Lack of faith: Women raped by Colorado priest call for accountability from Archdiocese of Denver

Three sisters of the Catholic Church are breaking their silence, accusing a Colorado priest of violating their childhood, in the hope their confession will inspire others to come forward. Their message doesn’t stop there. A significant part of their motivation is holding the Archdiocese of Denver accountable for what they say was an overt cover-up that last more than five decades.

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/investigations/lack-of-faith-women-raped-by-colorado-priest-call-for-accountability-from-archdiocese-of-denver 

HIA redress: ‘Long overdue... now it’s time to move on’, says victim

The passing of new legislation, ensuring that compensation will be paid to the survivors of institutional abuse, has been hailed as “long overdue” by a Derry man who suffered terrible abuse at a boys’ home in the city. The new Bill supports victims who suffered historical physical, sexual and emotional abuse in state and church-run homes in Northern Ireland.

https://www.derryjournal.com/news/people/hia-redress-long-overdue-now-it-s-time-to-move-on-says-victim-1-9134679 

Abuse survivor raped at foster homes, sexually abused by nun

Annasophia Calman told the Royal Commission of Inquiry into state and faith-based care that because of the abuse she doesn't know who she really is. Mrs Calman shared with the Commission the harrowing details of her violent family home publicly for the first time. "Nothing in our cupboards, beaten by our father while he was drunk and we had to be eating out of rubbish bins to survive." She told the inquiry it wasn't just physical violence she had to endure.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/402840/abuse-survivor-raped-at-foster-homes-sexually-abused-by-nun 

Defence of bishop too controversial

A popular children's author has been asked not to speak at a retreat for Catholic school principals in Central Otago, after defending a disgraced bishop's sexual relationship with a young woman. Joy Cowley hit the headlines last week, after writing a column in defence of former Catholic Bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan, who resigned earlier this month after admitting a sexual relationship with a young woman.

https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/defence-bishop-too-controversial 

Support for victims less than hoped

A ribbon-tying initiative in the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin has been launched to support victims of historic sexual abuse, but not everybody is happy. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Michael Dooley, wrote to all parishes last month, asking them to support the ''Loud Fences'' movement by tying ribbons in a designated area of the church on October 6.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/support-victims-less-hoped 

Claims disgraced bishop failed to safeguard people in diocese

This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission. Claims of a sex abuse cover-up and a failure to adequately protect women from sexual predation by a bipolar monk have surfaced in the diocese of disgraced bishop Charles Drennan.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116760655/claims-disgraced-bishop-failed-to-safeguard-people-in-diocese 

Catholic Church mum on abuse investigation

The cone of silence has descended again on the Catholic Church's investigation into the handling of sexual abuse allegations by a former Dunedin bishop. It was confirmed last week New Zealand's top Catholic, Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, had referred an investigation into former Dunedin Bishop John Kavanagh's actions to the Vatican.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/insight/catholic-church-mum-abuse-investigation 

Commemorative ribbons removed from outside Auckland church - again

The top Catholic in the Wellington area has written to church members imploring them not to remove commemorative ribbons tied to church railings. But a victim's advocate has said the 'Loud Fences' ribbons are still being removed from outside an Auckland Catholic church.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116107967/commemorative-ribbons-removed-from-outside-auckland-church--again 

Savio Rodrigues and Joseph Kennedy petition PM Modi to take action

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Goa Chronicles, Savio Rodrigues, and Director of Bluebugs Communications Pvt. Ltd R. Joseph Kennedy, have petitioned PM Narendra Modi to take urgent action against the rampant paedophilia in the Church. They are both the founders of Team Hail Mary, a team that seeks to highlight the crimes of the clergy

https://www.opindia.com/2019/09/sexual-abuse-by-clergy-savio-rodrigues-and-joseph-kennedy-petition-pm-modi-to-take-action-against-sexual-crimes-in-catholic-church/ 

Australian court to say if will hear Cardinal Pell’s appeal

CANBERRA, Australia — The most senior Catholic to be found guilty of sexually abusing children will learn this week whether Australia’s highest court will hear his appeal against convictions for molesting two choirboys in a Melbourne cathedral two decades ago.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/australian-court-to-say-if-will-hear-cardinal-pells-appeal/2019/11/10/10fd3cec-043d-11ea-9118-25d6bd37dfb1_story.html 

Cardinal Pell v The Queen v Jesus v sex abuse victims — what's not to hate?

The Jesus v Rome case was dragged before the highest court in the land — and Governor Pontius Pilate washed his hands of it, inviting the blood-lusting crowd to decide between pardoning Barabbas or "the king of the Jews". The rest is biblical history. Jesus seemingly lucked out, but he was a godman with a plan.

https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/cardinals-pell-v-the-queen-v-jesus-v-sex-abuse-victims---whats-not-to-hate,13102 

‘The silence is suffocating’: family abuse ‘epidemic’ uncovered in Samoa

The beautiful Polynesian island is home to a fiercely traditional society rife with domestic violence Blood on the walls. Bruises like smashed plums. As long as Sefina* can remember, family violence has been part of her life. She watched her mother routinely attacked by her stepfather. “Sorry,” her mother would whisper afterwards to the children.

https://en.brinkwire.com/canada/the-silence-is-suffocating-family-abuse-epidemic-uncovered-in-samoa/

Lawsuits against diocese allege horrific abuse at Rochester homes for needy kids

New lawsuits allege that a boy was repeatedly molested by a priest in the chapel at St. Joseph's Villa in the 1970s and that same victim was then repeatedly abused as a teenager by a staff member while living in a DePaul group home during the 1980s. The incidents at the DePaul home in Rochester and St. Joseph's Villa, a residential facility for troubled young people in Greece, were connected only by the fact that the victim was the same — a boy orphaned at age 5 in a constant search for a new home.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/08/29/catholic-priest-abuse-lawsuits-rochester-child-victims-act-new-york-dan-charcholla-depaul/2149920001/ 

Victims of child sexual abuse heartened by widening of Royal Commission

News that a Royal Commission will be expanded into faith-based institutions – and confirmation it will include day schools – is being cautiously hailed as a "game changer". The Government on Monday announced the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care would be expanded to include faith-based institutions. The move followed extensive lobbying from child sexual abuse survivors and their advocates.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108553225/victims-of-child-sexual-abuse-heartened-by-widening-of-royal-commission?rm=a

Child sexual abuse inquiry scope clarified

Priests who abused children in their own homes will be included in a Royal Commission into historical sexual abuse. The move is being described as a change-in-scope by advocates but the Royal Commission says it is only a clarification of the exiting scope. After the Government bowed to pressure and added abuse in faith-based institutions to the Royal Commission, victims and survivors were concerned the scope was too narrow, because it only looked at abuse in bricks-and-mortar institutions.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/111025706/child-sexual-abuse-inquiry-scope-widens?rm=a 

Sisters who say they were abused at Catholic orphanage lose faith in Royal Commission

It's a four-hour drive for Alexandra Murray from her home in Perth to the Western Australian costal settlement of Albany. It's a windy city, just like Wellington, where Alexandra was born and raised. The 59-year-old regularly visits Albany because it's the one place in Australia that reminds her of home.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/115033531/sisters-who-say-they-were-abused-at-catholic-orphanage-lose-faith-in-royal-commission 

Child Victims Act: The accused

A number of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse within the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese were filed Wednesday. What follows is a list of some of the religious leaders and others who were accused of sexually abusing children: Bishop Howard Hubbard, former leader of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old parishioner at St. Mary's Church in Ballston Spa in 1990s. A lawyer for Hubbard said the accusation is false.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Child-Victims-Act-the-accused-14304243.php 

New England dioceses join reporting system for sexual abuse

Several Roman Catholic dioceses in New England announced Wednesday that they were joining an independent system for reporting misconduct or abuse by church leaders. The system, started this year by the Diocese of Boston, was joined by the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire, the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont and the Diocese of Portland in Maine, as well as several dioceses in Massachusetts.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/New-England-dioceses-join-reporting-system-for-sexual-abuse-27739877 

Window opens for filing of lawsuits by childhood sexual abuse survivors

Susanne Robertson and her two sisters were orphans at St. Colman's Home in Watervliet, near Albany, where she said they were routinely abused by the nuns and other staff there. When one of the girls reported the sexual abuse to a nun at the home, she was transferred to an orphanage for mentally disabled children.

https://www.wxxinews.org/post/window-opens-filing-lawsuits-childhood-sexual-abuse-survivors 

Nuns, staff, priests sexually abused homeless kids at Catholic mission on Staten Island for decades: suit

Seven adult men and women charged in a 127-page lawsuit that they endured disturbing abuse at Mount Loretto Catholic Mission that was so brutal it left one of them brain damaged. In one instance around 1962, plaintiff Zaida Rivera said she was surrounded by a group of four or five nuns who forced her to lie down naked. They then made an older boy get on type of her and “grind and gyrate” his crotch on her privates as the nuns laughed, the suit says.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-staten-island-mission-abuse-20190814-kzgvb3utcfgyphosko5c3uc4z4-story.html 

Sisters prepare for decades-old indecent assault case

Sisters Lisa van der Merwe and Claudine Shiels are ready for the long haul after hearing that one of the two men who face decades-old indecent assault allegations will not be ready for the start of the trial in Cape Town on Thursday “I don’t know anything else, but trying to survive,” Van der Merwe said at a press briefing ahead of the case in the Wynberg Regional Court on Wednesday.

https://www.all4women.co.za/1822117/news/south-african-news/sisters-prepare-for-decades-old-indecent-assault-case 

Child Victims Act sex-abuse window sends shockwaves across Staten Island; churches, clergy, coaches, parents accused

A one-year window allowing adults who allege they were sexually abused as children to sue opened on Wednesday and sent shockwaves across Staten Island, with lawsuits being filed against Roman Catholic schools and churches, a youth athletic institution and even one man’s parents. The alleged abusers included the names of prominent borough clergy, coaches, educators and school principals.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/08/child-victims-act-sex-abuse-window-sends-shockwaves-across-staten-island-churches-clergy-coaches-parents-accused.html

Window for Child Victims Act sex-abuse lawsuits opens Wednesday: What it means

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Attorneys are poised to file hundreds if not thousands of lawsuits beginning on Wednesday for adults on Staten Island and throughout New York who allege they were sexually abused as children. A one-year window of opportunity exists for victims of any age who were abused at any time as minors to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers and institutions that purportedly turned a blind eye to those crimes.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/08/window-for-child-victims-act-sex-abuse-lawsuits-opens-wednesday-what-it-means.html 

Shocking, graphic suit alleges child abuse over nearly 40 years at Staten Island orphanage

A bombshell lawsuit filed against The Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mount Loretto alleges that multiple people endured appalling abuse, over decades, at the hands of nuns, priests and lay employees at the former orphanage. The lawsuit is one in a flurry filed as the Child Victims Act took effect Wednesday, sending shockwaves across Staten Island.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/08/shocking-graphic-suit-alleges-child-abuse-over-nearly-40-years-at-staten-island-orphanage.html 

CVA lawsuits bring spotlight back to St. Colman's Home

Susanne Robertson was one of seven children. When their mother had a nervous breakdown in 1957, the children were sent to St. Colman’s Home, under the eyes of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There, Robertson and two of her sisters say, one nun sexually abused them, and the order’s leaders permitted other adults to sexually abuse them and failed to notify authorities of the crimes.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/CVA-lawsuits-bring-spotlight-back-to-St-Colman-s-14308054.php 

Face facts, says LCWR official, sisters have been part of abuse scandal

Catholic sisters must face the reality that they have also been part of the sexual abuse scandal in the church, said Holy Cross Sister Sharlet Wagner. “We have all been affected by this scandal. We have listened to the trauma of survivors, and we have felt shame for the church we love and outrage over the crimes committed,” Sister Wagner said Aug. 15 during the Leadership Conference of Women Religious Assembly in Scottsdale.

http://catholicphilly.com/2019/08/news/national-news/face-facts-says-lcwr-official-sisters-have-been-part-of-abuse-scandal/ 

A Tidal Wave of Sex Abuse Lawsuits Is About to Hit New York's Catholic Churches and Boy Scouts

An unprecedented wave of lawsuits from sex abuse survivors is expected to flood New York courthouses on Wednesday, when the state hands survivors a one-time-only opportunity to sue their attackers — no matter how long ago the abuse took place. Only a handful of states have ever opened up so-called “lookback windows,” which temporarily suspend statute of limitation laws and let child sex abuse survivors, of any age, sue their abusers and the institution they represented.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywazax/a-tidal-wave-of-sex-abuse-lawsuits-is-about-to-hit-new-yorks-catholic-churches-and-boy-scouts 

One year after explosive Catholic church investigation in Pennsylvania: 300 priests, 1,000 victims, no state action

The cries for justice were deafening last August after a Pennsylvania grand jury disclosed accusations that hundreds of priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children, and that their sins were covered up by the Catholic church and others. Those cries still haven’t been answered.

https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-catholic-church-sex-abuse-grand-jury-investigation-muschick-20190809-s45l6ergwveevbj2jf5iafzqai-story.html

Nuns, staff, priests sexually abused homeless kids at Catholic mission on Staten Island for decades:

Seven adult men and women charged in a 127-page lawsuit that they endured disturbing abuse at Mount Loretto Catholic Mission that was so brutal it left one of them brain damaged. In one instance around 1962, plaintiff Zaida Rivera said she was surrounded by a group of four or five nuns who forced her to lie down naked. They then made an older boy get on type of her and “grind and gyrate” his crotch on her privates as the nuns laughed, the suit says.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-staten-island-mission-abuse-20190814-kzgvb3utcfgyphosko5c3uc4z4-story.html 

U.S. news Nun sexually abused me at Catholic orphanage, woman says

Susanne Robertson alleges that she was sexually assaulted by Sister Regina and a maintenance man while living at a Catholic-run orphanage in the 1960s. Susanne Robertson has devoted much of her life to sounding the alarm over the horrific abuse she says she suffered at a New York orphanage more than 50 years ago. A maintenance man sexually assaulting her in a boiler room. A nun violating her with a Lysol-soaked rag. For nearly 25 years, her efforts to force a reckoning on the St. Colman's Home near Albany have gone nowhere.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nun-sexually-abused-me-catholic-orphanage-woman-says-n1041876 

Leftists Crafting Vision for New Australian Church

CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory (ChurchMilitant.com) - Leftist plans to radically alter the Church "Down Under" are advancing. After decades of modernist infiltration, collapsing vocations and clerical sex abuse scandals and cover-up, the Church in Australia is in meltdown. Recognizing this, the country's bishops and many lay Catholic leaders are entertaining radical changes to the Faith, including:

 https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/looking-ahead-to-the-1970s

A Hudson Megachurch, a Beloved Pastor and the International Sex Abuse Scandal They've Tried To Hide

For a man who purports to be so boldly committed to truth, American missionary and Christian pastor Tom Randall has been at the center of – in fact, may be the chief architect of – a long and wicked deception. Randall is a gregarious man with an earnest, unsophisticated preaching style. He stands 6'5" and ambles about with the busted-knee hitch of a former serious athlete.

 https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/a-hudson-megachurch-a-beloved-pastor-and-the-international-sex-abuse-scandal-theyve-tried-to-hide/Content?oid=31021768

Raped and abused • Chilling tale of teenager sexually assaulted

Sexual relationship is meant to be consensual. This means it is something that is expected to take place between two adults who have an agreement to do so. What this means is that when either of the partners is forced, it becomes a case of rape, and that is criminal. It becomes more complicated when the victim is a minor.

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/raped-and-abused/ 

45 Seacoast priests on child sex abuse list

A former priest alleged to have sexually abused children in New Hampshire, his name made public for the first time this week, spent time at eight Seacoast churches or religious organizations between 1962 and 1986, according to new information released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. In 2011, the Diocese received reports of abuse involving David Morley that allegedly took place more than 45 years ago, said Bevin Kennedy, spokesperson for the Diocese.

https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20190801/45-seacoast-priests-on-child-sex-abuse-list

A Popular Pastor, Involved in an Abuse Scandal, Is Being Protected By His Church

Tom Randall is a Christian pastor from Ohio who is also a documented liar. He lied about getting drafted in the NBA. He lied about how he became a Christian. And, most importantly, there’s a lot of evidence that he lied about his involvement in a child sex scandal at a Philippine orphanage that he founded.

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/08/01/a-popular-pastor-involved-in-an-abuse-scandal-is-being-protected-by-his-church/

'The toughest story I've ever done': Inside Louise Milligan's investigation of George Pell

As an award-winning journalist on Australia's premier current affairs program, Louise Milligan is used to tackling difficult stories and upsetting people in power, but her three-year investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse against George Pell, the country's most senior Catholic, was daunting. "Without a doubt this is the toughest story I have ever done," Milligan said. "This is a person who had immense political and cultural power so taking that on is enormous and very, very stressful.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/about/backstory/investigative-journalism/2019-03-04/how-louise-milligan-investigated-the-george-pell-case/10867884 

Parkerville Children's Home child sex abuse survivors say redress scheme taking too long

Tragedy has been a constant in 84-year-old Ian Stewart's life. At five he lost his mother to cancer, and by the time World War II ended his father had surrendered him and his two brothers to Perth's Parkerville Children's Home. Mr Stewart said while he was an altar boy two nuns regularly molested him, then later his so-called house parents abused him.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-16/parkerville-child-sex-abuse-survivor-wants-redress-scheme-action/11310738 

Catholic Church Not About To Be Out-Molested By Goddamn Boy Scouts

Telling the youth organization that if they come for the king they best not miss, the Catholic Church announced Thursday that it was not about to be out-molested by the goddamn Boy Scouts. “If some pissant organization like the Scouts thinks they can beat us at the molestation game, then they have another fucking thing coming,” said Pope Francis, directing his message to the Scouts’ leaders

https://www.theonion.com/catholic-church-not-about-to-be-out-molested-by-goddamn-1836702707

Woman who was beaten by nuns and sexually abused by older girls

A woman who was physically, mentally and sexually abused in a covent from the age of six has told how breaking her silence after 60 years has prompted other victims to speak out. Marie Hargreaves, from Oldham, has waived her right to anonymity to speak about alleged assaults ordered by Sister Isobel O'Brien at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7289923/Woman-beaten-nuns-sexually-abused-older-girls-convent-age-6.html

Debate should be over, Canada is guilty of genocide

It's no longer up for debate. Canada is guilty of genocide. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has found that Canada has and continues to engage in "race-based genocide." The inquiry called to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder and disappearance of an estimated 1,200 Indigenous women and girls came to its conclusion after hearing from their family members, survivors of violence and expert witnesses, as well as conducting its own independent research.

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/indigenous-nationhood/2019/07/debate-should-be-over-canada-guilty-genocide 

Closed adoption rears its ugly head again

If we thought closed adoption was harmful the first time round, it's back in the form of the euphemistic 'Special Guardianship', writes law lecturer Khylee Quince Beyond the spotlight on child removals that has permeated our media, you may be wondering what the future holds for children taken from their families.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/07/09/663835/closed-adoption-rears-its-ugly-head-again 

Ireland, 1984: A year of fierce debates and ‘mounting evils’

The year 1984 became notorious for a number of stories involving women, pregnancy outside marriage, and their treatment by society, church and State. The impact of these stories would resonate for decades. That year, 15-year-old Ann Lovett died after giving birth to a stillborn son at a grotto in Granard, Co Longford; a full-term pregnancy that appeared to have gone unnoticed by all who knew her.

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/ireland-1984-a-year-of-fierce-debates-and-mounting-evils-1.3946743 

Gardai probe claims of clerical sex abuse at Dublin hostel of horrors

Victims say priests passed them around "like pieces of meat" Gardai probing a hostel for boys which operated in the 1960s and 1970s believe they’ve uncovered a paedophile ring run by clerics. The half-way house – which opened under the name “The Boys Club” – is the subject of an investigation by officers attached to the Sexual Crime Management Unit.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/clerical-sex-abuse-dublin-hostel-17484520 

Kerala priest held after 7 children flee orphanage, accuse him of sexual abuse

The orphanage provided shelter and education for children from poor families. It was running for the last two years and the police expect more complaints against the priest. (Image used for representational purpose only) A Christian priest has been arrested in Kochi on Sunday after residents of an orphanage run by him filed a complaint of sexual assault, the police said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-kerala-christian-priest-held-on-charges-of-being-a-pedophile/story-unxafiJLQlfQPdR0NvuYWO.html 

ICE's Abuse of Migrant Children Will Have Lifelong Effects - Just Ask My Family

Worldwide, disgust grows for Trump's policy of separating asylum-seeking Central American children from their caretakers, imprisoning them without adequate food, clothing, sanitation, bedding, medical care, or even toothbrushes. Doctors, lawyers, and journalists describe conditions at these camps as horrific and torturous. At least seven children have died in US custody, leading everyone from Amnesty International to Nicki Minaj to demand change.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ices-abuse-migrant-children-lifelong-211243177.html 

Ex-UN child protection worker jailed for child abuse in Nepal

Peter John Dalglish, 62, from Canada, a former high-profile humanitarian worker, was sentenced on Monday to terms of nine and seven years in two cases after being convicted last month. Thakur Trital, a district court official, told reporters that Dalglish had been sentenced for nine years for abusing a 12-year-old boy and seven years jail for molesting another 14-year-old.

https://www.globalvillagespace.com/ex-un-child-protection-worker-jailed-for-child-abuse-in-nepal/ 

Ballarat paedophile priest Robert Claffey admits to more sexual abuse

A Victorian pedophile priest has admitted more offending, but his lawyer argues he shouldn't be given a longer jail sentence because he's already been vilified. Robert Claffey, 76, is serving more than a decade in prison for sexual crimes against children, but on Monday he admitted abusing another two boys when he was a parish priest in Ballarat in the 1980s.

https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6262471/ballarat-paedophile-priest-admits-more-crimes-argues-for-no-additional-time/?cs=62 

Amid new Jeffrey Epstein allegations, here’s how to help a victim of child sex trafficking

Child sex trafficking is far more common than many people realize, experts say — but there are plenty of ways to help the victims. Well-connected financier Jeffrey Epstein’s recent federal indictment served as the latest prominent case: Prosecutors on Saturday charged Epstein, 66, with operating a sex-trafficking ring, alleging he had sexually abused and exploited dozens of underage girls in exchange for money from 2002 to 2005.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-help-a-victim-of-child-sex-trafficking-2019-07-11 

Prosecutor, Politician ... Priest? Bram Kranichfeld Pursues a Higher Calling

Bram Kranichfeld was having a rough go of it in May 2017 when his pastor approached him with an unexpected proposition. "I said, 'I think you're called to be a priest,'" recalled Jeanne Finan, then the dean and rector of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, the Episcopal congregation in Burlington. "I just felt that Bram had the gifts."

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/prosecutor-politician-priest-bram-kranichfeld-pursues-a-higher-calling/Content?oid=27941027 

Pope Francis orders priests and nuns to report sex abuse

Pope Francis issued a landmark decree on Thursday making bishops directly accountable for sexual abuse or covering it up, requiring clerics to report any cases to Church superiors and allowing anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if needed.  But the decree does not alter Vatican policy that clerics should follow local law as to whether they are mandated to report alleged sexual abuse to civil authorities.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5257835/pope-francis-catholic-church-report-sex-abuse/ 

Re" Just got my report back about the priest who sexual abuse me

Firstly I want to thank you all for your support over the many years... I want you to know how grateful I am... and appreciate your kindness toward me and the other survivors... who have come here to give voice... to the many survivors who have not come forward as yet...

I know we get upset and scream and shout... but please remember it is not directed at any one person here... I want you to walk in our shoes just for a minute... is that not too much to ask... when we have had a life time of suffering because of our child rape and abuse of many kinds...

https://annfreespiritnunsabusedchildren.blogspot.com/p/re-just-got-my-report-back-about-priest.html

Keith Raniere Nxivm trial: Why it's so hard to stop a cult

Sex cult leader Keith Raniere, has been convicted in New York of charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. For 20 years, Raniere was the leader of Nxivm (pronounced nexium), which claimed to be a self-help group and to have thousands of followers. But during his trial, former members gave an insight into the reality of how the group was run.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48635278 

Catholic Churches In Birmingham Fail To Deal With Child Sex Abuse

A damning report's found failings into how allegations of child abuse were dealt with at the Archdiocese of Birmingham It found children could have been saved from sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Birmingham if the Catholic church had not been so determined to protect its reputation.

https://www.capitalfm.com/birmingham/radio/news/local/church-birmingham-fail-deal-child-sex-abuse/

Scottish charity regulator criticised for taking over a year to respond to complaint

A member of the public has complained to the Scottish Parliament because the charity regulator in Scotland has taken over a year to decide whether to investigate possible missue of charitable funds. Peter Martin of Muir of Ord asked OSCR to investigate the “misuse of charitable funds in relation to sexual abuse in the diocese of Galloway” in April 2018, but has still not had a decision. -

https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/scottish-government-involved-after-oscr-takes-over-a-year-to-respond-to-complaint.html

Top Buffalo diocese official allegedly scolded boy who accused priest of abuse

The second-in-command of the Buffalo Diocese in the early 1980s allegedly blamed a teenage boy who accused the Rev. Michael R. Freeman of sexually abusing him. Monsignor Donald W. Trautman told the boy in a meeting at diocese headquarters that he should have avoided Freeman, who was assigned to St. Christopher Church in the Town of Tonawanda at the time, according to local attorney Steve Boyd.

https://buffalonews.com/2019/06/20/top-buffalo-diocese-official-allegedly-scolded-boy-who-accused-priest-of-abuse/ 

Pope names replacement for France abuse

Pope Francis on Monday named a temporary replacement for a French bishop who has gone on leave after being found guilty of covering up sex abuse. Mons. Michel Dubost, emeritus bishop of Evry-Crobeil-Essonnes, has been named apostolic administrator of the diocese of Lyon. He replaces Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who was sentenced to six months in jail for covering up a string of sex-abuse cases in the eastern French city.

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/vatican/2019/06/24/pope-names-replacement-for-france-abuse_b1676e88-d53a-4580-a9e0-87fbc3b85e9f.html

‘I have not allowed the abuse I suffered as a child to define me’

Every day I’m inspired by my husband, Sacha. He suffered the most heinous abuse at an orphanage as a child and he was a part of the recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Despite that heartbreaking start to his life, he’s survived and at 78 works in our local performing arts centre, entertaining the over-60s.

https://startsat60.com/discover/opinion/bloggers/i-didnt-let-the-abuse-i-suffered-as-a-child-define-me 

Former Erie Bishop Responds to Allegations of not Reporting Sexual Abuse

Former Erie Bishop Donald Trautman has released a statement, over the latest sexual abuse allegations within the Catholic Church. “The assertions about me from the press conference in Buffalo regarding James Bottlinger are not accurate. I can state with absolute certainty that I never saw Freeman and Bottlinger in Freeman’s bedroom or “private quarters”. If I had observed any inappropriate actions, I would have immediately corrected it. I did not cover up anything.”

 https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/40689980/former-erie-bishop-responds-to-allegations-of-not-reporting-sexual-abuse

Church commission updating policies to reflect new Vatican sex abuse reporting law

The Curia’s Safeguarding Commission is currently updating its policy to reflect a new Vatican law on sex abuse reporting, a spokesperson has told The Malta Independent. The revised version will be published later this year. Last month, Pope Francis issued the “motu proprio” “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”) to help the Catholic Church safeguard its members from abuse and hold its leaders accountable.

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-06-24/local-news/Church-commission-updating-policies-to-reflect-new-Vatican-sex-reporting-law-6736209959 

Woman abused by 'evil nun' tells how she's scarred for life

The crimes of a nun who allegedly abused society's most vulnerable children are beginning to come to light thanks to the bravery of one of her victims. Sister Isobel O'Brien was identified as part of a Merseyside Police investigation into abuse at Greenfield House convent in Billinge, St Helens, after Marie Hargreaves, now 65, came forward decades later.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/despicable-crimes-evil-nun-exposed-16389870 

Little girls tortured, beaten and sexually abused: Brave victims of 'evil nun' come forward

More brave victims have described the horrific abuse at the hands of a nun who allegedly sexually assaulted little girls in her care. Last week grandmother-of-nine Marie Hargreaves bravely spoke out about Sister Isobel O'Brien, who she says battered, psychologically tortured and sexually abused her in Greenfield House convent in Billinge, St Helens.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/little-girls-tortured-beaten-sexually-16466002 

2 Catholic orders name 65 priests accused or convicted of abuse; 27 served in Arizona.

Two Catholic religious orders recently released lists naming 65 clergy accused of sexual abuse against minors dating back decades; 27 of the men served in Arizona. The newly released information comes as American bishops met this week in Baltimore for a conference that focused on how to respond to the church's sex-abuse crisis, which has increasingly caught the attention of state prosecutors across the U.S.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/06/15/2-catholic-orders-release-names-who-served-arizona-accused-child-sex-abuse/1435770001/ 

Pedophile Behind Bars, Victims Will Receive $60 Million

“We are grateful that this process is in its final stages and will provide closure for these brave young men,” said New York attorney Paul J. Hanly Jr., co-lead counsel on the case with Boston lawyer Mitchell Garabedian. “The settlement will allow the survivors to move beyond these horrors, enable them to receive whatever counseling and aid they require, and move on with their lives, as best as they can.” If there is no successful challenge to the settlement in court, it will officially take effect on August 27, 2019.

https://www.legalreader.com/pedophile-behind-bars-victims-will-receive-60-million/ 

Safe haven or house of horrors? Ex-Mt. Loretto residents reflect on shocking sex filing

To some it was a safe haven, an environment where struggling children put their lives back on track. Others, however, claim it was a place where predators preyed upon their vulnerabilities. Former residents of the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin, Mount Loretto, are embroiled after a bombshell court filing alleged that a woman who attended the haven suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of several nuns and at least one lay person.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/06/safe-haven-or-house-of-horrors-ex-mt-loretto-residents-reflect-after-shocking-sex-filing.html 

Her Evangelical Megachurch Changed into Her World. Then Her Daughter Said She Changed into Molested by a Minister.

Christi Bragg listened in disbelief. It modified into a Sunday in February, and her smartly-liked evangelical pastor, Matt Chandler, modified into preaching on the sinful of leaders who sexually abuse these they are called to give protection to. But at the Village Church, he assured his listeners, victims of assault would be heard, and healed: “We take into fable you.”

https://steerfeed.org/her-evangelical-megachurch-changed-into-her-world-then-her-daughter-said-she-changed-into-molested-by-a-minister/99154/ 

Kamala Harris buried investigation into predator priests and did 'absolutely nothing' after becoming San Francisco D.A. say victims who want their cases files released

Survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy claim Kamala Harris did not do enough to prosecute their cases when she was San Francisco district attorney. Victims said compared to Terence Hallinan, who was DA before Harris defeated him in the 2003 election, Harris did 'absolutely nothing.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7125993/Kamala-Harris-buried-investigation-predator-priests-victims-say.html 

‘Detailed information’ lands Visalia priest on paid leave

Kathleen Lisle speaks out about her experience being abused by a priest in the Catholic Church when she was 12 years old. Angela Gosnell and Sam Upshaw Jr., Nashville Tennessean A Visalia priest with a troubled past is on paid leave after The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno discovered new evidence that may point to wrongdoing.

https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2019/06/10/visalia-priest-placed-leave-roman-catholic-diocese/1416475001/

That strong New York Times #ChurchToo horror story – with clues pointing to big SBC issues

Throughout the 16-plus years that GetReligion has been around, I have received emails asking why the mainstream press has focused on clergy sexual abuse cases in the Church of Rome, but not abuse cases in liberal and conservative Protestant flocks.

That’s an important question and one that looms over the intense media coverage we are currently seeing — with good cause — at the Southern Baptist Convention meetings in Birmingham (click here for Bobby Ross Jr. round-up on preliminary coverage).

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/6/11/that-strong-new-york-times-churchtoo-horror-story-with-clues-pointing-to-big-sbc-issues

Federal judge OKs $60 million settlement in Haitian orphanage abuse case

HARTFORD, Connecticut - A $60 million settlement to be paid by Fairfield University and several Catholic organizations and individuals will go to as many as 170 Haitian children at a Catholic orphanage who were abused by convicted pedophile Douglas Perlitz. Jayne Conroy, an attorney who represented the children, said the settlement was a long time in coming.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2019/06/11/federal-judge-oks-60-million-settlement-in-haitian-orphanage-abuse-case/ 

Argentine bishop and friend of Pope Francis charged with sex abuse of seminarians

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, June 10, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, one of Pope Francis’ first episcopal appointments, has been formally charged with alleged sexual abuse of two seminarians in the Diocese of Oran in northern Argentina.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/argentine-bishop-and-friend-of-pope-francis-charged-with-sex-abuse-of-seminarians 

AP: States Consider Charging Catholic Church as Crime Ring

In what would be an unprecedented legal move, Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel is considering applying federal racketeering laws to prosecute officials within the Catholic Church for their roles in covering up clerical sex abuse, according to an Associated Press investigation published Tuesday morning.  Such an action would mark the first known example of a law enforcement agency prosecuting the Church using federal laws aimed at taking on organized criminal activity.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/9926-ap-states-consider-charging-catholic-church-as-crime-ring 

What happened at Nazareth House orphanages?

The extent of the appalling abuse suffered by children in the care of nuns at the Nazareth House orphanages has been laid bare in a new report. Over five decades, children were subjected to physical beatings and punishments on an almost daily basis. In homes in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Ayrshire and Midlothian, they were humiliated, insulted and denigrated by adults charged with their care.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48460746 

Thousands of children ‘led miserable and fearful lives’ at abusive Aberdeen care home

Thousands of children were made to live in fear by violent nuns who physically and sexually abused them at an Aberdeen care home. A “heart-breaking” report has been released detailing the “utmost depravity” youngsters had to endure at Nazareth House on the city’s Claremont Street. The home was set up by six members of the Sisters of Nazareth charity in 1862, and operated as an orphanage, school and care home for the elderly.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/1761013/thousands-of-children-led-miserable-and-fearful-lives-at-abusive-aberdeen-care-home/ 

Children were subject to sexual abuse of 'utmost depravity' at home run by Sisters of Nazareth religious order, inquiry finds

Children at homes run by a religious order were subjected to sexual abuse of the 'utmost depravity', an inquiry has found. Residential institutions run by the Sisters of Nazareth (SoN) were 'places of fear, hostility and confusion' for many children, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry said. The inquiry published its findings into residential institutions run by SoN between 1933 and 1984 on Thursday, concluding that children suffered sexual abuse there.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7086611/Children-home-run-Sisters-Nazareth-subject-sexual-abuse.html 

Nazareth sidebar: Nun’s conviction

Just one Nazareth House worker has been convicted of abuse since the closure of the Aberdeen facility. Marie Theresa Docherty, known as Sister Alphonso, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in 2000. She pled not guilty to 21 different charges regarding the cruel and unnatural treatment of children in her care.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/1761094/nazareth-sidebar-nuns-conviction/ 

Nigerian Catholic priest Duru rapes 68 year-old American woman: Court papers

A 68-year-old retired American teacher Kathy Coll has sued a Nigerian Catholic Priest, Fr. Cyprian Duru for alleged rape in 2016. In the 13-count suit, Coll also sued the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David Zubik, and St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Parish, her Ross Township church.

https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/06/08/nigerian-catholic-priest-duru-rapes-68-year-old-american-woman-court-papers/ 

Catholic Church spent $10.6 million to lobby against legislation that would benefit victims of child sex abuse

A new report released Tuesday reveals that, over the past eight years, the Catholic Church has spent $10.6 million in the northeastern United States to fight legislation that would help victims of clergy sexual abuse seek justice. "At the most basic level, we were inspired by frustration," says attorney Gerald Williams,

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-church-scandal-spent-10-million-lobbyists-fight-extension-statutes-of-limitations-child-sex-abuse-vicims/ 

Child abuse is a global epidemic — we need global action to eradicate if

In May of this year, a 3-year-old girl was raped in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, a child is sexually abused in India, my home country, every 15 minutes. But India is far from alone. n 2014, 1 billion children between the ages of 2 and 17 were the victims of physical, sexual, emotional or multiple types of violence. One statistic suggests that 200 million children worldwide face sexual violence annually.

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/446848-child-abuse-is-a-global-epidemic-we-need-global-action-to-eradicate-it 

Abuse survivor plans trip to replace memorial ribbons

Sexual abuse survivor Mike Ledingham launched his book The Catholic Boys at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Onehunga. A child abuse survivor is so upset at the removal of memorial ribbons from an Auckland Catholic church, he plans to get ribbons from Australian survivors to replace those taken down.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/113274971/abuse-survivor-plans-trip-to-replace-memorial-ribbons 

Nazareth House child abuse: East Kilbride survivor hails outcome of inquiry

An elderly survivor of state care child abuse says he is delighted justice has finally been served after a 20 year fight. Jim Buckley, 74, was the first in Scotland to give testimony to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry on the cruel regimes he was forced to endure throughout his childhood at the hands of nuns.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/nazareth-house-child-abuse-east-16253582

Child abuse and its concealment did occur within Protestant institutions

Patrick Murphy observed that, “Protestant churches have generally not been involved in widespread child abuse and its concealment” (May 25). Their “moral authority” and “reputation remains largely intact”. Bible-based prohibition of abortion and equal marriage therefore plays strongly within unionist politics.

https://www.irishnews.com/opinion/letterstotheeditor/2019/06/07/news/child-abuse-and-its-concealment-did-occur-within-protestant-institutions-1636145/ 

Children Were Abused In Sisters Of Nazareth Houses

According to the information from their website, the Sisters of Nazareth have been supporting and caring for those in need at all stages of life for more than 150 years within our Nazareth Houses. They do this by living their core values of Love, Compassion, Patience, Respect, Justice and Hospitality. These values are shared by all who work in their Nazareth Houses.

http://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/children-were-abused-sisters-nazareth-houses 

Victims of Sexual Abuse by Nuns Are Speaking Out

Besides Catholic priests there are also Catholic nuns with credible allegations of abuse against children, but it seems like their victims are not getting enough visibility, When the media reports about abuse in the Church it is almost always about the priests. Nuns may be even more difficult to prosecute because women are not seen as abuser in general and nuns are usually out of the media spotlight that is focused on abusive priests.

http://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/victims-sexual-abuse-nuns-are-speaking-out 

Inquiry encourages Deaf survivors to share childhood sexual abuse experiences

Deaf survivors of sexual abuse are being encouraged to share their childhood experiences as part of a major independent inquiry. The Truth Project, one of the three parts of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, this week launched new measures to make it easier for d/Deaf people who were sexually abused as children to come forward and tell their stories.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/inquiry-encourages-deaf-survivors-to-share-childhood-sexual-abuse-experiences/ 

Catholic Nuns Have Also Sexually Abused Children, and Survivors Are Speaking Out

It’s not just Catholic priests who molest children. Catholic nuns do it too. Trish Cahill tells NPR’s Laura Benshoff in a piece today that she was just 15 when a nun invited her to her home — and the teenager was thrilled to have that opportunity and attention. That only lasted a short while. … during an outing to a house at the Jersey shore, Cahill said the nun gave her tea laced with intoxicants.

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/05/30/catholic-nuns-have-also-sexually-abused-children-and-survivors-are-speaking-out/ 

Catholic sex abuse: Brothers say priest 'crushed my soul and spirit'

Two brothers have returned to a Catholic church where they experienced harrowing child abuse at the hands of a priest. Mike Ledingham​ launched his book The Catholic Boys on the church steps at Our Lady of the Assumption in Auckland's Onehunga on Saturday. Huddled under umbrellas, the former SAS soldier, 68, and his brother Chris spoke to friends, family and a Māori healer who came to cleanse the clergy house.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/113113796/he-crushed-my-soul-and-spirit-brothers-speak-out-about-catholic-priests-abuse 

Canada guilty of decades-long 'race-based genocide' against indigenous people – inquiry

A damning report has accused the Canadian government of perpetuating genocide by inaction against indigenous women and girls. Indigenous rights activists say they've been witnessing their own grim version of #MeToo for years now. The report is the result of an extensive inquiry commissioned by the Canadian government itself in 2016.

https://www.rt.com/news/461000-canada-genocide-indigenous-women/

Catholic Church in Australia releases standards for child protection

The Australian Catholic Church has released its National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, more than 18 months after they were recommended by the country's landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. The standards closely parallel the commission's recommendations as well as norms enshrined by the government in the National Principles for Child Safe Organizations, although some provisions have been watered down, observers noted.

https://international.la-croix.com/news/catholic-church-in-australia-releases-standards-for-child-protection/10249# 

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Convicted teachers to speak to inquiry from prison

Two men convicted of sexually and physically abusing pupils at a Fife residential school are to give evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. John Farrell and Paul Kelly were teachers at the former St Ninian's School in Falkland, an institution run by a Catholic religious order, the Christian Brothers. Kelly is serving a 10 year sentence for abusing three boys at the school.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48514239#

Woman, 65, claims in court that Catholic nuns 'tortured and sexually abused' her for five years from the age of six

A 65-year-old woman has alleged that she was sexually assaulted and tortured by nuns for five years while living at a Catholic mission for homeless youth on Staten Island in the 1960s. Robin (Miller) Campbell, 65, claimed in court documents filed on Monday that from the ages of six to 11, a nun at Mount Loretto Catholic Mission on Staten Island would place her hands under her covers as she slept in bed, that another broke Campbell's back throwing her down a flight of stairs and yet another broke her fingers slamming a piano's key cover on her hands.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7104637/Woman-65-claims-Catholic-nuns-tortured-sexually-abused-five-years-age-six.html 

Bombshell court filing: Woman claims nuns sexually abused her while a child at Mt. Loretto

The Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mount Loretto was created to be a haven for homeless and destitute children. But a former resident alleges in court papers it was more a house of horrors for her in the early and mid-1960s, when she suffered “horrific acts of sexual and physical abuse” at the hands of several nuns and at least one lay person, while a young girl.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/06/bombshell-court-filing-woman-claims-nuns-sexually-abused-her-while-a-child-at-mt-loretto.html 

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: ‘You would get leatherings for lying,’ says former resident of St Ninian’s School in Falkland

A former pupil of the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife, has told how a “big and powerful” adult hand was placed over his mouth and nose while he was having a shower causing him to struggle and then to black out. The witness, who was a child at the time of the incident in the 1950s, did not see who grabbed him.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/907281/scottish-child-abuse-inquiry-you-would-get-leatherings-for-lying-says-former-resident-of-st-ninians-school-in-falkland/ 

Survivors describe physical and sexual abuse at school run by religious order

An abuse survivor has told how he was hit with a golf club and beaten with a leather belt while resident at a children's home run by a religious order. The man, referred to as John, was hit so hard with the club that its head flew off but the religious brother continued to hit him with the stick. Among those jailed for abuse at the order is Plymouth man Paul Kelly, who also taught at St Boniface School in Plymouth for 27 years.

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/survivors-describe-physical-sexual-abuse-2942284 

'Whitewash' over Nazareth House children's home abuse

A man has told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) the sexual abuse he suffered as a child in the 1960s was ''whitewashed and hidden". He told the inquiry he was abused by priests, care assistants and older boys over two years when he stayed at Nazareth House in Lasswade, Midlothian. The hearing heard that when he tried to report abuse he was beaten or told to "stop telling lies".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-44210914 

Hundreds of Sisters of Nazareth Catholic order complaints received

Police have received complaints from more than 300 people against the Sisters of Nazareth Catholic order which ran children's homes in Scotland until the 1980s. The Scottish child abuse inquiry has begun hearing evidence in connection with the homes they ran in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayrshire. Police received 308 complaints against the Sisters of Nazareth. They related to their child care homes between 1934 and 1984.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-43881629 

Nun told boy in her care he was 'garbage'

A nun told a boy he was "garbage" and was being sent to Australia from Scotland because "your family doesn't want you, your country doesn't want you", an inquiry has heard. A witness told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry he was 11 when he was forced to emigrate in the 1950s. He was then sexually abused by priests at a care home in Tasmania.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-43899641 

Boy 'stripped and beaten' at home run by nuns

An 11-year-old boy was stripped by a man and beaten black and blue at a children's home, a hearing has heard. A witness at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry said the man "battered hell" out of him at Nazareth House in Aberdeen in the 1960s. He said the nuns who ran the home would have known about the incident but did not check to see how he was.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-43908135# 

Nazareth House orphanage sisters 'beaten until they bled'

Three sisters were beaten until they bled and called derogatory names on their first day at an orphanage, an inquiry has heard. The claims were made by a woman in her 60s, who cannot be named, who lived at Nazareth House in Aberdeen from 1967. She told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry how nuns at the Catholic-run home put on a show of "niceness" when the sisters arrived.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-43925098 

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Nazareth Houses were 'places of fear'

Some children at the Nazareth House orphanages in Scotland were subjected to sexual abuse of the "utmost depravity", the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has found. Chairwoman Lady Smith said the children's homes were places of fear, hostility and confusion. Youngsters were physically abused and emotionally degraded "with impunity".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48458480 

Six decades later, 2 men accuse nuns of sex abuse

From a sidewalk in Kearny, Henry Coffey, 80, points to the sections of the old Sacred Heart Orphanage where he says nuns molested and beat him as a boy in the early 1940s: the laundry room; the nuns’ quarters; the classrooms. From a sidewalk in Kearny, Henry Coffey, 80, points to the sections of the old Sacred Heart Orphanage where he says nuns molested and beat him as a boy in the early 1940s: the laundry room; the nuns’ quarters; the classrooms.

https://www.nj.com/news/2009/10/six_decades_later_2_men_accuse.html 

Vows of Silence?

Myra Hidalgo was 14 when her older sister Mona shot herself in the head. During her second year in college, her 52-year-old mother died of heart problems weeks after undergoing what was supposed to be a routine angioplasty. Little more than a year later, her father, heartbroken, shot himself in the heart.

https://www.theadvocate.com/gambit/new_orleans/news/article_5d93002e-c3bb-5cc9-b33e-f7e9c9e84f0b.html 

Questions Raised over Handling of Nun Abuse

Patricia Cahill says she was sexually abused by a nun when she was a child. As an adult, she says she went to at least a couple of officials with the Morris Township-based Sisters of Charity and told them about the abuse. She says nothing happened for a couple of years. Then she called a lawyer. More than 10 years after the Sisters of Charity paid her $70,000 in an out-of-court settlement, Cahill said she still is trying to come to terms with her alleged abuse.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2004_07_12/2004_10_24_Koloff_QuestionsRaised.htm 

These 3 N.J. nuns were accused of sex abuse. Here’s what we know about them.

When a law firm released a report earlier this month naming 311 Catholic clergy members from New Jersey accused of sexual misconduct there was something striking about the list-- it included women. Three nuns from New Jersey were among the priests, monks, deacons and other clergy members listed in the report compiled by New Jersey attorney Greg Gianforcaro and Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Minnesota-based law firm that specialized in representing victims of abuse.

https://www.nj.com/news/2019/05/these-3-nj-nuns-were-accused-of-sex-abuse-heres-what-we-know-about-them.html 

Ex-Legionary, Fox News personality asks to leave the priesthood

Father Jonathan Morris, a former member of the Legion of Christ who was at one time among the most prominent Catholic priests in America as a contributor to Fox News, has asked to be dismissed from the clerical state, indicating he wants to be free to “marry and have a family” though saying it’s not about an “existing relationship.”

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2019/05/17/ex-legionary-fox-news-personality-asks-to-leave-the-priesthood/ 

Poland raises jail terms for child abuse after church documentary

Poland has raised jail terms for convicted paedophiles to a maximum of 30 years after a groundbreaking documentary on child sexual abuse among Polish priests prompted public outrage. MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of changes to the criminal code that also introduce life sentences for the most dangerous paedophiles and remove a statute of limitations on prosecution of the most drastic cases of child sexual abuse.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/17/poland-jail-terms-child-abuse-church-documentary?CMP=share_btn_fb 

On The Atlantic’s June Cover, James Carroll Urges the Catholic Church to“Abolish the Priesthood”

The Catholic Church’s reputation and membership has suffered under the continued devastating revelations of rapmant sexual abuse, aided by priests, bishops, and cardinals who’ve protected each other over countless victims. James Carroll, who spent five years as a priest himself, harbored no illusions about the Church’s betrayal, and yet maintained his faith as he wrote and reported on the Church’s moral failings.

https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2019/05/abolish-priesthood/589633/ 

Msgr. Charles Kaza removed from active ministry pending further investigation

A pastor serving in a Brockway parish and on a DuBois-area school board has been removed from active ministry amid allegations of sexual misconduct during his time at an Erie church in the 1980s. According to a press release from the Erie Diocese, Msgr. Charles Kaza, pastor of St. Tobias Parish in Brockway and president of DuBois Central Catholic School Board, has been placed on administrative leave, restricting him from active ministry, following allegations of sexual abuse of a mino

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/msgr-charles-kaza-removed-from-active-ministry-pending-further-investigation/article_3055323e-79c8-11e9-bf33-4fe55242aa82.html 

'Anybody awkward was put somewhere. Ireland was closed, defensive, xenophobic'

Preparing to publish his investigation into Ireland’s religious-run residential institutions 10 years ago this month, Mr Justice Seán Ryan knew that he and his team had lived and breathed the subject. He had done so for six years. Others on the team had done so for much longer However, none of them knew how the final report of the Commission To Inquire Into Child Abuse document would be received.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/anybody-awkward-was-put-somewhere-ireland-was-closed-defensive-xenophobic-1.3896141 

Marching orders kept Buffalo cops from arresting child-molesting priests

Hardly any of the more than 100 Buffalo area priests implicated as child molesters spent so much as one day in jail. For years, most of their victims were too scared or embarrassed to make complaints. But Buffalo Police had marching orders not to arrest Catholic priests, according to former vice squad Detective Martin Harrington and other retired officers. Instead they alerted the bishop’s office to any illegal activities.

https://buffalonews.com/2019/05/19/why-buffalos-child-molesting-priests-werent-arrested/ 

Pope pays tribute to journalists killed in the line of duty, says press freedom is vital

Pope Francis honored journalists killed in the line of duty, saying that press freedom is a strong indicator of a country's overall health. During a speech to the Italian Foreign Press Association in Rome, the head of the Catholic Church urged journalists to shun fake news and report more on the plight of people who don't make daily headlines but are suffering still.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/pope-journalists-press-freedom-vital 

Protest held outside Catholic church in Glasgow where priest was spat on

Campaigners stood at the entrance to St Alphonsus' Church on London Road, where a Dalmarnock O&P No50 District march passed by. A peaceful protest organised by Call It Out, the anti-Catholic bigotry campaign group, saw campaigners stand at the entrance to St Alphonsus' Church on London Road, where a Dalmarnock Orange & Purple District No.50 Parade passed by.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17650545.protest-held-outside-catholic-church-in-glasgow-where-priest-was-spat-on/ 

Sarah Champion: Survivors of child sexual abuse deserve better support

Dealing with the fallout from sexual abuse is a moral duty for the country – and sound public policy, writes Sarah Champion. The scale of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom is difficult to comprehend. According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, seven per cent of people aged between 16 and 59 report that they were sexually abused as a child. This equates to over two million survivors.

https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/social-affairs/children-and-young-people/house/house-magazine/103946/sarah-champion 

‘Shocking, shocking:’ Justice Sean Ryan on the abuses of children uncovered in his report

On May 20th, 2009, the Commission into Child Abuse published its shattering 2,600-page report. It investigated 215 residential institutions for children, run by 18 religious congregations, which had existed in the Irish State until the early 1970s. An estimated 170,000 children passed through them. Set up in 2000, the Commission’s Investigation Committee heard from approximately 1,400 complainants, as well as representatives of the 18 religious congregations, relevant politicians and government officials.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/shocking-shocking-justice-sean-ryan-on-the-abuses-of-children-uncovered-in-his-report-1.3896174 

School janitor with hidden past as priest left wake of abuse

Eugene H. Hubert Jr. has been accused of sexually abusing young boys in New York and Minnesota. (Schroon Lake Central School District) A former custodian who has been accused of systematically raping boys at a Catholic elementary school in Albany in the 1970s had allegedly done the same thing years earlier while serving as a priest with a seminary in the Midwest, where he attended college.

 https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Brother-Gene-left-wake-of-abuse-victims-13829147.php

Bishop Olmsted Sees ‘Renewal’ in Priestly Formation, Despite Scandal

Despite the scandals of clerical sexual abuse that the Catholic Church has suffered in past decades, the Church in the United States has also enjoyed a “renewal” in priestly formation, says Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix. In a monthly series of columns, Bishop Olmsted has been considering various aspects of the Church scandal, as well as ways to move forward in purification.

https://catholiccitizens.org/views/86775/bishop-olmsted-sees-renewal-in-priestly-formation-despite-scandal/ 

The Catholic Church may be at a crossroads, but it is moving toward the right path now

After reading the USA Today story that ran prominently on the front page of the Knoxville News Sentinel on April 23, and in other newspapers across the country that week, and after much reflection and prayer, I feel compelled to respond to the statement posed by the KNS in a headline attached to the story, “Catholic Church at a crossroads.”

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/opinion/2019/05/12/roman-catholic-church-moving-right-direction/1145157001/ 

Archbishop Scicluna: Clerical abuse reporters will be fully protected under new Church law

Anyone reporting the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy will be afforded full whistleblower protection, Archbishop of Malta Charles Scicluna told The Malta Independent on Sunday. Archbishop Scicluna, on behalf of the Catholic Church, earlier this week unveiled a groundbreaking raft of new Church laws making it compulsory for any member of the clergy who knows of abuse taking place to report it immediately.

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-05-12/local-news/Archbishop-Scicluna-Clerical-abuse-reporters-will-be-fully-protected-under-new-Church-law-6736208017 

Exhibition by abuse survivors marks 10 years since Ryan Report

An exhibition by survivors of childhood sex abuse has been curated to mark 10 years since the Ryan Report. The report investigated abuse in institutions for children across the country, the majority of which were reformatory and industrial schools operated by Catholic Church orders and funded and supervised by the Department of Education.

https://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/exhibition-by-abuse-survivors-marks-10-years-since-ryan-report-38102938.html 

5 highlights of pope's reforms for handling clergy sex abuse

Pope Francis last week issued a sweeping set of new Catholic Church laws aimed at better policing how the hierarchy investigates claims of clergy sex abuse and cover-up, marking his most concrete effort to date to respond to a crisis that has threatened to overwhelm his papacy. Here are some of the highlights:

https://www.grandhaventribune.com/Nation/2019/05/12/5-highlights-of-Pope-Francis-new-reforms-for-handling-clergy-sex-abuse.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p= 

reaching in the context of sexual abuse

Pope Francis prays in front of a candle in memory of victims of sexual abuse as he visits St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin Aug. 25, 2018. Pope Francis has revised and clarified norms and procedures for holding bishops and religious superiors accountable in protecting minors as well as in protecting members of religious orders and seminarians from abuse.

https://catholic-sf.org/news/preaching-in-the-context-of-sexual-abuse 

The Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal: Grappling with the elephant in the room

As I entered Christ of the Desert Catholic Chapel, a woman deeply disturbed by the clergy sexual-abuse scandal, cornered me. “Why don’t they allow priests to marry?,” she asked. I would imagine that this question is on the minds of many. The implication: If celibacy were optional, incidents of sexual abuse would be greatly reduced.

Catholic scandals prompt some women who had relationships with priests to ponder whether they, too, were abused

He was a 24-year-old seminarian from a blue-collar family. She was an idealistic 19-year-old psychology student. He wanted to teach. She wanted to be a missionary. They hung out at the Rathskeller, a now-defunct bar at Mount St. Mary’s College, to drink draft beer and eat soft pretzels.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/catholic-scandals-prompt-some-women-who-had-relationships-with-priests-to-ponder-whether-they-too-were-abused/2019/05/12/fac917e8-5ba9-11e9-a00e-050dc7b82693_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0e5d56c68140 

THE SUCCESS OF POPE FRANCIS' NEW SEX ABUSE REPORTING RULES DEPENDS ON ENFORCEMENT

Learning from what he calls “the bitter lessons of the past,” Pope Francis has issued the most comprehensive response of his papacy to the sex abuse crisis. The new document requires bishops, priests and religious to report sexual abuse and cover-ups to church officials and sets up new procedures for investigating bishops. Pope in Macedonia Pope Francis attends an ecumenical and interreligious meeting with young people in Skopje, North Macedonia, on 7th May, 2019.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7206137034807544365#editor/target=post;postID=4928325085166046174

Brutal lesson: story of abuse by Dunedin nun

A dying Dunedin man tells Chris Morris his story of a savage beating he received as a 10-year-old ‘‘cheeky little Catholic boy’’ at the hands of a nun. Russell Butler is in a race against time. The 63-year-old South Dunedin resident and practising Catholic has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and recently received the Last Rites from a priest.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/brutal-lesson-story-abuse-dunedin-nun 

Bishops should cede some power to lay Catholics, says German theologian

The German Catholic bishops' recently announced commitment to initiating a "binding synodal procedure" will be a failure if the prelates do not give up some of their power to the laity, a young theologian has warned. Michael Seewald, a 32-year-old professor of dogmatics at the University of Münster, said a successful synod procedure will depend on how the bishops will share power, foster participation and implement a system of checks-and-balances.

https://international.la-croix.com/news/bishops-should-cede-some-power-to-lay-catholics-says-german-theologian/10058# 

Battiste's groundbreaking investigations into the 2018 Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal

Nikki Battiste is a CBS News correspondent based in New York, a role she has held since 2018. She is an Emmy and Peabody-award winning journalist, and her reporting appears across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms, including "CBS This Morning," the "CBS Evening News" and CBSN, CBS News' 24/7 live, streaming news service.

https://www.cbsnews.com/team/nikki-battiste/ 

Abuse survivors' stories told through the 'Hope and Healing' gallery at CUA

Seven undergraduate students at The Catholic University of America helped bring the stories of survivors of clergy sexual abuse to campus by creating the “Hope and Healing Story Gallery,” which was on display at the university’s Pryzbyla Center Atrium from April 23-May 1.

https://cathstan.org/news/local/abuse-survivors-stories-told-through-the-hope-and-healing-gallery-at-cua 

Abuse survivors to Diocese of Rockville Centre: Release names of credibly accused priests

Brian Toale and Janet Klinger, who both said they were sexually abused when they were children, stood outside St. Agnes Cathedral on May 2, calling on the Diocese of Rockville Centre to release the names of accused priests. Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, stood outside St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre on May 2 to call on Bishop John Barres to release the names of clergy who have been credibly accused of abusing children.

http://liherald.com/stories/abuse-survivors-to-diocese-of-rockville-centre-release-names-of-credibly-accused-priests,114510 

Prince of Peace priest in child sex investigation asks to resign

Father John Keller gives Holy Communion to parishioner pastor of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church in this 1987 photo. He has been identified by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as one of two priests now under investigation for child sex abuse allegations. A prominent Catholic priest, who was suspended amid an investigation into at least two allegations of child sex abuse, has asked to step down, a parish memo on Wednesday said.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Prince-of-Peace-priest-in-child-sex-investigation-13830878.php?src=hp_totn 

Bills Would Allow Legal Action in Older Sexual Abuse Cases

Victims of sexual assault or exploitation would get expanded opportunity to hold perpetrators accountable in court under pair of bills making their way through the Vermont legislature. H. 511 would extend or remove the statute of limitations on multiple sex crimes and other serious offenses, giving prosecutors more time to bring charges.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2019/05/08/bills-would-allow-legal-action-in-older-sexual-abuse-cases 

Bayou to Beltway: May 8, 2019

This week Bayou to Beltway talks with author and historian Jason Berry. Mr. Berry became well-known for his pioneering investigative reporting on sexual abuse in the Catholic church, which he first covered in the Times of Acadiana and then in three well-received books. This interview, however, covers his other preoccupation: New Orleans.

https://www.krvs.org/post/bayou-beltway-may-8-2019

For sale on Etsy: nine ‘consecrated’ communion hosts ‘for abuse’

The e-commerce company Etsy.com is known for sales of cute crafts. Unfortunately, it also permits the sale of the sacred. On May 7, Catholics on social media were alerted to an Etsy listing offering what the vendor claimed were “Real Catholic Hosts, consecrated by a priest.” The seller, calling himself “AL” and his business “Pentagora,” stated that the purpose of the nine hosts was “to abuse for classic black fairs or black magic purposes.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/for-sale-on-etsy-nine-consecrated-communion-hosts-for-abuse 

Taken by the state: Don't take my baby

A contingent of police officers spent Tuesday night at Hawke's Bay Hospital because of a standoff between midwives, lawyers and whānau and Oranga Tamariki over the uplift of a newborn baby. Two midwives were locked out of the hospital leaving a 19-year-old mother of the baby alone in a room overnight, while Oranga Tamariki staff and police tried to uplift the child.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/112568714/taken-by-the-state-dont-take-my-baby 

Women religious to gather in Rome searching for the ‘new’

God if they were only quick and honest enough... to admit to the rape and abuse of innocent children... boys and girls in their care... we just might believe a little of this... they turned their backs on us... in the same way the bishops and priest did.to us... their apology to us men and women was... " We are sorry about what might had happened"... the boot is one the other foot now... The nuns need to apologize for the abuse that they did to us man and women... we have curried our shame, our guilt and the blame onto ourselves... since we were little children...  I wish no harm to these nuns... but they must put what they have said to us men and women right... and admit to the harm that they did to us... Admit to the rape and abuse of children ( Boys and Girls ) in the nun's care... we carried your crime through-out our childhood... and still today what you did to us little children and teens... is a never ending torment of pain and shame... admit first to what you did to us children... then you will be able to face what you are doing now... And Apologize for stealing the little babies from their mother's arms... and putting the babies up for adoption without their mother's consent... My mother suffered for the rest of her life because of what you did to her... I was just two and a half months old... when you snatch me from my mother's arms...                           

                                                     Ann Free Spirit = Ann Thompson

======================================= 

 Sister Carmen Sammut, right, leader of the International Union of Superiors General, and Donatella Zoia, Superior General of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, arrive for a press conference at the Vatican, Thursday, May 2, 2019. Sammut says religious sisters are increasingly speaking out about sexual and other forms of abuse by clergy and says their superiors must be better trained to understand the problem and respond.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/05/03/women-religious-to-gather-in-rome-searching-for-the-new/