative causes in the United States. Mary Jo McConahay’s Playing God: American Catholic Bishops and the Far-Right (Melville House, 2023) examines the growing entanglement of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy with right-wing organizations that seek to weaken or overturn democratic institutions in the name of religious liberty. They want to remake the country into a nation of laissez-faire capitalism and conservative cultural ideals.” By Jessica Pegis, U.S. Catholic

Judge dismisses criminal abuse charges against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick
“The Massachusetts sex abuse case against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick fell apart Wednesday (Aug. 30) as all criminal charges were dismissed due to the disgraced former cleric being deemed no longer mentally competent. Dedham District Court Judge Michael Pomarole ruled McCarrick is unable to stand trial after receiving a medical report from prosecutors which agreed with the earlier defense report that McCarrick, 93, is suffering from dementia.” By Damien Fisher, OASV News.com

Pope Francis tamps down hopes for Synod of Bishops livestream: ‘Not a television program’
“Pope Francis on Sept. 4 said that next month’s hotly anticipated Synod of Bishops will be open to the Holy Spirit — but not so much the press or the public. ‘This is not a television program where we can talk about everything,’ said the pope. Francis’ remarks came during an inflight press conference back to Rome after a four-day stay in Mongolia, and exactly four weeks before he is set to officially open the high-stakes, monthlong Vatican meeting where a number of controversial issues facing the Catholic Church in the modern world will be discussed by Catholic bishops and lay representatives.” By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter

TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

With Catholic Church foot-dragging comes chance to evade justice
“After a judge declared him incompetent to stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy in Wellesley in the 1970s, the Zoom image of Theodore McCarrick showed an old man with a blank face, hunched over a table in a room at the assisted living facility in Missouri that is now his home. Yet when the remote session ended, one could still imagine the defrocked and disgraced cardinal smiling in triumph — just like any other aging gangster who beat the system. The charges against McCarrick, 93, were dismissed last week after two medical experts found he suffered from dementia. That makes him a living symbol of the cost of the decades-long coverup of clergy sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Church.” By Joan Vennochi, The Boston Globe

FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

The synod’s priorities are communion, participation, mission – not who can be priests
“According to the media, the most important issues facing the Synod on Synodality are the possibility of married priests, women deacons and the blessing of gay couples. The first session of the synod will take place in Rome this October, with a second session in October 2024. I personally hope the synod deals with these issues, but making these topics the principal focus of the synod would be a big mistake. They certainly are not central in the mind of Pope Francis, nor are they central to the ‘Instrumentum laboris,’ or working paper, that will guide the initial meetings of the synod.” By Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

With this synod, Pope Francis draws on decades of Catholic experimentation in Latin America
“As the first gathering of Pope Francis’ highly anticipated Synod of Bishops is set to begin on Oct. 4, Latin American and U.S. Latino theologians are recognizing influences from the pope’s Latin American roots in the theology and methodology behind this first-of-its-kind two-part synod process. With this synod gathering, Francis has introduced groundbreaking changes to the synod format, most notably adding laypeople, including women, as full voting members of the assembly for the first.” By Aleja Hertzler-McCain, National Catholic Reporter

Synod will have no place for ideology: Pope
“Pope Francis yesterday outlined his vision for the upcoming synodal assembly in October, which he said should be a prayerful exercise in dialogue free from ideology, not full of ‘political chatter’ like a television talk show. Pope Francis was peppered with multiple questions about the Synod on Synodality from journalists travelling with him on the 10-hour flight from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to Rome yesterday (Sept. 4). ‘In the Synod, there is no place for ideology,’ Pope Francis told journalists on the chartered ITA Airways plane.” By Catholic News Agency on CathNews.com

Archbishop urging collaboration between priests and faithful as he prepares for Synod in Rome
“As he prepares to travel to Rome for the Synod of Bishops in October, Archbishop J. Michael Miller has been speaking about the ‘co-responsibility’ pastors and laity have for the Church. At a Mass in July celebrating the 30th anniversary of St. James Parish in Abbotsford, the Archbishop said the synodal process emphasizes the importance of pastors working closely with their parishioners, ‘valuing them as co-responsible’ for the mission of the parish. ‘A renewed vitality throughout the whole Church is required, one that favors the rediscovery of the baptized as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a missionary of the Gospel,’ said the archbishop.” By The B.C. Catholic

CARDINALS

Bishop Accountability group: dismissal of charges against McCarrick ‘hugely disappointing’
“A group known as BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, condemned a Massachusetts district judge’s Wednesday (Aug. 30) decision to dismiss criminal charges against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The criminal charges involving the sexual assault and abuse of a minor were dismissed Wednesday after a judge ruled McCarrick, 93, was not mentally competent to stand trial. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the bishops accountability group, told CNA that ‘the dismissal of the case against McCarrick is hugely disappointing’ and that ‘our hearts go out to the courageous victim who brought this case and to all of McCarrick’s victims.’” By Peter Pinedo, Catholic News Agency, in National Catholic Register

WOMEN RELIGIOUS

Editorial: Bishop Olson’s actions against the Carmelite sisters are an abusive power play
“The scandal that has unfolded in recent months involving Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, Texas, and the Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, has much more behind it than only the purported transgressions by Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach or the sisters in the 10-member community who remain loyal to her. Instead, the tawdry soap opera drama orchestrated by Olson has everything to do with his heavy-handedness and his cruel treatment of a congregation of women religious whose real transgression, it appears, is to oppose him and his supposed authority.” By National Catholic Reporter Editorial Staff

WOMEN’S VOICES

St. Phoebe and women’s voices
“It is hard to imagine how different Christianity would have been without all the contributions women gave to the faith, especially when their contributions were respected and encouraged by various apostles like St. Paul. Yes, Jesus’ disciples showed confusion and misunderstanding concerning his relationship with women during his earthly ministry, but they seemed to have learned from it, and promoted the role of women in the church after Pentecost. This was one of the things which made Christianity quite different, as it was willing to challenge social status, and to affirm many of those who had otherwise been marginalized, like women; this is what it seems to have lost over time. By Henry Karlson, Patheos.com

Learning from the women of St. Paul
“At the Synod in October, there will be 70 non-bishop members with the right to vote, half of whom will be women. In any other context, this tiny gesture would be seen as tokenism. However, within the Church, it is revolutionary and (probably) irreversible. It does raise the question of the role of women within the institutional Church, already firmly on the Synod agenda. Once, we were forbidden to talk about the ordination of women and now we are obliged! Working as a biblical scholar, perhaps the following observations may shed a little light.” By Kieran O’Mahony, The Synodal Times

I am a woman who serves like a deacon. Will I ever share St. Phoebe’s title?
“As a young girl growing up in Haiti, I remember feeling like I lived in a paradise as I rested easy in my mother’s lap. She and our community made me feel safe, loved and seen. It was not hard for me to come to know God as a loving mother who cares for all his children. I sensed that God knew me and called me by name to go out and proclaim his word. By the age of 8, I was serving as a lector in our parish, and by the age of 18 was leading retreats for the Legion of Mary and speaking to groups of all ages. I felt welcomed to share who I was and bring forth my gifts.” By Marie Philomène Péan, National Catholic Reporter

LAITY & THE CHURCH

Developing the voice of the laity: moving the synodal concept from ideal to reality
“The synodal listening sessions opened the door to hearing the voice of the laity in a new way, as parishes across the world were asked to share their stories, hopes, and disappointments about living within the Catholic Church in order to guide where it goes next. Yet, according to the 2023 U.S. National Synthesis Report, dioceses entered the process with ‘a combination of excitement, confusion, and skepticism.’ In fact, ‘several dioceses noted some apprehension and even opposition as they began their synodal listening’—due, in part, to a feeling the process would be futile. This sense of futility reflects a Church that is communal in nature but not yet communal in participation.” By Kayla August, Commonweal

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Lawmakers eye renewing Child Victims Act lookback window
“Lawmakers say they will explore reopening a lookback window for survivors of childhood sexual assault to file civil suits when they return to Albany next session. Friday’s funeral services for Albany Bishop Emeritus Howard Hubbard, who admitted to covering up sex abuse allegations within the diocese and faced multiple allegations himself, spurred strong emotions from survivors and conversation about future legislative action. Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal sponsored both the Child Victims and Adult Survivors acts that waived the statute of limitations to allow survivors of sexual assault to file lawsuits against their abusers.” By Kate Lisa, SpectrumLocalNews.com

CALIFORNIA

Sexual abuse survivor gfroup says Oakland Diocese filing for bankruptcy should sell real estate to pay victims
“Two weeks after the San Francisco Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church filed for bankruptcy amid hundreds of outstanding lawsuits from victims of sexual abuse, an organization representing survivors is demanding the Diocese of Oakland withdraw its Chapter 11 protections and pay victims with the proceeds. ‘According to our research, the Diocese of Oakland owns a real estate portfolio valued at about $3.3 billion,’ the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) wrote in an official statement shared with National Review on Tuesday (Sept. 5). ‘Of those properties, it appears to us that about $600 million are held in ‘non-core’ real estate. That is, those particular properties do not seem to be central to the Diocese’s mission.’ By Ari Blaff, National Review

San Francisco Catholic diocese bankruptcy filing leaves clergy abuse survivors in limbo
“Faced with more than 500 lawsuits stemming from clergy sexual abuse, the San Francisco Catholic diocese last week said it had no choice but to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wrote, ‘the bankruptcy process is the best way to provide a compassionate and equitable solution’ for abuse survivors. But victims say the bankruptcy is just a ploy to deprive them of justice and their day in court … Across the country, more than 30 dioceses have sought bankruptcy protection.” By Alexis Madrigal, KQED National Public Radio

COLORADO

Lawsuit against former Aspen priest dismissed
“A civil trial scheduled in December for a priest accused of molesting an altar boy at St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen was canceled last month after parties agreed to dismiss the case, according to court records. Father Michael O’Brien was set to stand a five-day jury trial in Denver County District Court beginning Dec. 4. District Court Judge David Goldberg approved the dismissal of the lawsuit on July 14. O’Brien, who was ordained in 2000, was the pastor at St. Mary from 2002-11.” By Rick Carroll, Aspen Daily News

LOUISIANA

Judge denies unsealing testimony of former priest who admitted to sexual abuse
“A federal judge on Monday (Aug. 28) denied a motion to unseal sworn testimony given by a retired Catholic priest who recently admitted on camera to WWL-TV that he sexually abused several teens in the 1960s and 1970s. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo ruled that a deposition given in 2020 by Father Lawrence Hecker should remain under seal. She said attorneys did not follow the proper procedure to get the documents unsealed.” By David Hammer, WWL-TV4 News

MICHIGAN

Statement regarding conviction of Timothy Crowley
“The Diocese of Lansing today (Aug. 24) welcomed the conviction of former priest, Timothy Crowley, for sexual crimes against a minor. 74-year-old Crowley pleaded guilty to two counts of Second Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct at Washtenaw County Circuit Court, Wednesday, August 22. ‘Crowley’s crimes were a gross betrayal of the trust placed in him by the Catholic community within the Diocese of Lansing and, especially, of those families and young people entrusted to his pastoral care,’ said David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing, August 23.” By Diocese of Lansing

MINNESOTA

Clergy sex abuse lawsuit connected to deceased Rochester priest dismissed by federal judge
“A federal lawsuit accusing the Vatican of covering up clergy sex abuse was dismissed this week in U.S. District Court. The suit, filed in 2019, was filed on behalf of five men who claim they were victims of sexual abuse by priests within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles between 1979 and 1984. One of the accusers alleged Thomas Adamson abused him in 1981 while Adamson was a priest in Apple Valley. In a 2014 deposition for a separate sex abuse lawsuit, Adamson admitted sexually abusing ten boys during his time in the priesthood between the 1960s and 1980s. He worked at churches and Catholic schools across Southeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities including Rochester, Winona, Harmony, Caledonia, and Albert Lea.” By James Wilcon, KAAL-TV6 News

Lourdes High School, Rochester Catholic Schools settle lawsuit over sex abuse in the 1970s
“A partial settlement has been reached in a lawsuit claiming sex abuse at Lourdes High School in the 1970s. A plaintiff, identified only as Doe 222, claims Father Joseph Cashman had unpermitted sexual contact with him while Doe 222 attended Lourdes High School from 1972 to 1974. The sexual contact allegedly happened when the plaintiff was between 14 and 16 years old. Doe 222 filed a lawsuit against Lourdes High School, Rochester Catholic Schools, and the Diocese of Winona, claiming they should have known Cashman was a danger to children and did not provide a reasonable level of safety and care.” By Mike Bunge, KIMT-TV3 News

NEW JERSEY

Judge rejects Camden Diocese’s $87.5M settlement to abuse survivors
“A federal judge rejected the Camden Diocese’s $87.5 million settlement to sexual-abuse survivors Tuesday (Sept. 5), saying it would leave insurance companies on the hook for invalid claims and inflated attorneys’ fees. The Catholic Diocese of Camden, bankrupted by sexual-abuse lawsuits, agreed last year to compensate more than 360 survivors as it navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The plan called for some insurers to pay $30 million into a trust covering claims and expenses.” By Josh Bakan, Patch.com

NEW MEXICO

Church and school officials ignored signs of sexual abuse by health aide
“A new lawsuit alleges local public school, private school and Catholic Church officials turned a blind eye for years to predatory behavior by former school health aide Robert Apodaca, who is accused in several child sex crimes cases and has pleaded guilty to three counts of molestation in one of them. The 70-page complaint filed Tuesday in state District Court seeks an unspecified amount of damages from multiple defendants, including Santa Fe Public Schools, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and Santo Niño Regional Catholic School.” By Phaedra Haywood, Santa Fe New Mexican

NEW YORK.

Diocese of Buffalo announces substantiated claim of abuse
“As a result of an investigation conducted through the Independent Review Board, Bishop Michael W. Fisher has accepted the board’s recommendation and has determined that a claim made against retired priest Father Joseph Vatter that he had abused a minor female has been substantiated. Bishop Fisher had placed Father Vatter on administrative leave in February 2023. As a result of the substantiated claim, Father Vatter will continue to be removed from ministry and be listed on Priests with Substantiated Claims of Abuse on the diocesan website. Prior to being placed on leave, Father Vatter had occasionally celebrated Masses at various churches within the Diocese of Buffalo.” By WhyCatholic.org

Cortland priest arrested for child sex abuse
“A priest ordained by the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has been arrested for sexual abuse allegations. On August 31, the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Reverend Nathan Brooks, 36, of Lafayette. Brooks allegedly subjected one individual to inappropriate sexual contact on multiple occasions from 2019 to 2021 in the Town of Homer and in the City of Cortland. Brooks was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, forcible touching, and sexual abuse in the third degree. According to a news release from the Diocese, Brooks has been suspended from all priestly ministry at this time. The investigation is ongoing.” By Samantha Rich, BinghamtonHomepage.com

OHIO

Activists: Ohio needs to do more to stop child sexual abuse
“An abuse survivor and victim advocate spoke about her mission to help those who were sexually abused by officials of the Roman Catholic Church. Claudia Vercellotti, an activist with Toledo’s chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, appeared on ‘Between The Lines’ on Friday (Sept. 1). The nearly 45-minute interview is available on the Sandusky Register’s YouTube channel. She spoke about the group’s attempts to have Ohio hold child predators within the Church accountable for their abuses, and to break the cycle of abuse.” By Sandusky Register

OKLAHOMA

Judge dismisses sex abuse lawsuit against Mount St. Mary Catholic High School
“A federal judge has dismissed an explosive lawsuit filed by several young women who accused a prominent private high school in Oklahoma City of fostering a culture of sexual abuse and harassment. In Oklahoma City federal court, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell threw out the case against Mount St. Mary High School, which was brought by more than a dozen Jane Does who claimed breach of contract, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, public nuisance and violations of Title IX.” By Josh Dulaney, the Oklahoman, on YahooNews.com

AUSTRALIA

Bishops’ conference and CRA publish royal commission update

“The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia have published a report updating the Church’s progress in implementing the relevant recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. On the five-year anniversary of the initial response, the report is part of the Church’s ongoing efforts to be publicly accountable for how it is working to create, maintain and enhance safe environments for children and all people who are at risk.” By CathNews.com

Catholic Church loses bid to have abuse lawsuit thrown out in Australia
“The Catholic Church on Friday suffered a loss in an Australian appeals court after a panel of judges said an abuse case brought by the father of an alleged victim of Cardinal George Pell could proceed. The cardinal allegedly abused the boy in the 1990s; his father brought suit against the Catholic Church and Pell in 2022, shortly before Pell’s death in January of this year. The alleged victim himself died of a heroin overdose in 2014.” By Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency

CANADA

Decades after reporting Rivoire, whistleblower learns she wasn’t the only one
“One of the first people to inform the Roman Catholic Church of allegations of sexual abuse by Rev. Johannes Rivoire has spoken to a safeguarding commission looking into the church’s handling of those complaints. Karen Bergman spoke to retired Quebec Superior Court judge André Denis in Winnipeg on Aug. 24. Denis was appointed by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate to lead the commission. Rivoire worked as a parish priest in Rankin Inlet, Igloolik and Arviat as a member of the Oblates, a religious order in the Roman Catholic Church. He remains a member today.” By Jorge Antunes, Nunatsiaq News

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

Irish priest’s horrific abuse of more than 60 students detailed in new report
“The newly published report ‘A Restorative Response to the Abuse of Children Perpetrated by Joseph Marmion SJ’ interviewed 62 past pupils of the Irish priest who was a teacher in three schools in Ireland throughout the 1960s and 1970s … In March 2021, Jesuits in Ireland named Marmion as someone who had abused boys sexually, emotionally, and physically during his time at Dublin’s Belvedere College.” By IrishCentral.com

‘Priests were angry at me for speaking out over abuse’ – Archbishop Diarmuid Martin
“The former Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has revealed how he invoked the ire of other priests after speaking out over child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Speaking to Joe Duffy for RTÉ’s ‘The Meaning of Life’ program on Sunday night (Sept. 3), the 78-year-old retired cleric recalled the reaction to his public condemnations following the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports in 2009.” By The Irish News

‘Others looked the other way but my dad did something about it’
“The son of an Irish teacher who blew the whistle on pedophile Jesuit priest Joseph Marmion said his father should be recognized for his role in helping to end the reign of the predator who sexually abused at least 60 boys. Riocard Mór Ó Tiarnaigh reported Marmion to the then principal of Belvedere College in September 1977, prompted by his son’s disclosures about a school trip to Vienna. His son, also Riocard, said the teacher’s actions helped ‘light the fuse’ that led the Jesuits to remove Marmion from teaching duties at the end of that school year.” By Maeve Sheehan, Irish Independent

Victims’ group slams decision to invite US cardinal to Armagh Cathedral
“A group representing victims of clerical abuse has criticized the decision to invite a prominent US cardinal to Northern Ireland. Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, is visiting Armagh on Sunday (Sept. 3). He will celebrate Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral to mark 150 years since its dedication in August 1873. However, abuse victims have expressed dismay at the invite.” By Belfast Telegraph

NEW ZEALAND

Catholic Church ‘two-faced’ for refusing to help abuse survivor’s bid share experiences in Rome
“A Christchurch man who suffered sexual abuse as a child at the hands of the Brothers of St John of God has criticized the Catholic Church for publicly offering help to survivors and then turning down his request for financial aid. Darryl Smith was one of dozens of boys who suffered ‘extreme abuse and neglect’ at Marylands School in Halswell between 1955 and the late 1980s. On his first night at the school, in 1971, he was woken from his sleep, taken to an office and raped. He was 6 years old.” By Shannon Redstall, The Press

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With Catholic Church foot-dragging comes the chance to evade justice / The Boston Globe

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on September 7, 2023

What was first revealed by the Boston Globe Spotlight team in 2002 was followed up by two more decades of institutional foot-dragging when it comes to accountability for prominent predators like him. And with that foot-dragging comes the chance to evade justice.

By Joan Vennochi, The Boston Globe

“After a judge declared him incompetent to stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy in Wellesley in the 1970s, the Zoom image of Theodore McCarrick showed an old man with a blank face, hunched over a table in a room at the assisted living facility in Missouri that is now his home. Yet when the remote session ended, one could still imagine the defrocked and disgraced cardinal smiling in triumph — just like any other aging gangster who beat the system.

“The charges against McCarrick, 93, were dismissed last week after two medical experts found he suffered from dementia. That makes him a living symbol of the cost of the decades-long coverup of clergy sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Church. What was first revealed by the Boston Globe Spotlight team in 2002 was followed up by two more decades of institutional foot-dragging when it comes to accountability for prominent predators like him. And with that foot-dragging comes the chance to evade justice.

“Last month, for example, Howard J. Hubbard, the longtime bishop of the Albany, N.Y., diocese, who acknowledged covering up sexual abuse, died of a stroke at age 84. Hubbard was also personally accused of sexual abuse, which he denied. In reporting on his death, The New York Times noted that lawyers for plaintiffs in sexual abuse cases involving the Albany diocese have accused church lawyers of using delay tactics ‘in hopes that aging victims and witnesses will die before the cases are resolved.'”

By Joan Vennochi, The Boston Globe — Read more …

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Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup, Aug. 25, 2023

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful, VOTF Focus News Roundup on August 24, 2023

Aug. 25, 2023

TOP STORIES

Synod raises hopes for long-sought recognition of women in the Catholic Church
“When Pope Francis called two years ago for a worldwide discussion among rank-and-file Catholics about the main challenges and issues facing the church, the question of women’s ministry and leadership echoed loudly in parishes and bishops’ assemblies. The question is resounding more loudly as the summit of bishops and lay Catholics known as the Synod on Synodality, scheduled for October, draws near. Participants and observers alike recognize that any conversation about reforming church hierarchy or promoting lay involvement, Francis’ twin goals for the synod, has to include honest exchanges about the role of women.” By Claire Giangravé, National Catholic Reporter

Australian archbishop says married Indigenous priests ‘highly likely’
“The Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia, has called for the Vatican to authorize the ordination of married men to the priesthood for ministry among the country’s indigenous communities. Archbishop Mark Coleridge made the call in an interview published Saturday with the newspaper The Australian. The archbishop argued that married priests ordained from within indigenous communities are part of necessary reforms for the Church which must “look quite different” in the future in order to continue its mission.” By The Pillar

The complicated legacy of state investigations of the Catholic sex abuse crisis
“Philadelphia is a ‘very Catholic city,’ Barbara Daly will tell you … This very Catholic city has been hammered in recent years by stories of the abuse of children by Catholic priests recounted in a series of grand jury reports, which culminated in a statewide grand jury investigation and a report released by the attorney general of Pennsylvania in August 2018. These events returned national attention to the church’s abuse scandal and inspired a flurry of similar investigations across the country.” By Kevin Clarke, America: The Jesuit Review

Discerning leadership program aims to build a synodal church
“In Pope Francis ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ — a 2013 document considered to be the blueprint for his papacy — he called for the church’s mission to be ‘channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.’ A decade later, a newly established Jesuit initiative is training senior church leaders to put that goal into practice through a program aimed at strengthening the practical skills necessary for discernment and reform for a church that is more collaborative than hierarchical. Founded in 2019, the Discerning Leadership program combines Ignatian spirituality with pioneering methodologies for polarity management and fostering communal growth.” By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter

Catholic church sex abuse victims and activists to call on Ohio attorney general for investigation
“For the second time in five years, a group of victims of sex abuse by Catholic clergy and their supporters is asking Ohio’s attorney general to investigate all six dioceses in the state. Local, national survivors and/or their parents who make up SNAP Network (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), Greater Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful and Ohioans for Child Protection are holding a news conference Wednesday morning. They will publicly ask Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to conduct a statewide investigation ‘of the history and scope of child sexual abuse, trafficking, child sex abuse enabling and cover-up in Ohio’s 6 Dioceses.’” By Jennifer Edwards Baker, FOX-TV19 News

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to facilitate settlements with abuse survivors
“The Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco (‘RCASF’) announced today (Aug.21) the filing of a voluntary petition for bankruptcy relief under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing is necessary to manage and resolve the more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse brought against RCASF under California Assembly Bill 218, which allowed decades-old claims to be filed by December 31, 2022, that otherwise were time barred. Chapter 11 is a court-supervised process that allows each claim to be evaluated on its merits, provides transparency into the proceedings and into RCASF’s finances, and gives claimants a voice in the outcome.” By Archdiocese of San Francisco on Cision PRNewswire

TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

Ohio abuse survivors call on attorney general to investigate state’s Catholic dioceses
“Advocates for survivors of clergy sexual abuse said it’s time for Ohio’s top law enforcement official to investigate the state’s six Catholic dioceses. Members of Ohio chapters of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, Ohioans for Child Protection and the Greater Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful urged Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in an Aug. 16 letter to follow the examples of abuse investigations that have occurred in other states in recent years. Daniel Frondorf of SNAP’s Cincinnati chapter told NCR that reports released after investigations in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Maryland included references to 49 priests who had lived, worked or had other ties to Ohio and had been accused of sexually abusing children.” By Dennis Sadowski, National Catholic Reporter

FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

Retired Cardinal Burke claims synod causing ‘grave harm’ to Catholic Church
“The synod process underway around the world and at the Vatican is inflicting ‘evident and grave harm’ on the Catholic Church, retired U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke wrote in a letter published as the foreword to a book. ‘Synodality and its adjective, synodal, have become slogans behind which a revolution is at work to change radically the church’s self-understanding, in accord with a contemporary ideology which denies much of what the church has always taught and practiced,’ said the cardinal’s letter to José Antonio Ureta and Julio Loredo de Izcue, authors of ‘The Synodal Process Is a Pandora’s Box.’” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, in National Catholic Reporter

New Malaysia cardinal cautions against fomenting division at synod
“Malaysia’s new cardinal, Sebastian Francis of Penang, has said the upcoming Synod of Bishops on Synodality ought to be an open process in which all issues are discussed without fear, and warned against using labels that cause division. Speaking to Crux, Francis said of the synod, ‘as long as we don’t get into labels, and we don’t get into trying to divide,’ things will be fine.” By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com

What do U.S. Latinos want from the synod? We asked three who will be there.
“Wyatt Olivas is a student at the University of Wyoming and a music intern at St. Paul’s Newman Center there. He is also one of 20 representatives from the United States who will be voting during the Synod on Synodality in Rome this October. America spoke with Mr. Olivas and other Latino Catholics from the United States who will be at the synod. Their participation is important: Recent polling data suggests that more than half of U.S. Catholics under 30 are Latino. Overall, Latinos make up more than 40 percent of Catholics in the United States.” By J.D. Long Garcia, America: The Jesuit Review

All aboard: World Youth Day pilgrims know about the synod, share its concerns
“The staff of the synod secretariat went to World Youth Day in Lisbon prepared to explain ‘synodality’ to young Catholics, but they found the pilgrims from around the world already knew about the synod assembly planned for October and about many of the issues proposed for discussion. ‘Being in contact with the young people was amazing, really amazing,’ said Thierry Bonaventura, the synod communication manager. ‘Most of them knew about the synod, were ready to listen to more about it’ and were eager to share their hopes and concerns.” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Agency

World Your Day recap: foreshadowing the synod on synodality
“World Youth Day wrapped up Sunday, Aug. 6, having gathered 1.5 million young people from around the world. On this special summer episode of ‘Inside the Vatican,’ America editors Ricardo da Silva, S.J. and Gerard O’Connell recap the event. First up on the show, Gerry and Ricardo give a sense of what World Youth Day was like on the ground—a sea of young people, thrilled and excited, but in the same measure silent and reverent at moments of prayer. Pope Francis, they explain, was ‘in top form,’ energized by the crowd, often putting aside his written speeches in favor of interacting with the young people gathered there.” By Colleen Dulle, Inside the Vatican, America: The Jesuit Review

What I learned from listening to non-practicing Catholics ahead of the Synod
“The Vatican named 363 voting members for October’s Synod on Synodality a few weeks ago, including Archbishop Etienne of Seattle at the personal invitation of the pope. Since this synod was announced in 2021, I have worked with the Seattle chancery as a synod volunteer and responded to the call for dialogue by personally talking with 100 people who were baptized and are now non-practicing. Having found that the archdiocese took my findings seriously, I was heartened by the Vatican’s announcement.” By Sarah-Marie Chan, America: The Jesuit Review

POPE FRANCIS

When it comes to church reform, Pope Francis isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers
“Tensions have been bubbling recently in the Catholic Diocese of Rome, as Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the vicar who supervises the see’s day-to-day operations, has clashed with Rome’s bishop — Catholicism’s worldwide leader, Pope Francis … Vatican insiders have begun to study the way Francis is handling the disagreements in his own backyard for insight into how the pontiff addresses reform worldwide.” By Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service, in National Catholic Reporter

PRIESTS

Priest pleads guilty to federal child sex exploitation charges
“A Catholic priest pleaded guilty this week to charges of child sex exploitation related to the transport of a minor from South Carolina to Florida several years ago. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said in a press release Thursday (Aug. 10) that 68-year-old Jamie Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias had entered a guilty plea on charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.” By Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency

WOMEN’S VOICES

The other form of abuse in the Catholic Church
“When we hear the term “abuse” in relation to the Catholic Church, we immediately think of crimes of a sexual nature committed against children by the clergy. But there is another form of abuse taking place in the Church and it’s just as real. It’s called emotional abuse and is most evident in the attitude of the Church hierarchy towards women. It is characterized by such things as patronizing language, silencing of voices, refusal to engage and failure to empower. It can be subtle and may even go unnoticed. That’s because it is structural in nature, camouflaged within the rules and guidelines of the institution.” By John Crothers on JohnMenadue.com

CHILD PROTECTION

Nine-year leaders’ ability, compassion puts archdiocese on sold footing after clergy abuse crisis
“Fair. Disciplined. Thorough. Compassionate. Experienced. Credible. Co-workers, victims-survivors and other observers use those words as they describe Tim O’Malley, 67, who as director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment helped lead the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis out of a crisis stemming from clergy sexual abuse.” By Joe Ruff, The Catholic Spirit

CHURCH FINANCES

Two former Catholic churches in Warwick sell for $2.6 million
“Two former Catholic churches that went on the market in Warwick earlier this year recently sold for a total of $2.6 million, according to MG Commercial Real Estate, which represented the seller. The former Saint Catherine’s Cathedral church property, located at 3248 Post Road, was bought from the Roman Catholic Church for $1 million by Bluth LLC, a Warwick-based residential developer, according to the quitclaim deed, a public record of the transaction. Bluth, managed by Matthew Tonning and Robert Tonning Jr., plans to convert the former church building into apartments, said MG Commercial Real Estate, in its announcement of the sale.” By Marc Larocque

Vatican investment office reports $35 million profit for 2022
“The Vatican investment office made 32.27 million euros (about $35.2 million) in profit in 2022 and contributed the entire amount to the Vatican’s operating budget, said Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See. The profit was close to 6 million euros less than what the investments earned in 2021, the bishop said in the annual report of the administration, which is known by its Italian acronym, APSA, and controls most of the Vatican’s portfolio, including real estate.” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Agency, in National Catholic Reporter

How much money has the Catholic Church paid in settlements
“How Much Money Has the Catholic Church Paid in Settlements? The Catholic Church, one of the oldest and wealthiest religious institutions in the world, has faced numerous allegations of sexual abuse by clergy members over the years. These cases have resulted in significant financial settlements being paid out to victims and their families. While it is challenging to determine an exact total, estimates suggest that the Catholic Church has paid billions of dollars in settlements.” By Investor Times in Money

CELIBACY& MARRIED PRIESTS

Celibacy is a gift that ‘fulfills’ priests
“It might ‘go against the grain’ outside the Church, but Professor Renee Kohler-Ryan insists there is a strong case for Catholic priests to stay celibate. As national head of the School of Philosophy and Theology at Notre Dame University Australia, she teaches young men who aspire to a life in the priesthood with all the worldly sacrifices that entails. Yet there’s another side rarely brought out: what they gain in the process. ‘Spiritually speaking, they’re really married to the Church,’ Professor Kohler-Ryan said.” By CathNews.com

Australian archbishop: allow married priests for indigenous peoples
“Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has suggested that aboriginal tribes should be exempt from the requirement of priestly celibacy, because there is ‘no way you’re going to recruit a celibate clergy in those cultures.’ The archbishop said that this suggestion could be introduced at the October meeting of the Synod on Synodality. Bishop Charles Gauci of Darwin agreed: ‘With Aboriginal people, we need to be respectful of culture. Pope Francis has said that he is open in certain situations to ordaining married men; that is not off the agenda.’” By CatholicCulture.org

Celibacy is a historical ill which the Catholic Church must immediately withdraw
“The church around the world today is witnessing a sharp reduction in the number of celibate priests and nuns. This also draw from a growing realization that the universal requirement to celibacy within the church was forced upon the clergy in the year 1123 and then again in 1139. Historically, there is no explicit commandment in the New Testament of the Holy Bible which states that the disciples of Jesus Christ must live a life of celibacy. Stances positioned in defense of celibacy by the theologians is merely a superficial interpretation refined with dogmas of asceticism and layered with eschatological theology.” By Dr. Edmond Fernandes, The Times of India

VOICES

The court’s pause: a necessary change for victims

Presently 34 Catholic organizations, Boy Scouts of America, and USA Gymnastics have raced to the loving arms of the federal bankruptcy courts to seek protection for their abysmal and repeated failures to protect innocent children from a great risk of harm. In the case of the epidemic of child sexual abuse, we can see the mass migration to the federal bankruptcy courts … Defendants file for bankruptcy under the guise of insolvency (which, by the way, is not required in Chapter 11). Victims’ legal claims are stayed. There is little discovery. Blanket protective orders are issued, concealing sexual predators and crimes against children. The public is kept in the dark. Victims have little voice and receive pennies on the dollar.” By Kathryn Robb, Executive Director of CHILDUSAdvocacy, on Verdict.justia.com

When a Catholic diocese goes bankrupt, does it help or hurt sex abuse survivors?
“Catholic dioceses throughout the United States, including several in New York and California, are considering or already taking steps toward declaring bankruptcy, partly in response to a flood of sexual abuse lawsuits filed after states adopted laws that eliminate or pause statutes of limitations … Lawyers and advocates for survivors say that dioceses seeking bankruptcy protections use the process to shield church assets from individuals who were harmed by the church, by, for example, moving around funds or real estate holdings. Some bankruptcy experts, however, say the process allows for a thorough process that can ultimately lead to a more just outcome for those who were harmed.” By Michael J. O’Loughlin and Christopher Parker, America: The Jesuit Review

Catholic church predators must be held accountable
“Though it is mind-boggling anyone would still have to ask, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests filed a letter last week to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, asking the state to hold accountable those in the Catholic church who have been accused of being predators. The letter is a formal request by the organization for a statewide investigation into the history and scope of child sexual abuse it says is being covered up by the state’s Catholic diocese, according to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal.” By The Marietta Times Editorial Board

If the synod isn’t a parliament, voting should be dropped
“When the participants for the synod were announced recently, they were identified as voting or nonvoting, based on whether they will be part of the group that votes on the final document at the end of the process in October 2024. So, it appears that voting will be a part of the synod process and perhaps — even as many people anticipate the synod — an important one. But be aware of what voting suggests. It almost inevitably means moving into a default mode of a parliamentary-like process. Different points of view will be represented and then debated and voted upon. Not everyone will get their way, but in democratic fashion the majority will hold sway.” By Louis J. Cameli, America: The Jesuit Review

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Louisiana court upholds ‘lookback window’ in win for Catholic abuse victims
“A Louisiana state appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of a law temporarily suspending filing deadlines for people seeking damages over long-ago sexual abuse claims, handing a victory to survivors and a setback to the Roman Catholic diocese opposing them in the case. The ruling, from a panel of judges with Louisiana’s third circuit court of appeal in Lake Charles, is the first to uphold a 2021 law in the state which opened a three-year window for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits for damages regardless of whether the deadline to do so had otherwise lapsed.” By Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Guardian

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

Lifting the lid on Catholic clergy abuse: Boston Globe former editor
“Martin Baron was editor of the Boston Globe and its award-winning Spotlight investigative team, which tenaciously uncovered widespread sexual abuse by priests, hushed up by the church paying private settlements to claimants … The day before Baron started work at the Globe, the paper ran a piece by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Eileen McNamara, he tells Nine to Noon. ‘It talked about a case of a priest who had been accused of abusing 80 kids. And at the end of the column, she said the truth may never be known because the documents that might reveal it, were under a confidentiality order, they were secret, they weren’t being disclosed to the public.’” By Radio New Zealand

ALABAMA

Former Alabama priest Alex Crow ‘groomed’ multiple young girls, may face charges, sheriff says
“Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said authorities believe a defrocked Catholic priest ‘groomed another couple of young girls’ in addition to the 18-year-old woman who accompanied him to Europe. Burch, speaking on Fox Nation’s ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,’ said Alex Crow had a previous association with a female who was ‘best friends’ with the woman who left with him. He also said there could be felony warrants against Cros ‘this week.’” By William Thornton, AL.com

ARIZONA

Arizona appeals court revives negligence case against Phoenix diocese
“Four years ago, Arizona lawmakers opened a temporary window for child sex abuse victims over age 30 to sue for damages. Now, the state Court of Appeals has revived a case against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix brought by an anonymous plaintiff who was 11 years old in 1979. The reversal on appeal may open the door for the plaintiff’s lawyers to scour church records for information on when clergy learned that former priest Joseph Henn was a danger to children. Henn pleaded guilty to sex crimes in 2021 after local prosecutors extradited him from Italy.” By Matthew Casey, FronterasDesk.org

CALIFORNIA

Sexual misconduct lawsuit hits SF Catholic high school, multiple victims lodge allegations
“On the heels of the local SF Catholic Archdiocese declaring bankruptcy over sex-abuse lawsuits, one prestigious prep school affiliated with the archdiocese is facing a lawsuit alleging that a teacher kissed and groped multiple students. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco just declared bankruptcy Monday (Aug. 21), and made no secret of the fact they did this for financial protection from the 500-plus child sex abuse lawsuits they are facing. And there are 90 private Catholic schools under the jurisdiction of the archdiocese.” By SFirst.com

Last chance ahead for clergy abuse survivors to file claims against Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese
“Survivors of clergy abuse involving the Santa Rosa Roman Catholic Diocese have one final chance this fall to come forward to seek a settlement from the church. A federal bankruptcy judge has set an Oct. 20 deadline for all claims against the embattled diocese — both from those who have lodged lawsuits against the church already and from those who have yet to take legal action but don’t want to miss a shot at taking part in a settlement.” By Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat

Court records reveal names of active East Bay priests accused of abuse
“A Catholic priest in Rodeo remains the active head of a church and parochial school while he faces accusations of molesting a child parishioner decades ago, KQED has learned. A lawsuit filed in Alameda County in September alleges ongoing abuse in the mid-1980s, including that the priest secluded the unnamed plaintiff in an office and groped his genitals underneath his clothing when he was a parishioner at St. Raymond Catholic Church in Dublin. The plaintiff was around 6 and 7 years old at the time.” By Alex Hall, KQED.org

LOUISIANA

Priest admits sexual abuse of teens to WWL-TV
“For the first time ever, one of the New Orleans Catholic church’s most notorious clergy abusers has publicly admitted that he sexually molested or harassed several teenagers during his career, describing himself as remorseful yet unsure if he’s deserving of any criminal consequences. Lawrence Hecker gave the rare admission when reporters for WWL-TV and the British newspaper the Guardian asked him to discuss a statement he gave to New Orleans church leaders in 1999. In the statement, he acknowledged committing ‘overtly sexual acts’ with at least three underage boys in the late 1960s and 1970s and revealed his close relationships with four others stretching into the 1980s.” By David Hammer, WWL-TV4 News, and Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Guardian

Abuse survivors revive calls for Aymond to resign; church says he won’t
“A small group of survivors of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy protested outside a special Mass this week, calling on Archbishop Aymond to resign over his handling of the clergy abuse crisis. Three survivors stood outside the gates of St. Angela Merici on Wednesday (Aug. 16), holding ‘Aymond Must Go’ signs as the archbishop entered for Mass on the first day of a three-day Mission to the Holy Spirit. The archdiocese issued this statement about the 73-year-old Aymond: ‘Archbishop Aymond has no intention of resigning or retiring until the age of 75 when it is canonically required of him to submit his retirement letter …’” By David Hammer, WWL-TV4 News

New Orleans archdiocese failed to monitor priests accused of sexual abuse
“After the US’s second-oldest Roman Catholic archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020, attorneys for people claiming sexual abuse at the hands of the organization’s clergymen reviewed thousands of records outlining how the church managed the careers of priests and deacons faced with substantial allegations. Glaringly missing from those documents is any plan by which the archdiocese of New Orleans could reliably protect children from contact with clerics who had been suspended from public ministry following molestation allegations – but who for years stayed in close proximity to and were financially supported by the church.” By Ramon Antonia Vargas, The Guardian

MAINE

Six more people sue Maine Catholic diocese over child sex abuse allegations
“Six more people have sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, alleging that seven clergy abused them at sites around the state between 1954 and 1988 when they were from about 4 to 14 years old. Glen Witham, one of the people who filed suit Monday (Aug. 14) in Cumberland County Superior Court, was 14 years old when claims that the Rev. John E. Harris abused him. Witham lived at the Rumford Boys Home across the street from the St. Athanasius and St. John Parish in Rumford, and the abuse allegedly began in 1984 and lasted until 1987.” By Valerie Royzman, Bangor Daily News

MARYLAND

Maryland officials to reveal more names from April child sex abuse report on Archdiocese of Baltimore
“A redacted report that detailed child sexual abuse claims within the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be re-released in September following a recent court order to remove most of its redactions, according to an official statement from the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.” By Winston Rogers, ABC-TV7 News

Judge orders most Catholic Church names made public in Maryland AG report, calls for ‘more transparency, not less
“A Baltimore judge has ordered the release of most of the redacted names in the attorney general’s report on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s history of child sexual abuse, according to court records unsealed Tuesday (Aug. 22). The order allows for the release Sept. 26 of 43 of 46 blacked-out names, including those of five high-ranking church officials who contributed to the cover-up, and nine of 10 alleged abusers. The people to be named will have an opportunity to appeal the order before the attorney general’s office would publish a version of the report with far fewer redactions than its initial version, which came out in April.” By Lee O. Sanderlin, The Baltimore Sun, in The Brunswick News

‘Who’s gonna believe an 11-year-old kid?’: WTOP anchor speaks out on being sexually abused by Catholic priest
“A nightmare has haunted WTOP anchor Dan Ronan for decades. The recurring dream has plagued him for most of his life. ‘I’m being chased out of the parking lot,’ 63-year-old Ronan told WTOP’s DMV Download podcast. ‘I’m being chased through that parking lot on a dark evening. And he’s chasing me and he’s … screaming at me. And before he would catch me, I would wake up sweating and crying and shaking.’ In 1971, Ronan was sexually assaulted in Chicago, Illinois, by Father Thomas Gannon — a respected priest and professor who went on to teach sociology at Georgetown University between 1983 and 1986. Ronan was in the sixth grade at the time and didn’t tell a soul about the assault for nearly 50 years.” By Luke Garrett, WTOP-FM News

MINNESOTA

New clergy sex abuse lawsuits
“New court filings name the Diocese of Winona-Rochester as a defendant, as well as schools and parishes in Rochester, Winona and Mankato. They stem from a $28 million settlement reached between the Diocese, the victims and insurance companies in 2021 … According to the lawsuits, the alleged victims were between 10-16 years old at the time of the abuse, which happened between 1968 and 1974 at churches and schools including St. Mary’s in Winona, the Church of Holy Trinity in Rollingstone, Lourdes High School in Rochester and the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Mankato.” By Rachel Mantos, KAAL-TV6 News

NEW YORK.

Waite: Hubbard can’t separate himself from abuse diocese enabled
“A celebratory profile of Bishop Emeritus Howard Hubbard on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany’s website concludes by noting that Hubbard’s 37 years as bishop made him the longest serving bishop in the history of the diocese. But now, Hubbard wants to sever formal ties to the Catholic Church … But in March the Vatican denied that laicization request until seven civil lawsuits against Hubbard alleging sexual misconduct have been resolved, according to Hubbard’s statement.” By Andrew Waite, The Daily Gazette

OHIO

Advocates ask Yost to investigate Ohio’s Catholic dioceses
“A group of concerned parents, Catholics and advocates for child sexual abuse survivors are asking Attorney General Dave Yost to initiate a statewide investigation into the history of scope of sexual abuse within Ohio’s six Catholic dioceses. The groups, which include parents from Ohioans for Child Protection, Greater Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful, Concerned Catholics of Cincinnati and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, take inspiration from recent investigations into sexual abuse within the Catholic church completed by attorneys general in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Maryland.” By Mackenzi Klemann, LimaOhio.com

PENNSYLVANIA

Archdiocese of Philadelphia settles child sex abuse case against a deceased priest for $3.5 million
“The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will pay $3.5 million to settle a civil case alleging a now-deceased priest sexually assaulted a teenage boy nearly two decades ago, and church officials knew of similar reports about the priest dating back to the 1970s, attorneys for the victim announced Wednesday (Aug. 9). The plaintiff was a 14-year-old student in religious classes at St. Katherine of Siena Parish in Wayne when the sexual assault occurred in 2006, his attorneys said. They said Monsignor John Close assaulted the boy after hearing his confession. The plaintiff, now 30, reported the episode in 2018. Many survivors of child sexual abuse do not report the abuse until years later.” By Brooke Schultz, Associated Press, on ABCNews.go.com

SOUTH CAROLINA

Former South Carolina admits to sexual misconduct with 11-year-old he took on beach vacation
“A former Catholic priest has admitted to acts of sexual misconduct with a child he met through his pastoral duties. Jamie Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias, 68, plead guilty to a federal charge that he transported a minor intending to engage in criminal sexual activity. Court evidence shows the man known as ‘Father Gonzalez’ lavished gifts and attention on an 11-year-old boy before taking him on a beach vacation to Florida in November 2020, according to a news release. He then attempted to sexually assault the child, behaved in other sexually inappropriate ways and showed him pornography, FBI officials said.” By Associated Press, on WLTX-TV19 News

TEXAS

San Antonio Archdiocese removes two priests over allegations of child sex abuse
“The Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, has removed two of its incardinated priests from ministry after receiving substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse. Father Alejandro Ortega of St. Monica Catholic Church in Converse and Father Jesus Eduardo “Lalo” Martinez-Solis of St. Joseph-Honey Creek Church in Spring Branch were both accused of sexually abusing minors. The allegations were referred to law enforcement, the archdiocese said. Both men had their faculties removed and are prohibited from identifying themselves as priests. They are forbidden from wearing clerical clothing and using clerical titles.” By Joe Bukuras, Catholic News Agency

WASHINGTON, D.C.

After 50 years, a victim of clergy sex abuse speaks out
“The scourge of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church has been well documented. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is now renewing calls that the Archdiocese of Washington release the names of known, hidden abusers. It’s a message Dan Ronan — a survivor of child sex abuse at the hands of a priest — echoes. On the show, Ronan tells his story of how Father Thomas Gannon sexually abused him as an 11-year-old boy in Chicago. He also talks about why Gannon wasn’t punished for this alleged assault and later became a respected professor at Georgetown University. Ronan walks us through this trauma and shares how he ultimately found peace 50 years later.” By WTOP.com News

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin DOJ asks for sealed documents from Milwaukee archdiocese sex abuse investigation
“Wisconsin’s Department of Justice is asking to see sealed records from the Milwaukee branch of the Catholic Church as part of the attorney general’s investigation into sexual abuse by faith leaders. Those records were shielded from public view after the Milwaukee Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011. In 2015, that bankruptcy case resulted in a $21 million settlement between the archdiocese and hundreds of sexual abuse survivors.” By Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio

AUSTRALIA

Alleged Catholic priest abuse victim prevented from seeking justice in court
“Christopher Moran has been waiting a lifetime to have his day in court. When he was nine his father suddenly died and he went to stay on an Aboriginal mission in northern New South Wales. The Taungurung man alleges it was during this vulnerable time that he was sexually abused by Catholic priest David Perrett while on a camping trip to Georges Creek in 1976.” By Erin Somerville, ABC News Australia

Catholic church uses death of pedophile priest in bid to stop survivor suing NSW diocese, court hears
“The Catholic church is seeking to use using the death of a ‘prolific pedophile’ priest to permanently prevent a dying Indigenous man from seeking justice for alleged abuse suffered on camping trips in rural New South Wales. Two survivors are suing the church’s Armidale diocese for the alleged abuse by notorious priest David Joseph Perrett during camping trips from an Aboriginal mission in the mid-1970s.” By Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

Pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale sentenced to eighth hail term over historic abuse
“One of Australia’s most notorious pedophiles, Gerald Ridsdale, has been sentenced for the eighth time over historical sex offences. This morning’s sentencing over the 192nd charge faced by Ridsdale related to the former priest’s 72nd known victim-survivor. In June this year the 89-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault of a minor in the 1980s.” By ABC News, Australia

BELIZE

Former Catholic priest admits to sexual misconduct with 11-year-old
“Fоrmеr Саthоlіс рrіеѕt Јаmіе Аdоlfо Gоnzаlеz-Fаrіаѕ,68, hаѕ аdmіttеd thаt hе еngаgеd іn асtѕ оf ѕехuаl mіѕсоnduсt wіth аn 11-уеаr-оld сhіld thаt hе mеt thrоugh hіѕ раѕtоrаl dutіеѕ. Ассоrdіng tо thе Аѕѕосіаtеd Рrеѕѕ, thіѕ wееk, Fаrіаѕ рlеd guіltу tо а fеdеrаl сhаrgе thаt hе trаnѕроrtеd а mіnоr іntеndіng tо еngаgе іn сrіmіnаl ѕехuаl асtіvіtу. Rероrtѕ ѕhоw thаt thе рrіеѕt gаvе gіftѕ tо thе сhіld bеfоrе tаkіng hіm оn а bеасh vасаtіоn tо Flоrіdа іn Nоvеmbеr 2020. Тhе рrіеѕt thеn аttеmрtеd tо ѕехuаllу аѕѕаult thе сhіld аnd bеhаvеd іn оthеr ѕехuаllу іnаррrорrіаtе wауѕ аnd ѕhоwеd hіm роrnоgrарhу.” By Zolla Palma Gonzalez on BreakingBelizeNews.com

BOLIVIA

Jesuit provincial in Bolivia says he would not have entered order if he know about abuse
“In the wake of the sexual abuse of minors scandal that broke out in April involving various members of the Society of Jesus in Bolivia, the country’s provincial superior, Father Bernardo Mercado, said that not even if he ‘were crazy’ would he have entered the Jesuit order if he had known the real situation involving those members accused of pederasty. The priest was interviewed recently by the special commission for the investigation of crimes of sexual abuse taking place in ecclesial environments recently created by the Bolivian Chamber of Senators, ATB Digital media reported.” By Julieta Villar, Catholic News Agency, in The Catholic World Report

CANADA

Kelowna man files $6.9M lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse by priest
“A Kelowna, B.C., man has filed a $6.9-million lawsuit against an Edmonton Catholic school and the religious order that runs it claiming he was sexually abused by a priest beginning when he was 12 years old. ‘For 38 years, my memories of the abuse remained hidden deep, within my subconscious: leaking poison into every decision I ever made in life. I never trusted anyone, not even family,’ the 52-year-old Stephen Gregory Bounds said.” By Jeremy Hainsworth, VancouverIsAwesome.com

Ottawa Catholic school teacher charged with sexual assault
“A teacher at St. Francis Xavier High School in Ottawa’s south end is facing sexual assault charges following allegations involving one of her high school students, according to police. Ottawa police say an investigation was launched in July into alleged incidents involving a teacher and a student between March and May 2023. On Thursday (Aug. 10), police charged Shannon Marie Quinn, 40, of Ottawa with five counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation. Police say she is also known as Shannon Greffe.” By Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

Victim of pedophile priest Malachy Finnegan receives £400,000 settlement
“A 51-year-old Co Down man who was abused by the notorious pedophile priest Malachy Finnegan has received a settlement of £400,000, lawyers have said. Finnegan is alleged to have sexually abused children in the Catholic diocese of Dromore across four decades before his death in 2002. KRW Law, acting on behalf of the victim who wished to remain anonymous, said he had been abused over a three-year period in the mid 1980s when he was a student at St Colman’s College in Newry.” By Gráinne Ni Aodha, PA, BelfastLive.co.uk

PHILIPPINES

Christian faith helps combat clerical child abuse
“The power of real Christian faith in a person is that it motivates the believer in Jesus of Nazareth and his words to take action to help the downtrodden, to protect, empower, strengthen and enlighten the weak, stand with sexually abused children, support them and work for justice. That faith, empowered by the belief that goodness, the love of justice, service to the poor, and care for the needy, will overcome and defeat evil and wrongdoing, and will bring healing and justice to the victims of sexual abuse.” By Fr. Shay Cullen, CathNews.com

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Synod raises hopes for long-sought recognition of women in the Catholic Church / National Catholic Reporter

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Future of the Church, Synod of Bishops, Synod on Synodality, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on August 21, 2023

‘It’s remarkable the shared cry that came through in ‘Enlarge the Space of Your Tent’ around the deep connection between creating a new synodal path in the church and a church that more fully receives the gifts that women bring,’ (Casey) Stanton (co-director of Discerning Deacons) said.

By Claire Giangrave, National Catholic Reporter

‘When Pope Francis called two years ago for a worldwide discussion among rank-and-file Catholics about the main challenges and issues facing the church, the question of women’s ministry and leadership echoed loudly in parishes and bishops’ assemblies.

“The question is resounding more loudly as the summit of bishops and lay Catholics known as the Synod on Synodality, scheduled for October, draws near. Participants and observers alike recognize that any conversation about reforming church hierarchy or promoting lay involvement, Francis’ twin goals for the synod, has to include honest exchanges about the role of women.

“‘It’s not just one issue among others that you can tease out,’ said Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons, a group committed to promoting dialogue about the female diaconate in the church. ‘It’s actually kind of at the heart of the synod and we need to take a step forward that is meaningful, and that people can see and feel in their communities.'”

By Claire Giangrave, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …

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Voice of the Faithful joins Ohio survivor groups in calling for AG investigation into Catholic clergy sexual abuse of minors

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on August 16, 2023

BOSTON, Mass., Aug. 16, 2023―Voice of the Faithful joins its affiliate in Cincinnati and other Ohio groups supporting clergy abuse survivors in calling for the state attorney general to investigate Catholic clergy sexual abuse of minors and its cover up throughout the state. Overwhelming evidence of Church malfeasance in the protection of children shown in a score of states attorneys general and grand jury investigations compels VOTF and like-minded Catholics to request such an investigation.

To-date, as many as 20 states across the country have concluded or have ongoing investigations into Catholic clergy abuse. These investigations have shown the necessity of using civil authorities to investigate clergy abuse in the Church. In 2019, this fact already was evident, as several investigations had been completed and others instituted.

“It’s now clear to me that the church hierarchy is not capable of policing itself from within,” said former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke in addressing VOTF’s national conference that year. Burke served as interim chair of the U.S. Bishops National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People from 2002 to 2004. “[I] no longer have faith in the hierarchy,” she said, “or trust in their ability to place the safety and well-being of the laity and our children over its own self-centered needs … We must turn the investigation over to the professionals.”

The results of AG and grand jury investigations have been harrowing. Philadelphia grand juries in 2005 and 2011 cited three cardinals as involved in the cover up: the late cardinals John Krol and Anthony Bevilacqua and retired Cardinal Justin Rigali. A 2016 grand jury report concerning the Pennsylvania Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown called its results “staggering and sobering.” In 2018, the Pennsylvania AG reported 301 priests had abused 1,000 children statewide.

Two of the most recently concluded investigations were in Maryland in April and Illinois in May. The Maryland attorney general investigation of the Baltimore Archdiocese found that 156 Catholic clergy had abused 600 children, and the Illinois AG investigation discovered that 450 Catholic clergy abused 2,000 children statewide.

Other investigations have produced similar findings, all the way back to the 2002 Massachusetts AG inquiry begun after The Boston Globe reported widespread abuse in the Boston Archdiocese. That report stated, “According to the Archdiocese’s own files, 789 victims have complained of sexual abuse by members of the clergy; the actual number of victims is no doubt higher. The evidence to date also reveals that 250 priest and church workers stand accused of acts of rape or sexual assault of children.”

The scope of the abuse uncovered in more recent reports is equally shocking. A June 2023 New York Times article listed three: 163 perpetrators in Missouri, 97 in Florida, 188 in Kansas.

Survivors describe the same appalling abuse in all these reports, leading the reports to conclude, for example, that Baltimore Archdiocese “personnel engaged in horrific and repeated abuse of the most vulnerable children in their communities while archdiocese leadership looked the other way … Time and again, members of the Church’s hierarchy resolutely refused to acknowledge allegations of child sexual abuse for as long as possible.”

The Illinois AG’s report additionally shows the trauma that has followed survivors throughout their lives: “Some survivors spoke to Attorney General investigators of failed careers, broken marriages, and strained relationships. Many shared that they suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, had attempted suicides, and served time in prison. Others said the abuse they suffered as children prevented them from ‘loving up to their potential.’ Many detailed how they followed the movements of their abuser, as the cleric was transferred from parish to parish.”

The only way to get at the depth and breadth of the Catholic clergy abuse scandal is for states to continue to investigate, Ohio included. The situation there has become more troubling and urgent since the conviction of five Ohio clerics: Fr. Geoff Drew, Fr. Robert McWilliams, Fr. Michael Zacharias, Fr. Henry Foxhoven and Fr. David Morrier. Underscoring the immediacy of the public safety issue, Zacharias was convicted of five counts of federal sex trafficking in northern Ohio.

VOTF in Cincinnati and other groups supporting survivors in Ohio have drafted a letter to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost requesting him “to launch a statewide investigation into the six Catholic dioceses in Ohio.” They point out that, “Failing to investigate systemic failures within Ohio dioceses and parochial schools allows enablers and sexual perpetrators to remain in positions of authority over thousands of vulnerable Ohio children (150,000 children attend Ohio parochial schools). Without a robust secular investigation, we fear that the continued cycle of abuse and cover up will continue unabated.”

Voice of the Faithful ardently agrees with their assessment.

Voice of the Faithful Statement, Aug. 16, 2023, contact Nick Ingala, nickingala@votf.org, (781) 559-3360

Voice of the Faithful’s® mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. VOTF’s goals are to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Catholic Church. More information is at www.votf.org.

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The complicated legacy of state investigations of the Catholic sex abuse crisis / America: The Jesuit Review

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on August 14, 2023

The reports should encourage contemporary Catholics ‘to find out what is happening in their parish and diocese today and to begin to ask questions if they have concerns. I think that’s what should be a big takeaway,’ she (Kathleen McChesney, first executive director of the USCCB Office of Child Protection) says. ‘Be very interested, be very curious and evaluate for yourself: What does this really mean? What does it mean now?’

By Kevin Clarke, America: The Jesuit Review

“Philadelphia is a “very Catholic city,” Barbara Daly will tell you. When you meet people in Philadelphia, ‘they don’t ask you what you do for a living.’ Instead, she says, they ask what parish you belong to or what Catholic high school you attended.

“This very Catholic city has been hammered in recent years by stories of the abuse of children by Catholic priests recounted in a series of grand jury reports, which culminated in a statewide grand jury investigation and a report released by the attorney general of Pennsylvania in August 2018. These events returned national attention to the church’s abuse scandal and inspired a flurry of similar investigations across the country.

“Ms. Daly is the pastoral associate at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Ambler, Pa., outside Philadelphia. Lots of folks in the area, she recalls, reacted defensively to the city and state reports. Some felt that prosecutors were piling on, that the church was not offered an opportunity to defend itself …

“Twenty-one years after the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People bound most U.S. dioceses to new commitments and policies for the protection of children, there are few Catholics in the United States who are not familiar with the institutional and personal failures that propelled those important changes.”

By Kevin Clarke, America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …

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Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup, Aug. 11, 2023

Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Focus news roundup, Voice of the Faithful, VOTF Focus News Roundup on August 10, 2023

Aug. 11, 2023

TOP STORIES

Huge billboard in Lisbon puts spotlight on clergy abuse as pope arrives
“A huge billboard raising awareness of sexual abuse by clergymen was put up overnight in Lisbon, just hours before Pope Francis was due to arrive in the Portuguese capital for the world’s largest gathering of young Catholics. The World Youth Day event was devised by the late Pope John Paul II for Catholics in their teens or early 20s and is held every two or three years in a different city.” By Catarina Demony, Reuters

Vatican’s child protection commission invites public feedback on safeguarding principles
“The Vatican’s child protection commission is inviting the public to provide feedback on Church safeguarding principles for the creation of updated diocesan guidelines. Anyone can participate in an online survey, which is available in four languages, including English and Spanish. The responses will be used to formulate an updated Universal Guidelines Framework (UFG), the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said last week.” By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency

Pope Francis meets with survivors of clergy sex abuse in Portugal
“Pope Francis met with survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Portugal on Wednesday (Jul. 26) and blasted members of the country’s Catholic hierarchy for their response to the long-ignored scandal, which he said had marred the Catholic Church and helped drive the faithful away. Francis dove head-on into the crisis roiling the Portuguese church on the first day of a five-day visit to Lisbon for the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day festival.” By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, on PBS News Hour, pbs.org

English Catholic bishop’s installation models synodality with abuse victims
“The installation of the new bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in the northeast of England was very different from the usual ceremonies to inaugurate bishops. It included a moment, without obvious precedent, that points to how a synodal, listening church can respond to the clerical sexual abuse scandal. Thirty minutes into the liturgy, Bishop Stephen Wright, the new leader of the diocese, came down the sanctuary steps to greet three abuse survivors who presented him with prayer ribbons re presenting victims of abuse. These ribbons were then tied to the bishop’s episcopal chair.” By Christopher Lamb, National Catholic Reporter

Catholic church seeks to stop family’s lawsuit over George Pell child abuse allegations
“The Catholic church is seeking to challenge a legal ruling in Victoria that would allow the father of a choirboy to sue for damages over allegations of child sexual abuse by Cardinal George Pell. The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, filed a claim against the Catholic archdiocese of Melbourne and Pell. He claims to have suffered nervous shock after learning of allegations that Pell sexually abused his now deceased son in the mid-1990s.” By Australian Associated Press in The Guardian

TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

Vatican investigates sexual abuse allegations at Roman Catholic society in Peru
“Vatican investigators looking into sexual abuse allegations at a Roman Catholic society in Peru have completed the first stage of their audit and will issue a report in the coming month, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN Friday (Aug.4). ‘The first stage, gathering information, was concluded last Saturday. Now they will be working on the documentation they have, in order to present a report in the coming months,’ Bruni said.” By Claudia Rebaza, Antonia Mortensen and Tara John, CNN

Victims hopeful, bitter about Vatican inquiry of Peru’s Sodalitium
“The visit of Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and Spanish Msgr. Jordi Bertomeu to Peru to investigate the lay organization Sodalitium Christianae Vitae is being received with confidence by many of the group’s victims, who hope it will be finally dissolved. Some, however, say, they lost hope that the case will be resolved. Once a powerful lay institution with massive membership not only in Peru, but in several other countries, the Sodalitium was accused of promoting systemic spiritual, physical and sexual abuse against dozens of members for decades, as well as financial corruption.” By Eduardo Campos Lima, OSV News

Sinead O’Connor condemned Church abuse early. America didn’t listen.
“Americans began to grapple with a nationwide epidemic of child abuse in Catholic parishes and other religious organizations in 2002, after a landmark Boston Globe investigation revealed a pattern of misdeeds and cover-ups in Boston that went back decades. Ten years earlier, Sinead O’Connor became a pop culture pariah in the United States for an on-air protest intended to raise awareness of the same problem.” By Liam Stack, The New York Times

Schools face million in Child Victims Act payments, but proposed state relief is stalled
“A proposed $200 million state fund meant to help public schools and voluntary foster care agencies cover the costs of resolving Child Victims Act lawsuits remains stalled in the State Legislature, more than a year after the bill was introduced. Some school districts and their advocates have called for New York to set aside money to at least partially reimburse their expenses in these legal settlements. They argue students today shouldn’t be penalized for purported sexual misconduct by teachers and other school employees from decades ago.” By Stephen T. Watson, The Buffalow News

FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

Synod on Synodality needs the perspectives of ‘relatable clergy’
“One of the most anticipated events in modern church history — arguably, the most important gathering since Vatican II, the Synod on Synodality — is about to unfold this fall. After years of planning and preparation, with local meetings held and national reports issued, the Vatican recently named more than 300 delegates who will be taking part — lay men and women, priests and bishops and religious from all corners of the globe. Again and again, one of the refrains I’ve been hearing from friends and fellow clergy around the country is: ‘What? No deacons?’” By Deacon Greg Kandra, OSV News

Global synod faces challenge of getting pastoral care to divorced Catholics in parishes
“For divorced Catholics, the trauma of separation can often be twofold: In addition to a collapsed marriage, they may find themselves feeling abandoned by their own church … For those civilly remarried outside the church, the exclusion can seem even more intense. In an apparent recognition of the need to pastorally attend to these situations, the forthcoming 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops — otherwise known as the Synod on Synodality, which Pope Francis convenes in Rome this October — will examine ways to accompany divorced and remarried Catholics. By OSV News

POPE FRANCIS

Pope Francis: Church is not ready for a Third Vatican Council
“On the occasion of its 65th anniversary, the Spanish Catholic magazine ‘Vida Nueva’ has issued a special edition entirely focused on Pope Francis, a longstanding subscriber of the media outlet. In a lengthy interview published this week during his Apostolic Journey to Lisbon for the 37th World Youth Day, the Pope addressed a vast range of issues including speculation over the summoning of a Third Vatican Council, an overview of his ten years of pontificate, his concerns for the current world situation, and his next planned Apostolic Journeys.” By Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News

Pope says ban on women priests, gay marriage doesn’t mean Church is ‘closed’
“Pope Francis insisted Sunday (Aug. 6) that restricting access to sacraments such as priestly ordination, as the Catholic Church does for women, and marriage, in the case of the LGBTQ+ community, is not a sign of close-mindedness. In an airborne news conference, the pope also touched on his reasons for opting not to mention Ukraine out loud while in the famed Marian shrine of Fatima on Saturday, addressed clerical abuse scandals in Portugal, mental health struggles among youth and his own physical condition, insisting that despite a grueling foreign trip this week ‘my health is good.’” By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com

Pope arrives in Portugal amid clergy sexual abuse scandal
“Pope Francis has landed in Lisbon for a global gathering of young Catholics taking place in the shadow of Portugal’s huge clergy sexual abuse scandal and criticism of soaring costs for the event. Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world have descended on Lisbon to welcome Francis, whose plane, also carrying his entourage and reporters, touched down at Lisbon’s Figo Maduro military air base on Wednesday (Aug. 2).” By Aljazeera.com

PRIESTS

As ‘an old man and from the heart,’ Pope Francis shares summer reflection with Rome priests
“Assuring Rome priests of his gratitude and prayers, Pope Francis asked them to use part of their summer rest to reflect on ways to strengthen the unity of the church and promote greater collaboration with laypeople. ‘I’m thinking of you at this time when, in addition to summer activities, you also may be having a bit of a rest after the pastoral labors of the last few months,’ the pope wrote in the letter dated ‘Lisbon, Aug. 5,’ indicating it was signed while he was in Portugal for World Youth Day. The Vatican published it two days later.” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Agency, in National Catholic Reporter

In Idaho, priests come from other nations to fill clergy void
“The number of Catholic priests in the world has been on the decline since World War II, while the number of Catholics has increased. During the years of 1980 to 2012, the ratio of Catholics per priest increased globally, with the number of Catholics per priest going from 1,895 to 3,126. The western part of the United States, however, traditionally has fewer Catholic parishes, schools or people identifying as Catholic. This is mainly due to lower populations in western states, such as Idaho. According to a report commissioned by the organization Vocation Ministry, from 2014 to 2021, there was a 9% decrease in active diocesan priests, a 14% decrease in active religious priests and a 24% decline in total priestly ordinations per year.” By Megan Guido, FāAVS News

WOMEN RELIGIOUS

LCWR focuses on vastness of universe and life for its annual assembly
“When scientists released the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope in July 2022, many were overwhelmed. ‘The vastness of [the universe], there’s something very humbling and vulnerable about it,’ said Sr. Carol Zinn, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia and executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, or LCWR. ‘Everything going on in the universe is in the process of dying and destroying and being reborn.’ That reflection of the paschal mystery will be the theme as LCWR holds its annual assembly Tuesday through Friday (Aug. 8-11) in Dallas.” By Dan Stockman, National Catholic Reporter

CHURCH FINANCES

Vatican financial scandals: corruption, stupidity or both?
“For Americans, making sense of the Vatican trial of 10 defendants charged with financial crimes is nearly impossible. The charges are a tangle of alleged corruption and misconduct … But at its heart are the complexities of any trial. What are the facts? How does the law apply? And which figures in the trial are credible?  One thing is clear. Those involved in the scandal were either corrupt, stupid or both.” By Thomas Reese, National Catholic Reporter

VOICES

Maura Labelle: Coyne ignored abuse in Vermont. He will do the same in Connecticut
“Without question, Bishop Christopher Coyne of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington earned his promotion to coadjutor archbishop of the Diocese of Hartford, and promotion to simply archbishop in 2024. The position was earned on the backs of clergy abuse victims in Vermont, who were largely ignored during his tenure here.” Opinion by Maura Labelle on VtDigger.com

Main Voices: The Gospel according to Bishop Robert Deeley
“In early June, the Vermont Supreme Court upheld a state law that says defendants’ rights are not violated by retroactively eliminating the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims. Repealing time limits on when sex abuse lawsuits need to be filed allows survivors to seek delayed justice. Here in Maine, Bishop Robert Deeley is leading Maine’s 200,000-plus Catholics in an all-out war to block victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse from seeking reparations in a civil courtroom …” By Paul Kendrick, Special to the Press Herald

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Colorado lawmakers will pursue constitutional amendment to let survivors of child sex abuse from decades past file lawsuits
“Victims of child sex abuse in Colorado for whom the statute of limitations to file a lawsuit has run out would get another chance to have their day in court under a proposed change to the state constitution. Voters would have to approve the amendment, which comes in response to a Colorado Supreme Court ruling in June striking down a provision in a 2021 law that gave victims of child sex assault dating back to the 1960s a three-year window to sue their abusers and the institutions that allowed their abuse.” By Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

Denouncing the handling of abuse cases within the Catholic Church
“On the occasion of World Youth Day in Lisbon from August 1st to 6th, 2023, 333 child figures were be placed in front of the imposing Cologne Cathedral. The small figures are draped in white-purple barrier tape, symbolizing the colors of innocence and the curia. With outstretched hands, they point towards Cologne Cathedral, drawing attention to the church’s disastrous handling of victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse. Through the installation ‘Shattered Souls in a Sea of Silence,’ artist Dennis Josef Meseg aims to ‘give more visibility and a voice to the victims.’” By Denis Josef Meseg, on PRNewsire.com

Sexual abuse: sin, crime and sickness
“There are at least three ways in which Catholics look at wrongdoing, and each of these corresponds to the dominant attitude in society. In this article, I will explore briefly these three different ways, and ask readers which way corresponds to their present mindset. I will use the pedophile crisis as a common example. In traditional, medieval societies where religion is the determining factor, to do wrong is to break God’s law, to offend God, or more simply, to commit a sin.” By UCSNews.com

CALIFORNIA

Archbishop of San Francisco shares important news
“As many of you may know, Catholic dioceses in California have undergone two ‘open window’ periods allowing individuals under civil law to bring claims for childhood sexual abuse that otherwise would have been barred due to the expiration of the statute of limitations … For several months now, with the assistance of our financial and legal advisors, we have been investigating the best options for managing and resolving these cases. After much contemplation and prayer, I wish to inform you that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization is very likely.” By Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, on sfarch.org

ILLINOIS

I’m an Illinois Catholic Church sex abuse survivor – I kept my assault at 11 a secret until I made an upsetting discovery
“A survivor who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the Illinois Catholic Church has spoken out about coming forward as a victim almost 50 years after he was molested by a priest. Dan Ronan, now an Emmy award-winning journalist, was just an 11-year-old alter boy in the fall of 1971 when Father Thomas Gannon abused him after an evening mass at Saint Jerome Roman Catholic Church in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.” By Rachel Dobkin, The U.S. Sun

LOUISIANA

New Orleans archbishop ignored board findings on clerics accused of abuse
“A board which helps the Roman Catholic archbishop of New Orleans, Gregory Aymond, evaluate abuse allegations against priests and deacons in six cases found clergymen to be credibly accused only for Aymond to ignore the findings and conceal them from the public, a Guardian investigation has found. Aymond’s management of the cases in question as the leader of the US’s second-oldest archdiocese is outlined in a memorandum which attorneys for victims of clerical sexual abuse prepared and handed to law enforcement in the latter part of last year.” By Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Guardian

‘Evil does exist’: Louisiana victim of Catholic priest abuse urges reform
“Tim Gioe will never forget how his Roman Catholic priest, Patrick Wattigny, used their time alone when he was a boy. It was during these moments together – during the sacrament of confession – that Wattigny began grooming him for sexual abuse, of which the clergyman was recently convicted. So now the 36-year-old Gioe and his wife, Sarah, who are raising three sons together, are advocating for schools and other parochial institutions to be formally required to obtain fully informed parental consent before priests are left alone with children to hear about – and forgive – their sins as part of what is also known as reconciliation.” By Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Guardian

‘Utterly ridiculous: clergy abuse survivor blasts lawyers
“High-priced lawyers on both sides of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ bankruptcy case have created interminable delays and run up ‘utterly ridiculous’ fees, according to a clergy abuse survivor who was a key part of court proceedings that have dragged on for three-and-a-half years with no end in sight. James Adams is a banker and devout Catholic, who served as president of the archdiocese’s fundraising board, Catholic Community Foundation. He said he’s worried about how the archdiocese can survive such a long, costly bankruptcy.” By David Hammer, WWL-TV4 News

MARYLAND

AG seeks $1.2 million for staff to prosecute police killings, investigate church abuse
“Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has requested about $1.2 million to hire lawyers and investigators who will help the office prosecute police killings and respond to allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church. The Board of Public Works, which comprises the governor, comptroller and treasurer and approves state spending, is expected to vote Wednesday on the attorney general’s request.” By Jack Hogan, The Maryland Daily Record

MISSISSIPPI

Court affirms sex abuse conviction of ex-friar who worked at a Catholic school in Mississippi
“The Mississippi Court of Appeals has affirmed the 2022 conviction of a former Franciscan friar in the 1990s sexual abuse of a student at a Catholic school. In a split decision Tuesday (Aug. 2), a majority of the court found ‘no reversible error’ in the conviction of Paul West, 63, who is Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. Leflore County jurors in April 2022 found West guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust.” By Associated Press

NEW MEXICO

Santa Fe parish picking up the pieces after arrest of popular ex-priest Balizan accused of sex abuse
“Parishioners at Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community in south Santa Fe cried while others sat in stunned silence when Archbishop John C. Wester delivered the devastating news at the start of each Sunday Mass a year ago. The head of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe informed churchgoers the Rev. Daniel Balizan, a charismatic pastor and their shepherd for the past decade, had been removed from his post amid an investigation into alleged misconduct.” By Daniel J. Chacón, Santa Fe New Mexican

NEW YORK.

Catholic diocese agrees to pay $100 million settlement to hundreds of abuse victims
“The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, has agreed to a $100 million settlement with parishioners who claimed they were preyed on by priests, the biggest payout by a Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. since at least 2018. But, for now, not a dime of that money is coming from the six insurance companies that cover the Diocese of Syracuse, lawyers involved in the case said Friday (Jul. 28). Instead, as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, the diocese itself will have to shell out $50 million, the parishes in the diocese will have to contribute $45 million, and other entities aligned with the diocese will pay $5 million, to settle the 411 abuse claims filed by 387 people, the lawyers said.” By Corky Siemaszko, NBC-TV News

Attorneys seek to probe $3.75B Fidelis sale OK’s by N.Y. bishops
“Attorneys representing the interests of more than 1,100 former employees of the now-closed St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady have asked a federal bankruptcy judge for authority to subpoena documents and testimony regarding the Catholic church’s sale of a lucrative insurance business that had been controlled by New York’s bishops. The 2018 sale of the Fidelis Care insurance company took place months before New York’s Child Victims Act passed, allowing alleged survivors of childhood sexual assault to sue their abusers or the institutions that may have harbored them. Attorneys for some of those plaintiffs have questioned the timing of the sale and whether it was done to shield billions of dollars in assets before New York’s eight dioceses faced an avalanche of litigation.” By Brendan J. Lyons, Buffalo Times Union

RHODE ISLAND

Church sex-abuse victims’ claims against bishop time-barred
“The Rhode Island Supreme Court has found that lawsuits brought by three men accusing officials of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence of protecting priests who abused them as children were barred by the three-year statute of limitations for personal injury. The plaintiffs, who all allege that they were abused by priests in the 1970s and early 1980s, claim the bishop at the time, Louis Gelineau, and other authorities and entities within the diocese knew the priests were pedophiles and, among other things, declined to warn families while moving offending priests to new parishes.” By Erik T. Barkman, Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly

CANADA

One year after papal visit and apology, Canada’s bishops reflect on indigenous ourtreach
“A year after Pope Francis visited Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church’s mistreatment of the country’s Indigenous people, the country’s bishops have shared their reflections on his visit and their efforts to serve and reconcile with Indigenous communities. ‘During those days with Pope Francis in Canada, we recognized in him the Lord’s mercy, which he offered to us,’ Bishop Raymond Poisson, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), said in a July 26 statement from the bishops’ conference.” By Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency, in The Catholic World Report

GREAT BRITAIN, SCOTLAND AND WALES

Still waiting: priest not booted from church six months after four girls abuse conviction
“Officials in Rome will rule on beast Father Neil McGarrity, 59, who was convicted six months ago of molesting four girls. He remains suspended after the leader of Catholics in Glasgow, Archbishop William Nolan, referred his case to his bosses. A source told The Scottish Sun on Sunday (Jul. 30): ‘McGarrity’s conduct was investigated by church authorities here.’ By Chris Taylor, The Scottish Sun

GUIANA

Payments begin for 280 priest abuse survivors; Convocar: healing demands justice, restitution
“Millions in cash contributions from the Archdiocese of Agana and its insurers have reached about 280 survivors of childhood sexual assaults by Guam priests and others associated with the Catholic Church, bringing a measure of ‘justice’ and ‘healing’ to those who have suffered from the abuses, some dating as far back as the 1950s. Each abuse survivor reportedly received anywhere from about $40,000 to $100,000. This is only the first of multiple rounds of payouts under a bankruptcy court-approved settlement plan that the archdiocese and its creditors worked on for years.” By Haidee Eugenio Gilbert, Pacific Daily News

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

Co Tyrone priest appears in court charged with indecent assault on two males
“A Co Tyrone priest who requested a leave of absence earlier this year while a serious safeguarding investigation was carried out has appeared in court on historic sexual offences against two males. Canon Patrick McEntee (69) from Esker Road, Dromore is charged with indecently assaulting a complainant between 1980 and 1981. He is further alleged to have twice indecently assaulted a second complainant on dates between 1988 and 1989. A police officer aware of the facts of the case told Enniskillen Magistrates Court the charges could be connected.” By The Irish Times

MALTA

Former priest who groped minors is filmed with children on parish radio show
“A former priest who was convicted of violent indecent assault against a minor has been filmed hosting a children’s radio program on a parish radio station. Jesmond Gauci, from Xagħra, featured in a radio broadcast for the parish radio station, where he produced a religious program aimed at children with the participation of other children and adolescents present with him in the studio. He currently serves as Radju Bambina’s program’s manager.” By Jessica Arena, Times Malta

MEXICO

A U.S. group is accusing Mexican bishops of covering up for priests implicated in sex abuse
“A U.S.-based group issued a list Thursday (Aug. 27) of 16 Mexican bishops and high-ranking clerics who allegedly covered up for priests accused of sexual abuse. Massachusetts-based BishopAccountability is a non-profit organization that keeps track of how the Catholic hierarchy deals with allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. The group said Thursday that the Roman Catholic Church officials, some now retired, had ‘covered up for’ abusers.” By Associated Press

NEW ZEALAND

Inquiry finds Catholic Church failed to act on Church abuse
“Two days after his arrival at Marylands School, a young boy was taken to the church and forced to perform sexual acts on two religious brothers entrusted to care for him. They pulled out a Bible and told the boy: ‘This is what God means by love.’ A week later he was taken back to the church and raped on the marble altar. This is one of countless cases of horrific historical abuse against young boys at the Christchurch school, which has been referred to by survivors during the Royal Commission of Inquiry as ‘hell on earth.’” By Star News, odt.co.nz

PERU

Parliamentary inquest in Peru revives accusations of abuse cover-up against lay group
“It was Oct. 27, 2007, when police in Lima gathered at the city’s famed Plaza San Martin after receiving a tip saying a fair-looking man was hanging around the area talking to minors and then taking them to a hotel. According to the tip, the man would give the minors money to undress, be photographed, and then be groped and/or engage in sexual activity.” By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com

PHILIPPINES

True faith stands strong despite clerical child abuse, 2
“The bishops must never condone, tolerate or cover up child abuse among their clergy. In the Philippines, it is likely none have ever done it. Many try to pay off the victim’s families to drop charges. That priest will feel above the law, protected by the church and bishop, and will abuse more children. Prosecutors must be independent, strong and determined to never give in to pressure and steadfastly uphold the law equally. The judges must deliver justice without fear or favor nor be intimidated by anyone in power, moral or civil, and deliver justice for the abused.” By Fr. Shay Cullen, Panay News

PORTUGAL

Sex abuse report casts shadow over pope’s Portugal visit
“The 86-year-old pontiff arrives in Lisbon on Wednesday (Aug. 2) and is expected to meet in private with victims of clergy abuse during his five-day visit to attend World Youth Day. Organizers expect up to one million people will take part in the event which is being held for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It comes after an independent commission published a report in February that found ‘at least’ 4,815 children were sexually abused by clergy members in the country — mostly priests — since 1950.” By France24.com

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