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Voice of the Faithful wishes everyone a most blessed 2020 Christmas season
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on December 17, 2020
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Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Focus news roundup, Voice of the Faithful, VOTF Focus News Roundup on December 17, 2020
The People Should Choose Their Bishops Again
"There are a number of conclusions one could draw from reading the Vatican report on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. For example: that the clerical sex-abuse crisis in the Church is worse than we thought and extends to vulnerable adults. Also, that position and influence in our Church are easily bought, and that bishops lie, even to the pope, to protect other bishops. But the conclusion that encompasses all of the above is that the way we choose our bishops is deeply flawed, producing bishops who are, in turn, deeply flawed(link is external). How did things get this way, and what can be done about it?" By Nicholas P. Cafardi, Commonweal
Action plan missing from McCarrick Report can be found Down Under
"The entire Church should take seriously the proposals for ecclesial reform coming from Catholics in Australia(link is external). The solution to the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church hangs in the balance between these two questions: What happened? and What needs to happen? The so-called 'McCarrick Report,' which was compiled by the Vatican's Secretariat of State and published on November 10, is an example of unprecedented transparency under pressure. It represents a fundamental step towards a better comprehension of what happened … But other parts of the global Catholic Church are addressing this problem with concrete proposals. The Church in Australia is one of the best examples." By Massimo Faggioli, Catholic Outlook
Annual Report: Some U.S. dioceses improve financial transparency, others remain secretive
"More U.S. dioceses published audited financial documents in 2020 than before(link is external), but more than a quarter still did not publish any audited financial reports, according to an annual financial transparency report by the lay organization Voice of the Faithful(link is external). About 70% of dioceses posted audited financial reports on their websites in 2020, up from 65% in 2019 and from 56% in 2017, according to the review. Margaret Roylance, chair of the organization's finance working group, said she was heartened to see that many dioceses published these reports on time despite delays due to COVID-19." By Madeleine Davison, National Catholic Reporter
Independent group lauds Archdiocese of Baltimore's financial transparency(link is external), By Christopher Gunty, Catholic Review
Inter-American Human Rights Commission to look into clerical sexual abuse
"For the first time in its history, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission promised to defend victims of clerical sexual abuse(link is external), with cases being reported in at least 19 countries in Latin America … The Washington, D.C.-based commission is an autonomous part of the Organization of American States and is the main human rights body in the Americas. Thursday's (Dec. 3) hearing was held via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission said it was committed to using its power to demand information on cases that are not being resolved by member states." By Inés San Martín, Cruxnow.com
DOJ probe of Catholic church abuse goes quiet 2 years later
"Two years ago, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic Church's handling of priest-abuse complaints. The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church, despite exhaustive reports(link is external) that showed its long history of burying abuse complaints in secret archives, transferring problem priests to new parishes, silencing accusers and fighting laws to benefit child sex assault victims. U.S. Attorney William McSwain sent subpoenas to bishops across Pennsylvania asking them to turn over their files and submit to grand jury testimony if asked. The FBI interviewed at least six accused priests, court files show." By Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press, in The Charlotte Observer
Keeping Quiet: The downside to 'voluntary laicization'
"Pope Francis quietly laicized a priest accused of grave immorality and serious canonical crimes in 2017, rather than have him stay in the priesthood long enough to face trial. The former cleric, Peter Mitchell, was a priest in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, when he was accused. Before joining the Green Bay diocese, he had been a priest of the Lincoln, Nebraska diocese. The case of this former cleric is closed, but the way Church authorities dealt with this man bears significant resemblance to the way in which Churchmen attempted to manage priests accused of abusing minors in the days before the crisis of leadership and governance(link is external) in the Church became a worldwide scandal." By Christopher Altieri, Catholic Herald
Big business gets its wings as leaders from major U.S. companies partner with Pope Francis
"The Pope means business. Capitalism met Catholicism on Tuesday (Dec. 8), as some of the world's biggest business leaders announced a new partnership with Pope Francis(link is external). The alliance, known as the Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican, aims to create a more inclusive, fair and sustainable economic landscape by taking pledges toward sustainable development goals focused on areas such as climate action, peace and justice, quality education and gender equality." By Haley Messenger, NBC News
Radical truths
"A friend of mine told me that after reading Fratelli tutti he wondered how a document that is so full of obvious truisms could also be so radical. Pope Francis's latest encyclical breaks little new ground, but the ground upon which we all stand has shifted to such an extent that talk of 'fraternal love' sounds both outdated and revolutionary(link is external). Part of the reason it sounds outdated is the use of gender-specific language. Would it have killed the Vatican to be more inclusive? But the encyclical also sounds utopian—in a shocking and, I think, necessary way—when set against the divisiveness and hopelessness we are currently experiencing." By William T. Cavanaugh, Commonweal
German cardinal accused of abuse cover-up turns to pope
"The Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, has been accused of not informing the Vatican about sex abuse allegations against a priest(link is external). He's now asked Pope Francis to review his conduct. Facing accusations of covering up an alleged sexual abuse case, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki asked Pope Francis on Friday (Dec. 11) to investigate. 'In order to clarify the canonical accusations against me, I am asking the Holy Father [Pope Francis] to examine this matter,' Woelki said in a statement issued by the archdiocese of Cologne." By Deutsche Welle
McCARRICK REPORT
After McCarrick Report, Here's How to Extend Safe Environment to Adults
"Ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was finally brought down by credible allegations that he had sexually abused children — but as the McCarrick report reveals Church leaders could have stopped the powerful cleric's career, and saved the lives of children, seminarians, and young priests, had they acted on allegations McCarrick had abused his power to sexually exploit young men under his pastoral care or authority(link is external). But stopping the present and future McCarricks in the Church's midst means the People of God need to take proactive steps to educate and inform themselves about adult sexual abuse in the Church, recognizing that every adult can be vulnerable to the abuse of power for sex by clergy and lay leaders, and that protecting adults from abuse in the Church strengthens also the protection of children." By Peter Jesserer Smith, National Catholic Register
McCarrick report shows former cardinal's character: ambitious, brazen, untouchable
"Seventeen! That's the most shocking number in the Vatican's 449-page report on ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. McCarrick appears to have molested 17 'postpubescent boys or young men' over the course of his career(link is external) (Page 440). Some victims were as young as 12 years old. Some he molested repeatedly. Many were children in families that he knew well and visited frequently. He was trusted as a 'member of the family.' The Vatican report does not reveal names or discuss the individual cases. However, it does lay out his typical pattern of grooming and molesting his victims." By Fr. Peter Daly, National Catholic Reporter
McCarrick Report's Silence on Key Issues Raises More Questions Than It Answers(link is external), By Jonathan Liedl, National Catholic Register
Thinking about 'Uncle Ted' McCarrick: Duin and Abbott say press should keep digging(link is external), By Terry Mattingly, GetReligion.com
Bishops respond to governance review report
"A review of governance will help shape the way the Church in Australia understands co-responsibility in its life and mission and puts it into practice, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has said. The Australia bishops reviewed and discussed the final version of the governance review report The Light from the Southern Cross: Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia(link is external) during their recent plenary meeting. The bishops finalized their initial response to the report, which they have published today (Dec. 17). 'A report that contains dozens of recommendations and was prepared over more than a year takes time to consider and absorb,' Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said." By CathNews.com
Archbishop accused of failing to act on abuse appeals to Vatican
"Archbishop Stefan Hesse of Hamburg has asked the Congregation for Bishops in Rome to judge whether he is guilty of having hushed up abuse. Hesse has been accused of covering up abuse and violating canon law(link is external) by failing to report abuse to the Vatican authorities during his time as head of personnel in the Cologne archdiocese from 2006-2011. Last week the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, accused his two predecessors, cardinals Joseph Höffner and Joachim Meisner, both deceased, of failing to notify the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the abuse committed by a priest referred to as 'Fr. A.'" By Christa Pongratz-Lippitt, The Tablet
South Carolina bishop says Vatican has cleared him of sexual abuse allegation
"South Carolina's top Roman Catholic priest says the Vatican has cleared him of wrongdoing after he was accused of sexually abusing a boy(link is external) as the pastor of a New York church in the late 1970s. In a message to fellow S.C. priests ahead of Sunday's mass, Charleston Bishop Robert Guglielmone wrote that he received a letter 'stating that the Vatican has determined that the sexual abuse allegation against me has no semblance of truth and is thus unfounded.'" By Avery G. Wilks, The Post and Courier
American Viganò: Archbishop Chaput divides episcopacy even in retirement
"His Excellency, the Most Reverend Charles Chaput, emeritus archbishop of Philadelphia, has come out of retirement to explain to the rest of his benighted brothers in the episcopacy — and to the rest of us — that an impending scandal looms for the Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Faith: President-elect Joe Biden might be given Communion(link is external). The horror! Chaput set forth his reasonings, such as they are, in an article at First Things, the magazine of record for culture warrior conservative Catholicism." By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter
Polish priest apologizes for defense of disgraced priest
"A popular Polish priest apologized Tuesday (Dec. 8) for a sermon in which he defended a bishop accused of covering up for pedophile priests(link is external). His sermon, delivered to a congregation including the justice minister and other top politicians, was later condemned by government officials. Father Tadeusz Rydzyk insisted that he had not intended to hurt victims or downplay the church's role in the 'sin and crime of pedophilia.'" By Associated Press
UISG, LCWR leaders discuss connections in pandemic, women in diaconate, vocations in Africa
"Global Sisters Report recently held a discussion(link is external) with Sr. Jolanta Kafka, president of the International Union of Superiors General and general superior of the Claretian Missionary Sisters; Sr. Pat Murray, executive secretary of UISG and member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Sr. Elise García, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and who serves on the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters; and Sr. Carol Zinn, executive director of LCWR and a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia. This is an edited transcript of that discussion." By Global Sisters Report Staff, National Catholic Reporter
CHURCH FINANCES
Diocese gets A+ in financial transparency for 2020
"Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) — a national grassroots movement of Catholics responding since 2002 to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church — has given the Diocese of Erie a 100 percent financial transparency score for 2020, the second year in a row(link is external). Erie was one of only five dioceses in the country with a perfect score …The Massachusetts-based organization conducts a survey annually of all U.S. dioceses. Financial transparency, according to the VOTF, is one key element of an open response by the Catholic Church to survivors of clerical sexual abuse and guards against fraudulent diversion of donated funds by clergy or laity." By Mary Solberg and Anne-Marie Welsh
Pope updates Vatican financial authority following scandals
"Pope Francis has revamped the Holy See's financial intelligence and anti-money-laundering unit(link is external) following financial scandals, including an ongoing in-house corruption probe, Vatican officials said Saturday (Dec. 5). The changes involve the governance and organization of the Vatican's financial watchdog agency, which has been renamed the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority, or ASIF, the Vatican said. Until Saturday, the agency was known as AIF, or Financial Information Authority." By Associated Press
Post-McCarrick report dialogue zeroes in on 'hyperclerical culture'
"One month to the day that the Vatican released its report on since-laicized cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a panel of academics took a close look at what one called a 'hyperclerical culture' that allowed McCarrick's sexual misconduct to go unchecked(link is external). 'Silence is dangerous,' said John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, a co-sponsor of the Dec 10 dialogue, 'The McCarrick Report: Findings, Lessons and Directions,' and who himself had been subject to sexual abuse when he was a seminarian. 'Hyperclerical culture can be horrific — and their decisions reflect that.'" By Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service, on CatholicSF.org
Detroit Archdiocese announces major reorganization of 216 Catholic parishes
"In one of its biggest restructurings in years, the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit announced Wednesday (Dec. 9) it is grouping its 216 parishes in southeastern Michigan into 51 families — each made up of three to eight parishes sharing priests. The changes have been approved by Archbishop Allen Vigneron, according to a statement released Wednesday morning … A noted Catholic expert, Rocco Palmo, said the new Detroit plan to create 51 families 'is drastic, quite possibly the most drastic I've seen(link is external)' among dioceses in the U.S. who are doing similar reorganizations." By Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press
What does a consolidation of sisters' communities look like?
"When seven congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph completed their consolidation into one new community in 2007, the sisters thought the work of the merger was largely finished(link is external). After all, it had taken nearly a decade to get to that point. 'I remember when we did this, thinking, 'We're done! We did it!' But we were not done,' said Sr. Kathleen Brazda, part of the current leadership team for the Congregation of St. Joseph. 'We're still evolving, still looking at structures.'" By Dan Stockman, Global Sisters Report, National Catholic Reporter
The McCarrick case and some disturbing conclusions
"In a couple of sleepless nights, I read the 449 pages and 1,410 notes (the devil, as they say, is in the detail) of the Vatican report on former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick. I had anticipated that it would be depressing reading, yet we must read the worst circumstances of the time in which we live and fully carry the weight and feel the responsibility. I write under an interior impulse. I feel that the Catholic Church, starting with its leaders, can no longer wait. Either structural changes are promoted (beyond those at the level of conscience, as is obvious) or this crisis will not be overcome(link is external). Already too many have distanced themselves from ecclesial life and the practice of faith." By Gianni Criveller, UCA.com
Opinion: Archdiocese must be held accountable for priest abuse
"After a two-year investigation, the Vatican recently released a 450-plus-page report about now-defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and how the Catholic Church hierarchy failed to stop his predatory sexual behavior. Now, local Catholics are owed a similar in-depth investigation into the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and its complicity in failing to protect children from predatory sexual behaviors of local priests, such as Geoffrey Drew. Although the Drew story is a microcosm of McCarrick's, the system that allowed both men to go unpunished for decades, in spite of countless complaints, exists in every Catholic diocese(link is external), including our own. Drew, former pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, was arraigned on nine counts of rape in July 2019, finally halting his access to children." By Teresa Dinwiddie-Herrman, Jan Seidel, Dan Frondorf and Kathy Weyer, Cincinnati.com
Advocacy Groups Call For Investigation Into Archdiocese Of Cincinnati(link is external), By Michael Monks, Cincinnati Public Radio
Time for a reckoning: Church must confront, change old boys' network exposed in Vatican's McCarrick report
"The report refers to her simply as 'Mother 1.' A Manhattan woman with a large brood of mostly boys and an Irish husband, she had become suspicious of then-New York Monsignor Theodore McCarrick(link is external), who snaked his way into her family and had her children call him 'Uncle Ted.'
Her husband thought it an honor to have a clergyman take an interest in his children. Mother 1, not so. Her antennae went up when she learned he gave her sons alcohol when he took them on trips." By Rev. Alexander Santora for the Jersey Journal, on NJ.com
Local View: Add racism to church's sex-abuse scandals
'Too often the Catholic Church uses Native American communities to hide pedophile priests,' Phoenix attorney Robert Pastor said. Environmental racism was a term coined to describe historical tendencies in the U.S. to store toxic waste on Native American reservations or build pollution-spewing incinerators in Latino or African-American neighborhoods. An analogous term may now be required for the Catholic Church's systematic dumping of sexually abusive priests into minority communities: Racist diocesan exile(link is external)? Clergy abuse racism? That's because, as more information has been extracted through recent lawsuits against dioceses and investigations of abusive priests, it has become clear that the church often banished sex offenders to minority parishes as a way of burying them." By David McGrath, Duluth News Tribune
McCarrick report shows need to focus on survivors, panel says
"In the aftermath of the Holy See's report on laicized ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a clergy sex abuse survivor from Chile wants matters of clergy abuse to focus more on the survivors and less so on the episcopacy itself(link is external). 'For me, we're discussing here how the bishops behave, how we elect them, how we make them better, how they serve us better. Where are the survivors? The men and women survivors have to be the center of our topics,' said Juan Carlos Cruz. 'There are so many questions and we feel that yes, we have a McCarrick report, which is a great step for sure. But the suffering and the horror that is still going for so many people in our church is real and it's now and we need to address it immediately.'" By John Lavenburg, Cruxnow.com
Oakland diocese settles sex-misconduct suit for $3.5 million
"A civil lawsuit anonymously filed last year against the Diocese of Oakland by a former seminarian over alleged sexual misconduct by an East Bay pastor(link is external) reached a settlement late last month, authorities said. In a statement last week, the diocese said the Alameda County District Attorney's Office did not file charges despite a Livermore police investigation. Church officials added that Father Van Dinh, the former pastor of Livermore's St. Michael's Catholic Parish, was not a defendant in last month's settlement of the suit 'which had no finding or admission of liability by Dinh or by the diocese.'" By George Kelly, East Bay Times, Bay Area News Group
Colorado's review of Catholic Church sex abuse named priests, but not those who covered up their crimes
"A pair of explosive reports on decades of child sex abuse in Colorado's three Catholic dioceses named 52 priests but kept confidential the identities of numerous church officials — from administrators to bishops — who covered up or ignored allegations of misconduct and transferred known child abusers to work in other parishes(link is external). The Colorado Sun counted 37 priests in the two investigative documents—one released last year and another earlier this month—whose abuse was hidden by the church, either because officials ignored victims' stories, chose not to investigate or did not report suspected abuse to law enforcement. In many cases, the church allowed an abusive priest to continue working as clergy despite warnings about their behavior." By Jesse Paul and Jennifer Brown, The Colorado Sun
Colorado report names nine more priests accused of abusing minors decades ago
"New findings in an investigation into clergy sex abuse in Colorado's Catholic dioceses show substantiated claims that an additional nine Catholic priests abused minors decades ago(link is external). Released Dec. 1, the findings are in a supplemental report from the lead investigator, former U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, who continued to look into cases as more survivors came forward after the release of his initial report in October 2019." By Julie Asher, Catholic News Service, on CatholicPhilly.com
Denver Archbishop Aquila appears to downplay new Catholic Church abuse cases
"Following the release of a report this week on the history of child sexual abuse at the hands of Colorado Catholic priests that identified dozens of new survivors and nine new perpetrators, Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila seemed to once again downplay the severity of the abuse(link is external). The supplemental report released Tuesday (Dec. 1) by the Colorado Attorney General's office was a follow up to a report on clergy sexual abuse released last year. Tuesday's report, which concludes a 22-month investigation into how Colorado's three Catholic dioceses sheltered abusers over seven decades, identified an additional 46 abuse survivors and nine priests that came to light since the release of the first report." By Madeleine Schmidt, Colorado Times Recorder
Investigator says Pueblo Diocese has system in place that could improve handling of child sex abuse cases
"An investigator of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests says the Pueblo Diocese has set up systems that would significantly improve its handling of reports of misconduct(link is external). Investigator Bob Troyer, a former federal prosecutor, also says the systems—which are new—are yet untested. Troyer worked this year and last for the Colorado Attorney General's Office to delve into hundreds of cases of sexual assaults by priests in the state's three dioceses: Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Denver." By Robert Boczkiewicz, The Pueblo Citizen
Catholic priest names as a child abuser in new report was a counselor at church camp
"A Catholic priest who was named as a child sex abuser in a new report was a counselor at a church camp(link is external) in 1958 when a 10-year-old deaf boy disappeared before his skeletal remains were discovered a year later. Jerry Repola worked at the Catholic Camp St. Malo in Colorado in August 1958, when Bobby Bizup vanished in mysterious circumstances after a day of fishing in the mountains." By Rachel Sharp, Daily Mail
Victim advocate charged with distributing child pornography
"A victim advocate for the Connecticut court system was charged Friday (Dec. 11) with distributing child pornography over a cellphone app(link is external). Federal prosecutors and the FBI said Robert Eccleston, 56, of Canton, used the app Kik in August and September to distribute numerous pictures and videos of child porn, including images depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers and prepubescent children." By Associated Press
Priest indicted, faces federal child pornography charges
"A Catholic priest from Wilmington, Delaware, who served as an advisor to Monoco's royal family now faces federal child pornography charges. Reverend William McCandless is accused of collecting thousands of child pornography images(link is external) while serving overseas, then returning home with them. The 56-year-old was placed on home confinement and ordered to surrender his passport. McCandless also once served as principal of the Salesianum School in Wilmington and held a post at DeSales University." By ABC-TV6 News
Oblate priest, former principal, faces child porn charges(link is external), By Joseph P. Owens, Catholic News Service, in CatholicPhilly.com
Chicago archdiocese to pay $1.5 million in sexual abuse suit
"The Archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who says he was sexually abused as a child by a defrocked priest who was convicted of sexually abusing several boys(link is external), the man's attorney said Thursday (Dec. 3). The settlement agreement announced in a news release by attorney Lyndsay Markley is the latest dark chapter in the story of Daniel McCormack, one of the most notorious pedophiles in the history of the archdiocese." By Don Babwin, Associated Press
Archdiocese Adds Deceased Fr. Robert Cooper to Clergy Abuse Report
"The Archdiocese of New Orleans has concluded an investigation into newly received information regarding allegations of abuse of minors lodged against the late Fr. Robert K. Cooper. With moral certitude, today, December 2, 2020, the Archdiocese of New Orleans has added Cooper's name to the Archdiocese of New Orleans Report Regarding Clergy Abuse(link is external) found online at nolacatholic.org. This deceased Fr. Cooper should not be confused with the Fr. Cooper who is an active pastor in the Archdiocese of New Orleans." By Archdiocese of New Orleans
Priest who gave Sen. Ted Kennedy's funeral homily charged in sex assault case
"A Catholic priest who delivered the funeral homily for Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 2009 has been indicted on charges alleging rape and indecent assault of a minor(link is external). A Barnstable Superior Court grand jury on Friday (Dec. 11) indicted the Rev. Mark R. Hession, 62, on two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery of a person under 14, and one count of witness intimidation, court records show. An arraignment date will be set in January, a spokesperson for the Cape and Islands district attorney's office said." By Travis Andersen, The Boston Globe
In shift, Springfield Diocese will name all credibly accused priests
"The Springfield Diocese will expand its list of credibly accused priests to include those who died before survivors brought accusations of sexual abuse.(link is external) The exclusion of such priests long has prevented some victims from seeing their abusers face a public accounting. The change is a new bishop's first step in reckoning with a history of clergy abuse in the Catholic diocese that includes Berkshire County. It comes as an independent task force led by a retired Pittsfield judge continues to shape recommendations on how the diocese can improve policies to protect children." By Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle
Springfield's New 'Chronically Hopeful' Bishop Pledges Transparency On Abuse(link is external), By KARI NJIIRI, New England Public Radio
Five takeaways from Bishop-elect William Byrne's interview with the Republican
"Bishop-designate William Byrne, who will be ordained Dec. 14 as the 10th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, is the author of the recently published '5 Things with Father Bill,' that tackles diverse topics and offers brief insights on each. Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston will be the principal celebrant and consecrator for the invitation-only Episcopal Ordination and Installation Mass at 2 p.m. at St. Michael's Cathedral … Here are five takeaways from his recent interview with The Republican." By Anne-Gerard Flynn, Springfield Republican, on MassLive.com
Three men accuse prominent Michigan priest, Polish seminary leader of sexual abuse
"The call came one warm night in June 2019. A young Polish priest referred to as 'John Doe 1' in a federal lawsuit filed Monday (Dec. 14) knew it was his boss, Rev. Miroslaw Krol, and he knew that Krol was drunk. But he didn't know the night would end with him driving an intoxicated Krol and another visiting priest to a motel to meet a male sex worker, and then, according to the suit, withdrawing cash from an ATM so Krol could pay him(link is external). Krol is the chancellor and CEO of Orchard Lake Schools, an Oakland County campus that includes a private prep school, St. Mary's; a seminary, and a Polish cultural center." By Kate Wells, Michigan Public Radio
Judge denies accused priest's request to throw out confession in sex crimes case
"A Michigan judge recently denied a request to throw out a confession from a priest accused of sex crimes(link is external). Gary Jacobs, a former Catholic priest in the Upper Peninsula's Ontonagon and Dickinson counties, is charged with 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct in five cases. His confession will stand in court. Jacobs, 75, was in court on Friday, Dec. 4, for a Walker Hearing during which the Ontonagon County Circuit Court judge denied Jacobs' request to throw out his confession." By Justine Lofton, MLive.com
St. Cloud Diocese bankruptcy plan approved to settle abuse claims
"A bankruptcy court has approved a reorganization plan for the Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud to settle legal claims of clergy abuse survivors(link is external). Two years ago, the St. Cloud diocese announced that it planned to file for bankruptcy after receiving 74 claims of sexual abuse of minors. Those claims were filed during a three-year window that lifted the statute of limitations on allegations of clergy abuse in Minnesota." By Minnesota Public Radio
Lawyer: Victims seek to eliminate archdiocese
"An attorney for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe said Monday (Dec. 7) that his clients are dedicated to a 'compassionate and generous' settlement for victims of clergy sexual abuse(link is external), but he accused victims' attorneys of seeking to eliminate the 'physical presence' of the archdiocese in New Mexico by inquiring into church holdings. The assertion by Albuquerque lawyer Tom Walker was disputed by victims' attorney James Stang during a hearing Monday in the archdiocese's Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization." By Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal
Judge asked to halt abuse victims' church properties lawsuit
"The lawsuits allege that more than an estimated $245 million in property owned by the archdiocese was fraudulently transferred to its parishes or their trusts and should be available to help pay claims filed by nearly 380 victims of clergy sexual ab(link is external)use. Lawyers for the archdiocese and its 94 parishes deny any fraud and argue in one court filing that the litigation is intended to strip parishes of assets that have 'always been beneficially or legally owned by the Parishes.'" By Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal
Former priest again accused of abuse in lawsuit
"A former priest previously accused of sexual assault has again been identified in a Child Victims Act lawsuit(link is external). The suit was filed last week in New York State Supreme Court in Chautauqua County. It alleges abuse by the Rev. John D. Lewandowski, who had previously been accused of abuse according to a list released by the Diocese of Buffalo. The plantiff is identified in the suit as 'M.L.' The male victim was about 14 years old in 1960 when the alleged sexual assault took place during after-school activities at the Boys and Girls Club in Jamestown." By Eric Tichy, The Post-Journal
'I'm tired of being quiet': Child Victims Act suit retraumatizes and empowers Schenectady woman
"Colleen Garbarini has to make a plan before entering a grocery store: the mask can't stay on too long. She knows the mask is there to protect her and others, but the feeling of it covering her face stirs deep emotions four decades in the making. The mask takes her back to when she was a little girl and her abuser tried to quiet her(link is external) when other people were nearby." By Zachary Matson, Schenectady Daily Gazette
Buffalo Diocese has new bishop, but controversial attorneys, aides remain
"Terrence M. Connors has had so much influence at the Diocese of Buffalo chancery for the past 25 years that some employees privately called him 'Bishop Terry.' But the smooth-talking criminal defense attorney was the subject of criticism in a blistering report by State Attorney General Letitia James that accused the diocese of a 'systemic' cover-up of sex abuse allegations. Diocese lawyers were cited 46 times in the highly critical lawsuit filed by New York's top prosecutor." By Charlie Specht, WKBW-TV7 News
Analysis: What is waiting for Bishop Fisher in Buffalo(link is external), By Mat Hadro, Catholic News Agency
Prominent New York priest is investigated over sexual assault accusation
"A nationally prominent Catholic priest is under criminal investigation(link is external) after a security guard assigned to his church accused him of sexually assaulting her on Election Day, the Manhattan district attorney's office said on Friday (Dec. 4). The priest, the Rev. George William Rutler, 75, is accused of watching pornography and masturbating in front of the guard, Ashley Gonzalez, 22, without her consent in his office at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. He then attacked her physically and sexually when she tried to flee from the room, Ms. Gonzalez told the police." By Liam Stack, The New York Times
Catholic Church shielded priest who sexually abused NY man as a kid
"A New York man says the Catholic Church shielded a priest who sexually abused him for years(link is external) beginning when he was 13 and homeless in Queens in the 1970s, new court papers show. Evan Manderson, 63, says the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn failed to report the Rev. Coleman Costello to law enforcement — and even allowed him to retire with a clean slate despite the church's knowledge of his alleged sexual abuse of children, a new Queens Supreme Court lawsuit alleges." By Priscilla DeGregory, New York Post
Catholic church abuse probe goes quiet
"Two years ago, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Roman Catholic Church's handling of priest-abuse complaints. The Justice Department had never brought a conspiracy case against the church, despite exhaustive reports(link is external) that showed its long history of burying abuse complaints in secret archives, transferring problem priests to new parishes, silencing accusers and fighting laws to benefit child sex assault victims. U.S. Attorney William McSwain sent subpoenas to bishops across Pennsylvania asking them to turn over their files and submit to grand jury testimony if asked. The FBI interviewed at least six accused priests, court files show." By Associated Press in Altoona Mirror
Ex-DeSales University priest's child porn included torture of young children, feds say
"A former DeSales University priest and advisor to the royal family of Monaco is accused of possessing thousands of images of child pornography, including some described as the torture of very young children(link is external), according to federal authorities. William McCandless, 56, of Wilmington, Delaware, was charged by indictment Thursday with three counts of child pornography offenses, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced." By Sarah Cassi, LeighValleyLive.com
Pittsburgh Catholic diocese pays $19.2 million to abuse survivors
"The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh paid out $19,237,000 to victims of sexual abuse by its clergy members(link is external) through a compensation fund launched after the release of a grand jury report in 2018. That report found widespread child sexual abuse in Catholic churches across Pennsylvania. The settlements were paid out by the Kenneth Feinberg Group, an independent mediator hired by the diocese in 2019, to 244 claims, according to a statement from the diocese Thursday (Dec. 3)." By Kiley Koscinski, WESA-FM90.5 News, National Public Radio
Former Conroe priest Manuel La Rosa-Lopez heading to prison for child indecency
"A Catholic priest is heading to Texas state prison after his formal sentencing on Wednesday (Dec. 16) for committing indecency with two underage parishioners(link is external) 20 years ago. Father Manuel La Rosa-Lopez will serve 10 years in prison on two charges of second-degree felony indecency with a child. The maximum penalty for the charge is 20 years in prison." By Shelly Childers, WTRK-TV13 News
Ex-Catholic church worker in The Woodlands accused of sexual assault of child faces more felony charges
"A former IT employee at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and School in The Woodlands accused of sexually assaulting a child is now facing additional felony charges(link is external). According to court documents Ronald M. See, 53, was originally charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. Now, the charges include a second count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual performance by a child, both first-degree felonies, and online solicitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, according to court records." By Click2Houston.com
Orphanage report: Investigators say authorities failed to pursue abuse claims
"No evidence of murder but an acknowledgment of abuse: Those are the main findings of a more than two-year investigation into claims at a former orphanage in Burlington. Our Dom Amato explains how the state came up with the findings. The old building on North Ave. is now part of a new housing complex, but it was once the St. Joseph's Orphanage. Attorney General T.J. Donovan says the state investigation uncovered evidence of abuse over several decades(link is external), and blames police and prosecutors for failing to investigate the allegations when they were first made." By Dom Amato, WCAX-TV3 News
St. Joseph's Orphanage Task Force Concludes Investigation Into Criminal Allegations By Former Residents(link is external), Vermont Attorney General's Office
Individual retracts child sexual abuse claim against priest, Richmond Catholic Diocese says
"An individual who said they had been sexually abused as a child by a priest in Norfolk, Va., has retracted their claim(link is external), the Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced Tuesday (Dec. 15). The allegations were made earlier this year against retired diocesan priest William Dinga Jr. Dinga has been accused of abuse while serving at Christ the King Catholic Church in 1986. He retired in 1990 and was not permitted to exercise public priestly duties before these allegations, which Dinga denies, were made." By Keyris Manzanares, WRIC-TV8 News
Lawsuit claiming abuse by Catholic priests dismissed
"A lawsuit claiming sexual abuse committed by four Catholic priests formerly of an Ellensburg church was dismissed(link is external) Thursday (Dec. 10). The suit was filed in April 2019 by a man identified only as John Doe against the Catholic Diocese of Yakima and four priests, including Father Seamus Kerr, a senior priest at Holy Apostles Parish in East Wenatchee. John Doe claimed he was abused in the late 1970s and early 1980s at St. Andrew Catholic Church, when he was between the ages of 10 and 18." By Pete O'Cain, The Wenatchee World
First came sex abuse allegations at the abbey. Then secret payments. Then a suicide.
"According to interviews and documents, the Norbertines quietly sent Lindstrom monthly checks totaling more than $400,000 over 10 years after his parents complained to the Catholic order's leaders about the harm their son suffered from being sexually abused by at least one priest(link is external) in the late 1980s. Lindstrom spent years in therapy and taking medication, and he eventually settled in suburban Minneapolis with his wife and three children. But in 2018, his life changed when the order's abbot told him the monthly payments would end." By Haley BeMiller, Green Bay Post-Gazette
Church defends 'modest' payout to abused altar boy in landmark case appeal
"A $32,500 settlement paid by the Catholic Church to a former altar boy after he was repeatedly sexually abused by a priest was adequate and reflected the legal landscape at the time, a court has heard. The Catholic Church is seeking to overturn a landmark court ruling that paved the way for sex abuse victims to seek more compensation(link is external) even if they had already signed away their rights to sue. In October, the Supreme Court overturned a deed of release signed by a former altar boy known as 'WCB' in 1996 after he was repeatedly sexually abused by Warragul priest Daniel Hourigan." By Tom Cowie, The Age
New national Catholic safeguarding agency established
"The Catholic Church has established a new company to oversee all safeguarding, child protection and professional standards in Australia(link is external), creating a more focused and streamlined model. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Catholic Religious Australia and the Association of Ministerial PJPs yesterday launched Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited. 'We have discerned what was working well and what needed to change, and we are convinced this new national agency will make the Church's work more coordinated, accountable and best prepared to ensure the safety of people in Catholic settings,' CRA president Br Peter Carroll FMS said." By CathNews.com
Humboldt RCMP arrest Catholic priest on sexual assault charges
"The Humboldt RCMP arrested a 45-year-old Saskatchewan priest after receiving multiple reports of incidents of a sexual nature(link is external). RCMP charged Fr. Anthony Atter of Lake Lenore with sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation. RCMP say the incidents allegedly occurred between Sept. 1 and Nov. 4, 2020. Fr. Atter is responsible for the parishes of St Gregory, St Ann and St Anthony." By YahooNews.com
Chilliwack Catholic church pastor fired for alleged 'sexual misconduct'
"Parishioners of St. Mary's Church in Chilliwack are left with questions after the departure of a long-serving pastor accused of sexual misconduct(link is external). In a letter sent to parishioners of St. Mary's and Immaculate Conception Parish in Delta on Dec. 4, Archbishop J. Michael Miller said an internal investigation 'confirmed that a number of accusations of sexual misconduct with an adult by Father [Nelson] Santos were with an adult were well-founded, along with related inappropriate behavior and comments." By Paul Henderson, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News
Catholic church names more sexually abusive priests, more victims come forward
"More victims of sexual assault by members of the Roman Catholic clergy have come forward in B.C.(link is external) after the release of a report in 2019 on cases of abuse going back decades. And the Archdiocese of Vancouver has named three more priests. 'We again want to acknowledge the deep suffering of the victims and their loved ones and I apologize to each of them for the trauma caused by the abuse by a priest,' Archbishop J. Michael Miller said in a new archdiocese publication. 'They are in my prayers.'" By Jeremy Hainsworth, Glacier
Sex abuse settlement report: three more Vancouver priests named, 13 more victims came forward(link is external), By Kendra Mangione, CTV News Vancouver
B.C. priest accused of sexual misconduct: Vancouver Archdiocese
"An investigation into a B.C. priest has concluded accusations of sexual misconduct were 'well-founded(link is external),' according to the Vancouver Archdiocese. In a letter from Archbishop Michael Miller, he addressed the recent departure of Father Nelson Santos, who had been serving as an assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Delta. Miller writes that a number of accusations of sexual misconduct with an adult by Santos were 'well-founded' as were 'related inappropriate behaviour and comments.'" By Kathryn Tindale and Tim James, CityNews1130.com
Ex-Vatican envoy to France gets 8-month suspended sentence for sexual harassment
"A French court has found former Vatican ambassador to France Luigi Ventura guilty of sexual harassment against five men(link is external) in 2018 and 2019 and given him an eight-month suspended sentence, AFP reported on its Twitter feed on Wednesday (Dec. 16). Prosecutors had opened an investigation after a junior official at Paris City Hall accused the papal nuncio, then 74, of molestation in January 2019, and city authorities filed a complaint. Other men later came forward with similar allegations." By Reuters Staff
German nuns accused of enabling child sex abuse by priests
"Nuns in the city of Speyer 'dragged' children to be sexually abused by priests and politicians, a survivor told a German court(link is external). His explosive testimony is the latest abuse scandal to rock the German Catholic Church. Catholic nuns who ran a former children's home in the German city of Speyer allegedly aided in the sexual abuse of the children who were under their care, according to a newly-surfaced court decision. The latest scandal came to light after a victim filed a case to claim compensation from the Catholic church, prompting the Darmstadt Social Welfare Court to investigate." By Deutsche Welle
GREAT BRITAIN, SCOTLAND & WALES
'Horror' that abusive priest allowed back into schools
"Devastated head teachers, teachers and other education experts have spoken of their anger regarding the Catholic Church's handling of the case of Fr Joseph Quigley, an authority and adviser to bishops on Catholic education, who has been convicted of child sex abuse(link is external). Quigley, 56, was found guilty on December 3 at Warwick Crown Court of physical and sexual abuse – but 12 years after Birmingham archdiocese, when it was led by Archbishop Vincent Nichols, first learned of his abuse and did not immediately report Quigley to the police." By Catherine Pepinster, The Tablet
Scots abuse survivor handed 100K in damages after horror childhood in care
"An abuse survivor has secured £100,000 in damages after being molested and beaten while in care. The man – known as Victim N – was locked in cupboards, beaten with a stick and sexually abused when he was being looked after as a child by the Sisters of Nazareth Catholic order(link is external). He was then moved to council-run Auldhouse Care Home in Glasgow, only to be subjected to worse violence. Victim N, now 58 and living in England, raised a legal action after spending decades coming to terms with what happened." By Jenny Morrison, Daily Record
'Sexual sadist' priest abused boy and locked him in church crypt
"A 'sexual sadist' priest who worked as a private tutor sexually and physically abused a boy and locked him in a church crypt(link is external). Father Joseph Quigly – who held various 'presitigious' roles including as national education advisor for Roman Catholic schools – sexually and physically abused a boy while he was a parish priest in Warwickshire. The priest – described as a 'sexual sadist' – rubbed the teenager's inner thigh after making him wear gym kit, take showers with the door open, and inflicted 'sado-masochistic' punishments on him such as locking him in the church's crypt." By Birmingham Mail
The U.K. is reckoning with a clerical sex abuse crisis. Again.
"Ms. (Sue) Cox is one of the abuse survivors who provided evidence to a government inquiry into the sexual abuse of children in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. The inquiry has identified significant and ongoing failings in the church's safeguarding of children and in decision-making among its highest leaders(link is external). Published on Nov. 10, the same day the Vatican released its internal report into decades-long sexual abuse by Theodore McCarrick, a former U.S. cardinal, the U.K. inquiry reports that the church's 'moral purpose was betrayed over decades by those in the Church who perpetrated this abuse and those who turned a blind eye to it.'" By Ricardo da Silva, S.J., America: The Jesuit Review
When a Catholic lawyer fights sexual abuse in Indonesian Church
"Almost every Monday since September, Catholic lawyer Azas Tigor Nainggolan accompanies the altar boys who were sexually abused and their families appearing at the Depok District Court in West Java(link is external). He accompanies them against the defendant, Syahril Marbun, former altar boys' trainer at St Herkulanus parish, Bogor diocese, the first recorded case of sexual abuse in a church brought before a civil court." By Ryan Dagur, Jakarta, USANews.com
New Zealand child abuse inquiry finds quarter of a million harmed in state and faith-based care
"Up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were physically and sexually abused in New Zealand's faith-based and state care institutions from the 1960s to early 2000s(link is external), a public inquiry revealed on Wednesday (Dec. 16). An interim report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry found children, some from as young as nine months old, suffered years of abuse, which included rape and electric shock treatment, by staff at psychiatric and state care facilities, clergy and foster guardians. The report estimated that up to 256,000 people were abused, accounting for almost 40% of the 655,000 people in care during the period, with most abuse occurring in the 1970s and 1980s." By Praveen Menon, Reuters
A parish priest has been jailed for 20 years for sexually abusing young girls
"A parish priest has been jailed for 20 years for sexually abusing young girls in his care(link is external) during a six month period back in 2014, according to newly released court documents. The priest, practicing in the city of Cordoba, was accused of sexually groping six individuals between the ages of eight and 12 who were visiting during religious camps during the school summer holidays. An investigation began when one of the victims, who has not been named for her protection, spoke of the abuse in front of a Policia Local officer five years after the events." By James Warren, The Olive Press
catholic bishops, catholic church, catholic clergy sexual abuse, catholic hierarchy, Focus news roundup, Pope Francis, roman catholic church, vatican, voice of the faithful, Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup
The people should choose their bishops again / Commonweal
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clericalism, Future of the Church, Voice of the Faithful on December 11, 2020
"His (former cardinal Theodore McCarrick's) appointment (to auxiliary bishop of New York) required no consultation with the body of clergy of New York, and no consultation with the body of the laity, beyond those few apostolic letters. It mostly required Cardinal Cooke's patronage."
Commonweal
"There are a number of conclusions one could draw from reading the Vatican report on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. For example: that the clerical sex-abuse crisis in the Church is worse than we thought and extends to vulnerable adults. Also, that position and influence in our Church are easily bought, and that bishops lie, even to the pope, to protect other bishops. But the conclusion that encompasses all of the above is that the way we choose our bishops is deeply flawed, producing bishops who are, in turn, deeply flawed. How did things get this way, and what can be done about it?
"First, let's consider a bit of history. Once the office of bishop was clearly established in the early Church as the unitary head of a diocese (a Roman administrative unit), that office was filled by someone chosen by local people and priests, then ratified by the neighboring bishops, as a sign of the unity of the Church. Even the unbaptized were eligible, as we know from the oft-told story of St. Ambrose, whom the clergy and people of Milan chose as their bishop while he was still a catechumen. The first bishop of the United States, John Carroll, was elected by the priests of Maryland and confirmed by the pope. Today, we are so used to the pope choosing our bishops for us that we think it was always that way. It wasn't. In fact, the right of the pope to choose bishops was only settled with the 1917 Code of Canon Law, a papal document that clearly allocated that power to the holder of the papal office.
"Arguably, there is some limited lay input in the selection of bishops. When a priest is being considered for appointment as bishop, the papal nuncio sends out what are called apostolic letters to a select group, which may include laypeople from the area, asking their opinion of the candidate based on some very specific questions …"
By Nicholas P. Cafardi, Commonweal — Read more …
bishops, catholic bishops, catholic church, Commonweal, laity, Nicholas Cafardi, pope, roman catholic church, Theodore McCarrick, vatican, voice of the faithful
McCarrick report shows former cardinal's character: ambitious, brazen, untouchable / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Clericalism, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 10, 2020
The content of the Vatican report on McCarrick will burn the varnish off your desk … The most shocking parts (dealing with minors) come in its final 12 pages, but the whole document is nothing short of remarkable. At times, it reads like a novel or a screen play.
National Catholic Reporter
Seventeen!
"That's the most shocking number in the Vatican's 449-page report on ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. McCarrick appears to have molested 17 'postpubescent boys or young men' over the course of his career (Page 440). Some victims were as young as 12 years old. Some he molested repeatedly. Many were children in families that he knew well and visited frequently. He was trusted as a 'member of the family.'
"The Vatican report does not reveal names or discuss the individual cases. However, it does lay out his typical pattern of grooming and molesting his victims. He used his power to gain access to their families. He forged strong relationships with their parents. He insisted that the boys call him "Uncle Ted" and he referred to them as his "nephews," an easily exposed lie since McCarrick was an only child. He plied his victims with gifts, favors, trips and liquor. Then he took them to bed in isolated places where they had no hope of help or recourse, typically his beach house on the Jersey Shore or an apartment at a hospital in New York.
"New lawsuits are still being filed, including one in November in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleging repeated "rape" by McCarrick of a boy beginning at the age of 12. The plaintiff is now 47 years old."
By Fr. Peter Daly, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
catholic bishops, catholic clergy sexual abuse, catholic hierarchy, clericalism, Fr. Peter Daly, McCarrick Report, national catholic reporter, roman catholic church, Theodor McCarrick, vatican, voice of the faithful
Annual Report: Some U.S. dioceses improve financial transparency, others remain secretive / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Church Finances, financial transparency, Voice of the Faithful on December 8, 2020
"(Margaret) Roylance (VOTF Finance Working Group chair) recommended that laypeople look up their dioceses' financial transparency scores in the table at the end of the report. If a diocese has a low score or has recently lost a significant number of points, this can be a sign of trouble, she said." (National Catholic Reporter)
"More U.S. dioceses published audited financial documents in 2020 than before, but more than a quarter still did not publish any audited financial reports, according to an annual financial transparency report by the lay organization Voice of the Faithful.
"About 70% of dioceses posted audited financial reports on their websites in 2020, up from 65% in 2019 and from 56% in 2017, according to the review.
"Margaret Roylance, chair of the organization's finance working group, said she was heartened to see that many dioceses published these reports on time despite delays due to COVID-19.
"'We felt that financial transparency was beating COVID and that made us feel good,' she said.
"On the other hand, 6% of dioceses posted only unaudited reports, and 24% posted no reports at all.
"The report, released in November, surveys the financial practices of all 177 dioceses that belong to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It scores dioceses' financial transparency practices on a scale from 0 to 100."
By Madeleine Davison, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
catholic church, catholic church finances, diocesan fianancial transparency, financial transparency, roman catholic church, voice of the faithful, VOTF annual financial transparency report
Archdiocese must be held accountable for priest abuse
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Clericalism, Voice of the Faithful on December 7, 2020
"After a two-year investigation, the Vatican recently released a 450-plus-page report about now-defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and how the Catholic Church hierarchy failed to stop his predatory sexual behavior. Now, local Catholics are owed a similar in-depth investigation into the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and its complicity in failing to protect children from predatory sexual behaviors of local priests, such as Geoffrey Drew.
"Although the Drew story is a microcosm of McCarrick's, the system that allowed both men to go unpunished for decades, in spite of countless complaints, exists in every Catholic diocese, including our own. Drew, former pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, was arraigned on nine counts of rape in July 2019, finally halting his access to children.
Shortly thereafter, Concerned Catholics of Cincinnati was joined by over 1,500 area Catholics in petitioning the Vatican and 80 Catholic leaders to investigate the handling of the Drew case by the Archdiocese. In a well-researched document, our group cited complaints about Drew spanning 30 years, three counties and four parishes. These complaints were both in writing and in personal meetings with then-Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Binzer. Even Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Gmoser warned the Archdiocese to "keep an eye" on Drew, to assign him a monitor and to keep him away from children."
By Teresa Dinwiddie-Herrmann and Jan Seidel, committee members of Concerned Catholics of Cincinnati; Dan Frondorf, Cincinnati chair of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP); and Kethy Weyer, chair of Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful, in the Cincinnati Enquirer on Cincinnati.com. They can be reached at concernedcatholicsofcincy@gmail.com — Read more …
Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Bishop Joseph Binzer, catholic bishops, Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal, Concerned Catholics of Cincinnati, Geoffrey Drew, Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, roman catholic church, voice of the faithful
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful, VOTF Focus News Roundup on December 7, 2020
Vatican sued over alleged sex abuse in wake of its report on disgraced ex-cardinal McCarrick
"A week after an explosive report by the Vatican detailing decades-long allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick involving the sexual abuse of young boys, seminarians and fellow priests, the first federal lawsuit stemming from that report has been filed against the Roman Catholic Church(link is external). A stunning 85-page complaint filed in New Jersey on behalf of four unidentified men against the highest echelons of the church charges the Vatican knew McCarrick 'was a suspected abuser and child molester' and a danger to its members, but did nothing to stop him." By Ted Sherman, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
McCarrick report is one small step to dismantling clerical culture
"The steps not yet taken involve much deeper, interior work on the part of those still greatly invested in and rewarded by the culture than they've yet been willing or able to face. They must be willing to ask themselves fundamental questions about the meaning of ordination, the role of the ordained in the larger community, the consequences of prohibiting women from the realm of the ordained, the role of privilege and secrecy in church governance. They have to decide whether the model for bishops is prince or servant, and what that decision portends for their credibility and leadership in the future(link is external)." By Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter
Setting the record straight on NCR and McCarrick coverage(link is external), By Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter
This archbishop has become the first African American cardinal in Catholic history
"For the past week, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC, was holed up in a Vatican guesthouse, receiving meals at his door. On Saturday (Nov. 28), Gregory stepped out of his quarters and into history, becoming the Catholic Church's first African American cardinal(link is external) during an installation ceremony in Rome. Gregory was one of 13 men — and the only American — elevated to the College of Cardinals during Saturday's ceremony … Gregory, 72, already the highest-ranking African-American Catholic in US history, told CNN this week that he has been praying, writing homilies and letters to well-wishers, and reflecting on his new role." By Delia Gallagher, CNN, on WKTV-TV2 News
With ceremony at the Vatican, Wilton Gregory becomes 1st black American cardinal(link is external), By Matthew S. Schwartz, National Public Radio
Pope named as defendant in Australian legal claim
"Pope Francis has been named as a defendant in a Victorian Supreme Court damages claim by three Aboriginal men who say they were sexually assaulted as young boys by pedophile priest(link is external) Michael Glennon, according to The Age. It is the first known case in Australia in which survivors of clerical sexual abuse have sought to hold the Pope personally responsible for the Church's failure to take decisive action against predators in its ranks. The three plaintiffs, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, all claim to have experienced significant, ongoing impacts from their childhood abuse, including drug addiction, homelessness and unemployment." By CathNews.com
Lawsuit says Buffalo Diocese, bishops covered up failures on abuse
"New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Nov. 23 against the Diocese of Buffalo and Bishop Richard J. Malone, who headed the diocese from 2012 to 2019, and newly retired Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz. The suit alleges a two-decades-long cover-up of how the diocese failed to deal with numerous priests accused of alleged sexual abuse(link is external)." By Mike Matvey, Catholic News Service, on CatholicPhilly.com
The modern vision of Pope Francis in a medieval church
"Pope Francis issued his third encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, indicating his deep spiritual affinity with the founder of the Franciscan movement. The encyclical deepens the pope's vision of integral ecology laid out in his 2015 work, 'Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home' now extended to the social order on the level of fraternity and social friendship. The pope's writings are comprehensive in his depth of analysis of ecological, social and technocratic structures that have created systems of separation, manipulation and disregard for the poor(link is external). He begins Fratelli Tutti by taking his cue from the 'Admonitions' of Francis of Assisi, who writes in his 25th admonition: 'Blessed is the servant who would love and respect his brother as much when he is far from him as he would when he is with him; and who would not say anything behind his back which in charity he could not say to his face.''' By Ilia Delio, Global Sisters Report, National Catholic Reporter
Pope Francis challenges the Catholic left
"It is one of the saddest facts about a certain kind of liberal Catholic that, as the pope said, with nothing but goodwill, they take a wrong path with an agenda that may be defensible or even laudable on other grounds, but is no longer a Catholic path(link is external). They consider the doctrines that have defined our church for centuries as so much silly putty in their hands, to be stretched any which way to achieve an objective that may not be reconcilable with the Catholic faith. I have said it before and will say it again: Just because a Catholic has a thought does not mean it is a Catholic thought that has been had." By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter
Pope creates 13 new cardinals, including Washington archbishop
"One by one 11 senior churchmen, including two U.S. citizens — Cardinals Wilton D. Gregory of Washington and Silvano M. Tomasi, a former Vatican diplomat — knelt before Pope Francis to receive their red hats, a cardinal's ring and a scroll formally declaring their new status and assigning them a 'titular' church in Rome. But with the consistory Nov. 28 occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis actually created 13 new cardinals(link is external)." By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, in The Pilot
CARDINAL PELL
Cardinal Pell says he feels 'vindicated' by Vatican finance corruption being investigated
"The pope's former treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, said Monday (Nov. 30) he feels a dismayed sense of vindication as the financial mismanagement he tried to uncover in the Holy See is now being exposed in a spiraling Vatican corruption investigation(link is external). Pell made the comments to The Associated Press in his first interview since returning to Rome after his conviction-turned-acquittal on sexual abuse charges. Pell told the AP that he knew in 2014 when he took the treasury job that the Holy See's finances were 'a bit of a mess.'" By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, in America: The Jesuit Review
What the McCarrick report means for the church
"The report is unprecedented, reading like no other Vatican document I can recall. It is not clothed in dense church-speak or vague references to misdeeds. It is at times graphic and always revealing. As a whole, it is a devastating portrait of personal deception and institutional blindness, of opportunities missed and faith shattered(link is external). For those of us who have experience with Vatican documents and Vatican investigations, the report is amazing in its efforts to be transparent. At 449 pages, the report is exhaustive and at times exhausting. Not only were over 90 interviews conducted, but extensive quotations from relevant Vatican correspondence and documents reveal the internal back and forth between individuals and offices." By Catholic News Service
Vatican's McCarrick report casts a dark cloud over Pope John Paul II's legacy(link is external), By Sylvia Poggioli, National Public Radio
Blame to share
"In the weeks since the Vatican released its report regarding disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the blame game has been in full swing. How is it possible, both critics and friends ask, that such a man as McCarrick could ever rise to the highest levels of the Church?(link is external) It's a good question, with not a lot of good answers. The 460-page report does not lay blame on any one person or group. Instead, it has carefully followed the trail of facts and communiques inside and outside the Vatican regarding who knew what and when and how about the allegations of sexual misconduct against McCarrick. The issue of guilt isn't addressed in the report; that had been decided by an investigation two years ago that found 'credible' evidence against him. He was subsequently removed from the priesthood." By The Catholic Register Editorial Board
U.S. Catholic bishops' response to McCarrick report is sad but predictable
"The discussion of the Vatican report on ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick by the U.S. bishops at their annual fall meeting was sad but predictable(link is external) — sad because the bishops failed to communicate that they understood the report's implications; predictable in that some bishops defended John Paul II against the report's finding that the pontiff shared culpability in the McCarrick case. The report, released Nov. 10, acknowledged that despite it being known that McCarrick was sleeping with seminarians, he was promoted to the Archdiocese of Washington and made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II." By Thomas Reese, Religion News Service, in National Catholic Reporter
Pope Francis names new bishop of scandal-ridden Buffalo diocese
"Pope Francis Tuesday (Dec. 1) appointed Bishop Michael Fisher, an auxiliary of Washington, to be the next bishop of the scandal-ridden Diocese of Buffalo, New York(link is external). Fisher, 62, will take over leadership of Buffalo as the diocese faces a new lawsuit from the State of New York for failing to protect children from clergy sex abuse. The diocese also filed for bankruptcy in February of this year, after it was named in hundreds of clerical abuse lawsuits filed in New York courts. Fisher will be the 15th bishop of the western New York diocese, following Bishop Richard Malone, who resigned amid controversy in December 2019." By Catholic News Agency
Canadian Catholic bishop resigns at age of 64 'for the good of the Church'
"Pope Francis accepted Sunday (Nov. 29) the resignation of a Canadian Catholic bishop at the age of 64. The Holy See press office said that the pope accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert Bourgon of Hearst-Moosonee on Nov. 29 … Radio-Canada reported Nov. 29 that Bourgon faced criticism following the dismissal of two priests facing charges of fraud. It added that following protests by parishioners, who believed the priests to be innocent of wrongdoing, Pope Francis mandated a visitation by Bishop Serge Poitras of Timmins, Ontario." By Catholic News Agency
Seminaries need clear sexual harassment guidelines to prevent clerical abuse
"When the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was bishop of the diocese of Metuchen, N.J., he routinely asked seminarians to join him at his vacation home, visits that regularly included the bishop sharing a bed with young men. Any reasonable standards would characterize those episodes, in which a powerful authority figure even suggested sharing a bed with students, as instances of sexual harassment(link is external). Stories like these led to Mr. McCarrick's downfall, as was laid out in a recent Vatican investigation into allegations of harassment and abuse." By Michael J. O'Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review
The complicated legacy of Bishop John England
"Amid all the heart-searching that the Catholic Church is doing in response to the ongoing scandal of sexual abuse and episcopal malfeasance, the realization that laypeople need to be engaged in structural reform is central(link is external). No group should ever police itself, and that includes the bishops. The 1983 revision of the Code of Canon Law made some progress in recognizing the rights and responsibilities of the laity, but it never got beyond allowing them a consultative role in the decision-making process. That this could change is clear, because the heartening truth about canon law is that it is subordinate to the Gospel; it must reflect and support Gospel priorities." By Paul Lakeland, Commonweal
Vatican launches website dedicated to 'Fratelli Tutti' encyclical
"Beginning Tuesday (Dec.1), Pope Francis' recent Encyclical Fratelli tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship, will be more readily accessible by the faithful(link is external). The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announces a special website dedicated to the Encyclical which can be accessed either from the homepage of the Dicastery www.humandevelopment.va(link is external) or directly from the URL www.fratellitutti.va(link is external)." By Vatican News
South Dakota Catholic priest steals nearly $260,000 from three churches, jailed for three years; also faces sex charges
"Most people are familiar with the phrase 'caught with your hand in the cookie jar.' However, a Catholic priest from Rapid City, South Dakota, earned himself a sentence in federal prison for being caught with his hand 'in the offertory bag(link is external).' Marcin Stanislaw Garbacz, 42, was sent to prison for 7 years and 9 months on Monday (Nov. 30) for stealing nearly $260,000 from three parishes in Rapid City." By Jeevan Biswas International Business Times
Swiss court orders full access to records for Vatican financial investigation
"Vatican investigators have been granted full access to Swiss banking documentation related to long-time Vatican investment manager Enrico Crasso. The newly announced decision by a Swiss federal court is the latest development in the ongoing financial scandal(link is external) surrounding the purchase of a London building by the Secretariat of State in 2018. According to Huffington Post, the decision was issued on Oct. 13 but only published this week. The documents to be turned over to the Vatican include financial records of the company to Az Swiss & Partners. Az Swiss owns Sogenel Capital Holding, the company Crasso founded after leaving Credit Suisse in 2014." By Ed Condon, Catholic News Agency
The implosion of clericalism dramatized in Leonard Berstein's 'Mass'
"I find myself again lamenting the abysmal sinfulness of the Catholic clerical system(link is external). The long-anticipated release of the McCarrick report sheds harsh light on the failure of complicit bishops and Pope John Paul II to believe then-Archbishop Theodore McCarrick's victims even after New York Cardinal John O'Connor warned the pope not to make him Cardinal Archbishop of Washington. The painful mendacity of the clerical system was also on depressing display at FutureChurch's 30th anniversary celebration, where theologian Doris Wagner Reisinger received the organization's Young Catholic Leaders Award. Reisinger spoke about her abuse as a young nun and her efforts to bring a prominent Vatican priest to justice. In her experience, Catholic sisters have too often been entrapped in a conspiracy of silence that protects abusing priests." By Christine Schenk, National Catholic Reporter
Switzerland's Catholic bishops lament record exodus from Church in 2019
"Bishops in Switzerland lamented Wednesday (Dec. 2) a record exodus of Catholics from the Church in 2019(link is external). In a statement after their virtual plenary assembly Dec. 2, the bishops acknowledged new figures showing that last year saw the highest annual number of 'church exits' on record." By Catholic News Service
Dozens of Catholic churches merging to create 14 new ones in the Diocese of Pittsburgh
"Fourteen new merged parishes will be created in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh on Jan. 4, the diocese announced Saturday (Nov. 28). Forty parishes will be part of the mergers and will bring the number of parishes in the diocese from 107 to 81(link is external), the release states. 'For two years, you have journeyed together on a road that is intended to unite you on the mission to bring the Good News of Jesus to your neighbors and to strengthen all of you in faith,' Bishop David Zubik said." By WPXI-TV11 News
The media is not the church's enemy
"Yes, media outlets need to tell the whole truth, the good news as well as the bad. But as professional journalists, we also have to respect news values in our coverage, and often that involves some sort of conflict(link is external) … In his comments calling for transparency, Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, may have inadvertently promoted the work of journalists. "We as a church need to use all the resources that are available to us, and in many instances that will be found in lay people, who are skilled and qualified in investigating these kinds of accusations and helping us evaluate the facts," he said. Exactly. The media are not the enemy. We are professionals, trying to do our jobs, in the service of the truth." By Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter
Confessions of a Vatican source: Jason Barry on the McCarrick report
"When Pope John Paul II made Theodore McCarrick a cardinal in 2001, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., was a silk-between-the-fingers fundraiser(link is external). A year later, when the pope summoned the U.S. cardinals to Rome to confront the abuse crisis, McCarrick took the lead at press conferences — a bold move, given his revelation to The Washington Post and CNN that accusations against him had been investigated and found false. In the ensuing years, McCarrick traveled the globe as an unofficial church diplomat, and rumors spread that he had slept with seminarians while a bishop in Metuchen and Newark, New Jersey, using a beach house on the Jersey Shore. Rumors no journalist could pin down." By Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter
Who's at fault? New reports on clergy sex abuse offer different views
"On the same day last week (Nov. 10), two reports on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church made headlines. The first report, released by the Vatican, is the so-called 'McCarrick report' … The second report was released by an independent commission in the U.K … What the reports have in common is long lists of sexual abuse victims and their broken families(link is external). The testimonies of survivors are instructive for the quality of their demand for justice and yet, to paraphrase Tolstoy, each unhappy survivor story 'is unhappy in its own way.' Each story is unbearable in its details of the physical and psycho-spiritual torture and the chronic wounds that remain." By Rose Marie Berger, Sojourners on Sojo.net
Prominent priest, EWTN contributor accused of sexual assault
"A floor mosaic inscribed with the words 'The Truth Above All Things' welcomes visitors to the Church of St. Michael in midtown Manhattan where popular priest Fr. George Rutler has served as pastor since 2013. Yet Rutler now stands accused of sexually assaulting a female security guard after she allegedly filmed him watching gay pornography(link is external) last month. Those allegations have shocked parishioners and associates of Rutler, as they seek to reconcile the accusations with their own experience of the politically and theologically conservative priest known for his regular appearances on EWTN and prolific writings where he derided 'abortionists and the sodomites,' advocated for traditional liturgical practices and regularly criticized Pope Francis." By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter
Priests' defamation suits are the latest wrinkle in sex-abuse fallout
"As U.S. dioceses continue to pay out big settlements for lawsuits, the church is facing another nettlesome problem stemming from the abuse scandal: Priests who say they were falsely accused are suing for defamation(link is external). In August 2018, shortly after a Pennsylvania grand jury report listed more than 300 priests in six dioceses in the state who had been credibly accused of abusing more than 1,000 minors since 1947, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson asked the three dioceses in his state to turn over files on church personnel credibly accused of sexual abuse since 1978." By Mark Nacinovich, National Catholic Reporter
Further investigation into Colorado Catholic Church IDs 46 more victims, nine more abusive priests—including Denver's Father Woody
"Father James Moreno sexually assaulted a teenage boy dozens of times over two years after they met at a Denver Catholic school(link is external) — including in the rectory of the city's most prominent church. Moreno assaulted the boy more than 60 times between 1978 and 1980. He groomed him, gave him alcohol and marijuana, and raped him, according to a report released Tuesday Dec. 1) by the Colorado Attorney General's Office. The abuse happened all over Denver: in the rooms of St. Andrew's Preparatory Seminary High School, in Moreno's car, in the boy's home, in the rectory of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the heart of Denver, one block from the state Capitol." By Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post
Catholic Church pays $7 million to victims in Colorado of sexual abuse by priests(link is external), By Keith Coffman, Reuters
Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2020(link is external), Special Master's Supplement on bishop-accountability.org
What can Florida do about 51 Catholic priests who abused kids? Nothing
"The state attorney general's office has concluded a two-year investigation into alleged sexual abuse by Catholic priests. Investigators believe the systemic abuse has been largely weeded out. That's the good news. The bad news is investigators say they have enough evidence to prosecute dozens of priests, and here's what they plan to do about it: Nothing(link is external). They can't. Statute-of-limitations laws make the alleged criminal untouchable." By Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board
Suburban Lake County priest investigated for past child sex abuse
"The Archdiocese of Chicago is investigating allegations that a suburban priest sexually abused children(link is external) 25 years ago. Cardinal Blase Cupich wrote a letter to parishioners on Saturday (Nov. 28) saying he asked the Rev. David Ryan to 'step aside from ministry' after the archdiocese received the allegations. Ryan, pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish in Lake Zurich, has been 'directed to live away from the parish' during the investigation and 'is fully cooperating with this direction,' Cupich said in the letter." By NBC-TV5 News
Abuse trial delayed for ex-Catholic Church friar
"The trial for a former Catholic Church friar accused of sex abuse at a Mississippi school has been postponed(link is external). Paul West, a former member of the Franciscan religious order, was supposed to face trial on Tuesday for allegations that he sexually molested students in the 1990s at Greenwood's St. Francis of Assisi School. No new trial date was immediately set, Kelly Roberts, senior deputy clerk of the Leflore County Circuit Court, told The Greenwood Commonwealth." By Associated Press on WJTV-TV12 News
Over a year, more than 230 sex abuse suits have been filed in NJ against the Catholic Church
"The lawsuits filed over the past 12 months in New Jersey alleging sex abuse by Catholic priests have been numerous — there are more than 230 of them — and varied(link is external). One man said that when he was a student at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale and told a vice principal that he'd been abused by a religious brother, the administrator struck the student over the head with a 500-page book, warned him never to speak of it again and imposed a five-day suspension." By Abbott Koloff and Deena Yellin, NorthJersey.com
New York attorney general sues bishops Malone, Grosz and Buffalo Diocese for failing to protect children
"New York State Attorney General Letitia James on Monday (Nov. 23) sued the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and former bishops Richard J. Malone and Edward M. Grosz for failing to protect children and for engaging in a decades-long cover-up of sexual abuse by diocesan priests. New York's top prosecutor also filed a motion that seeks to force a full public disclosure of predatory priests and their actions against those whom they were entrusted with spiritual care, and is seeking a court-appointed monitor that would ensure that interim Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger complies with sexual abuse policies and procedures." By Charlie Spect, WKBW-TV7 News
Attorney general shows complicity by Malone in shielding accused priests,(link is external) By The Buffalo News Editorial Board
Allentown Diocese has paid $16 million to abuse victims
"The Allentown Diocese has paid nearly $16 million to victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy(link is external), it reported Tuesday (Nov. 24), as the program to compensate victims draws to a close. The payments, totaling $15.85 million, were made to 96 abuse victims through the diocese's Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, according to a final report by an independent committee appointed to oversee the program." By Peter Hall, The Morning Call
Utah priest abuse lawsuit poses new challenge to time limits on old cases
"What began as a routine visit to the deli aisle last year ended in a revelation for Guy Platt. Platt spotted the Colosimo name on a pork sausage label and wondered if it belonged to a member of the family he recalled from childhood. But an online search turned up a series of mugshots and a more profound connection. The man he said he remembers sexually abusing and threatening him(link is external) five decades earlier hadn't been a schoolmate's father like he'd thought." By Annie Knox, Deseret News
Catholics angered, saddened by Montreal church's mishandling of abusive priest
"People who tried to warn Montreal's Catholic Archdiocese about a pedophile priest say they're sad, angry and overwhelmed by an explosive report outlining the church's repeated failures to heed their warnings(link is external). The Montreal archdiocese asked retired Quebec Superior Court justice Pepita Capriolo to investigate the church's handling of allegations against former priest Brian Boucher, who was convicted in January 2019 of sexually abusing two young boys." By Leah Hendry and Steve Rukavina, CBC News
Report says Montreal Archdiocese covered for abusive priest for decades, By Francois Gloutnay(link is external), Catholic News Service, on CatholicPhilly.com
'My world was the Church,' abuse survivor Andrew Madden on his journey to recovery
"Andrew Madden was an altar boy. He had always enjoyed going to the Church and wanted to become a priest. But aged 12, he was abused by Father Ivan Payne. That abuse lasted for several years(link is external).In Ireland, he was the first victim of clerical child sex abuse to go public with his story in 1995. As part of an Unreported Europe episode focusing on the survivors of Ireland's child sex abuse scandal at the hands of Catholic priests, Euronews spoke to Madden his personal healing journey." By Euronews
Child abuse in the Catholic Church—a scandalous approach to scandal
"Standing on the banks of the Rhine river, practically in the shadows of Cologne's cathedral, Karl Haucke says he has lost faith in the Catholic Church. His story begins in the early 1960s, when he was sent to boarding school in the West German capital at the time, Bonn. From the age of eleven, he was regularly abused by a priest for four years—at least once a week(link is external). But the abuse was not just of a physical, sexual nature. The priest made him relate the stories during the weekly confession." By Deutche Welle
German survivors accuse Cardinal Woelki of 'abuse of abuse victims'
"The two abuse survivors who resigned as spokesmen of the victims' advisory board in the Cologne Archdiocese have accused Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of a 'renewed abuse of abuse victims(link is external).' The board had been 'completely overrun' by Cardinal Woelki's treatment of the Cologne abuse studies, Patrick Bauer told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in comments published Nov. 19. 'We were meant to deliver the certificate: approved by the advisory board,' said Karl Haucke." By Catholic News Service
New pupils barred from top UK Catholic school after abuse scandal
"The government has ordered one of England's most prestigious Catholic boarding schools, Ampleforth college, to stop admitting new pupils as a result of 'very serious' failings. Scandal has surrounded the private school in recent years and an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse published a highly critical report in August 2018 that said 'appalling sexual abuse [was] inflicted over decades on children as young as seven(link is external).'" By Mattha Busby, The Guardian
IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND
Sins of the fathers: Ireland's sex abuse survivors
"Ireland has one of the largest Catholic communities in Europe. The Church is rooted into the culture of the country, but when Pope Francis visited Dublin in 2018 his words divided the nation. Since 2002, multiple reports and investigations have shed light on nearly 15,000 cases of sexual abuse committed in Ireland between 1970 and 1990(link is external). The pontiff had come to apologise for those crimes carried out by members of the Church's clergy. For many survivors, the visit and remorse that came with it was far too late." By Euronews
Stop blaming children for the behavior of sexual predators
"Two headlines this week have perturbed me considerably, not only because of the stories they refer to, but because it points to an alarming inability by some fellow members of the press to comprehend how important it is to report sex abuse stories using the right terminology(link is external). This is not about being 'politically correct', which has become a hackneyed phrase, and is often being used with negative connotations, much in the same way we sneer at people for being 'snowflakes', i.e., overly sensitive and easily offended." By Josanne Cessar, Malta Today
Catholic Church abuse: Victim says church refused to strip honors from abuser
"A woman who was sexually abused at a Catholic school(link is external) says the church refused to strip her abuser of any honors or remove his name from a school classroom despite evidence he had abused multiple people. It also never told her to go to police and instead offered her $6000 in compensation – which she rejected. Frances Tagaloa, 52, gave her evidence before the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care this morning (Nov. 29), as hearings began on abuse in faith-based institutions." By Isaac Davison, New Zealand Herald
Association of U.S. Catholic Priests, catholic bishops, catholic church, Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal, catholic hierarchy, roman catholic church, vatican, voice of the faithful, Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup
The U.K. is reckoning with a clerical sex abuse crisis. Again. / America: The Jesuit Review
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 4, 2020
"The government-mandated Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom revealed that along with systemic sexual abuse, the church rushed more quickly to save its image than it did to respond to the plight of survivors. According to the report, over a half-century, the Catholic Church in England and Wales had received complaints alleging more than 3,000 instances of child sexual abuse against 936 people associated with the church, among them priests, vowed religious and volunteers." (America: The Jesuit Review)
"On the night before her confirmation, Sue Cox was sexually abused by a Catholic priest at a convent where she was attending summer school to improve her catechism. She was 10. When she was 13, the same priest again raped her in the bedroom of her own home.
"My mother caught him and told me to pray for him and to offer it up," Ms. Cox, who is from Warwickshire, England, told America. Listening to the advice her adoptive mother gave after she walked in on the priest, "I felt sacrificial," she said.
"'We were told that he could do no wrong,' and that he had 'sacred hands,' said Ms. Cox, an award-winning addiction specialist and acupuncturist. 'Worse than that, we were told that priests were next to God—that they were ontologically changed at ordination.'
"Ms. Cox, who is 73 years old and today describes herself as an atheist, said that this was the belief that her 'fiercely superstitious Catholic family' ingrained in her as a young child. 'Well,' she added. 'I can tell you that a child is ontologically changed when she is abused at that age.'"
By Ricardo da Silva, S.J., America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …
accountability, America magazine, catholic church, child sexual abuse, clergy sexual abuse, clergy sexual abuse scandal, Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church, priests, Ricardo da Silva, roman catholic church, voice of the faithful
The implosion of clericalism dramatized in Leonard Berstein's 'Mass' / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clericalism, Voice of the Faithful on December 1, 2020
"The Catholic Church is afflicted with a rigged clerical system incapable of monitoring itself. It is tempting to despair of the 'Catholic' brand, which many of us were once quite proud to claim. It may be time to own our despair. The clerical system isn't working anymore. Perhaps it was never meant to work, only we didn't realize it." (National Catholic Reporter)
"I find myself again lamenting the abysmal sinfulness of the Catholic clerical system. The long-anticipated release of the McCarrick report sheds harsh light on the failure of complicit bishops and Pope John Paul II to believe then-Archbishop Theodore McCarrick's victims even after New York Cardinal John O'Connor warned the pope not to make him Cardinal Archbishop of Washington.
"The painful mendacity of the clerical system was also on depressing display at FutureChurch's 30th anniversary celebration, where theologian Doris Wagner Reisinger received the organization's Young Catholic Leaders Award. Reisinger spoke about her abuse as a young nun and her efforts to bring a prominent Vatican priest to justice. In her experience, Catholic sisters have too often been entrapped in a conspiracy of silence that protects abusing priests.
"In November 2018, Reisinger and two other survivors shattered that silence. They were helped by NCR's Joshua McElwee, who reported that Reisinger's abuser — Fr. Hermann Geissler — still held his high ranking position at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Days after the story ran, Geissler resigned and Pope Francis requested the Vatican's highest court — the Apostolic Signatura — to investigate the accusations."
catholic church, Catholic clergy, catholic clerical system, Christine Schenk, clericalism, national catholic reporter, roman catholic church, voice of the faithful
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"ON THE EXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF A LIMIT CYCLE FOR A LIENARD SYSTEM " by Fangfang Jiang, Junping Shi et al.
In this paper, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of crossing limit cycle for a planar nonlinear Lienard system which is discontinuous along a straight line (called a discontinuity line). By using the Poincare mapping method and some analysis techniques, a criterion for the existence, uniqueness and stability of a crossing limit cycle in the discontinuous differential system is established. An application to Schnakenberg model of an autocatalytic chemical reaction is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our result. We also consider a class of discontinuous piecewise linear differential systems and give a necessary condition of the existence of crossing limit cycle, which can be used to prove the non-existence of crossing limit cycle.
Jiang, Fangfang; Shi, Junping; Wang, Qing-guo; and Sun, Jitao, ON THE EXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF A LIMIT CYCLE FOR A LIENARD SYSTEM WITH A DISCONTINUITY LINE (2016). COMMUNICATIONS ON PURE AND APPLIED ANALYSIS, 15(6).


"Assassin's Creed Odyssey," the next game in the long-lived action adventure game that puts players in the shoes of a member of an ancient order of assassins, will be shown at E3, Ubisoft announced Thursday night.
The announcement comes hours after gaming site JeuxVideo posted a keychain showing the same logo and name for the now-verified "Assassin's Creed game." The keychain itself is of the Spartan helmet.
The timing of the peak of the Spartan era, which peaked around the 6th to 4th Century BCE, doesn't exactly fit with rumors that the game will be a sequel to the ancient Egyptian "Assassin's Creed Origins," which occurred during the 1st Century BCE.
The name of the game seems to reference the Homeric poem "The Odyssey," which tells the story of Odysseus' tumultuous voyage home to Ithica following the fall of Troy. But, there is also mention of many others in the book, including some of those returning from the Trojan War, which occurred around the 12th Century BCE, by way of Egypt.
We're sure to learn more during E3.


Knowledge Base > General FAQ's > How many images can I have per item?
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