'Highly respected' Catholic priest, now 75, who had secret love child with teenager

'Highly respected' Catholic priest, now 75, who had secret love child with teenager, molested her younger sister and later dated their mother is jailed for two years after victim comes forward decades later. A 'highly respected' Catholic priest who had a secret love child with a teenager has been jailed for two years after his victim came forward decades later. Alan Devine, now 75, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, became infatuated with the girl when she was just 15. She gave birth to his baby when she was 19, and the infant was given up for adoption - but the father's identity was kept secret.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5881935/Catholic-priest-75-secret-love-child-teenager-jailed-two-years.html 

Former Irish President Says Baptizing Babies Creates ‘Infant Conscripts’

The ever more unhinged former president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, railed against the Catholic Church in an interview with the Irish Times this week, denouncing infant baptism and praising gay rights. Mrs. McAleese said she does not plan to attend the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Dublin but will be marching in the Dublin Gay Pride Parade next Saturday.

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/06/25/former-irish-president-says-baptizing-babies-creates-infant-conscripts/ 

Church fights new law on confessions in Australia

Three states adopt law requiring Catholic priests to report admissions of child sex abuse. For centuries, the sacrament of reconciliation - known as confession - has been a venerated practice of the Catholic Church, requiring people to reveal their sins to a priest, who must keep the confession secret. But the seal, or secrecy, of the confessional is under threat in Australia, following an inquiry which recommended that priests be forced to tell police about admissions of sexual abuse of children.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/church-fights-new-law-on-confessions-in-australia 

Kerala priests accused of blackmail and sexual abuse

Five priests of an orthodox church in Kerala have been accused of sexual abuse and blackmailing, by a married woman in Kerala. As per reports, an inquiry panel had been formed to look into the allegation against the five priests from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who have been working under the administration of the Kottayam church. Father M O John said that the five priests have been asked to keep away from officiating all priestly duties and function as head of parishes. While they are not yet suspended, an inquiry report will decide their fate

http://www.opindia.com/2018/06/kerala-church-priest-sexual-abuse-blackmail/ 

'It was painful but beyond my control' Nun tells abuse inquiry splitting siblings at children's homes was 'norm in those days'

The witness told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry the practice at Nazareth House in Cardonald, Glasgow, in the 1970s was "not easy to do" but stopped short of branding it cruel. A nun has told an inquiry it was painful to see youngsters at a Catholic children's home being separated from their siblings once they reached a certain age. The witness said the practice at Nazareth House in Cardonald, Glasgow, in the 1970s was "not easy to do" but stopped short of branding it cruel.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/it-painful-beyond-control-nun-12691379 

Sex abuse claims against late priest Father Gerry Nugent who was key witness in Angelika Kluk murder trial

The investigation comes after the BBC broadcast allegations from a woman who claimed she was abused by Nugent when she was a teenager. Police are investigating an historical allegation of child sex abuse against a late priest linked to a high-profile murder trial. Officers confirmed they have received a complaint against Father Gerry Nugent, who died in 2010. It comes as BBC Scotland reported allegations on Friday from a woman who claimed she was abused by him when she was a teenager.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sex-abuse-claims-against-late-12713312 

Archbishop urged by survivors to apologise at child abuse inquiry for ‘hurtful’ comments

CHILDREN’S home abuse survivors are calling for a leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland to say sorry when he appears at a public inquiry next week. Archbishop Emeritus Mario Conti will appear before the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry on Tuesday. The inquiry, headed by Lady Smith, is investigating allegations of abuse at Nazareth House homes across Scotland. Archbishop Conti’s appearance comes after inquiry witnesses accused him of dismissing their claims against the Sisters of Nazareth as “fantasy”.

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/archbishop-urged-by-survivors-to-apologise-at-child-abuse-inquiry-for-hurtful-comments/ 

We’re Coming for Them’: Survivors Demand Release of 884-Page Pennsylvania Clergy Sex Abuse Report

We’re Coming for Them’: Survivors Demand Release of 884-Page Pennsylvania Clergy Sex Abuse Report.Mark Rozzi thought he was days away from justice, or at least the beginning of it. It started when he was 13, and a priest at his school in Hyde Park, Pennsylvania, started grooming him. For months, the Rev. Edward Graff talked with Rozzi about sex, gave him alcohol, and showed him pornography. Then, one fateful day, he raped him in a rectory shower.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/were-coming-for-them-survivors-demand-release-of-884-page-pennsylvania-clergy-sex-abuse-report 

Children may have been made to kiss bodies of dead nuns at Aberdeen orphanage, inquiry hears

A nun has admitted children may have been made to kiss the bodies of dead nuns at an Aberdeen orphanage. The woman, now in her mid-70s, told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), sitting in Edinburgh, it was possible that children could have been expected to kiss the bodies of dead nuns when they went to church. She said she could not remember such a thing happening but told SCAI chairwoman Lady Smith it “could be possible”. However, she added that no nuns had died during her time in Aberdeen.

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/children-may-have-been-made-to-kiss-bodies-of-dead-nuns-at-aberdeen-orphanage-inquiry-hears/ 

Nun denies she was 'hard as nails' but admits losing temper with kids at Scottish orphanage

The woman, now in her mid-70s, rejected claims youngsters were scared of her to the Scottish child abuse inquiry. A nun has told an inquiry she may have lost her temper with children in her care but rejected suggestions she was "hard as nails". The woman, now in her mid-70s, denied being someone that youngsters would have been scared of. She agreed there was "probably" a strict regime at Nazareth House in Aberdeen but told a probe she had not witnessed any abusive practices at the orphanage.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nun-denies-hard-nails-admits-12657054 

'Shattered life' worth $30k: Sex abuse survivor releases book about attacks suffered in care

Darryl Smith says the abuse started on his first night at Marylands – a Christchurch school for children with learning difficulties – in 1971. Woken from his sleep, the 6-year-old was called to a Order of St John of God brother's office late in the evening and told one of the men responsible for his care wanted to speak about his grandmother. Instead, the man raped him. The abuse continued over the course of a year and came from other members of the order and older students, Smith said. He eventually told his parents what happened.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/104893016/sex-abuse-survivor-releases-book-about-attacks-suffered-in-care 

Sexually abusing children in the name of God

Rachel Denhollander became an unwilling victim of sexual abuse at age 7 at the hands of a college student attached to the ministry of Westwood Baptist Church in Kalamazoo, Mich. Often, the young man encouraged the girl to sit on his lap. He bought her gifts, including clothing. His actions caught the attention of Sandy Burdick, the licensed counselor who led the church’s sexual-abuse support group and he warned Denhollander’s parents, who turned to their closet friends, their Bible-study support group, for help.

https://www.blueridgemuse.com/node/47032 

Editorial: Sister Debbie Blow leads with hope, persistence, love

Sister Debbie Blow remembers the exact moment the light dawned. She had led a group of Seton Catholic Central students on a trip to Nicaragua as that third-world country was still reeling from the devastating Hurricane Mitch. That day, they were on a rickety old bus, returning from an ultra-emotional visit to an orphanage, when the boy sitting beside Blow spoke up. "Do you know what the greatest sin would be?" The Dominican Sister of Hope didn't really feel up to a philosophical discussion just then, but prompted him to tell her.

http://www.pressrepublican.com/opinion/editorial-sister-debbie-blow-leads-with-hope-persistence-love/article_63cb02d1-dcfa-50b1-a6bf-03355f943f7c.html 

Schoolgirl sexually abused EVERY WEEK from age of 10 to 18th birthday 'never opened her eyes

A schoolgirl who survived weekly sexual assaults for nine years "never opened her eyes" once, a court has heard. The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, began to be abused by David Thompson, now 56, when she was aged only ten. Her ordeal only ended when she turned eighteen. Exeter Crown Court heard that Thompson, who was about 35 years old when he started assaulting the girl, attacked her on an almost weekly basis in Evesham, Worcester.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/schoolgirl-sexually-abused-every-week-12637505 

Adoption: The long battle against stigma moves up a gear

In 1987, the then Minister responsible for Women’s Affairs, Nuala Fennell gingerly steered legislation through an initially jaundiced Oireachtas abolishing the status of illegitimacy. It was an important balm for the Fine Gael/Labour coalition of the day which, a year earlier, had seen the electorate emphatically reject its referendum proposal to do away with the constitutional ban on divorce.

https://www.rte.ie/news/analysis-and-comment/2018/0602/967743-adoption/ 

Inquiry hears nuns abused children at Nazareth House

The abuse was said to have happened at Nazareth House in East Ayrshire A former resident of a children’s home in East Ayrshire has told an inquiry that nuns should not be allowed to care for children. Anne Marie Carr, 64, made the comment as she described mistreatment at Nazareth House in Kilmarnock. She said her head was banged against metal lockers, she was kicked in the head and face and punched by nuns.

https://www.jakinews.com/inquiry-hears-nuns-abused-children-at-nazareth-house/ 

Girl 'jumped to her death after beating by nun at Nazareth House'

A former children's home resident has told a hearing a child leapt to her death after being "battered" by a nun. Anne Marie Carr attended Smyllum Park in Lanarkshire and Nazareth House in East Ayrshire. She told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry a girl aged 10 or 11 died after jumping from a fire escape at Nazareth House because she had "taken too much of a beating".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44291435 

People in Ireland Increasingly 'Doubt Catholic Church's Authority' - Scholar

Ireland has voted to drop a constitutional amendment that gives equal rights to a mother and a fetus, effectively repealing a ban on abortion in the Catholic nation. Radio Sputnik has discussed the results of the Irish referendum on abortion with Gail McElroy, a professor of Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin.

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201805281064877364-people-in-ireland-doubt-catholic-church-authority/ 

Shocking! Sibling on Sibling Abuse

Parents, do you know what your children do to each other when you’re not around? The truth might shock and horrify you. The closest thing my husband had to a sibling was his teenage aunt. They practically grew up together. While Rhys’ single mother worked long hours, she entrusted him to the care of her younger sister. It started with rape. Rhys’ sister/aunt raped him repeatedly when he was four years old.

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/full-heart/2018/04/shocking-sibling-on-sibling-abuse/ 

He Was Raped By a Nun

‘The tip of the iceberg’. That’s how Edward Hayes describes his decision to speak out as the victim of female-on-male rape in the Catholic Church. At the tender age of twelve, Sister Mary Conleth (real name, Bessie Veronica Lawler) began regularly raping Edward. It took sixty-two years before he would meet the child conceived during one of the nun’s sexual attacks. He believes he’s not the only one to be raped by a nun hence ‘the tip of the iceberg’. Growing up in poverty and suffering from malnutrition, being accepted into the John Reynolds Home in Lancashire was a dream come true for young Edward. But the dream soon turned into a nightmare.

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/full-heart/2018/05/he-was-raped-by-a-nun/ 

My date of birth was changed, so my biological parents had no hope of finding me'

PEOPLE WHO WERE ADOPTED have been sharing their stories on the airwaves after it was revealed that some children adopted between 1946 and 1969 were registered incorrectly, meaning they may not know if they were adopted. Yesterday, Minister for Children Katherine Zappone revealed that 126 children from St Patrick’s Guild, Dublin, were registered as biological children of their adoptive parents.

http://www.thejournal.ie/adoption-testimonies-4044810-May2018/ 

Young girl 'raped by priest while being held down by nun' at Catholic orphanage in Kilmarnock

Speaking at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, Helen Holland, 59, told how sexual abuse began when she was just eight. A PRIEST raped a young girl who reported abuse by a nun at a Catholic orphanage, an inquiry has heard. Helen Holland, 59, claimed she was held down by the sister during the alleged sexual assault. The witness said the clergyman branded her a “wicked child” for speaking out in confession before he “marched” her back to Nazareth House, Kilmarnock, where the nun joined them.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/2716293/kilmarnock-nazareth-house-nun-priest-abuse-helen-holland/ 

Former resident at Catholic orphanage was raped by a priest and repeatedly abused by a nun because ‘she had the devil inside’ her,

A former resident at a Catholic-run orphanage has told an inquiry she was raped by a priest after confiding in him about being abused by a nun. Helen Holland, 59, has waived her right to anonymity to describe years of 'sadistic' treatment at the Nazareth House home in Kilmarnock during the 1960s and 1970s. Abuse - Years - Child - Abuse - Inquiry She said the abuse began when she was just eight years old as she addressed the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry today.

https://www.longroom.com/discussion/1043234/former-resident-at-catholic-orphanage-was-raped-by-a-priest-and-repeatedly-abused-by-a-nun-because-she-had-the-devil-inside-her-scottish-child-abuse-inquiry-hears 

Why are so many Catholic priests and nuns being accused of sexually abusing children?

So many are being accused, because there are so many of them… Compare the rates of child abuse with “Catholic priest and nuns” to the rates of child abuse of “Americans.” You see that Americans is the risky group… … so the question is “why do you think that Catholic priests and nuns are a danger despite the evidence showing otherwise?” There are two parts to that:

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-so-many-Catholic-priests-and-nuns-being-accused-of-sexually-abusing-children 

Nun at children’s home called me evil, woman tells Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry

A FORMER orphanage resident has told an inquiry she was sent to a shrine in France to cure her of a “mental illness” by a nun who called her evil. Paula Chambers was giving evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry when she said her “life had been stolen” during her time at Nazareth House in Cardonald, Glasgow, in the 1980s. The 45-year-old told how a nun sent her to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, to get rid of a “mental illness”. Ms Chambers, who has waived her right to anonymity, said: “She said it’s a holy shrine where people go. I asked ‘what’s wrong with me?’

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/nun-at-childrens-home-called-me-evil-woman-tells-scottish-child-abuse-inquiry/ 

Child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church: What you need to know

From Australian country towns, to schools in Ireland and cities across the US, the Catholic Church has faced an avalanche of child sexual abuse accusations in the last few decades. Recent high-profile cases and harrowing testimony given to public inquiries have kept the issue in the headlines. Meanwhile alleged cover-ups continue to dog the Church, and victims groups say the Vatican has not done nearly enough to right its wrongs. Here's what you need to know,

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-44209971 

Holyrood child abuse inquiry urged to look into former Bay City Rollers manager Tam Paton

THE Holyrood child abuse inquiry has been urged to look into the links between former Bay City Rollers manager Tam Paton, his friend Jimmy Savile and a Scottish orphanage. Paton, who died in 2009, was once jailed for “gross indecency” with two teenage boys and has been accused of using his fame and influence to prey on vulnerable youngsters in Edinburgh. He was a regular visitor to the Nazareth House children’s home in Lasswade, Midlothian, in the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes accompanied by Savile on one of the monster’s frequent trips north of the Border. The inquiry, chaired by high court judge Lady Smith, is examining decades of abuse at the four children’s homes run by the Sisters of Nazareth in Scotland.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/965545/holyrood-tam-paton-child-abuse-inquiry-bay-city-rollers-manager 

'I picked abusive priest over sister', Nazareth inquiry hears

A woman asked for forgiveness from beyond the grave for choosing the "love" of a priest who abused her over her sister, an inquiry has heard. The witness, who cannot be named, gave evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry on Friday in a recording made before her death in 2015. The audio recording had been sealed in two envelopes for safekeeping, which she signed and dated.

https://stv.tv/news/west-central/1417021-i-picked-abusive-priest-over-sister-nazareth-inquiry-hears/ 

Dying woman's shame at her 'love' for sex beast priest who raped her sister at children's home

The woman's evidence from 'beyond the grave' tells how the priest made her feel "special" and how she hated her sister when she was targeted for abuse. A woman asked for forgiveness from beyond the grave for choosing the “love” of a priest who abused her over her sister, an inquiry has heard. The witness, who cannot be named, gave evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry today in a recording made before her death in 2015. The audio recording had been sealed in two envelopes for safekeeping, which she signed and dated.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/scots-woman-asks-for-forgiveness-from-beyond-grave-over-sex-abuse-1-4748709 

Woman Recounts Sexual Molestation By Nun, Priest Inside Orphanage

Sure the nuns did everything they knew that they could get away with... listen people out there... WE WERE NOT MENTAL... WE WERE LITTLE BABIES... CHILDREN... TEENS and some of us in our 20s... we were just like you guys were.... as babies and children growing up... but we felt that we were different.... to the people from the outside world... some of us had never being on the outside... see... and that was how they used to talk to us... God, why did you not listen to our cries of help... Ann

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A 59-year-old woman who lived in a Catholic-run orphanage as a child has revealed how a nun sexually assaulted her with a hand brush. The woman identified as Helen Holland told Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry that she was sexually abused by a nun and several men with one she identified as a priest, at the Nazareth House home in Kilmarnock. She said the “sadistic” and unholistic act began when she was eight years old.

https://www.concisenews.global/2018/06/01/woman-recounts-brush-rape-encounter-with-nun/