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BishopAccountability.org in the News

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2020

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Catholic Church Pays $ 7 Million to Victims of Colorado Priest Sexual Abuse, India News Republic (December 2, 2020)

According to BishopAccountability.org, which is tracking the issue, the Catholic Church of the United States has paid an estimated $ 3.2 billion to resolve the case of priesthood abuse.

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Catholic Church pays $7 million to victims in Colorado of sexual abuse by priests, by Keith Coffman, Reuters (Decmeber 1, 2020)

The U.S. Catholic Church has paid out an estimated $3.2 billion to settle clergy abuse cases, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the issue.

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Priests' defamation suits are the latest wrinkle in sex-abuse fallout, by Mark Nacinovich, National Catholic Reporter (November 25, 2020)

Lyle Koenig, Syring's lawyer, said his client's defamation suit is one of 20 to 25 similar cases in the country. By comparison, 7,002 priests were "credibly" or "not implausibly" accused of abuse in the U.S. between 1950 and June 30, 2018, according to BishopAccountability.org, which cited published information from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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Pope John Paul II was no saint, by Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe (November 16, 2020)

Putting much of the blame on a dead pope is a convenient outcome for a living one. But what about Francis’s role?
Protecting him from shared responsibility, the report draws a line between gossip that he might have heard and confirmed
knowledge. Yet the details suggest that he, too, was part of a deliberate blindness that allowed predators like McCarrick
to flourish. As Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability, a group that gathers information on clergy abuse,
told The Washington Post that Francis’s “lack of curiosity” about the allegations against McCarrick “was at best negligent,
at worst corrupt.”

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Sex-Abuse Claims Against Boy Scouts Now Surpass 82,000, by Mike Baker, New Tork Times (November 15, 2020)

Terry McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog group that tracks abuse in the Catholic Church, said more than 9,000 victims had come forward over the years, although he believed that number represented only a small fraction of those who suffered abuse in the church.

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Pope John Paul II promoted cardinal after sexual misconduct claims, by Chico Harlan, Michelle Boorstein and Sarah Pulliam Bailey, The Washingotn Post/Stuff.co.nz (November 11, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of the abuse-tracking site BishopAccountability, said in a statement that the report was "impressive" - "the most significant document on the abuse crisis to come from the Church." She said the report's greatest failure was giving Francis a pass, under the premise that he hadn't been properly informed or knew only that there'd been rumours.

"Plausible deniability must end for popes and bishops," she said. "They are responsible for reading the abuse files and for correcting the negligent or complicit acts of their predecessors."

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Does the McCarrick report exonerate Pope Francis? Yes and no., by Michael J. O’Loughlin, America Magazine (November 11, 2020)

“In many ways, this is an impressive report—the Vatican’s first forthright account of its own cover-up of a sexual predator,” Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement. “Today’s presentation of Pope John Paul II’s culpability in the McCarrick cover-up is particularly important.”

Still, Ms. Barrett Doyle said Pope Francis was “negligent” or even “corrupt” because he failed to investigate the rumors surrounding Mr. McCarrick.

“Plausible deniability must end for popes and bishops,” she wrote. “They are responsible for proactively reading the abuse files, and for correcting the negligent or complicit acts of their predecessors.”

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Vatican admits mistakes by John Paul II in US cardinal abuse case, by Catherine Marciano and Ella Ide, AFP (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clerical abuse, hailed the report as "a shift to genuine transparency".

"McCarrick’s heady rise under John Paul II despite a thickening dossier of complaints is a case study in how complicity often manifests in the Catholic abuse crisis -- as a failure to investigate and act in order to maintain plausible deniability," she told AFP.

The report says the next pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, also failed to act on the rumours, swayed in part by McCarrick swearing on his "oath as a bishop" that they were false. But the Vatican asked him to "maintain a lower profile".

His successor Pope Francis is largely absolved in the report, which said he was given no documentation of any allegations before 2017, and "did not see the need to alter the approach" of his predecessors.

Francis's supporters say his axing of McCarrick once the truth emerged is an example of his "zero tolerance" policy even for high-ranking church members, but Barrett Doyle said he should have asked more questions.

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Early reactions to McCarrick report cite its significance to the church, by Brian Roewe, NCR (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop-Accountability.org, a web archive that houses troves of documents on the abuse crisis, called the report "the most significant document on the abuse crisis to come from the Church," and expressed hope that it represents in the Catholic Church "a shift to genuine transparency."

At the same time, Barrett Doyle said the report represents "a powerful argument" against Vos Estis Lux Mundi, the 2019 apostolic letter that issued mandates and laws for reporting and investigating sexual abuse, and the self-policing model of accountability.

"It must be revised. Accountability won't happen without external oversight," she said.
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Barrett Doyle said that the next step for the Vatican should be to publish its investigation into the Chilean church.

As for the McCarrick report, she said it was noteworthy that it named enablers of the former cardinal's abuse and "quotes liberally" from documents and testimonies of abuse survivors and whistleblowers. Still, she said it did not examine McCarrick's own handling of abusive priests in the dioceses he led. And while the report shows how church officials limited past investigations to maintain plausible deniability, particularly by John Paul, Barrett Doyle said it attempts to let Francis "off the hook" for not investigating earlier rumors about McCarrick.

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Pope John Paul II Was Warned About Theodore McCarrick Sex-Abuse Allegations, Made Him D.C. Archbishop, by Francis X. Rocca and Ian Lovett, The Wall Street Journal (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that tracks abuse cases, praised the report for its thoroughness but said it let Pope Francis off too lightly.

“Wasn’t the pope interested to see if those rumors had substance? Anyone with an internet connection could have discovered they did. Francis’ lack of curiosity was at best negligent, at worst corrupt,” Ms. Barrett Doyle said.

**

Vatican report finds Pope John Paul II dismissed sex abuse by ex-Cardinal McCarrick – but goes easy on Pope Francis, by John Bacon, USA TODAY (November 10, 2020)

"Today’s report paints a picture of fraternal lenience and silence," Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishopaccountability.org, told USA TODAY. "The impact of this brotherly support has been horrifying. Dozens of children and vulnerable young people were sexually violated by McCarrick himself, and perhaps hundreds more were sexually assaulted by abusive priests who went unchecked under McCarrick."

Barrett Doyle described the report as the Vatican's "first forthright account" of its own cover-up of a sexual predator. But she says Francis is treated too gently.

"It lets Pope Francis take no responsibility for not stopping McCarrick sooner," she said. "Nobody gave him the files, he knew only that there had been rumors, etc. ... Wasn't the pope curious to see if those rumors had substance? Any concerned person with access to Google could have discovered they did."

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Vatican Report Places Blame for McCarrick’s Ascent on John Paul II, by Jason Horowitz, The New York Times (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group, said that while the report was the “Vatican’s first forthright account of its own cover-up of a sexual predator,” it let Francis hide behind plausible deniability. “Didn’t the pope wonder if those rumors had substance?”

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Vatican’s McCarrick report says Pope John Paul II knew of misconduct allegations nearly two decades before cardinal’s removal, by Chico Harlan, Michelle Boorstein and Sarah Pulliam Bailey, The Washington Post (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of the abuse-tracking site ­BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement that the report was “impressive” — “the most significant document on the abuse crisis to come from the Church.” She said the report’s greatest failure was giving Francis a pass, under the premise that he hadn’t been properly informed or knew only that there had been rumors.

“Plausible deniability must end for popes and bishops,” she said. “They are responsible for reading the abuse files and for correcting the negligent or complicit acts of their predecessors.”

**

Report into disgraced ex U.S. cardinal shows failings by popes, top clerics, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking group BishopAccountability.org, called it “the most significant document on the abuse crisis to come from the Church,” particularly the revelations about Pope John Paul.

But she said Pope Francis should have done more and the report lets him “off the hook.”

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Cupich calls Vatican sex abuse report a watershed moment for Catholics, by Katharin Czink and Dina Bair, WGN9 (November 10, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle with BishopAccountability.org calls the report “remarkable.”

“There is more substance than we’ve seen ever in a church report. It’s actually self-incriminating, but its great failure is that it lets Pope Francis completely off the hook,” Doyle said. “McCarrick was not someone who had been put out to pasture. He was an active and pre-eminent cardinal. He was effectively representing the Holy See [...]. Didn’t the pope wonder if those rumors had substance?”

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A chronology of the rise and fall of ex-Cardinal McCarrick, The Associated Press (November 9, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, holds a photo of ex Cardinal Theodore McCarrick as she talks to the media during a press conference at the Foreign Press association headquarters, on the occasion of the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ summit on clergy abuse, in Rome, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Trial Of A Priest Charged With Sexually Abusing An Altar Boy To Resume In Vatican, by Sylvia Poggioli, NPR (October 26, 2020)

POGGIOLI: The crime scene was the closed world of the St. Pius X Youth Seminary. Its residents, some as young as 11, are known as the pope's altar boys. They serve mass in St. Peter's Basilica and are thinking of becoming priests. One person closely following the trial from the U.S. is Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clerical abuse cases around the world.

ANNE BARRETT DOYLE: The elephant in the courtroom is why this took so long. The trial should have happened years ago, when the whistleblower first went to church authorities.

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Vatican Court Hears Unprecedented Sexual Abuse Criminal Trial, by Sylvia Poggioli, NPR (October 26, 2020)

One person closely following the trial from the U.S. is Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clerical abuse cases around the world.

The Vatican trial is being run by the Roman Catholic Church, she notes, not a secular court. "So the first question will be, can the judge be impartial?" she says.

"The elephant in the courtroom is why this took so long," she says. "The trial should have happened years ago, when the whistleblower first went to church authorities."
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If the court finds the two defendants guilty, Barrett Doyle says, the Vatican must also hold their superiors to account.

"It is really crucial," she says, "that the church itself investigate the whole network of people who failed this victim and who intimidated the whistleblower."

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Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who slammed Trump, to become first African American cardinal, by John Bacon, USA TODAY (October 25, 2020)

Terence McKiernan is president of Bishopaccountability.org, a group seeking accountability of U.S. bishops under civil, criminal and church law for clergy sexual abuse. McKiernan credits Gregory with shepherding through the U.S. Conference of Bishops in 2002 the only church law that stipulates zero-tolerance on sexual abuse.

"This is a milestone. Vatican recognition at last of Black Catholics and their important history in the United States," McKiernan said in an email to USA TODAY. "This is also recognition of soon-to-be-Cardinal Gregory’s significant role in the clergy abuse crisis."

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Pope Francis breaks from Roman Catholic teaching, endorses same-sex civil unions as homosexual priests are charged with pedophilia and other sex crimes, by Bethany Blankley, The Hayride (October 21, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse-tracking site, BishopAccountability.org, has provided an extensive list of modern-day abuses committed by homosexual priests and bishops, among whom many are pedophiles. The website contains a database of accused and criminally charged men who can be found through a search by last name or by diocesan map.

The site posts “all publicly available documents that are relevant to the Catholic abuse crisis,” and is heavily endorsed by law enforcement, scholars, and experts in the field of clergy sex abuse.The information listed is only a “sample of the many important investigative reports on the crisis, with the original photos, maps, and charts,” the website states.

People can sign up for an “Abuse tracker” or newsletter, and also read survivor accounts, find out which diocese or priest settled a case or were criminally charged, and which seminaries are involved both in the U.S. and internationally.

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Keynote: Bishop Accountability – Update on the past year - SNAP Virtual Conference 2020, posted by Zach Hiner, YouTube (October 16, 2020)

Terry and Anne will give a lively summary of the year’s events. Terry will focus on clergy abuse in Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, and he’ll discuss the role of confession in the McCarrick case and beyond. Anne will assess the impact of the Church's own recent initiatives. These include a website for reporting problem bishops in the U.S., and a new 'bishop accountability' protocol from Pope Francis that some call "revolutionary.

Speakers: Anne Barrett Doyle and Terry McKiernan

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I was educated by abusive priests. What should I do with the gifts they gave me?, by Francis X. Sullivan, America: The Jesuit Review (October 16, 2020)

On a boring day at work in 2002, I searched on the internet for the names of classmates and former teachers. Tom’s name came up on bishopaccountability.org; he had been accused of sexually abusing a student at Jesuit High School, in Tampa, Fla., where he was assigned before coming to my school.

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Roman Catholic Diocese in NYC Suburbs Becomes Largest in US to Seek Bankruptcy, VOA News (October 1, 2020)

The New York law gives people until next August to sue over long-ago allegations. Three other dioceses in the state filed for bankruptcy within the last 13 months: Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. At least 20 Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy since 2004, according to BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that tracks sex-abuse allegations within the church.

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Long Island Catholic Diocese Bankrupted by Abuse Suits, by Josh Saul, Bloomberg (October 1, 2020)

A total of 24 Catholic dioceses and religious orders have filed for bankruptcy to address sex abuse claims since 2004, according to BishopAccountability.org.

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Facing 200 Abuse Claims, Diocese Becomes U.S.’s Largest to Seek Bankruptcy, by Michael Gold, The New York Times (October 1, 2020)

More than 20 Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy over the past 16 years, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sexual abuse cases in the church. The Rockville Centre diocese, the eighth largest in the country by population, is believed to be the biggest to do so.

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Polish Cleric Retires in Face of Cover-Up Accusations. It’s Not Enough, Critics Say., by Elisabetta Povoledo and Anatol Magdziarz, The New York Times (August 14, 2020, Updated October 28, 2020)

“It was an insufficient move,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a group that tracks abuse in the church. “The Pope has promised accountability for bishops who cover up. He has also talked about proportionality of punishment for accused priests, but this is the mildest of sanctions.”

She added: “Sure, it probably embarrassed the archbishop, but a complicit bishop does such enormous harm, the penalty should be much more severe.”

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Pope cleans house in Poland after abuse, cover-up scandal, by Nicole Winfield and Vanessa Gera, Associated Press (August 13, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the online abuse resource BishopAccountability said Francis’ decision to remove Glodz on his actual birthday was encouraging and signals “his strong disapproval.” But she said Francis could do more.

“If he is outraged by the archbishop’s coddling of abusers, why not publicly denounce him? Why not explicitly fire him rather than give him the dignity of retirement?” True accountability, she said, would require Glodz to “incur penalties proportional to the pain he caused.”

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Did Child Sex Abuse Claims Bankrupt the New Orleans Archdiocese?, by Autumn McClain, Top Class Actions (July 24, 2020)

“We’re not looking at a situation where there are an enormous number of lawsuits that are being managed, at least to our knowledge. This bankruptcy might be an anticipatory bankruptcy,” Terry McKiernan, founder of a national clergy abuse registry, told Nola.

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Letter: Transparency is essential on abuses in Catholic Church, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (July 23, 2020)

Carlson reveals the identity of 64 proven, admitted or credibly accused local abusive clerics. But an independent, online archive on the church’s abuse crisis, BishopAccountability.org, names 97 publicly accused St. Louis clerics. In his current diocese, Rozanski names 18 accused priests, while BishopAccountability.org names 49. No one statistic or matrix provides a thorough assessment of any official’s performance, but this data suggests St. Louis’ new shepherd may not be as forthcoming with information on abuse as his predecessor.

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Bishops Should Report Sex Abuse to Police Even If Law Doesn’t Require, Says Vatican, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (July 21, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability, an online resource center about abuse, said the manual’s non-binding recommendation that bishops should report abuse was “incrementally better” than the Vatican’s past position.

But she stressed: “We’re past the point of ‘should.’ There is nothing stopping the pope from ordering bishops and religious superiors (to report) all allegations to civil authorities,” with exceptions where it’s not safe.

And she insisted that real progress would come when the Vatican institutes a true “zero tolerance” policy, permanently removing from public ministry any cleric who abuses and any bishop who enables him.

“That will be progress. That will be the reform that is needed,” she said.

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Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police, ABC 13 (July 16, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability, an online resource center about abuse, said the manual's non-binding recommendation that bishops should report abuse was "incrementally better" than the Vatican's past position.

But she stressed: "We're past the point of 'should.' There is nothing stopping the pope from ordering bishops and religious superiors (to report) all allegations to civil authorities," with exceptions where it's not safe.

And she insisted that real progress would come when the Vatican institutes a true "zero tolerance" policy, permanently removing from public ministry any cleric who abuses and any bishop who enables him.

"That will be progress. That will be the reform that is needed," she said.

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Vatican urges bishops to report more sex abuse allegations to police in new manual, The Associated Press (July 16, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of bishop-accountability.org, an online resource centre about abuse, said the manual's non-binding recommendation that bishops should report abuse was "incrementally better" than the Vatican's past position.

But she stressed: "We're past the point of 'should.' There is nothing stopping the pope from ordering bishops and religious superiors [to report] all allegations to civil authorities," with exceptions where it's not safe.

And she insisted that real progress would come when the Vatican institutes a true "zero tolerance" policy, permanently removing from public ministry any cleric who abuses and any bishop who enables him.

"That will be progress. That will be the reform that is needed," she said.

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New Vatican Guidance Urges Clergy To Report Cases Of Sexual Abuse, by David Welna, NPR (July 16, 2020)

"Pope Francis should order every church official to report allegations to civil authorities," Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org told The National Catholic Reporter, noting that church authorities frequently point to the perils of such reporting in certain nations. "The Vatican could specify those unsafe countries, and exempt bishops who work there from the civil reporting obligation."

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Vatican's new guidance on sexual abuse investigations emphasizes involving police, by Zack Budryk, The Hill (July 16, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, who co-founded the abuse survivor resource center BishopAccountability, said the manual was “incrementally better” than previous Vatican policies, but added “we’re past the point of ‘should.'”

“There is nothing stopping the pope from ordering bishops and religious superiors [to report] all allegations to civil authorities” except in cases where it could compromise the safety of victims, she told the AP.

Doyle added that a meaningful solution would involve a “zero tolerance” policy that permanently removes from public ministry any abusive clerics and any leaders involved in enabling them.

“That will be progress. That will be the reform that is needed,” she said.

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Vatican Tells Bishops to Report Sex Abuse to Police (but Doesn’t Require It), by Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times (July 16, 2020, Updated October 21, 2020)

“What is important to remember today is that it is still allowable under canon law for a bishop to not report a priest who is raping a child; it is still allowed for thousands of the world’s bishops,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a victims advocacy and research group, said in a telephone interview.

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Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (July 16, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability, an online resource center about abuse, said the manual’s non-binding recommendation that bishops should report abuse was “incrementally better” than the Vatican’s past position.

But she stressed: “We’re past the point of ‘should.’ There is nothing stopping the pope from ordering bishops and religious superiors (to report) all allegations to civil authorities,” with exceptions where it’s not safe.

And she insisted that real progress would come when the Vatican institutes a true “zero tolerance” policy, permanently removing from public ministry any cleric who abuses and any bishop who enables him.

“That will be progress. That will be the reform that is needed,” she said.

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SEMINARY STUDENT REPORTED PRIEST SEXUAL ABUSE AT SHILOH ORPHANAGE 54 YEARS AGO, Belleville News-Democrat (July 11, 2020)

"Many victims, survivors and/or their families desire privacy when they come forward with an allegation," according to a Society of Mary statement. "The Marianist Province decided not to include dates with ministry assignments in order to help protect their privacy."

That argument isn't persuasive to Terence McKiernan, founding president of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that compiles data related to sexual abuse in the Catholic church.

"You need to know, 'When was that brother at that school?' That's the only way you're going to be able to map a career history of allegations," he said.

McKiernan said it's common for dioceses to publish incomplete or inaccurate lists, despite extensive in-house record-keeping, then blame it on clerical errors that wouldn't happen if they were placing a priority on providing meaningful information to the public.

Clohessy and McKiernan consider the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento list to be one of the best because it includes photos of clergymen, seminaries attended, assignments with dates, genders and ages of victims, nature of each allegation, date ranges of alleged abuse, when misconduct was first reported and other details.

"When you do that, you are beginning to grapple with the actual thing that we're talking about here, and that's the abuse of children," McKiernan said.

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Isolated Pope Francis Faces Yet Another Setback in Pandemic, by Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal (July 7, 2020)

“I’m sad and baffled that Pope Francis has been so regressive on the abuse issue,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that tracks abuse cases. “I don’t expect that we’ll see any more initiatives from him, even though the twin crises of child sexual abuse and coverup remain unsolved.”

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‘I thought God had presented this guy’: 20 years after reporting clergy abuse to the University, a Notre Dame survivor shares his story, by Natalie Weber and Mary Steurer, The Observer (July 3, 2020)

Terry McKiernan, co-founder of the clergy abuse watchdog group called Bishop Accountability, said Catholic organizations should ensure comprehensive information about their abuse history is publicly available. This could include what the organization has done or is planning to do to address abuse, as well as a public apology to survivors, he said.

“The message should absolutely be that the person at the top is willing to sit down with anyone who has been harmed,” he said.

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Second man accuses Brooklyn bishop of sexual abuse, AP Archive (June 8, 2020)[Video]

SOUNDBITE: Anne Barrett Doyle, Co-Director BishopAccountability.org:

"It is a completely insular process, you have bishops overseeing their friends and colleagues and neighbors as we have here. Cardinal Dolan is in charge of directing an investigation against a brother bishop with whom he's worked closely for many years."

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Brooklyn bishop accused by 2nd man of sex abuse in the 1970s, by Michael Rezendes, The Associated Press (June 4, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a group that catalogs information about clergy sex abuse, said Dolan’s remarks and the decision to allow DiMarzio to remain in office during the investigation send a discouraging message to abuse survivors.

“How can Cardinal Dolan expect that any witnesses or whistleblowers will want to come forward under these conditions?” she said.

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Explaining the Vatican’s lingering ambivalence on “zero tolerance,” by John L. Allen Jr., Crux (May 31, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org, holds a picture of Buenos Aires Archbishop Mario Poli, right, next to Peter Isely, member of the organization called Ending Clergy Abuse, holding a sign that reads in Spanish, "Zero tolerance Argentina 2019" outside a church in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, May 2, 2019. The two, with others, are demanding Buenos Aires Archbishop Mario Poli have a "zero tolerance" policy regarding abuse and put an end to what they see as cover ups by members of the church. (Credit: Natacha Pisarenko/AP.)

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New Orleans Diocese files for bankruptcy, by BLM/James Chambers (May 26, 2020)

The Archdiocese is the 27th to file for bankruptcy in the USA since 2004, in the face of thousands of claims being made by survivors of clerical abuse. However, unlike other dioceses, New Orleans was not facing an enormous number of claims before the filing. Terry McKiernan, founder of bishopaccountability.org, which tracks clergy abuse in the USA, says that the New Orleans bankruptcy may be an “anticipatory bankruptcy”, which other dioceses will follow.
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However, Terry McKiernan, did acknowledge that in one sense the bankruptcy will make it easier for survivor claimants in that they will be allocated a place on a matrix according to a physical description of their alleged abuse and other factors, to determine their share of a settlement. This means the process is quicker than having to pursue a claim on an individual basis, which can be slow. However he also went on to say that “the effect of the abuse is not necessarily commensurate with the physical description [on a matrix]”, and this can be upsetting to many survivors.

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Kerala priest suspended following sex allegations, by Saji Thomas, UCA News (May 24, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, speaks at a press conference on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church at the Foreign Press Association in Rome on Feb. 17. (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP)

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As Catholics Mark 100 Years Since Birth of John Paul, Shadows Remain, Reuters (May 18, 2020)

"John Paul ignored and dismissed reports of sexual abuse by clergy. He defended some of the most notorious predators of the abuse crisis, including Maciel," Anne Barrett Doyle of the U.S.-based abuse tracker BishopAccountability.org, said on Monday.

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OPINION: Catholic Church sued for sex abuse transparency and defended by other faith groups, by Nicole Russell, Washington Examiner (April 27, 2020)

They discovered this by “matching those public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability.org and then scouring bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports and media accounts.” Many of these names that had not been listed are clergy “charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography.”

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Cardinal Pell’s Release Triggers Backlash, by Bill Donohue, The Wanderer Press (April 17, 2020)

BishopAccountability is the favorite source of left-wing journalists who don’t like the Catholic Church. Its idea of priestly justice is to leave the names of exonerated priests on its website, suggesting to readers they may be guilty. One of its officials, Anne Barrett Doyle, said in relation to Pell’s release that “though it is distressing to many survivors, the decision doesn’t change the fact the trial of the powerful cardinal was a watershed.”

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In Unprecedented Numbers, U.S. Bishops Named in Lawsuits and Why It Matters, SNAP (April 14, 2020)

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Pell ruling prompts mixed reaction from church leaders, victims' groups, by Jesse Remedios, National Catholic Reporter (April 8, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org — a website dedicated to documenting the abuse crisis — said in a statement that although it is "distressing to many survivors, the decision doesn't change the fact that the trial of the powerful cardinal was a watershed."

Barrett Doyle argued that through its court proceedings, the "Australian government has put the Catholic church on equal footing with other institutions, and treated the church's leaders as fellow citizens."

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In Unprecedented Numbers, U.S. Bishops Named in Lawsuits and Why It Matters, by Betty Clermont, The Open Tabernacle (April 7, 2020)

Thousands of American priests have been sued but relatively few U.S. bishops have been identified by name in court proceedings. “For true bishop accountability to occur, two things must happen: 1) there must be a full account of the bishops’ responsibility for the sexual abuse crisis and 2) bishops who have caused the abuse of children and vulnerable adults must be held accountable,” leaders of the online database, BishopAccountability.org, concluded.

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Pope Francis decries ‘unjust sentences’ after Cardinal Pell acquittal, by Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian (April 7, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, said the court’s decision had been widely expected.

“Though distressing to many survivors, the decision doesn’t change the fact that the trial of the powerful cardinal was a watershed,” she said.

Of the 78 Catholic bishops worldwide who have been publicly accused of child sexual abuse, very few have faced criminal charges, and fewer than 10 have been tried in a secular courtroom, she said.

“Yet that is where all of these cases belong. While messy and painful, a judicial process in a democratic society is immeasurably better than that of a Vatican tribunal, which keeps its proceedings secret,” she added.

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FACTBOX-Reaction to the acquittal of Cardinal Pell on child sex offences, Reuters (April 7, 2020)

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Pope Francis decries “unjust sentences” after George Pell was acquitted, Over60 (April 7, 2020)

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Catholic leader jailed for sexual abuse freed by Australian high court, by Marco Werman, PRI/The World (April 7, 2020)

Cardinal George Pell, the former Vatican treasurer, was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two boys in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1990s. He was the highest-ranking Catholic leader to face jail time for sexual abuse. On Tuesday, Australia's highest court overturned the conviction. The World’s host Marco Werman speaks to Anne Barrett-Doyle, head of bishop accountability.

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Priest chaplain at Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse had abuse record: Volunteers were caught off guard by recent discovery, by Sarah Salvadore, NCR (March 24, 2020)

"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, ordered Mouser to live a life of prayer and penance. And it's the archdiocese's responsibility to make sure that happens. He was not supposed to be in ministry, he was not supposed to be wearing clerical garb. So, I believe, it's the archdiocese's failure here," said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, a group which monitors documents related to the sex abuse crisis in the church.

Faust, the Loretto volunteer, was "shocked, surprised and frustrated," when she learned about Mouser. "Loretto positions itself as being very progressive, very forward minded, and in a lot of ways it really is. It was shocking to me that he [Mouser] lived there. It was even more shocking that nobody, at least the volunteers, knew about it," she said.

She passed on the information to her volunteer friend, Adele McKiernan, a second-year Loretto volunteer in St. Louis, and daughter of Terance McKiernan. Adele McKiernan would visit the motherhouse for retreats, and during that time, volunteers were encouraged to sit and mingle with community members during meals, including Mouser.

Mouser also interacted with volunteers while preparing for Sunday Mass. "I mostly feel angry and misled by people who I see as mentors within the Loretto community," Adele McKiernan said.

Adele McKiernan began to dig deeper into Mouser's history and decided to speak up about the discomfort with his presence at Loretto. McKiernan wrote to the Loretto Executive Committee and volunteer program staff. In response to McKiernan's letter, Sr. Barbara Nicholas, president of the Loretto Community, said Mouser had been complying with restrictions. "My own faith requires me to be merciful, to stop judging, to stop condemning, to forgive," Nicholas wrote to McKiernan.
-------------------------------------
Terence McKiernan, who is Adele's father, raised doubts over the internal monitoring systems. "The danger, as revealed in this case, is that a relationship is developed with the accused priests. The Loretto sisters had a relationship for decades with him [Mouser]. And in such a situation, monitoring cannot be done correctly," he said.

McKiernan says supervisors need to approach this more like probation officers and not in a "naïve and trusting way".

**

7 Years Of The First Non-European Pope, by Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News (March 16, 2020)

POGGIOLI: Corruption fostered by clericalism, Francis believes, is at the very root of clerical sex abuse. Vatican watchers generally agree Francis' handling of the scourge of pedophile priests has been uneven. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, says this is a pope who was reluctant to believe accusers.

ANNE BARRETT DOYLE: He entered this papacy, I believe, with a bias, for whatever reason, against people who make accusations. And I believe he still sees victims as accusers, not victims.

POGGIOLI: Barrett Doyle believes Francis witnessed how slander was used as a tool by the Argentine dictatorship of the '70s.

BARRETT DOYLE: Where on a strength of an accusation, someone could be killed or tortured.

POGGIOLI: However, she says, the pope eventually acknowledged the scale of the abuse and made a dramatic change of course.

BARRETT DOYLE: I must say it was really stunning to hear a pope use the word cover-up and to basically admit that this is what the church had done. That was a first.

POGGIOLI: But certainly, Francis has his detractors. He has also been the target of ferocious attacks from traditionalists who don't like his environmentalism and his opening to gays. Massimo Faggioli (ph) is a theologian and church historian. He says there are small but well-financed anti-Francis groups based in the United States.

**

Study finds more than 50 accused priests active outside the US, by Christopher White, Crux (March 9, 2020)

At the time, Terence McKiernan, president and co-director of the organization Bishop Accountability, told Crux that many of the lists that do exist are incomplete and could be improved, including better tracking of past assignments.

“There are gaps, and what ProPublica has done will exert serious pressure on the dioceses to fill those gaps,” he said.

**

HAPPY WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH!, Adam Horowitz Law (March 5, 2020)

–Anne Barrett Doyle, the savvy and very hard working co-director of an amazing resource: BishopAccountability.org, and her colleagues Suzy Naumann and Pauline Hodgdon.

**

BISHOPS COVERING THEIR ASSETS, by Bradley Eli, M.Div., Ma.Th., ChurchMilitant (March 5, 2020)

By the time the Boston Globe broke open America's festering clerical sex abuse crisis in 2002, the U.S. Catholic Church had already paid some $750 million to abuse victims, according to the Catholic watchdog site BishopAccountability.org as cited by Bloomberg. This resulted from the fact that from 1950 to 2002 there had been 4,392 priests accused of sex abuse, according to the famous John Jay Report.

**

Why did the Vatican block access to a sex abuse registry?: It's either a jackass move or just a glitch., by Curt Hopkins, Daily Dot (March 2, 2020)

The Vatican has elected to block access to BishopAccountability.org, a site devoted to “documenting the abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.” It’s either a jackass move or just a glitch.
-------------------------
As McElwee observed, “Users on Vatican servers who try to access one of the four Web addresses for Bishopaccountability.org” receive a message saying, “This page has been blocked by the Vatican protection system” and categorizes the site under “Hate/Racism.”

**

List of Memphis clergy 'credibly accused' of child sex abuse released by Catholic Diocese, by Katherine Burgess, The Commercial Appeal (February 28, 2020)

**

Facing Sex-Abuse Claims, Buffalo Diocese Declares Bankruptcy, by Jesse McKinley and Liam Stack, The New York Times (February 28, 2020)

“I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see other dioceses in New York file,” said Terence McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks claims of wrongdoing in the church. “That’s partly because of the enormous number of legal claims being brought under the Child Victims Act, but also because there is potential there to control various aspects of that process of accountability.”

“This is a way of managing their exposure,” he added.
--------------------------
But Mr. McKiernan said Buffalo was “in a class by itself because of its history under Bishop Malone.”

**

Where things stand a year after pope’s historic sexual abuse summit, by John L. Allen Jr., Crux Now (February 24, 2020)

During a Rome news conference Feb. 17, Anne Barrett Doyle of the U.S.-based group Bishop Accountability, observed that the phrase “zero tolerance” has disappeared from Pope Francis’ vocabulary with regard to the abuse crisis, and there’s been no movement toward making the American understanding of “zero tolerance” — meaning permanent removal from ministry for one substantiated charge of abuse of a minor, and ordinarily laicization — the global policy of the Catholic Church.

**

"Gender, Sex, and Power: Towards a History of Clergy Sex Abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church", edu-active.com (February 22, 2020)

**

Bankruptcy court could force Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg to disclose secret archives of clergy sex abuse, by Ivey DeJesus, pennlive.com (February 21, 2020)

“The 40th Statewide Grand Jury report did a good job,” said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a non-profit that tracks clergy sex abuse cases. “But their staff was limited. Time was limited. There’s a whole lot more to understand about Harrisburg that was contained in the report.”
------------------------
Some survivors of child sex abuse will never be ready to come out publicly about their abuse, McKiernan said. That means a court-ordered release of confidential diocesan documents would throw open the curtain on potentially scores other abuse cases.

“If the goal is to make sure as many people can receive justice or compensation, then the more you know about how the diocese operated the more victims will come forward,” McKiernan said. “I think it’s important for us to understand how this was mismanaged.”
----------------------
“Documents are very explicit in the middle of bankruptcy,” McKiernan said. “The rumor out of Santa Fe is that there is no way that settlement will be concluded without a significant document release.”

The Pennsylvania grand jury had about a dozen documents out of the Harrisburg Diocese - out of an estimated 150,000 or more pertaining to the abuse crisis in its archives, McKiernan said.
--------------------------
“I think you have the same elements in play in Harrisburg,” McKiernan said. "And I think you could argue that the archdiocese is in better shape now than it was a decade ago. It doesn’t have to be horrible even for the diocese. It could be a clearing thing ....maybe that will happen in Harrisburg.”

McKiernan stressed that the release of confidential diocesan files increase the possibility of meaningful statute of limitation reform, something that until recently had eluded those efforts.
-----------------------------------------
“You are going to learn a lot about other dioceses,” McKiernan said.

**

La Iglesia chilena a dos años de la misión Scicluna: lo que cambió y lo que quedó, LaTercera (February 21, 2020)

La organización Bishop Accountability ha seguido de cerca la situación de la Iglesia Católica chilena y mantiene un registro de los religiosos acusados de abuso y encubrimiento. Para su codirectora, Anne Barrett Doyle, si bien se ha avanzado en los últimos dos años, aún falta mucho por hacer para lograr un cambio real. E insiste: "La presión externa debe continuar".

**

One year after Vatican abuse summit, survivors grade Pope Francis with 'D minus', by Claire Giangrave, Religion News Service (February 21, 2020)

**

Pope accused of cherry-picking abuse reforms, Cath News New Zealand (February 20, 2020)

In the past year, zero tolerance has “dropped out of the pope’s lexicon,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the Bishops Accountability advocacy group.

“By that I mean ‘one strike and you’re out’ for abusers, at least out of the ministry, and ‘one strike and you’re out’ for enablers,” she added.

“I think zero tolerance is a pledge the pope is choosing not to make. I think he’s picking and choosing the changes he wants to make in the Church, and he’s chosen not to pursue that one,” Doyle said.

“I’m not so sure he was keen on doing it anyway.”
-------------------------
“Looking at the dioceses, parishes and episcopal conferences in seven of the largest Catholic countries in the world, we’re finding mixed results,” Doyle said.

“But what they all have in common is a sobering verdict… it is still entirely possible today… for a bishop to knowingly keep an abuser in ministry or return him to ministry, and for neither one of them to suffer a consequence under canon law.”

**

Víctimas de abuso sexual exigen más avances al Vaticano, AP - EL VATICANO (February 20, 2020)

**

Víctimas de abuso sexual exigen más avances al Vaticano, Por Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (February 20, 2020)

En una conferencia de prensa de esta semana, expertos de BishopAccountability, una base de datos en línea sobre la crisis de abusos, elogiaron los avances legales y la conciencia que la cumbre global le dio a los líderes eclesiásticos, que desde hace tiempo se han negado a creerle a las víctimas. Sin embargo, dijeron que se debe hacer más.

“La principal falla del Vaticano y del papa es no implementar una ley sólida, universal, de tolerancia cero”, dijo Anne Barrett Doyle, cofundadora del grupo. “Si eres declarado culpable una sola vez de abusar sexualmente de un niño, eres retirado permanentemente del ministerio y eres monitoreado de cerca por la Iglesia”.

**

Abuse survivors seek more progress 1 year after papal summit, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (February 20, 2020)

At a press conference this week, experts from BishopAccountability, an online database of the abuse crisis, praised the legal developments and the awareness that the global summit brought to church leaders who have long refused to believe victims. But they said more needed to be done.

“The Vatican and the pope's main failure is in not implementing a strong, universal, zero tolerance law,” said the group’s co-founder, Anne Barrett Doyle. “If you are found guilty once of sexually abusing a child, you are permanently removed from public ministry and you are closely monitored by the church.”

**

Survivors storm Rome to mark anniversary of global abuse summit, by Elise Ann Allen, Crux (February 20, 2020)

Speaking to journalists during Monday’s press conference, Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the Bishops Accountability advocacy group, criticized Pope Francis for no longer using the term “zero tolerance,” saying it has “dropped out of the pope’s lexicon,” over the past 12 months.

“I think zero tolerance is a pledge the pope is choosing not to make. I think he’s picking and choosing the changes he wants to make in the Church, and he’s chosen not to pursue that one,” Doyle said, adding, “I’m not so sure he was keen on doing it anyway.”

She also pushed for the publication of the “McCarrick report,” containing the results of a Vatican investigation into how ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick rose through the Church’s ranks despite open rumors about sexual misconduct.

The Vatican announced its decision to launch an investigation in October 2018, roughly 16 months ago. The delayed publication of the results, Doyle said, “is not what transparency is supposed to look like.”

**

Bishops in Spain, Italy, France still not applying “zero tolerance” for priest abusers, enablers: survivors, by Cameron Doody, Novena News (February 19, 2020)

The international survivors’ group Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) and the US-based association BishopAccountability.org have convened for this week around the Vatican a series of events to mark one year since Pope Francis’ anti-abuse summit with bishops from all over the world.

A year after that summit, “looking at the dioceses, parishes and episcopal conferences in seven of the largest Catholic countries in the world, we’re finding mixed results”, co-founder of Bishop Accountability Anne Barrett Doyle said.

**

Survivor advocacy group accuses pope of cherry-picking abuse reforms, by Elise Ann Allen, Crux (February 18, 2020)

In the past year, zero tolerance has “dropped out of the pope’s lexicon,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the Bishops Accountability advocacy group, who spoke to journalists Feb. 17.

“I think zero tolerance is a pledge the pope is choosing not to make. I think he’s picking and choosing the changes he wants to make in the Church, and he’s chosen not to pursue that one,” Doyle said, adding, “I’m not so sure he was keen on doing it anyway.”

She voiced her hope that the situation changes in the near future, “because it is preposterous that the global organization that cares for millions of children still finds it okay to return a child molester to his job under certain circumstances.”

Doyle is currently in Rome alongside other activists from Bishops Accountability and other advocacy groups, such as Ending Clergy Abuse, to mark the 1-year anniversary of Pope Francis’s global summit on child protection.
---------------------------------
Several concrete action points were issued, some of which the pope has followed up on. However, Doyle and fellow panelists at the Feb. 17 event argued that while positive steps have been taken, there are still gaping holes to be filled, particularly when it comes to transparency and canon law.

Though disappointed in some of the pope’s actions, Doyle said the summit still did “a tremendous amount of good,” and has sparked a global conversation on topic that is often still seen as taboo.

“Many victims have come forward and found their voice,” she said, but cautioned that one major hole survivors want to see filled immediately is the looming “McCarrick report,” containing the results of a Vatican investigation into how ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick rose through the Church’s ranks despite open rumors about sexual misconduct.
------------------------------------------------
Similarly, Doyle stressed that while some progress has been made, there are “mixed results” about the impact of the summit and the Vatican’s new guidelines at the local diocesan or parochial level.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Arguing that measures taken in the past 12 months have “sidestepped biggest reforms,” Doyle said that to have true reform “would require a radical restructuring of canon law, because you’d have to make the restitution of scandal and of the accused subordinate to making justice the primary goal.”

**

Victimas de abuso reclamarán al Papa la destitución permanente de sacerdotes pederastas, El Litoral (February 18, 2020)

"Lo que más echamos de menos son las reformas canónicas, indispensables para combatir el problema. Una para eliminar permanentemente a los sacerdotes que han cometido abusos y otra para despedir a los obispos o superiores que no han finiquitado a los abusadores", apunta la directora de Bishopaccountability.org, Anne Barret Doyle, una asociación de EEUU dedicada a denunciar el encubrimiento de la Iglesia católica en ese país.

Doyle también pone el acento positivo en las reformas apuntaladas por el Santo Padre este último año para combatir la pederastia en el seno de la Iglesia. En concreto, el motu proprio 'Vos estis lux mundi' (Vosotros sois la luz del mundo), que impone a los sacerdotes, religiosos y monjas la obligación de denunciar a sus superiores todos los episodios de los que tengan conocimiento y la ley que acaba con el secreto pontificio en los procesos por casos de abusos a menores, de violencia sexual o de pornografía infantil.

**

Anti-Missbrauchsgipfel: Opfervertreter enttäuscht, religion.ORF.at (February 18, 2020)

For the victims' associations, Anne Barrett Doyle of the US organization Bishop Accountability in Rome on Monday concluded that in numerous countries such as Spain, the Philippines and the Congo, there had been no fundamental change in the stubborn attitude of bishops and cardinals. She criticized Pope Francis no longer clearly addressing the goal of zero tolerance. Abuse victim Phil Saviano, who is also involved in Bishop Accountability, accused the church leader of avoiding the implementation of his own promises.

**

Un anno dopo summit Vaticano su pedofilia associazioni “deluse”, askanews (February 18, 2020)

**

Las víctimas consideran que el Vaticano está a “medio camino” para acabar con los abusos, by DARÍO MENOR, Vidanueva Digital (February 17, 2020)

**

Preti pedofili, molto da fare, rsi (February 17, 2020)

**

Missbrauchs-Opferverbände vom Vatikan enttäuscht, DW (February 17, 2020)

**

Pope Francis has done ‘too little’ on sexual abuse crisis, victims say, Punch (February 17, 2020)

But according to Anne Barrett Doyle, Co-director of Bishop Accountability, church rules are still not strict enough.

“It is entirely possible today, as it was a year ago, for a bishop to knowingly keep an abuser in ministry or return him to ministry and for neither one of them to suffer a consequence under canon law,” she said.

“It is preposterous that a global organisation that cares for millions of children still finds it OK to return a child molester to his job under certain circumstances,” Barrett Doyle said.

She predicted that “civil authorities, one country at a time,” would force church authorities to take a tougher approach, and doubted that “this pope or any pope” could put an end to impunity.

Barret Doyle also criticised the Vatican for the delayed publication of a report on the case of Theodore McCarrick, a former U.S. cardinal who has been defrocked for preying on altar boys and seminarians.

**

Pope Francis has done 'too little' on sex abuse crisis, victims say, by Alvise Armellini, dpa (February 17, 2020)

Phil Saviano, a victim and campaigner from the United States who helped uncover the infamous "Spotlight" abuse cover-up scandal in Boston, also addressed reporters.

Speaking on behalf of the Bishop Accountability group, he said that studies in the US, Australia and Germany suggest that the percentage of child molesters within the Catholic clergy is at least 5 per cent.

He called it "a highly believable number."
----------------------------
But according to Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, church rules are still not strict enough.

"It is entirely possible today, as it was a year ago, for a bishop to knowingly keep an abuser in ministry or return him to ministry and for neither one of them to suffer a consequence under canon law," she said.

"It is preposterous that a global organization that cares for millions of children still finds it OK to return a child molester to his job under certain circumstances," Barrett Doyle said.

She predicted that "civil authorities, one country at a time," would force church authorities to take a tougher approach, and doubted that "this pope or any pope" could put an end to impunity.

Barret Doyle also criticized the Vatican for the delayed publication of a report on the case of Theodore McCarrick, a former US cardinal who has been defrocked for preying on altar boys and seminarians.

**

Little progress since Vatican's sexual abuse summit, say activists, by Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian (February 17, 2020)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-founder of Bishop Accountability, which tracks clergy sexual abuse cases, said that while the summit did a tremendous amount of good by raising the profile of the issue, increasing media coverage of cases and encouraging victims to come forward, it had not led to a “zero-tolerance” policy.

“By that I mean ‘one strike and you’re out’ for abusers, at least out of the ministry, and ‘one strike and you’re out’ for enablers,” Doyle said on the sidelines of a press conference in Rome on Monday.

Three months after the summit, the Vatican established procedures for every diocese to report allegations of abuse and foster accountability for the actions of bishops and cardinals. In December, Francis announced that the rule of “pontifical secrecy” would be abolished in an effort to improve transparency in sexual abuse cases.

While these significant steps prompted changes in some Catholic countries, in others there has been no impact at all. “Looking at the dioceses, parishes and episcopal conferences in seven of the largest Catholic countries in the world, we’re finding mixed results,” Doyle said.

**

Ancora molte ombre sugli abusi sessuali nella Chiesa, tvsvizzera.it (February 17, 2020)

**

Las víctimas de abusos clericales instan al Vaticano a instaurar una política de 'tolerancia cero' global, by Soraya Melguizo, El Mundo (February 17, 2020)

 

**

Pope Francis has side-stepped crucial reforms to stop sexual abuse, U.S. group says, Funtainment 4u (February 17, 2020)

The U.S based abuse documentation group BishopAccountability.org said on Monday (February 17) the pope has stopped short of significant reforms in the church to stamp out sexual abuse and has stopped talking about 'zero tolerance.'

"It is still entirely possible today, as it was a year ago, for a bishop to knowingly keep an abuser in ministry or return him to ministry and for neither one of them to suffer a consequence under Canon law," co-director of bishopaccountability.org Anne Barrett-Doyle said during a news conference at Rome's foreign press club.

Last year, at the end of a landmark summit on sex abuse in the Vatican, Pope Francis called for an "all-out battle" against sexual abuse of minors and promised that guidelines used by national bishops conferences to prevent abuse and punish perpetrators would have been reviewed and strengthened.

But Barrett-Doyle decried a lack of concrete measures.

"Pope Francis has side-stepped the really crucial reforms which is implementing zero tolerance for child sexual molesters and their enablers in Canon law," Barrett-Doyle told reporters.

"Without this change, this problem which we see manifested in every single country that we've looked at will persist."

Barrett-Doyle said the phrase 'zero tolerance' has disappeared from the Pope's speeches.

"I don't hear it in his speeches anymore," she said. "It appears to be a pledge he is realising he cannot deliver."

**

Víctimas del Próvolo: el Papa todavía no responde si los recibirá, MDZ SOCIEDAD (February 17, 2020)

**

Ohne Druck geht nichts?, Dom Radio (February 17, 2020)
**

Former Priest Convicted in Cold-Case Murder Dies in Prison, by Erik de la Garza, Courthouse News (February 13, 2020)

Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopsAccountability.org who attended Feit’s trial in Edinburg called Garza a “saintly person” whose life and death inspired activists to bring Feit to justice. Feit preyed upon Garza’s devout Catholic beliefs, and her rape and murder “is especially important and heartbreaking,” McKiernan said.

“This case brings together many essential aspects of the clergy abuse crisis. Despite his crime, Feit was transferred away from McAllen, and he had a second career as an important priest of the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, New Mexico,” McKiernan said.

In that role, Feit formulated and implemented a “disastrous” policy allowing pedophile priests in treatment with the Servants to work and reoffend in surrounding communities, according to McKiernan. That policy led to former Catholic priest James Porter’s sexual abuse of dozens of children, for which he was convicted of in the 1990s, with Feit in the center of a new phase in the abuse crisis.

**

Call for Applications -- "Gender, Sex, and Power: Towards a History of Clergy Sex Abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church", by Philip Byers, H Net (February 12, 2020)

**

Why Catholics should welcome ProPublica’s clergy sex abuse database, by Kathleen McChesney, America Magazine (February 11, 2020)

The names of many of the men on this list were previously known through the decades-long, dedicated work of bishopaccountability.org or discoverable in various open-source websites and blogs. But ProPublica has developed a new, comprehensive, interactive database whereby anyone can identify a “credibly accused” priest, deacon or brother who has been previously reported by his diocese or religious order, simply by searching his name. A handy “sounds like” function is included to assist in looking for someone whose exact name is unknown. The site also allows one to search by the name of a parish, diocese or religious order, and it provides a spreadsheet of any known data about an individual’s year of birth, ordination, status and assignment.

**

Victims of priest sexual abuse respond to Saints owner’s statement on email, by Chris Finch, WVUE (February 11, 2020)

“We are especially concerned about this case because the archdiocese admits to 57 abusers, but independent watchdogs at BishopAccountability.org name at least 79. There obviously is a math problem in Louisiana, and this math works out to more danger for the vulnerable in the state,” SNAP said in a statement.

**

Readers Say Our Database of Accused Priests Is Incomplete. They’re Not Wrong. Here’s Why, by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica (February 11, 2020)

Terence McKiernan, who founded Bishop Accountability, an organization that has long tracked publicly accused clergy, told a Catholic news site, Cruxnow.com, that ProPublica’s database “absolutely will increase pressure on other dioceses to publish lists.”

“There are gaps, and what ProPublica has done will exert serious pressure on the dioceses to fill those gaps,” he said.

**

Charlotte Diocese List Could Have Had At Least One More Name: Harold Johnson, by Sarah Delia, WFAE (February 4, 2020)

Since the Charlotte Diocese list was released in the waning days of December, Terrence McKiernan of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org has repeatedly said names are missing.

One of those names is Harold Johnson.

"Harold Johnson was a Boston priest, ordained in 1949 who worked for most of his career in Boston but spent three years working at St. Patrick’s in Charlotte," McKiernan said.
---------------------------
"Johnson’s connection with North Carolina was public knowledge in 2011, eight years before the Charlotte list came out," McKiernan said. "The dioceses ought to be comparing notes and paying close attention to the revelations coming out of all of the dioceses of the United States."
----------------------------------
McKiernan says what makes the Harold Johnson case particularly disturbing, is the public documents that show Johnson likely abused individuals before and after his time in Charlotte — there is no known documentation that Johnson abused minors during his assignment in Charlotte.
-------------------------------
"It’s really significant that Harold Johnson used confession to groom that particular victim," McKiernan said. "That’s a very, very serious offense in the Catholic Church. A priest who is willing to use the sacrament of confession to abuse child is a very dangerous person, especially in the 1950s when everyone was going to confession every week."

Shortly after this letter, Johnson was sent to St. Luke Institute in Maryland for treatment. McKiernan believes during this time at St. Luke, Johnson admitted to more abuse. Johnson had asked to step away from the program he was undergoing at St. Luke to attend a family wedding, but was denied that request. In a letter to church officials in Boston, he expresses his displeasure over that decision. He wrote:

"The reasons advanced for the denial of permission were given (I) that I was not sincerely working the program to the best of my ability, (2) that I am at risk to travel to Boston (this, despite the fact that I have not "acted-out" in four years!)"

McKiernan says that last line is an admission to more recent abuse.

"Johnson felt he ought to be able to take a break from his therapy because he hadn’t acted out in the last four years, that indicated out that he had acted out at approximately 1988," McKiernan said.

Harold Johnson died in 2009. McKiernan says he believes Johnson is one of at least nine missing from the Charlotte Diocese list.

**

Deaf Próvolo child abuse victims accuse Pope Francis of inaction, BA Times (February 3, 2020)

**

Žrtve leto dni po cerkvenem vrhu proti spolnim zlorabam razočarane, Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana Spa (February 2020)

**

Sexual Abuse Reports From Illinois’ Catholic Dioceses Are Still Missing A Lot of Data: ProPublica’s “Credibly Accused” database lists names and info of abusers currently or formerly in the ranks of U.S. Catholic dioceses. Here’s a rundown on Illinois., by Logan Jaffe, ProPublica (January 31, 2020)

Still, as ProPublica’s president, Dick Tofel, wrote in his Not Shutting Up newsletter this week, our “Credibly Accused” database can be a powerful tool for survivors of sexual abuse. Not only could finding a clergy member’s name and information in the database help validate an individual’s experience, it could help place the “burden of shame and self-blame to the perpetrator, where it belongs,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks allegations of clergy abuse and seeks to hold priests accountable.

**

New database of abusive clergy will ‘put pressure’ on bishops to improve transparency, by Christopher White, Crux (January 30, 2020)

Terence McKiernan, president and co-director of the organization, Bishop Accountability, hailed the ProPublica effort as one that “absolutely will increase pressure on other dioceses to publish lists.”

He told Crux that the U.S. Church has witnessed “a groundswell of transparency” following the latest wave of abuse scandals, much of it forced by outside circumstances.

Even so, he applauded the U.S. bishops and dioceses for releasing these names, something that abuse survivors and accountability groups have long advocated for over the past two decades. He also said that he hopes it sets a global precedent.

“Not another country in the world is doing what the Catholic bishops in the U.S. are doing,” he noted.
--------------------------
“It’s a big and complicated job,” said McKiernan, but it “allows us to focus on where the transparency needs to go.”

**

There's Now a Nationwide Database of Priests Credibly Accused of Abuse, by Beth Skwarecki, Lifehacker (January 30, 2020)

“The impact on a survivor of seeing his abuser’s name published is profound,” Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org says in the newsletter. “It gives validation. It instantly transfers much of his burden of shame and self-blame to the perpetrator, where it belongs.” If there’s a name that stands out to you from your own childhood, consider perhaps looking it up.

**

Report: New Orleans Saints helped shape accused clergy list, victim lawyers say, by Jim Mustian, Associated Press (January 30, 2020)

The AP analysis included a review of bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports, media accounts and a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability.org.
-------------------------
That percentage would be significantly lower than the representation of abusive priests seen in jurisdictions around the country, said Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases.

The church’s own numbers, published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, put the national average around 6 percent, while some advocacy groups contend it’s as high as 10 percent.

McKiernan said it would be “objectionable” for Bensel to hold the dual role of directing damage control and weighing in on the contents of the credibly accused list.

“One would hope that the church is not viewing this as a PR matter anymore but a matter for truth and justice," McKiernan said. "If you have someone helping you spin not only the problem but the supposedly accurate list that describes the problem, you have a lot of work to do.”

**

Catholic Leaders Promised Transparency About Child Abuse. They Haven’t Delivered., by Lexi Churchill, Ellis Simani and Topher Sanders, ProPublica (January 28, 2020)

The database also doesn’t include many accused clergy members whom bishops have yet to acknowledge, even if they’ve issued lists. An organization called Bishop Accountability has long maintained its own database of publicly accused priests, drawn from court records, news articles and church documents. The organization’s list includes more than 450 names connected to dioceses that have not released disclosures.
-----------------------------
Bishop Accountability applies different standards for inclusion on its list than church leaders, tracking public accusations against nuns and other clergy members often left off the official rolls.

As a result, there are sometimes substantial gaps between the group’s tallies and those of dioceses.

The Archdiocese of Boston currently lists 171 names. Bishop Accountability lists 279, including dozens of religious order priests omitted from the official list as well as several priests who died before victims came forward.

“For every person who’s left off a list, bishops ought to be aware that they are retraumatizing survivors and doubling the insult and doubling the pain,” Terence McKiernan, the founder of Bishop Accountability, said.

**

The Catholic Church broke its promise to publish a list of "credibly accused" abuser priests, so Propublica did it for them, by Cory Doctorow, boingboing.net (January 28, 2020)

Bishop Accountability applies different standards for inclusion on its list than church leaders, tracking public accusations against nuns and other clergy members often left off the official rolls.

As a result, there are sometimes substantial gaps between the group’s tallies and those of dioceses.

The Archdiocese of Boston currently lists 171 names. Bishop Accountability lists 279, including dozens of religious order priests omitted from the official list as well as several priests who died before victims came forward.

“For every person who’s left off a list, bishops ought to be aware that they are retraumatizing survivors and doubling the insult and doubling the pain,” Terence McKiernan, the founder of Bishop Accountability, said.

**

As Philadelphia’s archbishops, Charles Chaput and Nelson Pérez may differ less in substance than style, by Jeremy Roebuck, Philadelphia Inquirer (January 26, 2020)

"The old-timers, they were trained in a very different church and I think they had a different experience of the 2002 abuse crisis as bishops," Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, said in an interview last year. "The new guard experienced the crisis as priests on the front lines."

**

As Philadelphia's archbishops, Charles Chaput and Nelson Pérez may differ less in substance than in style, Philadelphia Inquirer (January 25, 2020)

**

As Philadelphia’s archbishops, Charles Chaput and Nelson Pérez may differ less in substance than style, Philly.com (January 25, 2020)

**

New Orleans Saints go to court over Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, Fox Business (January 24, 2020)

The web site BishopAccountability.org -- which tracks sexual abuse charges by Catholic clergy -- counts 80 individuals who have made claims against the Archdiocese of New Orleans. In August of 2019, the archdiocese said it has set aside $8.5 million for potential settlements from sexual abuse claims against its clergy.

According to BishopAccountability.org, 23 U.S. Catholic dioceses and religious orders have filed for bankruptcy protection during the ongoing sexual abuse crisis and the American Catholic Church has paid out some $4 billion in lawsuits.

**

MOVEMENT TO RID STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CASES GOES BEYOND EAST AND WEST COAST STATES, Adam Horowitz Law (January 22, 2020)

–The Kansas City diocese reports 24 credibly accused abusive clerics. But BishopAccountability.org says it has 30 such individuals.

**

Victims’ lawyer releases credibly accused clergy list for Fall River Diocese, by Kiernan Dunlop, South Coast Today (January 21, 2020)

Terry McKiernan, an advocate for Survivors First and BishopAccountability.org, told a crowd of demonstrators outside the Boston Archdiocese in 2003 that Avila abused an estimated 100 children during a 44-year career as a priest in Taunton, Fall River, East Falmouth, and New Bedford.

**

Investigation of Bishop DiMarzio just the latest probe of a U.S. bishop; here’s where they stand now, by Brian Fraga, Our Sunday Visitor (January 20, 2020)

Terry McKiernan from BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit organization that tracks clergy sex-abuse cases in the United States, told Our Sunday Visitor that it will be “a shame” if the McCarrick report is anything less than forthcoming, because “we really do need to know about McCarrick in detail, and if we don’t, the McCarrick saga is simply going to continue to fester.”

**

Editorial: Buffalo Diocese bankruptcy must not be a sanctuary for sin, News Editorial Board, The Buffalo News (January 12, 2020)

**

A FIRST: NON-VICTIMS CAN SUE PITTSBURGH DIOCESE, by Martina Moyski, ChurchMilitant.com (January 10, 2020)

The AP analysis matched names of accused priests on public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests available at BishopAccountability.org.

The analysis revealed that more than 100 of the former clergy members not listed by dioceses had been charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography.

"No one should think, 'Oh, the bishops are releasing their lists, there's nothing left to do,'" said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, who has been tracking the abuse crisis and cataloging accused priests for almost two decades, accumulating a database of thousands of priests.

"There are a lot of holes in these lists," he said. "There's still a lot to do to get to actual, true transparency."

**

VALUING MONEY OVER VICTIMS, by Paul Murano, ChurchMilitant.com (January 9, 2020)

In the wake of Bloomberg's findings, Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, lamented, "The survivors should have gotten that money, and they didn't. The Catholic Church has behaved like a business. It hasn't behaved like a religion that lives by the rules it espouses."

**

Catholic Church Shields $2 Billion in Assets to Limit Abuse Payouts, VladTV (January 9, 2020)

**

Catholic Church Shields $2 Billion in Assets to Limit Abuse Payouts, by Josh Saul, Bloomberg Businessweek (January 8, 2020)

Cover-ups worked when victims and their families could be intimidated or shamed into silence. But in the 1980s and ’90s, victims started filing civil lawsuits against the dioceses where the alleged incidents took place. Church leaders across the country kept these suits quiet by settling out of court and demanding nondisclosure agreements in return. Church leaders paid out about $750 million from the early ’80s through 2002, according to BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit that tracks clergy sex abuse.
-----------------
In many cases, churches precede bankruptcy by transferring and reclassifying assets. The effect is to shrink the pot of money available to clergy abuse victims. That and Chapter 11’s universal settle­ments and protections from further claims have been an effective one-two punch for limiting payouts. A Bloomberg Businessweek review of court filings by lawyers for churches and victims in the past 15 years shows that the U.S. Catholic Church has shielded more than $2 billion in assets from abuse victims in bankruptcies using these methods. “The survivors should have gotten that money, and they didn’t,” says Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org. “The Catholic Church has behaved like a business. It hasn’t behaved like a religion that lives by the rules it espouses.”

**

Hundreds Of Accused Clergy Left Off Church’s Sex Abuse Lists, Associated Press (January 8, 2020)

The AP reached that number by matching those public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability. org and then scouring bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports and media accounts.

More than a hundred of the former clergy members not listed by dioceses or religious orders had been charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography.

On top of that, the AP found another nearly 400 priests and clergy members who were accused of abuse while serving in dioceses that have not yet released any names.

“No one should think, ‘Oh, the bishops are releasing their lists, there’s nothing left to do,’ ” said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of Bish-opAccountability.org, who has been tracking the abuse crisis and cataloging accused priests for almost two decades.

**

Catholic Church Shields $2 Billion in Assets to Limit Abuse Payouts, by Josh Saul, Bloomberg (January 8, 2020)

In many cases, churches precede bankruptcy by transferring and reclassifying assets. The effect is to shrink the pot of money available to clergy abuse victims. That and Chapter 11’s universal settle­ments and protections from further claims have been an effective one-two punch for limiting payouts. A Bloomberg Businessweek review of court filings by lawyers for churches and victims in the past 15 years shows that the U.S. Catholic Church has shielded more than $2 billion in assets from abuse victims in bankruptcies using these methods. “The survivors should have gotten that money, and they didn’t,” says Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org. “The Catholic Church has behaved like a business. It hasn’t behaved like a religion that lives by the rules it espouses.”

**

Clergy Childhood Sexual Abuse presser 10:30 a.m., tomorrow, San Diego- New pedophile priest lawsuit is filed Cleric has ‘very unusual’ work history, Law Offices of Joseph C. George (January 7, 2020)

SNAP also urges Catholics and citizens to look to outside sources for information, especially BishopAccountability.org

**

Fargo and Bismarck Catholic Diocese Release List of Known Clergy Who Sexually Abused Minors, by Tim O'Keeffe, The Legal Examiner (January 6, 2020)

Media outlets and other organizations tracking public accusations of clergy abuse have also noted some names appear to be missing from the dioceses’ lists. BishopAccountability.org is an organization which maintains a database of publicly accused priests based upon dioceses’ published lists, publicly-filed court records, and news articles. Between the dioceses’ lists and the database, there are at least five clergy members who have allegedly abused individuals but are not on the lists publicly released by the dioceses yesterday. For example, as of August 2019, at least two priests not named on the dioceses’ lists were under investigation for sexual abuse.

**

Former Passionist priest, who once served in Pittsburgh, gets probation for ‘unnatural acts’ on a minor, Associated Press (January 6, 2020)

**

Religions of the World: Free Web Sites A-N, Michigan State University

BishopAccountability.org

BishopAccountability.org is a clearinghouse of information and documents about the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandals. It's goal is to assemble on the internet a collection of publicly available documents and to report on the crisis. It endorses no particular analysis of the root cause of the crisis and advocates no particular remedy. It tries to include a range of viewpoints. It has links to grand jury/attorney general reports, to the Vatican and U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops' materials, and to analyses and commentaries on particular cases.

**

From priest’s biggest defender ... to discovery of heartbreaking truth, by Michael Rezendes, Associated Press (January 5, 2020)

Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the abuse crisis and maintains a data base of accused priests, said abusers in the Jesuit religious order are well-equipped to exercise psychological control over their victims because of the order’s reputation as administrators of dozens of colleges and high schools in the United States alone.

"Everyone knows the Jesuits are smart and the Jesuits are sophisticated," he said. "And they often bring enormous sophistication to the abuse they perpetrate."

**

SUNDAYS AFTER: Famed Jesuit abused boy 1,000 times around world, by Michael Rezendes, Associated Press (January 4, 2020)

**

2 North Dakota dioceses release list of 53 accused clergy members, by Dave Kolpack, Associated Press (January 2, 2020)

The North Dakota dioceses are the 148th and 149th in the country to release names of offending clergy, said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, He called the announcement a “step in the right direction,” especially since there are names on the list his group has not seen before.

However, McKiernan and Tim Lennon, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said it’s unfortunate the releases did not include information about work history, photographs, when the allegations against each clergy member were received and what actions were taken in response.

Without those details, Lennon said, it comes off as a public relations ploy to appease the public.

“It’s a shame we didn’t have the names a long time ago, but this is a good thing,” McKiernan said. “I hope that the bishops in the dioceses can take the next step and bring their lists kind of up to code, if you will.”

**

North Dakota dioceses name 53 Catholic officials accused of sexually abusing children, by April Baumgarten, Forum News Service (January 2, 2020)

When issuing such lists, most dioceses release work histories of the accused, said Terry McKiernan, founder of Bishop Accountability. His website tracks accused clergy members and gives details about the allegations.

Still, McKiernan gave the North Dakota dioceses credit for releasing lists, even if they are late to the game. Fargo and Bismarck are the 148th and 149th out of about 200 dioceses in the U.S. to release lists, he said.

“A list is better than no list,” he said. “The transparency is significant.”
----------------------------------
The North Dakota lists have new names, meaning the dioceses are treating the situation with more honesty, McKiernan said. Fargo's list includes at least 15 new names previously not known to the public.

“That’s important for survivors of abuse because many of them have been suffering in silence all of these years,” he said. “You realize that you are not the only one.”

A chart released by the diocese shows it substantiated almost 90 allegations of child sexual abuse, almost half of which happened in 1970. That would amount to almost three allegations per accused church official, if evenly distributed.

But it’s likely some have more allegations than others. The Rev. John Gerald Brendan Smyth, who spent time serving in North Dakota, likely abused more than 50 children in Ireland and the U.S., according to Bishop Accountability.

**

Hundreds of accused clergy left off church's sex abuse lists, by Claudia Lauer, Meghan Hoyer, The Associated Press (January 1, 2020)

The AP reached that number by matching those public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability.org and then scouring bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports and media accounts.

More than a hundred of the former clergy members not listed by dioceses or religious orders had been charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography.

On top of that, the AP found another nearly 400 priests and clergy members who were accused of abuse while serving in dioceses that have not yet released any names.

"No one should think, 'Oh, the bishops are releasing their lists, there's nothing left to do,'" said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, who has been tracking the abuse crisis and cataloging accused priests for almost two decades, accumulating a database of thousands of priests.

"There are a lot of holes in these lists," he said. "There's still a lot to do to get to actual, true transparency."

**

2019

**

Attorney: Charlotte Diocese List Not Complete, by Lisa Worf, WFAE 90.7 (December 31, 2019)

Lisa Worf: Why do you believe the list is incomplete?

Seth Langson: Well, I know from my own personal investigation of one or more names that should be on that list that aren't on the list. That has nothing to do with what documents, confidential documents, are seen by the Diocese. I just know there was at least one other person that wasn't on the list.

Worf: And so how many names are we talking about, in your estimation?

Langson: I'm not certain. Terry McKiernan of Bishop Accountability, I think was quoted yesterday saying that even six or nine names that should have been on the list.

**

Lawsuit: Famed Jesuit abused boy 1,000 times around world, by Michael Rezendes, Associated Press (December 31, 2019)

Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the abuse crisis and maintains a data base of accused priests, said abusers in the Jesuit religious order are well-equipped to exercise psychological control over their victims because of the order's reputation as administrators of dozens of colleges and high schools in the United States alone.

"Everyone knows the Jesuits are smart and the Jesuits are sophisticated," he said. "And they often bring enormous sophistication to the abuse they perpetrate."

**

Hundreds of Accused Priests, Clergy Members Left Off Catholic Church's Sex Abuse Lists, by Claudi Lauer and Meghan Hoyer , The Associated Press (December 29, 2019)

The AP reached that number by matching those public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability.org and then scouring bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports and media accounts.
-----------------
More than a hundred of the former clergy members not listed by dioceses or religious orders had been charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography. On top of that, the AP found another nearly 400 priests and clergy members who were accused of abuse while serving in dioceses that have not yet released any names.

“No one should think, ‘Oh, the bishops are releasing their lists, there’s nothing left to do,’” said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, who has been tracking the abuse crisis and cataloging accused priests for almost two decades, accumulating a database of thousands of priests.

“There are a lot of holes in these lists,” he said. “There’s still a lot to do to get to actual, true transparency.”

**

Hundreds of accused clergy left off church’s list of sex abusers, by Claudia Lauer and Meghan Hoyer, Associated Press (December 28, 2019)

The AP reached that number by matching those public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability.org and then scouring bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports and media accounts.

More than a hundred of the former clergy members not listed by dioceses or religious orders had been charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography.

On top of that, the AP found another nearly 400 priests and clergy members who were accused of abuse while serving in dioceses that have not yet released any names.

“No one should think, ‘Oh, the bishops are releasing their lists, there’s nothing left to do,’” said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, who has been tracking the abuse crisis and cataloging accused priests for almost two decades.

**

Former Priest In MD Left Off Sex Abuse List; DC, Baltimore Lists, by Deb Belt, Patch (December 28, 2019)

An AP analysis found more than 900 clergy members nationwide accused of child sexual abuse who were missing from lists. The AP reached that number by matching the public diocesan lists against a database of accused priests tracked by the group BishopAccountability.org and then scouring bankruptcy documents, lawsuits, settlement information, grand jury reports and media accounts.

**

New Orleans archdiocese's list of credibly accused clergy grows by one name, by Ramon Antonio Vargas, NOLA.com (December 24, 2019)

Richard McCormick was assigned to St. Rosalie Parish in Harvey from 1991 to 1992, two decades after his 1970 ordination, according to the watchdog website bishopaccountability.org.

**

Pope removes shroud of secrecy from clergy sex abuse cases, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (December 20, 2019)

**

The change to the ‘pontifical secret’ does less than it appears to do, by Christopher Altieri, Catholic Herald (December 18, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccounability.org agreed. “I think it’s an overdue and desperately needed action,” she said. “The pontifical secret has been an obstruction to civil justice,” Barrett added. She said the move was a strategically wise one for Pope Francis to take in the current climate. “Prosecutors have begun not only to look at the priests who abuse, but the bishops who cover up their crimes,” she noted. “Civil societies will no longer tolerate it. It’s a move he’s being compelled to make by new forces of accountability in the secular realm.”

“The [pontifical] secret,” Doyle said, “has become a legal liability.”

*

Vatican abolishes 'pontifical secrecy' in sex abuse cases, CGTN (December 18, 2019)

**

Pontifical secret abolished for cases of sexual abuse, by Sarah Mac Donald, Catholic Ireland (December 18, 2019)

According to Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability, “pontifical secrecy has been an obstruction to civil justice, spurring bishops worldwide to thwart prosecutions of abusive priests” for decades.

In a statement, she stated, “Let’s hope this reform is a first step toward correcting the deep anti-victim bias of canon law – a system skewed towards protecting the abuser and saving his priesthood.”

She said the Pope was making his announcement at a time when the Church’s secrecy around abuse has “become a legal liability, putting it on a collision course with civil society”.

“Prosecutors are nabbing not only abusive priests but the bishops who fail to report them. In France, two bishops, including a powerful cardinal, recently have been convicted for failing to report. In Chile and the United States, law enforcement has raided multiple church offices and confiscated secret abuse files. In Argentina, a provincial court last year found that the church’s secrecy laws violated the Argentine constitution. In Australia, state legislatures have passed laws requiring the reporting of abuse revealed in confession. Pope Francis is removing the pontifical secret at a time when it’s no longer tolerated.”

She also warned that big questions remain.

“Will the secret be lifted retroactively to cases still hidden? Does this mean the Vatican will make public the names of the thousands of priests it has found guilty? The practical impact of this change will be determined by how broadly it is applied.”

Welcoming the Pope’s re-definition of the age of minor in relation child abuse images, Anne Barrett Doyle said that to date the Church has been especially lenient towards priests who offend against older children. “Extending the pornography ban sends a message that this vulnerable group of minors must be protected.”

However, she also warned that the measures announced on Tuesday “fall short of what’s urgently needed”.

“Even with these changes, canon law will continue to undermine secular legal systems. To begin with, and most urgently, Pope Francis must enact true ‘zero tolerance’ for child abusers. This means requiring the permanent removal of every priest found guilty of child molestation. It’s a little-known, appalling fact that under universal church law, guilty priests still are allowed to remain in ministry.”

**

Pope scraps secrecy rule to open up child abuse files, by Tom Kington, The Times (December 18, 2019)

**

Pope removes shroud of secrecy from clergy sex abuse cases in response to criticism, by Nicole Winfield,Associated Press (December 17, 2019)

**

Pope abolishes "pontifical secrecy" for sex abuse investigations, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (December 17, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of the U.S. based abuse documentation group BishopAccountability.org, said the pope had taken "an overdue and desperately needed step" but that its impact will be determined by how broadly it is applied.

**

Pope Francis Abolishes the Use of 'Pontifical Secrecy' in Clergy Sex Abuse Cases, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (December 17, 2019)

“To date, the church has been especially lenient towards priests who offend against older children” with pornography, said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability. “Extending the pornography ban sends a message that this vulnerable group of minors must be protected too.”

**

Pope Changes Canon Law Surrounding Sex Abuse Cases, by Sylvia Poggioli, NPR, (December 17, 2019)

SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Today's announcement was welcomed by many survivors of sex abuse and their advocates. Marie Collins, abused by a priest as a child in her native Ireland, had resigned in 2017 in frustration from a papal commission on abuse because of what she denounced as Vatican resistance. Today she hailed the reform, tweeting, excellent news; at last a real and positive change. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse documentation website bishopaccountability.org, said the pope has taken an overdue and desperately needed step.

**

Pope abolishes 'pontifical secrecy' for sex abuse investigations, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (December 17, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of the U.S. based abuse documentation group BishopAccountability.org, said the pope had taken “an overdue and desperately needed step” but that its impact will be determined by how broadly it is applied.

**

EDITORIAL: Pushing clergy abuse into the light, The Telegram (December 17, 2019)

While it may be new in Canada, the process has been established for some time in the United States. The archdiocese of Tucson released a list in 2002, and since then, 145 other dioceses in the United States have followed suit, though some lists have included only priests and clergy who have been convicted of crimes. Six different Jesuit provinces in the United States have also released such lists. The collection of those lists has led to giant open-access files like the ones kept by BishopAccountability.org, which have compiled lists containing thousands of names of offending clergy. (Not all of the lists have been completely voluntary — several were created as the result of settlement agreements for civil abuse cases.)

**

Pope Francis Abolishes Secrecy Policy in Sexual Abuse Cases, by Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times (December 17, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a group that tracks abuse in the church, said the pope had taken “an overdue and desperately needed step.”

“For decades, pontifical secrecy has been an obstruction to civil justice, spurring bishops worldwide to thwart prosecutions of abusive priests,” Ms. Barrett Doyle said in a statement. She called changing the policy “a first step toward decreasing the anti-victim bias of canon law.”
----------------------
The Rev. Hans Zollner, a member of the Vatican’s child protection commission, said, “This is pretty much revolutionary.”

Ms. Barrett Doyle was less confident.

“The impact of this change will be determined by how broadly it is applied,” she said.

It was not clear, for example, whether the new policy would be applied retroactively, she said.

Ms. Barrett Doyle and other victim advocates, while praising the change, said it did not address many of the other issues they have raised, like the fact that the church has not adopted a policy of defrocking any priest who has abused a child.

“It’s a little-known, appalling fact that under universal church law, guilty priests still are allowed to remain in ministry,” Ms. Barrett Doyle said

**

Pope Francis lifts “pontifical secrecy” rule for sexual abuse cases, IrishCentral Staff (December 17, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle from BishopAccountability told The Associated Press: “To date, the church has been especially lenient towards priests who offend against older children.

“Extending the pornography ban sends a message that this vulnerable group of minors must be protected too.”

**

Pope lifts ‘pontifical secrecy’ rule in sex abuse cases, Associated Press (December 17, 2019)

“To date, the church has been especially lenient towards priests who offend against older children” with pornography, said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability. “Extending the pornography ban sends a message that this vulnerable group of minors must be protected too.

**

Pope Abolishes 'Pontifical Secrecy' for Sex Abuse Investigations, Reuters (December 17, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of the U.S. based abuse documentation group BishopAccountability.org, said the pope had taken "an overdue and desperately needed step" but that its impact will be determined by how broadly it is applied.

**

In Failing Health, Former Catholic Priest Appeals Murder Conviction, by Erik de la Garza, Courthouse New (December 13, 2019)

Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopsAccountability.org who attended Feit’s trial in Edinburg, said there are problems with Feit’s argument. There’s no penitent privilege, he said, because Tacheny was merely responsible for assessing Feit’s readiness as a candidate for joining his religious order, the Trappists.

“I think it’s pretty clear that those were simply conversations and sacrament of penance was not happening during those conversations,” McKiernan said in an interview Friday. “Although he did have apparently these numerous, lengthy conversations with Feit, including allegedly about her murder, it’s not at all clear that those were actual confessions in the canonical, Catholic sense of the term.”

**

FORMER PRIEST SUES ARCHDIOCESE FOR LIBEL, by Kristine Christlie, ChurchMilitant (December 13, 2019)

Terry McKiernan of the advocacy group Bishop Accountability, which keeps statistics on these matters, also told the Post-Dispatch the overwhelming majority of sex abuse allegations are true.

**

Priests accused of sex abuse served in almost every RI city and town, by Eli Sherman, Ted Nesi, Darren Soens, Kim Kalunian, WPRI (Posted: July 2, 2019, Updated: December 10, 2019)

Marcantonio, who died in 1999, started out at Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick in 1967. Within three years diocesan leaders were alerted that he had molested multiple boys, according to documents compiled by the group BishopAccountability.org.

**

The dangers of undoing the evolved strength of the papacy, by Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter (December 9, 2019)

So, for example, after the forced resignation of Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone, Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountabilty.org, said, "Rome has allowed and enabled the slow-motion train wreck of a great American diocese." In May, the pope gave local metropolitans the responsibility to request authority to investigate allegations made against a suffragan bishop involving sex abuse and covering up such abuse.

*

Former priest sues Archdiocese of St. Louis for naming him on list of alleged abusers, by Nassim Benchaabane, Associated Press (December 5, 2019)

Few of the church disclosures have included details about the allegations or the accused clergy’s work history, said Terry McKiernan who runs the advocacy group Bishop Accountability, which compiles a national database of accused priests.

Studies show the overwhelming majority of sex abuse allegations are true, McKiernan said, but the lack of details in cases like Toohey’s make it “really impossible for us on the outside to assess the validity.”

And the delay in public reporting of the allegations, many of which go back decades, means that most have passed the statute of limitations and can’t be tried in the criminal justice system or in civil lawsuits.

“It’s a corner that the diocese has in a sense backed themselves into by maintaining secrecy about these allegations until statutes of limitations lapse,” McKiernan said.

McKiernan says the process used by the church to substantiate allegations against clergy, in most cases, isn’t transparent.

“Who knows what goes into that decision, what documents are reviewed, who is spoken to. It’s not an ideal process for everyone,” he said.

**

Bishop’s Secret List of Accused Priests Leaves Him Besieged, by Sharon Otterman, The New York Times, (Published September 18, 2019; Updated December 4, 2019)

“The amount of opposition that he is facing in his diocese right now is without match in the United States,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse scandals. “It is just a matter of time until Pope Francis removes him.”

**

For a year, Catholics have pleaded for this bishop to resign. He finally did, by Daniel Burke, CNN (December 4, 2019)

"Buffalo is a microcosm of the current US clergy abuse crisis and a cautionary tale," said Terence McKiernan of the watchdog group Bishop Accountability.

"While the drama of Malone's incomplete list of accused priests has played out in Buffalo, 100 other U.S. bishops have released lists of their own."

Malone is the fifth US bishop to resign or retire since the latest outbreak of allegations in the church's sex abuse scandal began last summer, according to Bishop Accountability.

**

Buffalo Bishop Malone resigns following accusations that he mishandled sex abuse cases, by Chico Harlan, The Washington Post (December 4, 2019)

In a statement, Terry McKiernan, co-director of Bishop-Accountability.org, said Buffalo was a “microcosm” of the U.S. abuse crisis, with accountability coming from survivors, whistleblowers and journalists — not the Vatican. He criticized the Holy See for offering no explanation or contrition alongside the statement of Malone’s resignation.

“Rome has allowed and enabled the slow-motion train wreck of a great American diocese,” McKiernan said.

**

Reporter Sarah Delia Talks About 'The List,' A New Investigative Series From WFAE, by Sarah Delia, WFAE 90.7 (December 3, 2019)

SARAH DELIA: Well, you’re right, the Charlotte Diocese is one of the last to release a list, according to BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog organization that tracks and analyzes lists released by dioceses across the country. Out of 178 dioceses in the country, 146 have released lists. Charlotte is one of the last to do so, especially in the South.

**

Episode 1: The Who And The What, by Sarah Delia, WFAE (December 2, 2019) [Part One of a Four Part series]

DELIA: So Anthony’s been waiting. Waiting, and waiting. 

And so has Terence McKiernan, the founder of  the nonprofit watchdog group BishopAccountability.org. McKiernan collects legal documents, interviews survivors and analyzes lists released by dioceses.

TERENCE MCKIERNAN: The bishops and superiors of religious orders have been dragged kicking and screaming into a kind of transparency about this, and I applaud them and support them that they are finally coming out with lists. But they’ve done it very reluctantly. And unfortunately, very often the lists are still incomplete. 

DELIA: He was living in Boston when news broke in 2002 about the widespread sexual abuse of children by clergy and the coverup scandal that involved moving priests accused of misconduct to work in other parishes. It was the subject of the 2015 film “Spotlight” named after the Boston Globe’s investigative team that uncovered how deep the abuse went.

MCKIERNAN: And I was going to church every Sunday, taking my kids to church every Sunday. So inevitably, especially in Boston, the crisis really did hit me very hard. I can absolutely understand people who just left because they were so distressed. But for some reason, that wasn’t my reaction. My reaction was that this needed to be understood and paid attention to and scrutinized. And we all needed to really think this through together, and if the church was going to survive this and emerge from it a better church, it was going to need people to really concentrate on what had gone wrong. 

DELIA: McKiernan says the goal of BishopAccountability.org is to create a neutral space for the public to have access to information regarding credibly accused clergy. The website actually has its own database of accused priests.

He says the Charlotte Diocese is one of the last to release a list. 

MCKIERNAN: It really is quite remarkable that over 140 dioceses in the United States, out of a total of 178, have now released lists. So, it certainly is true that Charlotte is late in releasing its list.

DELIA: And since I spoke to McKiernan, that number has gone up. At least 146 dioceses have released lists.

He says one good thing about being late to the game is Charlotte can look at what makes an informative list because there isn’t a standard format. Each diocese can create the list the way it wants, the bishop of the diocese is the one calling the shots as far as when it’s released and what information is included.

The Charlotte Diocese is relatively young. It was established in 1972, and it’s made up of 46 counties of western North Carolina. That includes 92 parishes and missions, 19 Catholic schools and St. Joseph College Seminary in Charlotte. It’s a member of what’s called the Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta. That includes the dioceses of Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Savannah (Georgia) and Charleston (South Carolina). Out of that group, the Charlotte Diocese is the only one that has not yet to release a list. 

I told you not all lists are created equally. For example, McKiernan points to the list released by the Atlanta Diocese, which includes assignment histories of priests — where and when they worked and if they moved. Numerous investigations in multiple cities have found that the church moved abusers to protect them from legal ramifications. 

MCKIERNAN: That’s probably the first criterion when you look at a list and you’re trying to decide, is this really the kind of information I need? Have they admitted where the priests have served? Because, of course, an assignment list is a list of the parishes where that accused priest may very well have abused a child. If you’re not even going to admit his whereabouts, you really haven’t even gotten to first base with your list.

DELIA: Other dioceses do less. McKiernan points to the Raleigh Diocese, which only includes names of the accused, the year the alleged abuse occurred, the year it was reported, and if the accused is alive or dead. No assignment histories are included or details of the abuse. I reached out to the Raleigh Diocese, but it declined to do an interview. In an email, Dr. John Pendergrass with the Raleigh Diocese said, “It is important to note that there is no unified process for doing this or making this decision. Each Diocese creates the process and makes the choice. There is variety in the format and process of these lists.” 

McKiernan has higher hopes for the Diocese of Charlotte.

MCKIERNAN: I really hope that they not only list the assignments but provide the start and stop years for each assignment, because that allows us to see, well, what gaps are there in that assignment history? How often was the priest transferred? Was he transferred outside of the diocese at some point? And, if he was, does the list specify where he went and where he was working when he was away from the diocese? All of this information is part of the kind of transparency we really need to understand what the crisis involved in the Charlotte Diocese. 

DELIA: Other dioceses outside the South have gone further when it comes to information and transparency. McKiernan says the more information available to survivors and the public, the better. 

MCKIERNAN: The Sacramento Diocese out in California is a real exception in providing detailed information about the alleged abuse. We really admire them for doing that and we would really encourage the bishop in Charlotte to bite the bullet and do that. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it transforms the list from something that’s useful but still difficult to work with into something that’s truly revealing, and I think truly healing as well. 

**

‘The Pope Ignored Them’: Argentinian Priests Convicted Of Sexual Abuse Of Deaf Children, by Peter Castagno, Citizen Truth (December 2, 2019)

“We hope the prosecutors now will launch a criminal investigation of the archbishops and other church leaders who knew or should have known that the school was being run by a child molester,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org, told the Post. “The pope too must accept responsibility for the unimaginable suffering of these children. He ignored repeated warnings that Corradi was in Argentina.”
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“As of Nov. 11, Bishop Accountability, a website that tracks accusations, has named 6,433 priests, brothers and Catholic school officials accused of abuse,” reports Lindsay Schnell with USA Today. “Additionally, 154 archdioceses and dioceses have released the names of 4,771 credibly accused clerics, according to Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Minnesota-based law firm that specializes in representing sex abuse survivors.
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“Bishops watching bishops does not work,” Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability told the Associated Press.

**

Priests found guilty of abusing deaf children at Argentine school, by Almudena Calatrava The Associated Press (November 26, 2019)

“The Argentine court has given the traumatized children of Provolo a measure of justice that the Catholic Church failed to give them,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org.

“We hope the prosecutors now will launch a criminal investigation of the archbishops and other church leaders who knew or should have known that the school was being run by a child molester,” she said.

Doyle also said “the pope too must accept responsibility for the unimaginable suffering of these children. He ignored repeated warnings that Corradi was in Argentina.”

**

Catholic Priests Get 40+ Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Deaf Kids, by David Gee, Friendly Atheist (November 26, 2019)

**

Priests Guilty of Abusing Deaf Children at Argentine School get Over 40 Years in Prison, WIC News (November 26, 2019)

The Argentine court has given the damaged offspring of Provolo a proportion of equity that the Catholic Church neglected to provide them with, said Anne Barrett Doyle, fellow benefactor of the online research database BishopAccountability.org, to the Associated Press.

The frightfulness of Provolo is twofold: the torment of the kids and the Church’s inability to avoid it. We trust the investigators currently will dispatch a criminal examination of the diocese supervisors and other church pioneers who knew or ought to have realized that a youngster molester was controlling the school.

Doyle likewise said that the Pope too should acknowledge obligation regarding the incredible enduring of these youngsters. He disregarded rehashed alerts that Corradi was in Argentina.

**

The Hidden World of Abusive Catholic Nun, by Bowen Xiao, The Epoch times (November 26, 2019)

BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit corporation that tracks cases of sexual abuse by clergy members, has identified over the years “a little over 100 known accused nuns,” Terry McKiernan, the founder of the website, told The Epoch Times. Its database, meanwhile, has tracked more than 6,000 accused priests across the United States.

“The numbers are fairly small, but that’s the number that is known,” McKiernan said, referring to the number of publicly accused abusive nuns. “Its a matter of some debate how big the problem actually is.”

Some of the names of the nuns are incomplete because the alleged victims couldn’t recall, according to a list of the names published in August. More names have since been added to the database that don’t appear on the list. The alleged victims are from across the country and come from a wide array of different religious orders.

McKiernan said most of the nuns his organization identified were accused of abuse “between the 1960s and the 1990s.” One group of accused nuns that stood out came from an orphanage in Louisville, Kentucky, where McKiernan said they saw the “highest concentration” of abusers in the database.

**

Catholic priests in Argentina sentenced to 45 years for child abuse, Associated Press (November 25, 2019

**

TWO PRIESTS WHO RAPED DEAF CHILDREN IN POPE FRANCIS’ HOMELAND SENTENCED, by William Mahoney, Ph.D., ChurchMilitant (November 25, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of Bishop Accountability, told the Associated Press, "The Argentine court has given the traumatized children of Provolo a measure of justice that the Catholic Church failed to give them."

She further explained the two-fold nature of the affair: "[T]he torture of the children and the Church’s failure to prevent it. We hope the prosecutors now will launch a criminal investigation of the archbishops and other church leaders who knew or should have known that the school was being run by a child molester."

Doyle also said the Pope must "accept responsibility for the unimaginable suffering of these children. He ignored repeated warnings that Corradi was in Argentina."

**

Two Catholic priests found guilty of sex abuse in Argentina, AlJazeera (November 25, 2019)

"The Argentine court has given the traumatised children of Provolo a measure of justice that the Catholic Church failed to give them," Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org, told the Associated Press.

"The horror of Provolo is twofold: the torture of the children and the Church's failure to prevent it. We hope the prosecutors now will launch a criminal investigation of the archbishops and other church leaders who knew or should have known that the school was being run by a child molester," she said.

Doyle added that "the Pope too must accept responsibility for the unimaginable suffering of these children. He ignored repeated warnings that Corradi was in Argentina."

**

Caso Próvolo: histórico fallo contra sacerdotes por abusos a niños sordos en Argentina, by Natalio Cosoy, MSN noticias (November 25, 2019)

* *

Priests guilty of abusing deaf children at Argentine school, by Almudena Calatrava, Associated Press (November 25, 2019)

“The Argentine court has given the traumatized children of Provolo a measure of justice that the Catholic Church failed to give them,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org.

“We hope the prosecutors now will launch a criminal investigation of the archbishops and other church leaders who knew or should have known that the school was being run by a child molester,” she said.

Doyle also said “the pope too must accept responsibility for the unimaginable suffering of these children. He ignored repeated warnings that Corradi was in Argentina.”

**

Vatican accused of harbouring bishop wanted for alleged sexual abuse of young priests, by Nick Squires, The Telegraph (November 22, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, of BishopAccountability.org, which documents the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, said: “It's vital that Pope Francis ensures Zanchetta's full cooperation with Argentine civil authorities. To do otherwise would put the Pope in violation of his own decree forbidding conduct by bishops that interferes with civil investigations.

“Francis must begin to set an example - especially because his protectiveness toward Zanchetta to date already raises disturbing questions about his commitment to ending complicity by Church officials.

“Francis should not have given Zanchetta safe harbour in the first place, given the bishop's reported wrongdoing in Argentina.”

**

Argentine prosecutor calls for international arrest of bishop accused of sex abuse, by Cassandra Garrison, Reuters, (November 21, 2019)

There have been allegations of sexual abuse against at least 100 clerics in Argentina, according to BishopAccountability.org, an abuse tracking group.

**

Sexually abused as a child, Minnesota priest feels revictimized by attorney's disclosure, by April Baumgarten, Forum News Service (November 17, 2019)

There is general acknowledgement the public has a right to know about people with a history of sexual abuse, said Terry McKiernan, founder of the Bishop Accountability website that tracks clergy members with histories of sexual abuse.

There is no guarantee a sexual abuser will reoffend, but it’s a strong possibility, McKiernan said. “You need to know if the person you rely on is a danger to your children,” he said.

A number of priests have sexually abused children before joining the clergy, McKiernan said. He noted the late Rev. James Porter, who was accused of sexually abusing hundreds of children, including in Crookston. Records trace at least one crime against a child during a summer camp when Porter was a seminarian, McKiernan said.

McKiernan said he believes Richards’ history should be made public. The church “has to hold its priests to a zero-tolerance standard,” he said, adding that the Crookston Diocese should have screened Richards and found out about his history before he was ordained.

**

The Backstory: 'I've had it with 'victims.' Why we won't stop reporting on sexual abuse, by Nicole Carroll, USA TODAY (November 15, 2019)

Working with Sam Ruland of the York (Pa.) Daily Record, Schnell built a database from the church disclosures as well as BishopAccountability.org, a database of accused priests. Eventually, they had a list with 699 addresses.

**

Former priest, accused though not convicted of abuse, settles quietly into Barefoot Bay, by Lamaur Stancil, Florida Today (November 13, 2019)

Mead was the subject of a 1996 accusation made to the Burlington, Vermont, bishop, according to BishopAccountability.org, a database of publicly accused priests that also includes files on bishops, and documents from church leadership on the abuse crisis.
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In building its review of priests, the USA TODAY Network worked initially from information gathered by BishopAccountability.org. Reporters used this database in addition to information made available by dioceses because the church has a history of leaving priests off of lists of credibly accused clergy, an issue that has drawn scrutiny from survivors’ groups and victims’ advocates.

**

If You Measure It, You Can Manage It, by Thomas J. Healey & Michael J. Brough, Commonweal Magazine (November 5, 2019)

This would be the obvious next step, given the measures the bishops adopted in June. These included the establishment of a third-party reporting process, and implementation of a new model whereby reports of abuse or misconduct by bishops would be referred to the appropriate metropolitan archbishop and the papal nuncio. The metropolitan, in turn, would be responsible for making these reports available to civil authorities and for cooperating in any investigation that may ensue. Bishop Jaime Soto, of the diocese of Sacramento, also made a proposal to mandate an audit-review process of the newly approved bishop-accountability procedures.

**

SNAP calls for more action in church sex abuse cases, by Rob Masson, WVUE (November 4, 2019)

Members of SNAP want the Archdiocese of New Orleans to expand, a list of credibly accused clergy that was released one year ago this week. They want it expanded, from 57 names to 81, as outlined on the webisite Bishopaccountability.org.

"It wasn't good enough because most of the priests on that list were dead and statute of limitations prohibits suing anyone who is dead in civil law," said Louisiana SNAP president Kevin Bourgeois.

The archdiocese says many of the names on the Bishopaccountability.org list, includes non priests, who were members of religious orders, and not under the archdiocese. They put out a statement saying,

“Our goals as we work to address the clergy abuse crisis are to walk with victims towards healing and to work diligently through our safe environment program to prevent abuse from occurring. we continue to address and investigate allegations that are reported to us and once again pledge our full cooperation with any law enforcement investigations into criminal actions.”

**

Report documents decades of abuse by Colorado's Catholic priests, Reuters (October 24, 2019)

**

Special Report On Colorado Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Details 70 Years Of Allegations, Cover-Ups And Shoddy Records, by Allison Sherry and Andrew Kenney, CPR News (October 23, 2019)

In 1981, after several more accusations and complaints, White took a “healing” sabbatical before returning to work. His career continued for years afterward, including stops in Sterling, Loveland, Minturn, Eagle, Vail, Aspen and Steamboat Springs, according to a dossier compiled by BishopAccountability.org and based on church directories.

**

New clergy childhood sexual abuse & cover up lawsuit to be filed in Monterey, Law Offices of Joseph C. George (October 15, 2019)

Fr. Allison has been credibly accused of child sex abuse in Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico. http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/Allison_William_G.htm

**

Speaker: Abuse survivors can't wait for bishops to learn from crisis, by Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter (September 30, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, president and co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks reports and data about the sex abuse crisis, attended the Notre Dame event and praised the university for its commitment to examining the issue.

"It was a cautious beginning, but a beginning," he said, adding that he hoped the project would "take more risks" in the future.

**

Notre Dame Forum panelists share expectations for discussion, comment on Archbishop Lori’s controversial history, by Mary Steurer, The Observer (September 25, 2019)

It is these coverups that keep abuse and other acts of corruption alive yet hidden, president of web database Bishop Accountability Terry McKiernan, who will be attending the panel, said. McKiernan warned the Catholic community to be skeptical of the Church’s progress.

“Since 2002, the Catholic Church in the United States — both the dioceses and also to some extent the religious orders — have chosen a PR strategy that basically put forward the message that we’re on a learning curve, we’ve done a lot of work and we’re now a very safe place for children,” he said.

**

Clerical Sexual Abuse: Religious Institutions Must Have a Pentecost Moment and They Must Have It Now, by Yunuen Trujillo, Berkley Center for rEligion, Peace & World Affairs (September 25, 2019)

In recent times, daunting stories of abuse in religious institutions have surfaced, forcing religious communities to confront their demons. Academics such as Terence McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, have taken it upon themselves to gather records of clerical sexual abuse. However, it will be long before anyone can fully analyze these records to reach substantiated conclusions as to the cause of and solution to clergy sexual abuse.

**

In response to abuse crisis, more Catholics are withholding financial gifts from the Church, by Brian Fraga, Catholic News Service (September 17, 2019)

**

Abuse crisis, leadership failure seen having impact on church giving, by Brian Fraga, Catholic News Service (September 16, 2019)

The most recent figures compiled by BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks the bishops' response to the clergy sex abuse scandals, indicates the scandals to date have cost dioceses and religious orders in the United States more than $3.8 billion in total settlements.

**

Watchdog Team: Providence diocese adds another name to list of credibly accused priests, by Brian Amaral, Providence Journal (September 16, 2019)

As of Monday his name is not included on the website BishopAccountability.org, which documents allegations against Catholic clergy.

**

Former New Mexico priest gets 30 years for child sexual abuse, by Keith Coffman, Reuters (September 13, 2019)

**

Pedophile Priest Sentenced to 30 Years of Prison in US, telesur (September 13, 2019)

**

St. Paul archbishop to investigate bishop of Crookston Diocese, by Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune (September 12, 2019)

“Both Hebda and Dolan have added responsibilities, because they will be the first,” said Terry McKiernan, president of Bishop Accountability, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that has documented decades of clergy misconduct.

“It’s critical they get off on the right foot,” McKiernan said. “That means doing a fair investigation and being transparent with their results.”

McKiernan said he was concerned about the limited information revealed as Hebda’s investigation was made public. The archdiocese posted a statement by Hebda on its website but didn’t reveal what it was investigating, why, or who initiated the investigation. It did, however, encourage the public to come forward with information.

“Surely they’d get people coming forward in a more focused way if they were more clear in what they are seeking,” said McKiernan. “I assume that this is about Vasek’s claims and whether others had this experience.”

**

A U.S. priest, a Philippine village, and decades of secrecy, by Tim Sullivan, Times Union (September 9, 2019)

**

A US priest, a Philippine village, and decades of secrecy, by Tim Sullivan, The Associated Press (September 9, 2019)

Prosecutions of accused priests are exceedingly rare here, and convictions are rarer. “No priest in the Philippines has ever been convicted” of child sexual abuse, Bishop Buenaventura Famadico, who oversees a diocese south of Manila, told the Catholic newspaper La Croix last year.By comparison, the group BishopAccountability.org says that since 1990 more than 400 priests have been convicted in the U.S. on child sexual abuse charges.

**

Indictment of former Pa. priest signals aggressive new reach by federal prosecutors in clergy sex abuse investigation, by Ivey DeJesus, Pennlive (September 9, 2019)

“It is an amazing moment,” said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based group that maintains records of clergy abuse.

“I think more and more when you look at them collectively there’s a sense that there’s a critical mass beginning to build not only because of the criminal investigations but also the various kinds of action proceeding against the church and its various institutions.”

At the very least, McKiernan notes, it signals that prosecutors are cognizant of respective developments in prosecuting what is not only a national but a global child sex crime scandal within the Catholic Church.

“My sense is that prosecutors are talking with each other and there’s increasingly a received wisdom about how the church operates in managing these priests and how it operates in deflecting and defending itself when that time comes,” McKiernan said.

**

Bishop Gainer has talked about 'the healing touch of transparency.' How's his record?, by Ed Mahon, York Daily Record (September 6, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said recent revelations and actions show that Gainer isn't living up to his promises of transparency as the leader of the Harrisburg diocese.

For instance:

In 2014, Gainer wrote to the Vatican, saying that a priest accused of sexual abuse should "be permitted to live out his remaining years in prayer and penance, without adding further anxiety or suffering to his situation, and without risking public knowledge of his crimes."
Under Gainer, the Harrisburg diocese tried to shut down the statewide grand jury last year, according to a June article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
And in late August, the Harrisburg diocese issued a statement suggesting resistance to extending the statute of limitations for civil cases.
"Not only is transparency not his priority, which is bad enough," McKiernan said, "but he’s pretending it is."
----------------------------
McKiernan, with BishopAccountability.org, sees the action Gainer took in that Pease case as an attempt "to keep the Pease story quiet."
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But McKiernan, despite his criticism of Gainer, is not calling for this bishop of Harrisburg to step down. If the church replaces Gainer, it would likely bring in somebody "cut from the same cloth," McKiernan said.

Instead, McKiernan hopes the recent revelations — involving Gainer's 2014 letters and the Harrisburg diocese's efforts to stop the statewide grand jury investigation — could be used as a reason to pressure him into supporting statute of limitations changes.

**

Several accused priests had served in Eastern Jackson County, by Mike Genet, The Examiner (September 6, 2019)

Of the 12 accused priests who served in the area, four reportedly had allegations stemming from their local tenures, according to the website bishopaccountability.org – Francis McGlynn (St. Mary, Independence, 1970-74), Hugh Monahan (St. Robert Bellarmine, Blue Springs, 1983-87), Thomas O’Brien (Nativity of Mary, Independence, 1981-83) and Stephen Wise (Our Lady of Presentation, Lee’s Summit, 1981-85). Monahan and Wise have been laicized, and McGlynn and O’Brien died earlier in the decade. Also, Mark Honhart (Nativity, 1980-81) was serving in the Scranton, Pennsylvania Diocese when he was permanently removed from ministry. All had more than one allegation against them, according to the report.

**

Evil Here, Evil There: What Is Its Source?, by Bill Hughes Baltimore Post Examiner (September 3, 2019)

Here are some hard statistics about the pedophile-priest scandal: as of June 1, 2018, the number of priests accused of sexually abusing children in the U.S. stands at 6,846, while the currently known victims total 19,001. The authority for these mind-blowing numbers is the BishopAccountability.org website. This site continues to be updated.

**

Milwaukee Franciscan leader paid off Mississippi men in friar's sex abuse, by Michael Rezendes, Associated Press (August 27, 2019)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, an organization that helps survivors and maintains a database of Catholic abusers, said it's not unusual for church sex abuse victims to land in prison.

"Because of what's happened to them, they use drugs, hate authority, get into trouble, and before you know it they're behind bars," he said.

**

Ruling cements Pell’s profile as the Dreyfus or Hiss of the Catholic abuse crisis, by John L. Allen Jr., Crux (August 21, 2019)

“Today’s decision by the Victoria Court of Appeal is a watershed event, a sign of progress that should give all victims hope,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the activist group BishopAccountability.org.

Pope Francis, Barrett Doyle said, “should move swiftly now to condemn and penalize Pell, removing him from the College of Cardinals and laicizing him.”

**

Priests Accused of Abusing Deaf Argentine Students Stand Trial, Associated Press (August 5, 2019)

Anne Barret Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, told the AP that she does not expect a response from the Vatican and the pope.

Doyle said that when the crimes at the Verona school made world headlines in 2009 and 2010, “the pope was president of the Argentine bishops' conference. He could have ordered an investigation of the Mendoza and La Plata schools then.”

“And certainly, as pope, he could have acted years ago. He was notified by the Verona victims of Corradi's presence in Argentina.”

**

Abuse survivor: Some 'victim advocacy' groups 'have their own agendas,' by Ed Condon, CNA (August 2, 2019)

An internet search led him to the website BishopAccountability.org, where he learned that Rapp had been arrested in Oklahoma. Also on the website, Michael saw two links to victim support and advocacy groups. One was called Road to Recovery, the other was Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
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Michael told CNA he has been in contact with the website where he first found links to Road to Recovery and SNAP, BishopAccountability.org, and shared his experience about how the groups treated survivors with the site’s managers.

The banner links have since been removed and a new page added, with links to a number of survivor support groups, including SNAP and Road to Recovery, as well as agencies that encourage spiritual healing.

The new page on Bishopaccountability.org cautions that the site is “not recommending or endorsing these organizations” and encourages survivors to “exercise due diligence” before making contact with any group.

**

As Child Victims Act’s one-year window opens, victims speak out, by Li Yakira Cohen, AM New York (August)

**

Clergy abuse advocates speak out about predator priests in Columbia, by Chloe Khaw, Columbia Missourian (July 24, 2019)

**

St. Norbert Abbey releases list of 22 Norbertine priests known to have abused minors, by Haley BeMiller, Green Bay Press-Gazette (July 19, 2019)

The abbey also named Camillus Frigo, who was accused in a lawsuit filed in Dane County in 1986, according to the clergy abuse monitor BishopAccountability.org. The case file no longer exists, so the details and outcome of the suit are unclear. Frigo left the abbey and ministry, according to St. Norbert

**

Did Fulton Sheen witness and cover up the sexual assault of a child?, by Damien and Simcha Fisher (July 13, 2019)

The only reference we can find to these allegations comes from that text, which was posted on BishopAccountability.org sometime in 2007. BishopAccountability.org is an invaluable clearinghouse for documents regarding sexual abuse and cover-up in the Church, and we are grateful for its work; but it does not claim to vet or verify any documents it shares. According to the site:

“It is our goal to assemble on the Internet a collection of every publicly available document and report on the crisis … Our standards of inclusion are broad … BishopAccountability.org makes no claim regarding the accuracy of any document we post, and we have tried to include the full range of viewpoints, so as to provide a fully documented landscape of the crisis.”

This is not a criticism of BishopAccountability.org, but merely a clarification of what they do.
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While we can independently verify that Aretakis did file a state lawsuit on Hoatson’s behalf, we have been unable to find a verified copy of the complaint. We do not know if the complaint text on BishopAccountability.org, where the sole public accusation against Sheen exists, is the actual complaint filed in court. It was provided to the site by writer Matt C. Abbott, who has written copiously about the abuse scandal in the Church. Abbott himself said: “It should be noted that I do not necessarily agree with every assertion/conclusion made in the complaint.” Abbott referenced the document in a column he wrote for Renew America, but the column is no longer available online.

Let’s assume for the moment that the complaint that appears on BishopAccountability.org was actually filed in court. Here is the section that mentions Sheen, which is part of a long litany of allegations against several different priests:

**

Catholic Church Offers Cash to Settle Abuse Claims—With a Catch, by Ian Lovett, The Wall Street Journal (July 11, 2019)

[See graphic sourced to bishopaccountability.org]

**

Former Northwoods Catholic priest convicted of sexual abuse to live in Merrill soon, by Natalie Brophy, Wausau Daily Herald (July 9, 2019)

Malsch, who was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1967, is accused of sexually abusing at least three young boys while he worked at churches in Superior and Tomahawk, according to bishopaccountability.org, a website that tracks abuse by Catholic priests.
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Malsch was civilly committed in 2001 under Wisconsin's sexual predator law and sent to a treatment facility for "troubled priests" in Missouri, according to bishopaccountability.org. Malsch stayed at the center until 2003, until he was caught with child pornography in his room and sentenced to nine years in federal prison. He was removed from the priesthood in 2005, according bishopaccountability.org.

**

Diocese paid nearly $11 million in abuse settlements, legal fees, by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (July 5, 2019)

**

UPDATE: Estate of suicide victim wants Maryknolls to disclose former priest’s records, by Bill Heltzel, Westfair Online (July 3, 2019)

The petition does not explain how it is known that Flanagan assaulted Gallagher. BishopAccountability.org, does not list Flanagan on its database of U.S. Catholic clergy accused of sexually abusing children.

**

How Many Catholic Priests Have Been Accused in New York?, by KJ McElrath, Top Class Actiona (July 3, 2019)

“It is good that Brooklyn included previously unknown abusers by putting them on this list, but it also leaves a lot to be desired,” Terry McKiernan, president of the clerical abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org, told the New York Times.

**

50 Roman Catholic clergy ‘credibly accused’ of child abuse in Rhode Island, by Lee Brown, New York Post (July 1, 2019)

Of the listed, 17 — including four who are still alive — were not in the database of accused Rhode Island priests maintained by BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks the Catholic abuse crisis nationwide, according to WPRI.

**

Fall River diocese’s list of accused priests still unfinished, by Eli Sherman, Ted Nesi, WPRI (July 1, 2019)

BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks the Catholic abuse crisis nationwide, lists 31 members of the Fall River diocese who have faced some past accusation of sexual abuse. The diocese includes Bristol County, Cape Cod and the Islands, as well as Marion, Mattapoisett and Wareham

**

Survivors Label Providence Roman Catholic Diocese List Of Credible Priest Abusers Incomplete, by Marilyn Schairer, WGBH (July 1, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle is with the Waltham-based group BishopAccountability.org. Barrett Doyle also said the list of published names is incomplete and is only a partial list of priests accused of sexual abuse.

Barrett Doyle said court documents show Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin admitted to learning of allegations against 125 accused priests between 1971 and 2006. She wants the diocese to be more forthcoming.

“Providence has long been one of the most secretive dioceses in the United States, largely because the statute of limitations in Rhode Island allowed the Bishop to keep total control of the diocese's dark secrets,” Barrett Doyle said.
----------------------------------
Barrett Doyle said the diocese’s action to publish the list is a “nod toward transparency.” She said that so far, 133 dioceses out of 177 nationwide have released a list of what they term “credibly” accused priests of sexual assault against minors.

**

Victims question Kamala Harris’ record on clergy abuse, by Michael Rezendes, Associated Press (June 26, 2019)

Anne Barret Doyle, co-director of the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, attended the meeting at the attorney general’s office with Piscitelli and other SNAP members. “The current attorney general is showing an awareness of the ongoing problem of clergy sexual abuse in California that Kamala Harris didn’t exhibit at all,” she said.

**

Diocese of Rockville Centre Urged to Release Accused Priests List, by Joanna Szabo, Top Class Actiona (June 21, 2019)

In order to compile its own accused priests list in lieu of one from the diocese itself, the Manhattan law firm used information from a 2003 Suffolk County grand jury report, provided here by BishopAccountability.org, which had concluded that priests in the Diocese of Rockville Centre were engaging in criminal sexual abuse. The grand jury report also concluded that the diocese was “incapable of properly handling issues relating to sexual abuse of children.”

**

Rockville Centre diocese holds off on releasing list of clergy members accused of sex abuse, by Bart Jones, Newsday (June 16, 2019)

“A lot has been known about the diocese and its problems for many years,” said McKiernan, who is co-director of Bishop Accountability, a watchdog website. “They are long overdue to release a list.”

Still, he said, pulling together an accurate list isn't easy to do because some accusations prove to be false, such as the ones against Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles more than a decade ago.

“When a diocese puts out a list, they have to say, ‘Is this true?’” McKiernan said. “It’s hard work and can take a while.”

**

Catholic Bishops Vow to Hold Themselves Accountable for Sexual Abuse and Cover-Ups, by Liam Stack, New York Times (June 13, 2019)

“The situation right now is that the review board in each diocese reports to and advises the bishop, so what do you do in a situation where the person you report to is the person accused?” said Terry McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org.

He pointed to accusations in an Associated Press report last week that Cardinal DiNardo had mishandled sexual and financial misconduct allegations against his deputy, Msgr. Frank Rossi.

The church has pushed back against criticism of Cardinal DiNardo but said it would investigate claims in the report for violations of church law.

“The bishops, they are basically executive, legislative and judicial power in their dioceses,” Mr. McKiernan said. “Now they are in the uncomfortable role of trying to construct a system that somehow has checks and balances.”

**

Catholic Bishops Approve New Sex-Abuse Reporting Hotline, by Regina Garcia Cano and David Crary, NBC Washington (June 12, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, president of a victim-advocacy group called BishopAccountability.org, agreed that was a shortcoming. He said people contacting the hotline should be advised to call law enforcement.

**

U.S. Catholic bishops, under fire, meet to consider proposals to police themselves, by Michelle Boorstein and Julie Zauzmer, The Washington Post (June 11, 2019)

**

US Catholic bishops, under fire, meet to consider proposals to police themselves, by Michelle Boorstein and Julie Zauzmer, The Washington Post (June 11, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, a group that tracks the church's handling of child sex abuse cases, said he was discouraged that the proposals on the table this week leave the power in the hands of the bishops.

He noted the case of Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, bishop emeritus of West Virginia, who was at the center of an internal church report made public by The Post last week. The report alleges sexual and financial misconduct by Bransfield, including excessive personal spending into the millions. McKiernan noted that Bransfield was a former treasurer of the bishops' conference and wrote a recent version of the U.S. Church's financial best-practices guidelines.

"He's obviously not acting in compliance with the guidelines he himself drew up," he said. "The big problem is these people have never behaved as they know they ought to, and as they're saying they're supposed to. So where's the teeth?"

**

Priests accused of abusing children served in more than two-thirds of Columbus parishes, by Danae King, The Columbus Dispatch (June 9, 2019)

The publisher of the Catholic directory receives information from dioceses about the priests serving within their boundaries, said Terry McKiernan, co-president of Bishop Accountability, a national nonprofit group that tracks allegations of abuse by Catholic officials and publishes it on its website. He and Doyle said some dioceses could have left out details in the information they sent, or used code words such as “sick leave,” “leave of absence” or “sabbatical” to disguise a priest’s location. However, there is no evidence the Columbus diocese did this.

“If a priest is sent away for treatment, that treatment center is never listed in the Catholic directory,” McKiernan said.

Other times, Doyle said, dioceses will say that an abusive priest has a problem with alcohol or drugs or a behavioral health condition such as depression or schizophrenia to protect his reputation and allow him to reenter service if he completes treatment.

There also can be lapses in tracking a priest’s whereabouts through the directories, McKiernan said.

“They can just disappear from the directory,” he said. “I’ve seen priests vanish for 15 years.”
-------------------------------------------
In 2005, she publicly accused Brown of abusing her brother in the 1960s when he was 16. In August 2006, the Steubenville Diocese said it had a credible allegation against Brown from the 1970s, according to news reports on the Bishop Accountability’s website. He had retired in 1984 and died in 1991.

**

Catholic church reform advocates criticize Lori for deleting mention of bishop's gifts in report to Vatican, by Jonathan M. Pitts, The Baltimore Sun (June 7, 2019)

Terry McKiernan of Bishop-Accountability.org said Lori’s decision to delete mention that he and other high-ranking clerics had been given cash gifts over the years by West Virginia bishop Michael J. Bransfield — whom Lori was investigating — was “head-shaking.”

Lori had been charged by the Vatican with investigating Bransfield over allegations that included lavish spending of church funds.

McKiernan said Lori’s editing of a draft report was “especially embarrassing” because it created the appearance of Lori “participating in the very malfeasance he had been brought in to put a stop to.”

“There’s nothing good you can say about it,” McKiernan said.
------------------------------
McKiernan said Lori’s admission was “especially embarrassing” at a moment in church history when “everyone is focused on transparency and everyone acknowledges that the full truth needs to be told” — particularly now, only days before Lori is set to host a four-day assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore.

**

Catholic groups weigh in with ideas for bishops' meeting on how to 'solve' abuse crisis, by Peter Feuerherd, National Catholic Reporter (June 6, 2019)

Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sex abuse cases in dioceses throughout the world, said the bishops need to empower lay boards by designating them not only as consultative, but as decision-makers.

He said they should urge the Vatican to be more transparent in the cases it handles, as well as provide better oversight of Eastern church eparchies in the United States.

They also need to ask, "What are they doing about the men in their ranks? What do they do about their members who are credibly accused?" He noted that some bishops such as John Nienstedt, accused of sexual harassment and covering up crimes, still retain their privileges. And, he said, the conference should look to leadership from bishops such as Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Steven Biegler of Cheyenne, Wyoming, who have proven to be willing to address sex abuse concerns in their own dioceses.

**

Former priest convicted of sexual abuse will live in Lincoln County after release in June, by Natalie Brophy, Wausau Daily Herald (June 6, 2019)

Malsch was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1967. He was first accused of sexual abuse while he was working at St. Patrick's in Superior, according to bishopaccountability.org, a website that tracks abuse by Catholic priests. In 1979, Malsch gave two brothers, 12 and 13 years old, alcohol and showed them pornography. He tried to take off the 13-year-old's pants, the Wausau Daily Herald reported. In the early 1980s, he sexually assaulted the younger brother in the rectory of St. Patrick's and paid the boy for nude photos, according to the Daily Herald.

After that, according to Bishop Accountability, he was sent to a church-sponsored treatment center in Minnesota. Later that same year, he was reassigned to St. Joseph's in Rhinelander and two years later, moved to St. Mary's church in Tomahawk.

**

Lincoln County announces release of sex offender to Gleason, Star Jorurnal (June 6, 2019)

**

Law firm releases list of 65 priests formerly in the Diocese of Rockville Centre accused of sexual abuse, by Ben Strack, LIHerald.com (June 5, 2019)

The 40-page report was created from publicly available sources, claims made by survivors to the dioceses responsible for the offenders and legal settlements, it states. The histories of where the listed priests were assigned were gathered from the Official Catholic Directory, BishopAccountability.org, statements from church officials, diocesan records and media reports.

**

Georgia Attorney General Opens Catholic Priest Abuse Investigation, by Joseph H. Saunders, The Legal Examiner (May 29, 2019)

The Archdiocese of Atlanta has had 14 priests accused of sexual abuse, according to BishopAccountability.org The list released in November 2018 by the Archdiocese includes 15 priests.

**

Private letters indicate the Vatican imposed, but didn’t enforce, restrictions on former cardinal McCarrick, by Chico Harlan, The Washington Post (May 28, 2019)

“I do think that it would be a sobering thought for church authorities that ordained persons might begin to act on the church’s rhetoric of transparency,” said Terry McKiernan, co-director of Bishop-Accountability.org, a website that tracks clergy abuse.

**

Italy bishops adopt new measures on sexual abuse, victims skeptical, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (May 23, 2019)

“I don’t find this terribly reassuring,” Anne Barrett-Doyle of U.S. abuse tracking group BishopAccountability.org, told Reuters. “We have had many examples of bishops withholding allegations that later proved to be true.”

**

Morrisey adds new allegations to sexual abuse lawsuit against diocese, by Jake Zuckerman, Charleston Gazette-Mail (May 21, 2019)

Michael J. Bransfield, former bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, a group that tracks the church’s handling of child sex abuse cases, said he was discouraged that the proposals on the table this week leave the power in the hands of the bishops. He noted the case of Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, bishop emeritus of West Virginia, who was at the center of an internal church report made public by The Post last week. The report alleges sexual and financial misconduct by Bransfield, including excessive personal spending into the millions. McKiernan noted that Bransfield was a former treasurer of the bishops’ conference and wrote a recent version of the U.S. Church’s financial best-practices guidelines. “He’s obviously not acting in compliance with the guidelines he himself drew up,” he said.

**

New Guidelines In Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal, by Robert Suhr, KX Net (May 21, 2019)

According to bishopaccountability.org, 15 priests have been accused of sexual abuse in North Dakota, six are from the Bismarck Diocese and nine are from Fargo.

**

Pope accepts resignation of Brazilian bishop, AFP (May 18, 2019)

While sex abuse scandals have been exposed in other Latin American countries, most recently Chile, the issue has been "invisible" in Brazil for years, said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of advocacy group bishopaccountability.org.

"It's just odd and striking given the enormity of the Catholic population in Brazil and the fact that the crisis has been exploding in other Latin American countries," Doyle told AFP.

**

‘Beginning to see critical mass’: Dallas police raid shows new push to investigate Catholic clergy abuses, by David Tarrant, The Dallas Morning News (May 18, 2019)

Authorities in at least 15 states have begun to investigate allegations of sex abuse by priests and cover-ups by church officials, according to Bishop Accountability, a group that tracks abuse cases involving clergy.

“We’re beginning to see a critical mass" of law enforcement investigations, said Terry McKiernan, co-founder of Bishop Accountability.

**

THE COST OF ABUSE | Constitutional conundrum: Pa. Senate divided on how to handle child sexual abuse claims, statute of limitations law, by John Finnerty CNHI (May 18, 2019)

“From a distance, the grand jury report in Pennsylvania was so damning, everyone assumed the Legislature would have to cave,” said Terence McKiernan, founder of Bishop Accountability, a Massachusetts-based organization that tracks the fallout from clerical abuse scandals. “The dioceses have been effective” at fighting the reforms, he said.

**

Francis Follows Through, Commonweal (May 16, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org, acknowledged that the decree makes important changes, but laments that it does not specify penalties for those found guilty of abuse: “[I]t’s still entirely possible for a bishop to punish a child-molesting priest with a slap on the wrist and to keep his name hidden from the public.” The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), while admitting the motu proprio includes “some good things,” also issued a statement criticizing it for not mandating that bishops report abuse to law enforcement, though it does require bishops to comply with the relevant civil laws in their jurisdictions. “We would have been far more impressed if this new law required church officials to report to police and prosecutors instead,” SNAP said. “Oversight from external, secular authorities will better protect children and deter cover-ups.” Others have complained that the document does not demand lay involvement in investigations, and so matters are left to church officials.

**

Pope orders sexual abuse to be reported throughout church, by Ines San Martin, The Sydney Morning Herald (May 10, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability praised some of the provisions but said they weren't enough, primarily because there were no sanctions envisaged for violations, and because the process remained entirely internal.

"Bishops watching bishops does not work," she said.

**

Pope Francis issues law forcing clergy to report sexual abuse, by Nick Squires, The Telegraph (May 9, 2019)

The victims’ group BishopAccountability was also disappointed with the new decree.

While it was “encouraging” that the law would protect whistleblowers and clarify reporting procedures, “it’s not nearly enough,” said the group’s Anne Barrett Doyle.

“The edict has three serious weaknesses - it stipulates no penalties for those who ignore it, it mandates no transparency to the public, and it doesn’t require the permanent removal of abusers from ministry,” she said.

“Under the new law, it's still entirely possible for a bishop to punish a child-molesting priest with a slap on the wrist and to keep his name hidden from the public. This is not the bold action that's desperately needed. A law without penalties is not a law at all - it’s a suggestion.”

By refusing to make the reporting of cases to the police mandatory, the process will remain within the hierarchy of the Church.

“This means it will be managed by Church officials who already have proved to be secretive and protective of accused priests. Bishops watching bishops does not work,” said Ms Barrett Doyle.

**

Pope Francis Issues Rules Requiring Priests And Nuns To Report Abuse, by Merrit Kennedy, WESA 90.5 (May 9, 2019)

"Except for the nod to comply with civil law, the edict keeps the process entirely internal," Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement. She called it a "step forward" but expressed concern that the process will be "managed by church officials who already have proved to be secretive and protective of accused priests."

**

Pope Francis Issues Rules Requiring Priests And Nuns To Report Abuse, by Merrit Kennedy, NPR (May 9, 2019)

**

Catholic leaders welcome Pope Francis’ new rules on reporting sex abuse, by Michael J. O’Loughlin, America The Jesuit Review (May 9, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement that the new law is “a step forward,” specifically for protecting whistleblowers, prohibiting a requirement of secrecy for those making allegations and requiring bishops to adopt procedures for reporting allegations.

“Yet it’s not nearly enough,” she continued, pointing out that the church law does not include language relating to penalties. “[I]t’s still entirely possible for a bishop to punish a child-molesting priest with a slap on the wrist and to keep his name hidden from the public. The new law does nothing to enact zero tolerance for child sexual abuse or for cover-up.”

**

Vatican issues sweeping new reforms to address sex abuse, bishop accountability, by Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 9, 2019)

Those critics welcomed some of the steps Francis took Thursday, while insisting that they did not go far enough. The edict outlines no specific penalties for those who fail to comply with its strictures, said Anne Barret Doyle, co-director of the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org

“It stipulates no penalties for those who ignore it, it mandates no transparency to the public, and it doesn’t require the permanent removal of abusers from ministry,” she said. "In other words, under the new law, it’s still entirely possible for a bishop to punish a child-molesting priest with a slap on the wrist and to keep his name hidden from the public.

**

Eight priests with Kern County ties accused of past sexual abuse, list show, The Bakersfield Californian (May 7, 2019)

The names came from the website bishopaccountability.org, an online archive that tracks accusations of sexual misconduct by Catholic clergy.

**

Demand for trial against clergy accused of abusing Argentinian deaf kids, by Almudena Calatrava, Associated Press (May 7, 2019)

The Argentine group Church Without Abuses and the international organizations Ending Clergy Abuse and BishopAccountability.org met with alleged victims Monday and criticized the lack of justice in a case that began more than two years ago.
----------------------------------------------
But BishopAccountability.org says that in Argentina, 96 priests, brothers and nuns have been publicly accused of abusing minors.

Doyle also said that the pope should investigate Mendoza Archbishop Marcelo Colombo, who she said “is refusing to provide information about the Provolo abusers to prosecutors and defense attorneys.” Colombo told reporters last year that he was willing to help the victims.

The AP compiled a list of 66 priests, nuns and other religious workers who, between 2001 and 2017, were accused of abusing dozens of people, most of them children. The figure was obtained from victims’ testimonies, judicial and ecclesiastical documents, and local media reports corroborated with the BishopAccountability.org database. In several cases there were no canonical or judicial investigations.

**

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-directora de Bishop Accountability, MDZ Online (May 6, 2019)[Video]

**

Demand for trial against clergy accused of abusing deaf kids, by Almudena Calatrava, The Associated Press (May 6, 2019)

The Argentine group Church Without Abuses and the international organizations Ending Clergy Abuse and BishopAccountability.org met with alleged victims Monday and criticized the lack of justice in a case that began more than two years ago.
--------------------------
“We came to Mendoza to show solidarity with the Provolo victims and echo their cry for justice,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource Bishop Accountability.

“Pope Francis owes them a personal apology for his complicity and silence. The Italian victims warned him for years that Corradi and others were working with children in Argentina. The pope did nothing.”
-----------------------------
But BishopAccountability.org says that in Argentina, 96 priests, brothers and nuns have been publicly accused of abusing minors.

Doyle also said that the pope should investigate Mendoza Archbishop Marcelo Colombo, who she said “is refusing to provide information about the Provolo abusers to prosecutors and defense attorneys.” Colombo told reporters last year that he was willing to help the victims.

The AP compiled a list of 66 priests, nuns and other religious workers who, between 2001 and 2017, were accused of abusing dozens of people, most of them children. The figure was obtained from victims’ testimonies, judicial and ecclesiastical documents, and local media reports corroborated with the BishopAccountability.org database. In several cases there were no canonical or judicial investigations.

**

Activists protest in Mendoza to demand justice in clergy sex abuse case, by Almudena Calatrava, Buenos Aires Times (May 6, 2019)

The Argentine group Church Without Abuses and the international organisations Ending Clergy Abuse and BishopAccountability.org met with alleged victims Monday and criticised the lack of justice in a case that began more than two years ago.
---------------------
But BishopAccountability.org says that in Argentina, 96 priests, brothers and nuns have been publicly accused of abusing minors.

Doyle also said that the pope should investigate Mendoza Archbishop Marcelo Colombo, who she said "is refusing to provide information about the Provolo abusers to prosecutors and defense attorneys." Colombo told reporters last year that he was willing to help the victims.

The AP compiled a list of 66 priests, nuns and other religious workers who, between 2001 and 2017, were accused of abusing dozens of people, most of them children. The figure was obtained from victims' testimonies, judicial and ecclesiastical documents, and local media reports corroborated with the BishopAccountability.org database. In several cases there were no canonical or judicial investigations

**

Activists demand Pope Francis ensure ‘zero tolerance’ in Argentina, Buenos Aires Times (May 4, 2019)

Local group Church Without Abuses (“Iglesia sin Abusos”) and the global organisations Ending Clergy Abuse and BishopAccountability.org joined forces in Buenos Aires on Thursday to urge Francis to return to his homeland of Argentina – which he hasn’t visited since becoming pope in 2013 – to ensure the Catholic Church punishes these crimes and does not protect perpetrators.
----------------------------------
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the online resource Bishopaccountability.org, said that while in other countries thousands of cases of abuse have been detected, in Argentina almost no criminal investigations or litigation have been seen. There is no official registry collating judicial complaints about abuses committed by members of the clergy in Argentina.

“In his 14 years as archbishop of Buenos Aires he only sent two allegations to the Vatican regarding sexual abuse in his diocese,” said Barrett Doyle.
----------------------------------------
The Associated Press compiled a list of 66 priests, nuns and other religious workers who, between 2001 and 2017, were accused of abusing dozens of people, most of them children. The figure was obtained from victims’ testimonies, judicial and ecclesiastical documents, and local media reports corroborated with the BishopAccountability.org database. In several cases there were no canonical or judicial investigations.

**

Activists demand pope ensure 'zero tolerance' in Argentina, The Associated Press (May 2, 2019)

The Argentine group Church Without Abuses and the global organizations Ending Clergy Abuse and BishopAccountability.org on Thursday urged Francis to return to his homeland of Argentina, which he hasn't visited since becoming pope in 2013, to ensure the Roman Catholic Church punishes these crimes and does not protect perpetrators.

"If the pope cannot end abuses and cover-ups in Argentina he will not be able to do it anywhere else. This is where he has more power, influence, it is symbolically the most important country in the fight against abuse in the world," Peter Isely, co-founder of Ending Clergy Abuse, told The Associated Press.

Isley and representatives of other activist groups gathered near the Monsignor Mariano Espinosa Home for Priests in Buenos Aires, displaying signs calling for zero tolerance for sex abuses.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the online resource Bishopaccountability.org, said that while in other countries thousands of cases of abuse have been detected, in Argentina almost no criminal investigations or litigations have been seen.

In Argentina there is no official registry of judicial complaints about abuses committed by members of the clergy.

The AP compiled a list of 66 priests, nuns and other religious workers who, between 2001 and 2017, were accused of abusing dozens of people, most of them children. The figure was obtained from victims' testimonies, judicial and ecclesiastical documents, and local media reports corroborated with the BishopAccountability.org database. In several cases there were no canonical or judicial investigations.

**

Pope Francis should visit Argentina to meet cleric abuse victims, rights groups say, SWI (May 2, 2019)

Representatives of website BishopAccountability.org and individuals who have sued the church in Argentina alleging sexual abuse were also present.

**

Abuso sexual en la Iglesia: "Si la situación no cambia en la Argentina, no cambiará en ningún lugar del mundo," por Miriam Lewin, TN (May 2, 2019)

**

New York Archdiocese releases names of 120 clergy accused of sex abuse, by Ray Sanchez, CNN (April 27, 2019)

The disclosure follows the release of lists by more than 120 dioceses around the country as the church has sought to increase transparency and rebuild trust among outraged Catholics, according to Terry McKiernan, president and co-director of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org.

"It's good (the New York Archdiocese) finally put out a list. There are only two other archdioceses in the country that have not. So they were long overdue," said McKiernan, referring to those in Miami and St. Louis.

Advocates for survivors of sexual abuse consider the self-reported lists unreliable and incomplete. The lists do not detail when accusations were made, where the abuse occurred or what was done after an accusation was made.

The New York list did not include the assignment histories of the priests, the number of victims or names of clergy from other religious orders who worked in the archdiocese. Some orders have released their own lists.

"The downside is that it's a bad list," McKiernan said. "It leaves off religious order priests. It leaves off so called 'externs,' which are priests officially incardinated as they call it in a different diocese but working and sometimes abusing in New York."

**

New York Archdiocese names 120 priests accused of sex abuse, by Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press (April 26, 2019)

"It's certainly a good thing that they've come out with the list," said Terry McKiernan of Bishop Accountability, a watchdog group. But "do they still not see that this very, very reluctant way of offering information about the crisis is the wrong way for them?"

**

For many abused by priests, no window for justice, by Ken Kolker, WOOD TV (April 25, 2019)

**

Nine months after Ted McCarrick sex-abuse crisis explodes, The New Yorker gives it some ink, by Julia Duin, Get Religion (April 10, 2019)

The writer looks up BishopAccountability.org, only to find that a dozen churches within cycling distance have housed sexually abusive priests.

**

Editorial: In DC Archdiocese, the truth is a good starting point, by NCR Editorial Staff, Naional Catholic Reporter (April 10, 2019)

But Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which has been tracking the sex abuse crisis for decades, had it right when he told The Washington Post, "I feel positive about the guy" despite his imperfections.

"He was put in the hot seat because he was president [of the U.S. bishops' conference] when everything broke, and I think he did in general an admirable job. He rode herd on bishops, many of whom were extremely reluctant to take any measures in 2002."

**

‘Invisible’ victims: Survivors of sexual abuse by nuns demand to be counted, by Laura Benshoff, WHYY (April 10, 2019)

Relative to abuse by priests, known cases of nun abuse are few in number. About 100 nuns nationwide have been “credibly accused,” meaning allegations resulted in a lawsuit or news story, according to lists maintained by the watchdog group Bishop Accountability.

**

Oakland Diocese releases information on sexual abuse, but victim advocates are skeptical, by Sabine Berzina and Juliette De Guyenro, Oakland North (April 9, 2019)

Others have tried to hold bishops accountable. The website BishopAccountability.org, run by a non-profit corporation with an aim to collect and publish all publicly-available documents relevant to clergy sexual abuse, has released a list of 101 bishops accused of sexual misconduct worldwide. Forty of them are from the US. And the National Review Board established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called to set up a lay-led group that would investigate accusations against bishops.

**

Brazil begins pilot advisory project for the protection of minors, by Filipe Domingues, America: The Jesuit Review (April 08, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based organization which has long focused on the U.S. abuse crisis, said advocacy groups for abuse survivors have yet to be established in Brazil, and reliable data on the extent of the problem here is lacking. BishopAccountabilty.org reports: “In Brazil, our research found public allegations against only around 100 Catholic clergy. These numbers suggest that thousands of alleged child molesters in the Brazilian priesthood remain unnamed.”

The group began to work on a preliminary database of accused Brazilian priests in 2013 and hopes to update and finish the project in the next six months, Ms. Doyle said.

**

Holy Cross leaders, Catholic community members consider effectiveness of lay review boards in combating sexual assault, by Claire Rafford, The Observer (April 8, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a website that seeks to document all cases of clergy sexual abuse, said new cases of sex abuse are still emerging.

“[While] it is true that I think there are fewer cases, it’s also wise to be wary of that rhetoric — that ‘Oh, these are all old cases.’ There are plenty of new cases,” McKiernan said. “The Church will say, ‘Oh, things have gotten a lot better,’ and that’s to some extent true, but it’s not thanks to them. All of these dioceses that are putting out lists now are putting out lists because the grand jury report in Pennsylvania resulted in all of these attorneys general investigations, and the bishops are really worried about that. There’s also a federal investigation going on right now. So there’s high anxiety among the American bishops.”

McKiernan said it is also necessary to consider how information about sexual abuse is passed from clergy to the boards.

“The second important question is, how do they get the cases, and how do they get the evidence that they are deliberating on? … When the news [of the 2011 Philadelphia abuse scandal broke] there was a grand jury report that revealed that the review board had really performed terribly and there were dozens of accused priests still in ministry,” he said.

McKiernan pointed to a work written by Ana Maria Catanzaro, head of the Pennsylvania review board, in 2011 in which she said her board was alarmed to find they were not already familiar with all the cases the grand jury had reviewed.

“Until the grand jury report came out, the board was under the impression that we were reviewing every abuse allegation received by the archdiocese,” McKiernan said in the work. “Instead, we had been advised only about allegations previously determined by archdiocesan officials to have involved the sexual abuse of a minor — a determination we had been under the impression was ours to make. The board still doesn’t know who made those decisions.”
-----------------------------
McKiernan echoed Cummings’s belief.

“There’s still a smugness, there’s still an insularity,” McKiernan said. “… We have to acknowledge that we all participate, in a way, in this clerical culture.”

**

What Do the Church’s Victims Deserve?, by Paul Elie, The New Yorker (April 8, 2019)

Back at home, scrolling through BishopAccountability.org, which aggregates material about priestly abuse, I counted more than a dozen churches within easy cycling distance of our Brooklyn apartment that had been served at some point by priests accused of sexual misconduct. In Bushwick, Father Augusto Cortez touched a twelve-year-old girl’s breasts at St. John the Baptist Parish School. Father George Zatarga, long the chaplain at Bishop Loughlin, the high school on Lafayette Avenue, later admitted to “inappropriate behavior” with boys on trips to a cabin north of Albany (behavior he recorded lyrically in a “travel log”: skinny-dipping and the like). Father Anthony J. Failla, who served at St. Michael–St. Edward Church, near Fort Greene Park, was accused of sexually abusing a young orphan who slept in the rectory bedroom next to Failla’s quarters. Father Francis X. Nelson, while serving at St. Mary Star of the Sea, in Carroll Gardens, visited the home of a teen-age altar girl on the pretext of paying a pastoral call to her sick grandmother, and molested the girl. Father Romano Ferraro was posted to St. Francis Xavier, in Park Slope, after committing acts at other churches that later led to allegations of abuse; during his time at Xavier, Ferraro, on yearly Christmas visits to a friend in Massachusetts, raped the friend’s son (a crime for which he is serving a term of life in prison). A more recent incident caught my eye: in 2011, when my sons were in elementary school, the Brooklyn diocese removed Father Christopher Lee Coleman from the ministry for alleged sexual misconduct with a minor, though the diocese waited seven years to disclose its reason. Coleman had once been in residence at Queen of All Saints, down Vanderbilt Avenue from our apartment.

**

Five more Catholic priests with ties to Springfield diocese named by SNAP, by Steven Spearie, The State Journal-Register (April 7, 2019)

Three of the names released Sunday — Shaughnessy, Kallal and Benham — have appeared previously on www.BishopAccountability.org, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based non-profit that maintains a website of publicly accused priests in the United States.

**

VATICAN UPHOLDS GUILTY VERDICT FOR GUAM ARCHBISHOP, by David Nussman, ChurchMilitant (April 5, 2019)

**

Vatican removes Guam archbishop after conviction of sexual abuse, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (April 4, 2019)

“It’s baffling that this decision took so long and that the penalties are not proportional to the crimes,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the U.S.-based abuse tracking group BishopAccountability.org.

“He sexually assaulted children and enabled many other priests to rape and molest children too. Under his watch, the Agana archdiocese became a place of torment for children.”

**

Vatican upholds sex abuse conviction against Guam archbishop, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (April 4, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource Bishop Accountability said the sentence didn’t fit the gravity of Apuron’s crimes.

“Why is he still a priest?” she asked.

“This is a man who inflicted incalculable harm on the faithful of Guam,” she said in a statement. “He sexually assaulted children and enabled many other priests to rape and molest children too.”

**

Vatican Allows Guam Archbishop to Keep Rank Despite Child-Abuse Verdict, by Francis X. Rocca, Wall Street Journal (April 4, 2019)

**

Vatican to name Atlanta archbishop to head scandal-ridden Archdiocese of Washington, The Washington Post (April 3, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, whose abuse-tracking site BishopAccountability scrutinizes the actions of U.S. bishops, praised Gregory for his leadership in the early 2000s. “I feel positive about the guy,” said McKiernan, though he said Gregory’s early record was not perfect.

“He was put in the hot seat because he was president (of the USCCB) when everything broke, and I think he did in general an admirable job. He rode herd on bishops, many of whom were extremely reluctant to take any measures in 2002. . . . Some mechanisms came out of that meeting (in Dallas) and Wilton Gregory deserves some credit for that, I think.”

**

Window for priest sex-abuse lawsuits could rock Staten Island this summer, by Maura Grunlund, silive.com (April 2, 2019)

“This list is an attempt to compile information already available from various public sources including the public media,bishopaccountability.org, court filings, press statements, claims filed through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program in the Archdiocese, lists disclosed by dioceses and religious orders regarding allegations of sexual abuse of minors, and other sources that have attempted to chronicle this information for public use,” the law firm said on its website.

**

Report that Pope Francis has picked a new D.C. archbishop eclipsed by doubts and conspiracy theories, by Kevin Edward White, Catholic Citizens of Illinois (March 31, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, who leads the anti-abuse organization Bishop Accountability, gave Gregory high marks in some areas — in particular for leading the creation of the Dallas Charter, a document for the U.S. church that created a zero-tolerance policy for priests.

**

IL PAPA FIRMA LA LEGGE PER PREVENIRE GLI ABUSI SUI MINORI IN VATICANO E NELLE SUE AMBASCIAT, by Luigi Salmone, Reuters (March 30, 2019)

**

Paus Terbitkan Aturan Pencegah Pelecehan Seksual Anak, CNN Indonesia (March 30, 2019)

**

Pope Francis issues sweeping new sex abuse legislation, The Associated Press (March 30, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability, an online database about clergy abuse, said any law that protects even a single child is to be applauded. But she faulted its limited scope as reinforcing the Vatican claim that it is only responsible for protecting children in the city state.

"Let's hope (Francis) finds the courage soon to enact new, sweeping laws in this larger jurisdiction," she said.

**

Pope Francis demands sex abuse claims be reported in Vatican City, The Associated Press (March 29, 2019)

"We desperately needed a plan, concrete reforms," said Anne Barrett Doyle, bishopaccountability.org co-director. She continued, "we got instead tired recycled rhetoric, promises we have heard before."

**

Pope Issues Law, With Penalties, for Vatican City to Address Sexual Abuse, by Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times (March 29, 2019)

“Will the Holy See use these new laws to keep in house criminal proceedings against cardinals and Vatican diplomats accused of crimes in other countries?,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which documents abuses in the Roman Catholic Church, said in a statement. She called the law “a baby step in the right direction,” but said it fell short of the “bold, broad reforms” that Pope Francis could enact, including changing canon law.

**

Pope Issues New Edict Requiring Vatican Officials To Report Sex Abuse Allegations, by Vanessa Romo, NPR (March 29, 2019)

But Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, a watchdog group that monitors clergy sexual abuse cases around the world, said the Vatican’s attempt to frame the legislation as an example for others to emulate is “disingenuous.”

“The pope could force the church to permanently remove all guilty clerics. He is their superior and he doesn’t need to model for them or coax them into following his example. It is reinforcing this fiction that the Holy See’s control over clergy is limited to those who are citizens of the city-state,” Doyle said.

Additionally, Doyle said, relative to most developed countries the new policy is weak. “The only place this might look like progress is in certain countries in the developing world where they have yet to issue any policies at all.”

The U.S. Catholic Church, she said, has a one-strike policy, wherein guilty clergy are permanently removed from public ministry. In contrast, the policy announced Friday says “the person convicted [of] having abused a child or a vulnerable person is removed from his duties and, at the same time, he is offered adequate support for psychological and spiritual rehabilitation, also for the purpose of social reintegration.”

“It doesn’t specify for how long or where he will go,” Doyle said.

**

Pope Signs Law to Prevent Child Abuse in Vatican and Its Embassies, Newsmax (March 29, 2019)

"Laws that make even one child safer should be applauded," said Anne Barrett Doyle of the U.S.-based abuse tracking group BishopAccountability.org.

"While the action is no-risk and limited in scope, it is constructive. It's a baby step in the right direction," she said, calling for the pope to undertake "bold, broad reforms" by changing universal Church law.

**

Pope Francis unveils Vatican law on reporting child sex abuse, by Tal Axelrod, The Hill (March 29, 2019)

**

Pope Issues New Edict Requiring Vatican Officials To Report Sex Abuse Allegations, by Vanessa Romo, wuwf88.1 (March 29, 2019)

But Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, a watchdog group that monitors clergy sexual abuse cases around the world, said the Vatican's attempt to frame the legislation as an example for others to emulate is "disingenuous."

"The pope could force the church to permanently remove all guilty clerics. He is their superior and he doesn't need to model for them or coax them into following his example. It is reinforcing this fiction that the Holy See's control over clergy is limited to those who are citizens of the city-state," Doyle said.

Additionally, Doyle said, relative to most developed countries the new policy is weak. "The only place this might look like progress is in certain countries in the developing world where they have yet to issue any policies at all."

The U.S. Catholic Church, she said, has a one-strike policy, wherein guilty clergy are permanently removed from public ministry. In contrast, the policy announced Friday says "the person convicted [of] having abused a child or a vulnerable person is removed from his duties and, at the same time, he is offered adequate support for psychological and spiritual rehabilitation, also for the purpose of social reintegration."

"It doesn't specify for how long or where he will go," Doyle said.

**

Sexually abusive priest sent to Diocese of Metuchen under McCarrick's watch, by Nick Muscavage, Bridgewater Courier News (March 28, 2019)

According to documents on Bishop-Accountability.org, a lawsuit was filed by a Navy pilot's son in 2006 alleging that Ferraro, while serving as a chaplain in the Navy, had abused his child when his son was just a young boy at a naval base in Key West, Florida.

"The suit says the Brooklyn Diocese transferred Ferraro to Key West even though they knew he was a serial pedophile," according to the article posted to Bishop-Accountability.org that originally appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
----------------------------------
A mother of two boys told a reporter her sons were abused by Ferraro in the mid-1980s while he was assigned to the Diocese of Metuchen, according to an article in the Lowell Sun posted to Bishop-Accountability.org.

**

Michigan Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Crisis, by Mick S. Grewal, Sr., The Legal Examiner (March 25, 2019)

There are numerous allegations against Nienstedt that include sexually assaulting young boys and covering up suspected clergy sexual abuse. The reason watchdog group Bishop Accountability wants Nienstedt removed is because he has a long history of protecting priests who are sexual predators.
---------------------------
In 2001, Nienstedt was suddenly transferred to Minnesota to run a diocese, and in 2007, he was assigned to direct the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis – and this is where his most notorious role in a child sexual abuse scandal occurred. Anne Doyle of Bishop Accountability stated that here, Nienstedt “covered up for egregious offenders.” Furthermore, as a director of the archdiocese, Nienstedt was involved in making special cash payments to perpetrator priests, according to a Minnesota public radio investigation. When one of his priests was charged with molesting numerous children, Nienstedt asked the judge to dismiss the charges due to statute of limitations problems, and he also asked the judge to have the alleged victim pay $64,000.00 in legal costs.

**

Diocese obscured depth of crisis by scrubbing dead priests' bios, victims say, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (March 24, 2019)

Terry McKiernan said dioceses around the country have tried to be more considerate of the feelings of survivors and parishioners when it comes to putting out death notices and obituaries and arranging the funerals of offending clergy.

But it’s a tricky balancing act, and dioceses tend to “edge across into a cone of silence,” said McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which chronicles the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal across the U.S. and in other countries.

“This dovetails with that whole question of ‘What do you do with memorials named after priests?’” said McKiernan. “An approach that seems tactful for survivors can shade into rewriting history.”

**

Przypadki wykorzystywania seksualnego w Kosciele na swiecie, ekai (March 23, 2019)

**

Editorial: Review of Catholic Church in Colorado is miserably weak, by Quentin Young, Daily Camera (March 23, 2019)

But overall the review fails to reckon with the monstrous matter at hand. The website bishop-accountability.org, a repository of information about the Catholic Church abuse crisis, lists 17 priests in the Denver archdiocese alone who have been publicly accused of abuse, including Dorino DeLazzer, the former pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Boulder. Jeb Barrett, the leader of SNAP Colorado, a network of abuse survivors, says he knows of 30 clergy (none currently active) in Colorado accused of abuse. If other states are any guide, there are many victims who have yet to come forward.

**

REC’ING THE FAITH, by Bradley Eli, M.Div., Ma.Th., ChurchMilitant (March 22, 2019)

Pointing to the evidence detailed at BishopAccountability.org, Norris says Mahony's cover-up of sexual predators was no secret.

**

“He’s my hero.” Pekin native reacts to lawyer’s release of more names tied to sex abuse allegations in Peoria Diocese, 25 News Week.com (March 21, 2019)

As Jeff Anderson of Anderson and Associates explained to 25 News directly, some of these names are the result of cases they’ve personally handled, some have come from the online group bishopaccountability.org, and some were uncovered through research into various cases and settlements filed in Illinois and across the country.

**

Ex-Fort Pierre priest on new list of 21 sex abusers in West River diocese, by Stephen Lee, Capital Journal (March 20, 2019)

According to the website bishopaccountability.org, news reports and court documents, Lambert was accused of sexually abusing one man for nearly 20 years, beginning when the victim was an altar boy. That victim now is in his early 70s.

**

23 Springfield diocese priests named in Illinois clergy abuse report, by Steven Spearie, The State Journal-Register (March 20, 2019)

Three of the names — the Revs. Stanislaus “Stanley” Yunker, Louis Schlangen and Richard Niebrugge — have appeared previously on www.BishopAccountability.org, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based non-profit that maintains a website of publicly accused priests in the United States.
------------------------------
BishopAccountability.org had listed another priest for the Springfield diocese, the Rev. Kevin Downey, a Franciscan who worked at Quincy College in the early 1990s. Neither The Anderson Report nor the diocese named Downey.

**

Paus Fransiskus Tolak Pengunduran Diri Kardinal yang Menutupi Kasus Pelecehan Seks, Suriawati, Rakyatku News (March 20, 2019)

**

John Nienstedt, Detroit’s poster boy for the Catholic Church abuse scandal, is back — and the archdiocese has been keeping it quiet, by Michael Betzold, Detroit Metro Times (March 20, 2019)

The name Theodore McCarrick is now widely known. Nienstedt's is less so, but Terry McKiernan of Bishop Accountability says: "There's not a dime's worth of difference between them. Who can tolerate covering up for priests accused of abusing children?”
---------------------------
McKiernan, of Bishop Accountability, says the church has a "serious problem monitoring bishops guilty of any kind of misconduct. The church is more likely to honor the man, as they did with Nienstedt, by naming him 'emeritus'"—because, McKiernan says, they're "a band of brothers."

As a bishop emeritus, Nienstedt has a special status in the archdiocese in the Twin Cities. In fact, a 2008 Vatican document urges each diocese's current and emeritus bishops "to live in mutual fraternity and to cultivate a spirituality of community."

That's not quite the case in Minnesota. Hebda recently announced that Nienstedt could not exercise public ministry in the archdiocese until allegations surrounding him are resolved. "Hebda needs to get Nienstedt in his rear-view mirror," McKiernan says, calling Nienstedt "both persona non grata and emeritus at the same time."
------------------------------------------
Whether there is any truth to that, McKiernan says, church leaders protect one another —and are "very unlikely to consider it a problem that he may be living close to children." Whether parents might make a different assessment is, however, beyond the control of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

**

Catholic church sex abuse: Pope Francis refuses resignation of cardinal who hid sex abuse, by Tom Kington, The Times (March 20 2019)

**

Archdiocese of Milwaukee removes names of Cousins, Weakland from headquarters and cathedral, by Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (March 19, 2019)

**

West Virginia AG sues Catholic diocese, bishop, CNN (March 19, 2019)

Terry McKiernan of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org said he is not familiar with any recent civil investigations that sought to prosecute the Catholic Church in the United States through consumer protection laws.

"It's a novel way of approaching what is, after all, a manifold societal problem," said McKiernan, noting that non-Catholic children often attend church schools and programs. "I think it has plausibility and potential for success."

**

Pope Rejects Resignation of French Cardinal Convicted of Abuse Cover-Up, by Elisabetta Povoledo and Aurelien Breeden, The New York Times (March 19, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, denounced the pope’s action.

“Pope Francis’ decision to refuse Cardinal Barbarin’s resignation today is a depressing reminder of the pope’s autocratic disregard for victims,” she said in a statement. “Once again, Francis is standing by a complicit bishop and dismissing the testimony of survivors.”

The pope’s decision came only weeks after he had concluded a meeting with church leaders from around the world on how to best confront the scourge of clerical child abuse. The speakers there urged the church’s bishops to take the issue seriously and not to protect their own, or let abuse fester in their ranks.

**

Australia’s Cardinal George Pell sentenced to 6 years for molesting two choirboys, by Leslie Eastman, Legal Insurrection (March 15, 2019)

The cardinal was convicted on five counts in December, making him the most senior Catholic official — and the first bishop — to be found guilty in a criminal court for sexually abusing minors, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

**

¿Cómo se ha castigado en algunos países a los clérigos acusados de abuso sexual?, Por Livia Albeck-Ripka, The New York Times (March 15, 2019)

**

Civil Courts Step In to Solve What the Catholic Church Won’t, by Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic (March 13, 2019)

Advocates for victims are already hailing the sentence as a major breakthrough. “The mental image of the powerful cardinal behind bars will do more to deter corrupt bishops than anything Pope Francis has done to date,” Anne Barrett Doyle, who runs the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement.

**

Group says diocese list of accused clergy short, by Rosa Salter Rodriguez, The Journal Gazette (March 13, 2019)

Clohessy said the list was compiled with a few hours of online research of publicly available internet postings. Many names came from www.bishop-accountability.org, a comprehensive abuse tracker.
----------------------------------
He was arrested in 2006, pleaded guilty to abusing two boys, and sentenced to 10 years in prison but paroled in 2011 and arrested in 2012 for violating parole. He is estimated to have abused two dozen children, according to www.bishop-accountability.org. That is the highest number of victims on SNAP's list.

**

Organization: 10 not on credibly accused clerics list, by Rosa Salter Rodriguez, The Journal Gazette (March 12, 2019)

**

Cardinal George Pell of Australia Sentenced to Six Years in Prison, by Livia Albeck-Ripka and Damien Cave, The New York Times (March 12, 2019)

The cardinal was convicted on five counts in December, making him the most senior Catholic official — and the first bishop — to be found guilty in a criminal court for sexually abusing minors, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
-------------------------------
“The importance of this case cannot be overstated,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org. “It will set a precedent.”

**

George Pell, once Australia's most senior Catholic, sentenced to 6 years for child sex abuse, by Mike James, USA Today (March 12, 2019)

**

Cabaero: Who will hold him accountable?, by Nini Cabaero, Sun star Cebu (March 11, 2019)

During a discussion in that meeting, someone asked: Who will hold bishops accountable? The Church or civil authorities? To Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-founder of the research and advocacy website BishopAccountability.org, it should be civil authorities. This would minimize suspicions of a whitewash by bishops.

**

Priest not named on credible clergy abuse list even though diocese was warned 18 years ago, by Kerri O'Brien, WRIC (March 8, 2019)

It's now part of the Diocese of Arlington but at the time was part of the Diocese of Richmond. This letter and memo were shared with 8News by the group Bishop Accountability. The group maintains an international database of priests accused of abuse.

"We know that that letter was sent to the Bishop of Richmond, Bishop Sullivan,” says Terence McKiernan, President of Bishop Accountability.

**

CARDINAL BARBARIN OFFERS RESIGNATION TO POPE AFTER FRANCIS CONVICTS HIM OF ABUSE COVER-UP, by Joshua Gill, The Daily Caller (March 7, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of Bishop Accountability, also hailed the conviction as positive affirmation of the victims and a rejection of excuses for church leaders’ failures to address abuse.

“In affirming the victims’ claims, the French court implicitly rejected the grab bag of excuses that Barbarin and other Catholic bishops use to justify non-reporting,” Doyle said.

**

Measures to help protect minors are imminent, summit moderator says, by Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service (March 6, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org said in a press statement that the summit was only a failure in terms of needed internal reforms.

“But in a larger sense, it achieved a great deal” by increasing global awareness of clergy sex abuse and facilitating “connections between journalists and survivors from many countries,” she said.

“This was public education on a massive scale,” Doyle said.

**

After Vatican abuse summit, survivors express disappointment and call for concrete reforms, by Michael J. O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review (March 5, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, in Rome representing BishopAccountability.org, dismissed that explanation as an “an excuse and a rationalization.”

The pope has made decentralization a priority of his pontificate and following the summit, it appears he wants to do the same with child protection, urging the heads of bishops’ conferences to create their own codes, perhaps with the help of Rome. But Ms. Barrett Doyle said in an interview with America on Feb. 24 that when it comes to other issues of global significance, the Vatican has not shown the same reservations about acting as an enforcer. “If a person in a country were to ordain women, you can bet that the Vatican would act with alacrity and get rid of that bishop,” she said.

**
John Patrick Grace: Summit on clerical sexual abuse falls short, The Herald-Dispatch (March 5, 2019)

The American journalist then went negative, quoting Bishop Accountability, a watchdog group, as suggesting that Pope Francis' final remarks at the summit did not indicate the hoped-for zero-tolerance crackdown on offending clerics and bishops.

**

Bakersfield priest removed from duty amid fresh look at '02 sexual abuse claim, BakersfieldNow/KBAK/KBFX (March 4, 2019)

A story posted to the website BishopAccountability.org, dated 2002 and reportedly from the Fresno Bee newspaper, says Flores was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl who served as a part-time employee of his Hanford church. Eyewitness News could not independently locate that archive story on the Fresno Bee website.

**

Survivors dismiss Columbus priest sex-abuse list as ‘token measure’, by Danae King, The Columbus Dispatch (March 4, 2019)

She said there were at least four names not published on the Columbus Diocese list that have been turned up by Bishop Accountability, a national organization that works to track allegations of abuse by Catholic officials and publishes information on its website.

**

Database shows Kern County priests with past sexual misconduct charges, by Emma Goss, Eyewitness News/KBAK/KBFX (March 4, 2019)

Fr. Miguel Flores's case from 2002 being reopened by the diocese is entirely independent of the review being conducted, but he is one of 11 priests in the Diocese of Fresno who have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct, according to Bishop Accountability, an online database.

**

Ex-Visalia priest on leave as Catholic Church investigates sex assault claims, by James Ward, Visalia Times-Delta (March 4, 2019)

"Pope Francis' talk today was a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful," Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit that tracks abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, said in a statement. "If the powerful testimonies of the past week moved the needle in the right direction, the pope today moved it back."

**

Editorial: Pope talks tough on sex abuse, but zero-tolerance policy must follow, Buffalo News (March 2, 2019)

Said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, “I am stunned and speechless if this is the best he can do.”

**

No one is above the law —not even Catholic priests, by Prosy Abarques Dela Cruz, J.D., Asian Journal (March 2, 2019)

While researching, his name was listed on Bishop-Accountability.org. His victim, now in her 60s, was paid $100,000 by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (perhaps the reason for “persona non grata”) as this Catholic Irish priest had sex with a 15-year-old debate team member at the school he served as principal. He wrote an apology letter and described it as “consensual sex” decades later.

**

Here are two names that didn't make Evansville's abusive priests list, by Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press (March 2, 2019)

**

The Vatican summit on the protection of minors is over. What’s next?, by Gerard O’Connell, America: The Jesuit Review (March 1, 2019)

The recent Vatican summit on the protection of minors ended on Feb. 24. Since then many have asked, “What’s next?”

The question often comes from representatives of survivors’ organizations who were very active during the summit. At its conclusion, many expressed disappointment at the apparent lack of the “concrete measures” that Pope Francis called for in his opening talk but did not deliver in his closing address. They felt “let down,” according to Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopsAccountability.org.

**

Names missing from list of clergy accused of child sex abuse, advocates say, by Holly Zachariah and Tim Feran, The Columbus Dispatch (March 1, 2019)

Bishop Accountability, a national organization that on its own tracks sex abuse within the Catholic Church, noted that the Rev. James Csaszar, who most recently served at the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany before he killed himself in December 2017, is on its list. So, too, are Brother Robert Paul Hayden and Brother Fintan Shaffer, who were part of the group home that had been operated by Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd in Wakefield in southern Pike County. None of those three made the Columbus list.

Terry McKiernan, co-president of Bishop Accountability, said the Good Shepherd brothers certainly should have been included. One of them —Brother Shaffer — does appear on a list released by the Diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2017.
----------------------------
“What’s going to happen now, my guess, is that victims will rush and see if their perpetrator is on the list and they will call (the newspaper) and say, ‘My perpetrator is missing,’” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the other co-president of Bishop Accountability.

That’s a good thing, she said, because it gets even more names out in the public.

**

Vatican: Measures to help protect minors are imminent, Catholic News Service (March 1, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org said that the summit was only a failure in terms of needed internal reforms.

“But in a larger sense, it achieved a great deal” by increasing global awareness of clergy sex abuse and facilitating “connections between journalists and survivors from many countries,” she said. “This was public education on a massive scale,” Doyle said.

**

Abusive Priests in University’s Past, Present, The Hoya (March 2019)

BishopAccountability.org, a survivors’ advocacy organization that compiles and categorizes records and articles connected to abusers, served as an effective database from which to find more information about each priest. While a great deal of the information presented in this report is in credit to its meticulous work, every detail found on the website was verified by another source.

**

Vatican's summit on abuse gets a mixed verdict, NCR Editorial Staff (February 28, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org gave expression to the mixed verdict. She regretted the failure of the meeting to come up with concrete internal reforms. "But in a larger sense, it achieved a great deal," she said. It became a place where connections occurred "between journalists and survivors from many countries. This was public education on a massive scale," she said.

No doubt for some of the bishops, too.

**

Pedofília az egyházban: Ferenc pápa „monumentális mocskot örökölt,” B. D. T., Transindex (February 28, 2019)

A tanácskozás globális szinten egyértelmuvé tette, nincs többé helye a tagadásnak, kétértelmusítésnek vagy a hiba másra kenésének, minden résztvevo egyetértett abban, hogy a klerikális kultúrának változnia kell, és a püspököknek felelosségrevonhatónak kell lenniük. Anne Barrett Doyle, a BishopAccountability.org egyik alapítója azt nyilatkozta, sajnálja, hogy konkrét belso reformok nélkül ért véget a tanácskozás. Ugyanakkor jó alkalom volt arra, hogy újságírók és a papi abúzusok túléloi a világ minden országából találkozzanak és beszélgessenek, "ez egy tömeges szintu köznevelési esemény volt", fogalmazott.

[Translation: Deliberation at global level has made it clear that there is no more room for denial, ambiguity or miscarriage, all participants agree that clerical culture must change and that bishops must be accountable. Anne Barrett Doyle , a founder of BishopAccountability.org , said she regretted the end of the deliberations without concrete internal reforms . At the same time, it was a good opportunity for journalists and survivors of priesthood abusers to meet and talk from all over the world, "it was a mass-level public education event," he said.]

**

Explainer: What does Cardinal Pell's conviction mean for the Catholic Church?, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 28, 2019)

But Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based group which tracks clergy abuse, said in a statement: “The Australian judicial system today put the Catholic Church on equal footing with other institutions.”

**

The Vatican Sex-Abuse Summit Was Never Going to Undo the Harm, by Michael F. Pettinger, The Nation (February 28, 2019)

As much as any hunger to impose authority from above, the papacy has always been empowered by local churches looking to Rome to settle their disputes and internal problems. It’s no surprise, then, that so many eyes were turned to the summit, and that so many were left angrily disappointed. The sharpest criticism has been directed at the homily Pope Francis delivered at the closing ceremony, particularly the opening paragraphs, in which he explains with almost pedantic detail that the sexual abuse of children happens in a variety of non-ecclesial environments and institutions, most disturbingly the family itself. In speaking to The Atlantic, Anne Barrett-Doyle, a longtime advocate for ecclesial accountability, calls this “one of his favorite diversionary tactics.”

Yet this apparent digression (or equivocation) on sexual abuse outside the church actually underscores why abuse is so much worse when it happens inside the church. As Francis goes on to state, “The brutality of this worldwide phenomenon becomes all the more grave and scandalous in the church, for it is utterly incompatible with her moral authority and ethical credibility.” According to Austen Ivereigh, Barrett-Doyle ignores the people in the room with Francis as he spoke. “Francis was implicitly addressing church leaders from Africa who had complained at the start of the summit that clerical sex abuse wasn’t their issue, and that what they had to tackle were other forms of child exploitation.” In effect, Barrett-Doyle and other Americans who saw this part of the speech as a diversion were forgetting that other local churches also demanded Francis’s attention.

They might also be overestimating the solidarity of the US laity on this point. I suspect that anyone who has frequented the Catholic blogosphere or social media has encountered the argument that schools, athletics, and other youth organizations are rife with abuse, but not subjected to the same level of scrutiny by the media. The people repeating this argument are not usually priests or bishops but laymen. Many Catholics would agree with Barrett-Doyle that Francis’s homily represents “a catastrophic misreading of the faithful.” The problem is that many others would disagree. In dismissing Francis’s words as a diversion, American critics of the homily—religious and secular—overlook an important argument that could be used in churches at home. Acknowledging that most sexual abuse happens outside the church does not diminish the seriousness of what is happening inside it. And with its own integrity in tatters, the ecclesiastical hierarchy is in no position to speak out against abuse elsewhere.

**

Third-most senior Catholic Cardinal convicted of child sex crimes, The Sun (February 27, 2019)

Advocacy group bishopaccountability.org said Pell was the “first bishop convicted of physical sex crimes involving minors”. “Pell’s conviction is groundbreaking,” its co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said.

**

Lawyers’ list of accused priests includes ‘substantiated’ case of S.I. deacon, by Maura Grunlund, siadvance.com (February 27, 2019)

Another Island priest whose name appeared on the law firm’s list was the Rev. Joseph Theisen (Thiesen), who was assigned to Immaculate Conception R.C. Church in Stapleton from about 1960 to 1970, according to BishopAccountability.org.
--------------------
Theisen was assigned to St. Raymond’s R.C. Church, which was affiliated with the high school, from about 1981 to 1983, according to BishopAccountability.org.

Theisen went on to live in Albuquerque, N.M., where he died in 2013, according to BishopAccountability.org.

**

Falmouth’s Dan Sherwood shares his story at clergy sex abuse summit in Rome, by Sarah Murphy, Wicked Local Dennis (February 27, 2019)

For many around the world, it is too little, too late. But for Dan Sherwood, it is motivation. He and Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org are collaborating to bring a program to Cape Cod in regard to parish safety. Located in Waltham, the non-profit organization documents the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.

“We need to bring awareness to this issue to prevent future abuse, and if the Vatican isn’t going to do anything about it, it’s up to the rest of us,” he said.

**

Baton Rouge list of clergy accused of abuse grows to 40 with two new additions, by Andrea Gallo, The Advocate (February 27, 2019)

Coyle's alleged abuse occurred before he moved to Louisiana. Bishop Accountability, which maintains an extensive database of priests accused of sexual abuse, says on its website that Coyle was assigned to the Santa Fe Cathedral between 1959 and 1974 before working in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and the Archdiocese of New Orleans. His death entry in a 1992 directory said he was assigned to St. Mary of the Angels in New Orleans, according to Bishop Accountability.

Coyle, who was also Franciscan vocations director for the Southwest, appeared to use alternate listings of his name in church directories. Bishop Accountability said he was referenced as "Finbar" in Santa Fe directories, but his name was listed as "Barry" once he left Santa Fe.

**

Top Pope Aide Cardinal Pell Convicted of Child Sex Crimes, The Globe Post (February 26, 2019)

Advocacy group bishopaccountability.org said Pell was the “first bishop convicted of physical sex crimes involving minors.”

“Pell’s conviction is groundbreaking,” its co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said.

**

The Vatican Summit on Sex Abuse, by Austen Ivereigh, Commonweal (February 25, 2019)

All of this sounded pretty concrete to me. The victims’ groups, however, were generally scornful. They had come seeking “zero tolerance” and had found only fine-sounding words. What especially annoyed and disappointed many of them was Francis’s speech at the summit’s conclusion, which Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, the Boston-based advocacy organization, called a “stunning letdown.”

**

Sioux City diocese names 28 priests 'credibly accused' of sexually assaulting minors, by Shelby Fleig, Des Moines Register (February 25, 2019)

According to Bishop-Accountability.org, a non-profit website that documents reported clergy sex abuse, 10 priests who served the Des Moines diocese have been publicly accused of sexual abuse. One of those priests, the Rev. Paul Monahan, was suspended in 2016 after accusations that he invaded the privacy of five male high school students in a locker room. His conviction was reversed and his suspension of priestly ministry fully lifted in 2018.

**

Sacred Heart Seminary: Ground Zero For Catholic Abuse Scandal In Detroit, by Michael Betzold, Deadline Detroit (February 25, 2019)

Bishop Accountability, a group chronicling the scandal, notes that “the culture at some seminaries seems to have facilitated abusive behavior, and seminaries also fostered a silence about abuse, even among seminarians who were not involved in molestation.”
----------------------------
In the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, reform bills in Lansing were countered by what Anderson called “the usual suspects” — the Catholic Church, insurance companies, and chambers of commerce, joined by the Michigan Association of State Universities. Last March, one month after bills to change the statute of limitations were introduced in Lansing, the Archdiocese of Detroit began quietly transferring the assets of hundreds of parishes to a new entity it created, Mooney Realty. Terry McKiernan of Bishop Accountability called it a move in a “shell game,” similar to actions taken elsewhere to protect institutional assets from potential liability.

**

After Sex Abuse Summit, Survivors And Advocates Question Pope's Commitment To Curbing Abuse, by Callum Borchers and Eve Zuckoff, WBUR (February 25, 2019)

 

**

L’incontro sugli abusi in Vaticano è stato deludente, il Post (February 25, 2019)

**

Sociedad civil a la espera de que la Iglesia cumpla acciones contra pederastia, AFP (February 25, 2019)

En este contexto, las asociaciones End Clergy Abuse (Poner fin al abuso clerical) y Bishop Accountability (Responsabilizar a los obispos) presentaron ante la plaza de San Pedro un "plan de guerra" de 21 puntos.

"El Papa ha anunciado la batalla contra el abuso a los menores de edad, pero con las armas más frágiles que podamos imaginar. Si pone en práctica estos 21 puntos que proponemos, podrá fin a esta plaga de una vez y para siempre", dijo Anne Barrett Doyle, codirectora del grupo Bishop Accountability.

**

El Papa declaró la guerra al abuso, pero las víctimas no están conformes, La Gaceta Salta (February 25, 2019)

**

Após cúpula sobre pedofilia, Igreja é pressionada a aplicar resoluções, Por Fanny Carrier, AFP (February 25, 2019)

**

Pédophilie : après le sommet, l'Eglise pressée d'appliquer ses bonnes résolutions, OLJ/AFP (February 25, 2019)

**

Victims feel let down by Pope's response, by Philip Pullella, Australian Associated Press (February 25, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle of the US-based clergy abuse tracking group bishopaccountability.org, called it a "stunning letdown".

"As the world's Catholics cry out for concrete change, the Pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we've heard before," she said in a statement.

"Especially distressing was the Pope's familiar rationalisation that abuse happens in all sectors of society ... We needed him to offer a bold and decisive plan. He gave us instead defensive, recycled rhetoric," Barrett-Doyle said.

**

After abuse summit, victims press Vatican for action, AFP (February 25, 2019)

"The pope has announced a battle against child abuse but he has the weakest weapons imaginable," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.
--------------------
Referring to the pope, Doyle said: "If he were to do the 21 points in this list, he would end this scourge once and for all."

**

News Brief: Pence In Colombia, Vatican Summit, Oscar Results, by Steve Inskeep and David Greene, National Public Radio (February 25, 2019)

**

Víctimas de abusos en la Iglesia decepcionadas tras la cumbre en Roma, lr21.com (February 25, 2019)

**

Pédophilie: après le sommet, l'Eglise pressée d'appliquer ses bonnes résolutions, L'Obs avec AFP (February 25, 2019)

**

Four take-aways from the pope’s summit on clerical sexual abuse, by John L. Allen Jr., Crux (February 25, 2019)

“If the powerful testimonies of the past week moved the needle in the right direction,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the watchdog group Bishop Accountability, on Sunday, “the pope today moved it back.”

“Pope Francis’s talk today was a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful,” she said.
--------------------------------
Bishop Accountability was not quite as fiery in its verbiage, but equally negative in its judgment.

“The bishops of the world will scrutinize the papal talk, trying to discern if they must change or risk losing their jobs. They’ll be reassured,” their statement said.

“Nothing in either the pope’s remarks or [a Vatican] list of ‘concrete initiatives’ suggests that complicit church managers will be laicized, fired or demoted,” Bishop Accountability said. “Nothing we heard today suggests that a universal ‘one strike and you’re out’ policy for either abusers or enablers is even being considered.”

“The hope for change shifts back to the secular sphere,” the statement said. “Alarmed by the summit’s failure to produce reform, survivors, activists and civil authorities will be galvanized.”

**

POPE FRANCIS SOUNDS BATTLE CRY AGAINST ABUSE, WHILE VICTIMS UNCONVINCED, NetNy TV (February 25, 2019)

Yet, victims in Rome are not so convinced. They’ve presented their own 21 points they want Pope Francis to implement instead.

“Number 18: We need to know the current whereabouts of guilty clergy and how they’re being monitored,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the Co-Director of Bishop Accountability.

**

‘All optics, no substance’: Survivors react to Vatican abuse summit, by Patsy McGarry, The Irish Times (February 25, 2019)

In Rome Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org which has long campaigned on the issue of clerical child sexual abuse, described the outcome of the four-day Vatican meeting as “a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful”.

“We needed new canon laws, stipulating ‘one strike and you’re out’ for abusive clergy and their complicit managers. We needed the Pope to release the names and files of abusive clergy.We got instead a handbook, some task forces and a canonical tweak,” Ms Barrett Doyle said.

It was, she said, a weirdly negligible outcome, especially in light of the expansive conversation of the past four days. The summit brought forth big ideas and remarkable commentary. Cardinals talked about file destruction, cover-up, and investigating brother bishops.

In terms of the needed internal reforms in the Church, it was “a failure,” Ms Barrett Doyle said.

However in “a larger sense, it achieved a great deal. In a way perhaps not intended by its organizers, it surely increased global awareness of clergy sex abuse.”

This was “public consciousness-raising on a massive scale,” Ms Barrett Doyle added.

Hope for change, she said, “shifts back to the secular sphere. Alarmed by the summit’s failure to produce reform, survivors, activists and civil authorities will be galvanized. It’s clearer today than it was a week ago that accountability of the Pope and bishops will come only from outside the church.”

**

Pope condemns child abuse by priests but fails to issue zero-tolerance rule at summit, by Tom Kington, Los Angeles Times (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, agreed with Saunders, and said that Francis also needed to release church files on abusive priests.

“I am stunned and speechless if this is the best he can do,” she said.
-----------------------------
Barrett Doyle warned that by putting the blame for most abuse on society, Francis was letting bishops off the hook. “Arguing that this happens in all sectors of society is a defensive rationalization,” she said.

The failure to issue universal zero-tolerance rules meant activists would now shift their attention back to civil justice, she said.

“In the U.S., over 15 attorneys general will continue their investigations of criminal cover-up by dioceses, and an untold number of victims in New York state will file lawsuits as soon as the yearlong look-back window begins,” she said.

**

Pope declares war on sexual abuse but victims feel betrayed, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle of the U.S.-based clergy abuse tracking group bishopaccountability.org, called it a “stunning letdown”.

“As the world’s Catholics cry out for concrete change, the Pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we’ve heard before,” she said in a statement.

“Especially distressing was the pope’s familiar rationalization that abuse happens in all sectors of society ... We needed him to offer a bold and decisive plan. He gave us instead defensive, recycled rhetoric,” Barrett-Doyle said.

**

Pope Francis compares child abuse to human sacrifice, by Tom Kington, The Times (February 24, 2019)

**

Ending clergy abuse: Pope says priests must be guided by 'holy fear of God', by Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY (February 24, 2019)

"Pope Francis' talk today was a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful," Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit that tracks abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, said in a statement. "If the powerful testimonies of the past week moved the needle in the right direction, the pope today moved it back."

**

Pope declares war on sexual abuse, some victims feel betrayed, RTE (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle of the US-based clergy abuse tracking group bishopaccountability.org, called it a "stunning letdown".

"As the world's Catholics cry out for concrete change, the Pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we've heard before," she said in a statement.

"Especially distressing was the pope's familiar rationalisation that abuse happens in all sectors of society ...We needed him to offer a bold and decisive plan. He gave us instead defensive, recycled rhetoric," Ms Barrett-Doyle said.

**

Landmark summit must force church to confront 'enemy within', by Joe Little, RTE (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett-Doyle of the US-based abuse tracking group bishopaccountability.org welcomed the pope’s emphasis on concrete actions but said that the fact that awareness-raising remained to be done among bishops was a measure of how low a priority clerical paedophilia had been in the Vatican.

But in light of the pope’s opening remarks, she was prepared to wait and see what emerged.

**

"This is a disastrous outcome" - Anne Barrett Doyle, TRT World Now (February 24, 2019)

As the Pope commits to bringing child abusers to justice, TRT World speaks to Anne Barrett Doyle, Co-Director of Bishops Accountability who doesn't feel the Pontiff has gone far enough.

**

Cover-ups, crimes and a no-nonsense nun: What we learned at the Vatican summit on abuse, by Bridget Brennan and Lincoln Rothall, ABC News (February 24, 2019)

**

Campaigners furious after pope's 'defensive' speech on child abuse, by Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-founder of Bishop Accountability, which tracks clergy sex abuse cases, described the speech as “recycled rhetoric”.

“I am utterly stunned,” she told the Guardian. “The pope has undone the tiny bit of progress that possibly was achieved this week. He was defensive, rationalising that abuse happens in all sectors of society. Ironically and sadly, he exhibited no responsibility, no accountability and no transparency.”
-----------------------------
“The presidents of the bishops’ conferences going home today will rest easy,” added Doyle. “They will scrutinise the [pope’s] talk and try to analyse the question: ‘Do I have to do anything differently or risk losing my job?’ The answer is no, there’s nothing in this talk today that threatens the position and power of bishops. It is so far from what was needed.”

**

Pope calls for ‘all-out battle’ against clergy sexual abuse, by Jason Horowitz and Elizabeth Dias, SfGate.com (February 24, 2019)

**

El Papa declara la guerra a los abusos sexuales, pero víctimas se sienten engañadas, Por Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 24, 2019)

**

Pope declares ‘all-out battle’ against clergy abuse, but ends summit with no concrete reforms, by Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a leader of BishopAccountability.org, also weighed in: “Pope Francis’ talk today was a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful. As the world’s Catholics cry out for concrete change, the pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we’ve heard before.”

**

Catholic leaders rebuked over abuse cover-ups, Democrat-Gazette (February 24, 2019)

**

Pope Francis Ends Landmark Sex Abuse Meeting With Strong Words, but Few Actions, by Jason Horowitz and Elizabeth Dias, The New York Times (February 24, 2019)

**

Measures to help protect minors are imminent, summit moderator says, by Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org said in a press statement that the summit was only a failure in terms of needed internal reforms.

"But in a larger sense, it achieved a great deal" by increasing global awareness of clergy sex abuse and facilitating "connections between journalists and survivors from many countries," she said.

"This was public education on a massive scale," Doyle said.

**

Pope Calls For 'All-Out-Battle' On Clergy Sex Abuse, With Few Specifics, by Francesca Paris, National Public Radio (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, told The New York Times that the pope's Mass was a "catastrophic misreading" of the grief and anger within the Church.

"As the world's Catholics cry out for concrete change, the pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we've heard before," she said.

**

Survivors of Church Abuse Want Zero Tolerance. The Pope Offers Context., by Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic (February 24, 2019)

The conference might have finally made some prelates, especially from the Global South (and the Vatican), aware of the depth and scope of the crisis, but it marked an even greater chasm between the Vatican and the United States. “He absolutely doesn’t get it. This is a catastrophic misreading of the faithful,” Anne Barrett-Doyle, a co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based advocacy organization that keeps detailed records of abuse cases and their outcomes in civil courts and Church tribunals, told me. She meant the faithful in the United States. “He spent the bulk of his speech rationalizing that abuse happens in all sectors of society. This is one of his favorite diversionary tactics.”

Barrett-Doyle also pointed to Francis’s saying that the “best results and the most effective resolution that we can offer to the victims” is “the commitment to personal and collective conversion,” that is, to raising spiritual awareness of their wounds. “Conversion is unmeasurable, conversion is unenforceable,” she said. Yes, conversion is unmeasurable and unenforceable, but it’s not surprising for the pope to speak in theological terms. This is what he meant when he warned against “justicialism,” or taking a more law-and-order approach to the crisis. And that’s precisely why so many abuse victims are frustrated that they’ve found greater justice from civil authorities than Church ones.

**

Advocates: Pope’s anti-abuse summit ‘a stunning letdown’, by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald (February 24, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the Waltham-based BishopAccountability organization said Francis’ words without major action was “a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful.”
-----------------------------
The effort wasn’t enough for Doyle, who said, “We needed new canon laws stipulating ‘one strike and you’re out’ for abusive clergy and their complicit managers. We needed the Pope to release the names and files of abusive clergy. We got instead a handbook, some task forces and a canonical tweak.”

**

Vatican abuse summit is ‘wake-up call’ for countries where scandals have not yet exploded, by Chico Harlan, The Washington Post (February 23, 2019)

But activists say that it is in other major Catholic countries — Brazil, the Philippines and Democratic Republic of Congo — where the scale remains the least explored and the most potentially explosive. In the Philippines, no priests have been convicted on child sex crimes, according to Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-founder of a website, Bishop-Accountability.org, that tracks abuse cases.

**

The Vatican, not known for transparency, actually has abuse statistics buried on its website, by Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli, The Washington Post (February 22, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, who runs BishopAccountability.org, a clearinghouse that tracks abuse cases, said the information was new to her. She said the last major public disclosure of Vatican abuse data came in 2014, when the Holy See’s ambassador to the United Nations reported to the committee on human rights that more than 3,420 credible abuse accusations against minors had been reported to the CDF over the previous 10 years. The Vatican defrocked 848 priests as a result of those cases.

“Numbers and names are better than just numbers,” Barrett Doyle said. “But when you even get just numbers, accountability begins. This all along has been a crisis about who controls the information about the crimes. It went from the church withholding it from everybody to now, where it’s a little less asymmetrical than it was. But still, the CDF is pretty much a black hole.”

**

‘You Have to Exonerate the Human Being’: How They Handle Sex Abuse Cases in Poland, by Deacon Greg Kandra, Patheos (February 22, 2019)

Of the 20 countries with the world’s largest Catholic populations, including Poland, only the U.S. church has a “zero tolerance” policy, according to Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S. organization that tracks abuse cases and supports zero tolerance.

**

Cardinal Cupich outlines prevention proposals with third party involvement at Vatican summit, by Dina Bair, Katharin Czink and Mike D'Angelo, WGN9 (February 22, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle is co director of bishop-accountability.org and was pleased with Cupich’s words.

“I like the concreteness of what he said,” she said. “I like the fact that he said there’s going to be a hotline set up. He said how are we going to keep better tabs or do investigations and bishops who are accused of sexual misconduct or sexual abuse.”

But who is policing the number one local church leader in power? Now defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick, known for abusing seminarians and others, was at the Vatican promising reform in the last sex abuse meeting.

“I think it’s a weak proposal,” Doyle said. “I think the most powerful thing that the bishops could do is work to reform criminal and civil statutes of limitations. I think we have seen civil authorities are doing a much better job of cleaning up this church and exposing sexual abuse of children and adults than the church is doing.”

**

Vatican sex abuse summit seeks new culture of accountability, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (February 22, 2019)

**

Catholic leaders said lay people could be key to success of efforts to end abuse, by Dina Bair , Mike D'Angelo and Katharin Czink, WGN9 (February 22, 2019)

“I think that bishops are being forced to a greater degree of transparency. So here we have a robust system of checks and balances especially when victims have access to civil and criminal recourse,” Anne Barrett Doyle with bishop-accountability.org said. “You see that the secular criminal and civil justice system can do a very good job of getting, cleaning up the church and getting rid of bad priests and bad bishops for that matter.”

**

US cardinals call for new culture of accountability in Catholic Church: 'We have failed', by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (February 22, 2019)

"Why was Gracias allowed to speak at the papal summit? He is a poster boy for the lack of accountability of church leaders, especially in developing countries," said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online group BishopAccountability, which tracks the abuse scandal.

But it appeared the Vatican may have chosen as speakers precisely those cardinals whose own national churches have not confronted the scandal openly. On the summit's opening day, for example, the keynote speaker was Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle.

Based on public reporting and criminal prosecutions, BishopAccountability says it appears that no priests sexually abuse children in the Philippines, a scenario Barrett Doyle calls patently unrealistic. Tagle has said that cultural taboos in the Philippines often prevent victims from coming forward.

**

Cardinal Gracias: sex abuse crisis is a global problem with ‘no easy solution’, by Michael J. O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review (February 22, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a member of BishopAccountability.org, tweeted that the cardinal’s words “ring hollow.”

“This man personifies the lack of accountability of Church leaders, [especially] in developing countries,” Ms. Barrett Doyle wrote.

**

Advocates claim names missing from list of clergy accused of child sex abuse, by Kerri O'Brien, WRIC (February 22, 2019)

"It is really important not to let names fall through the cracks," said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org.

McKiernan spoke to 8News over Skype from Massachusetts about BishopAccountability.org, a website which maintains a database of priests and nuns accused of abuse.

"We're careful to include in the database people who have been publicly accused of abusing children," McKiernan said when asked what criteria the site uses to create the database.

"We use as evidence," he continued, "reports in publicly available court documents, reports in mainstream media."

When reviewing the Bishop Accountability database for the Diocese of Richmond, 8News found five names on their list not found on the list provided by the Richmond Diocese's bishop last week. This includes an ex-priest on Virginia's sex offender registry and a nun convicted of molesting a 10-year-old boy in Virginia Beach.

"I think it is important that we have all the information on people, one way or another, associated with the Diocese," McKiernan told 8News.

McKiernan says it's important for helping the victims heal.

"One of the reasons it is important for the list to be complete is that it is hurtful," he said, "honestly when someone is left off and it is empowering or valuable for the survivor when it is on the list."
---------------------------------------------------------
"I think we have to acknowledge the review board is named by the Bishop himself," said McKiernan.

After years of Catholic Church covers and shuffling of priests, McKiernan is still a little weary of the process. Bishop Accountability finds the list to be a good start and told 8News the Richmond Diocese provided some names new to their database.

Still, the group believes there's still work to be done.

"The Bishop in Richmond could really go the extra mile and really begin to provide people with true transparency," McKiernan told 8News when asked how the Bishop could mend the situation.

"Provide information, details about each of these cases even going so as far as to provide documents about each case," he then said.

**

Pope Francis presents action plan for tackling clerical sex abuse but victims dismiss it as inadequate, by Nick Squires,The Telegraph (February 21, 2019)

"Canon law has to be changed: not tweaked, not modified, but fundamentally changed, so that it stops prioritising the priesthood... over the lives of children,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of Bishop Accountability, an organisation that documents cases of sexual abuse by clergy.

**

A global look at the Catholic Church's sex abuse problem, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (February 21, 2019)

But even majority Catholic countries have lagged. Just this week, the online resource BishopAccountability listed Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, Congo and a handful of other heavily Catholic countries as places where the church leadership has failed to respond adequately when priests rape and molest children.

**

Vatican abuse summit shines light on long fight for justice, by Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian (February 21, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-founder of Bishop Accountability, which tracks clergy sex abuse cases, told reporters in Rome that – after years of promises – the church was “nowhere near” to enacting the reforms needed to “stop this epidemic” and that the only solution would be a fundamental change in canon law that stopped prioritising priests over the children they have abused.

“So much is at stake this week,” she added. “The Catholics of the world are grieving and disillusioned. Thousands of our children, our brothers, sisters and friends, have been sexually assaulted by clergy for decades now.”

**

Abuse victims: Italian law helps bishops dodge investigation, by Frances D'Emilio, The Associated Press (February 21, 2019)

**

Italian law helps bishops dodge investigation, abuse victims say, by Frances D'Emilio, The Associated Press (February 21, 2019)

But the Italian church still allows itself to be guided by canon law, which “gives the priest a second chance” and “leaves it to the bishop’s discretion” on whether a priest should be punished or removed from children, said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Cardinal Tagle : « Nous admettons avec humilité et douleur que des blessures ont été infligées par nous les évêques sur les victimes », by Camille Meyer, Radio Notre Dame/AFP (February 21, 2019)

**

Victims testify at child sex abuse conference, Pope promises to fight ‘enemy within’, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 21, 2019)

**

Papa promete "medidas concretas" contra abusos sexuais, Gauchazh (February 21, 2019)

**

Vatican abuse conference hears church must fight 'enemy within', RTE (February 21, 2019)

**

Special Hour: Catholic Church In Crisis, by Deborah Becker, Eve Zuckoff and Paris Alston, WBUR 90.9 (February 21, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based website that tracks clergy sex abuse cases. She tweets @barrett_doyle.

**

Abus sexuels: réunion au sommet au Vatican, Tribune deGenève (February 21, 2019)

**

Victims testify at child sex abuse conference, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 21, 2019)

But Anne Barrett-Doyle of bishopaccountablity.org, which tracks abuse cases around the world, said she was pleasantly surprised by the pope’s opening remarks.

“They said this was going to just be a teaching session, but he is now talking about concrete measures. That’s good, but let’s see how it ends up,” she told Reuters.

**

At landmark Vatican summit, Pope Francis demands bishops act to stop sex abuse, by Tom Kington, Los Angeles Times (February 21, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, praised the call for lay experts but was not impressed by the proposal to inform the police about abuse “in compliance” with local laws.

“The reference to local laws is a nod and a wink to people who know that in most countries bishops and clergy are not compelled by law to report sex crimes. It’s a way of saying ‘Don’t report it if you don’t have to,’ ” she said.

She also warned that two of the proposals suggested the pope would roll back key measures introduced to halt abuse in the U.S.

**

Fallen idols and toppled statues: The world’s Catholics react to the Vatican’s abuse summit, by Emily Tamkin, The Washington Post (February 21, 2019)

Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world. But its new president, Jair Bolsonaro, is fighting with the Vatican, not over ignoring sexual abuse — and Brazil’s bishops have been accused of failing to address the issue, according to website Bishop Accountability — but over the Amazon basin.

**

Secret Unveiled: The Vatican's Rules for Children Born to Priests, by Amber C. Strong, CBN News (February 20, 2019)

"The fact that this takes place on the eve of the historic summit is a depressing sign that it takes bad publicity and a tsunami of criticism before this pope finally does the right thing," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishopsaccountbility.com.

**

Las víctimas de abusos esperan la cumbre envueltos en un escepticismo total, by Elisabetta Piqué, La Nacion (February 20, 2019)

**

What to Watch for During the Catholic Church’s Sex-Abuse Meeting, by Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic (February 20, 2019)

Who Holds Bishops Accountable?
For some, the answer to this question is straightforward. “Civil authorities,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-founder of the research and advocacy website BishopAccountability.org, which has compiled background information on some bishops invited by the pope to attend this week’s Vatican meeting, with a scorecard of how they’ve handled cases of abuse in their own diocese. The group found, for instance, that the head of the bishops’ conference of Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world, has not weighed in publicly on the crisis or published a policy for handling abuse cases.
------------------------------
No one feels this tension between the Vatican and the world more acutely than the United States. “Caught in the crosshairs are the U.S. bishops, between the expectations of the American public and what they’ll be allowed to do by Rome,” said Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Pope Francis decries critics of church as 'friends of the devil', by Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian (February 20, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, from the US-based website BishopAccountability.org, told reporters in Rome that canon law had to be fundamentally changed so that it stopped “prioritising the priesthood of ordained men over the lives of children and vulnerable adults who are sexually assaulted by them”.

**

Abuse survivor: Pope’s devil comments ‘outrageous’, by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald (February 20, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org said she has “very low” expectations for the summit and that “the source of change in the church is going to come from the outside” — like the attorneys general who are investigating church sex abuse.

**

Bishop Accountability seeks to publish names of accused priests and heal victims, by Melissa Butz, via Youtube (February 20, 2019)

**

Vaticano celebra cumbre sobre abusos tras su largo silencio, por Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (February 20, 2019)

Esta semana, el grupo de investigaciones BishopAccountability dio a conocer online estadísticas de ocho de los países católicos más grandes del mundo, según las cuales los obispos de un solo país _Estados Unidos_ se comprometen a apartar permanentemente a cualquier sacerdote que abuse sexualmente de un menor.

En algunos países, como Brasil, los obispos ni siquiera tienen normas que hayan sido publicadas. En Italia, el presidente de la conferencia episcopal se reunió por primera vez con las víctimas la semana pasada, y solo después que los organizadores de la cumbre se lo exigieron.

“Quiero decir que algo importante resultará de la semana, pero de acuerdo con las investigaciones que hemos realizado, creo que esta iglesia está muy lejos de aprobar las reformas necesarias para detener esta epidemia”, dijo Anne Barret Doyle, de BishopAccountability.

**

Reporter's Notebook: Catholic Church faces its demons in clergy-abuse summit, by Lauren Green, Fox News (February 20, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the director of Bishop Accountability, says, "The Catholics of the world are grieving and disillusioned. I know I am."

Doyle will be one of the presenters at the meeting, and she says she knows what must happen for this to stop. "Canon law has to be changed, not tweaked, not modified but fundamentally changed so that it stops prioritizing the priesthood of ordained men over the lives of children and vulnerable adults who are sexually assaulted by them."

**

Vatican clergy summit: what to watch for, by Peter Borre, Boston Herald (February 20, 2019)

Victims’ advocates Anne Barrett Doyle of Bishops Accountability; and abuse survivors Phil Saviano and Peter Isely.

**

Pope strives to fight cleric sex abuse with Vatican summit, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (February 20, 2019)

Just this week, the online research group BishopAccountability released statistics from eight of the largest Catholic countries in the world, with the bishops from only one country — the U.S. — committing to a policy to permanently remove any priest who has sexually abused a child.

Bishops in some countries, including Brazil, don’t even have a published abuse policy to speak of. In Italy, the president of the bishops’ conference met with abuse victims for the first time last week — but only after summit organizers demanded it.

“I want to say that something important is going to come out of the week, but based on research we’ve done, I believe this church is nowhere close to enacting the reforms it must make to stop this epidemic,” said BishopAccountability’s Anne Barret Doyle.

**

As Pope Holds Sex Abuse Summit, U.S. Catholics Not Hopeful For 'Bold Moves', by Tom Gjelten, NPR (February 20, 2019)

A suggestion from Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago and one of the summit organizers, that the Catholic leadership in the U.S. should align with other church leaders in the world brought a sharp response from Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

"This would be a step backwards," Doyle says. "It would undo years of slow but real progress. While the U.S. bishops' norms need improvement, they are by far more effective than the norms of any other bishops' conference we've studied."

**

Survivors of Sexual Abuse Want Church Reform. Here’s Why It Might Not Happen, by Jason Horowitz, The New York Times (February 20, 2019)

The Philippines, the home of Thursday’s first keynote speaker, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, considered a potential next pope, is resistant to zero tolerance for abusive priests, according to the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org.

**

Abuse survivors and outspoken critics meet organizers of pope’s summit, Crux (February 20, 2019)

Phil Saviano, a survivor who worked with the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team and now is part of “Bishop Accountability,” said he wasn’t especially concerned that the pope was a no-show.

**

Abuse victims demand to see pope, call for bishops to be fired, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 20, 2019)

Some are leaders of groups such as Ending Clergy Abuse, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and bishopaccountability.org, which has one of the world’s largest databases on abuse in the Church.

**

As Vatican meets on sex abuse, Pope must defrock Guam's Apuron, groups say, by Haidee V. Eugenio, USA TODAY (February 20, 2019)

BishopAccountability.Org, which documents the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis, said Apuron and four other bishops must be defrocked, just like the disgraced former Archbishop of Washington, D.C., cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

The pope's much publicized summit staring Thursday brings together the heads of bishops' conferences around the world to discuss the clergy sex abuse crisis.

Bishop Accountability co-President Anne Barrett Doyle made their case for the laicization, or the removal from the clergy, of Apuron of Guam; Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota; Bishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto of Paraiba, Brazil; Bishop Roger Joseph Vangheluwe of Bruges, Belgium; and Bishop Joseph Hart of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Barrett Doyle said that because of Apuron's appeals process, he technically remains the archbishop for the Archdiocese of Agana.

“There is a preponderance of evidence that he has inflicted incalculable harm,” Barrett Doyle said about Apuron during the news briefing.

**

Survivors Speak: What Vatican summit must do to stop abuse, by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service (February 20, 2019)

“So much is at stake this week,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, a researcher and co-director of BishopAccountability.org at a news conference Feb. 19.

“Catholics of the world are grieving and disillusioned,” she said, because “thousands of our children, our brothers and sisters, our friends have been sexually assaulted by clergy for decades now. Popes and bishops have promised, ‘Never again. We’re going to stop it, this time.'”

But what is needed to do that, she and many victims have said, is a clear, universal definition of “zero tolerance” and its full, transparent implementation.

“Canon law has to be changed. Not tweaked, not modified, but fundamentally changed so that it stops prioritizing the priesthood of ordained men over the lives of children and vulnerable adults who are sexually assaulted by them,” Doyle said.

She said she has been “disheartened to hear the pope’s emphasis on this being an opportunity for conversion. You change the laws and then you let the hearts and minds follow. You don’t wait for hearts and minds to change before you prohibit priests absolutely from sexually abusing children.”

Phil Saviano, a board member of BishopAccountability.org, said mandatory reporting of abuse to civil authorities or local law enforcement is very important.

Not turning over abusers is seen not only as a way of “protecting them,” but it suggests the church is “still treating this problem as a sin as opposed to what it really is which is a criminal act against children,” he told reporters in Rome Feb. 19.
--------------------------------------
Saviano and Doyle said it is critical that all information and accusations about alleged abuse are flagged and get to the right people in the church. Officials could even do simple searches or set up daily alerts tracking “‘Bishop’ and ‘abuse’ or ‘church’ and ‘abuse,’ it works,” Doyle said.

Just as the Vatican Library collaborated with IBM to digitize its archives, she said, the Vatican “could hire a few researchers to construct a database” that tracks all bishops and priests “who have been reported to the church or reported to the news media.”

Referring to their Massachusetts-based organization — BishopAccountability.org — which makes available several hundred thousand pages of public records and documents online, Doyle said, “if a few people in Boston can do that on a shoestring budget, imagine what the Vatican could do.”

**

U.S. groups: Pope must sustain guilty verdict, defrock Guam's Apuron, by Haidee V. Eugenio, Pacific Daily News (February 20, 2019)

BishopAccountability.Org, which documents the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis, said Apuron and four other bishops must be defrocked, just like the disgraced former cardinal archbishop of Washington, D.C., Theodore McCarrick.

The group held a news briefing ahead of the pope's much publicized Feb. 21-24 summit that brings together the heads of bishops' conferences around the world to discuss the clergy sex abuse crisis.

Bishop Accountability co-president Anne Barrett Doyle made their case for the laicization of Apuron of Guam, Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis in Minnesota, Bishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto of Paraiba in Brazil, Bishop Roger Joseph Vangheluwe of Bruges in Belgium, and Bishop Joseph Hart of Cheyenne in Wyoming.

Barrett Doyle told the media that due to Apuron's appeals process, he technically remains the archbishop for the Archdiocese of Agana.

“There is a preponderance of evidence that he has inflicted incalculable harm,” Barrett Doyle was quoted as saying about Apuron during the news briefing.

**

Buffalo Diocese keeps priests off abuser list as it offers their accusers money, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (February 19, 2019; Updated February 27, 2019)

Across the country, more than 70 dioceses have released lists of abuser priests, said Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

The Buffalo diocese is not alone in leaving many dead priests off its list, although that is becoming less common, said McKiernan.

A blanket policy of not naming deceased priests with a single allegation “serves to protect those priests who really ought to be on the list,” he said. It also discourages a fuller accounting of the extent of a priest’s abuse, he said.

“They’re creating a situation in which the second and third and fourth victims of those priests don’t have the prompt to come forward that the release of the names would offer them,” said McKiernan.

**

Will the summit on abuse bring meaningful changes in Rome?, by Gerard O’Connell, America Magazine (February 19, 2019)

“So much is at stake this week...I hope something important comes from it,” Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, told reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome on Feb. 19, two days before the Vatican summit on the protection of minors in the church is scheduled to begin on Feb. 21. But if nothing substantial comes of the meeting, Ms. Barrett Doyle said it is her hope “the energy of change” can be assumed by secular forces “so that changes will come from the outside, through attorneys general, grand jury investigations and so on.”

“The Catholics of the world are grieving, disillusioned,” she said, because of “the sexual abuse of thousands of minors by clergy in past decades and bishops who covered up.”

“We all know,” she added, “that canon law has to be changed so that it stops protecting the priesthood of ordained men over the lives of children.

“I believe the church is no way close to enacting the reforms to end this epidemic,” she said, “which consists of two aspects: the sexual assault on minors by priests and the cover-up by bishops.”

BishopAccountability.org is one of the many advocacy groups for survivors of abuse by clergy that have descended on Rome this week from all over the world to highlight the problem ahead of the summit.

Ms. Barrett Doyle explained that in advance of the summit her organization had reviewed the church’s response to abuse in eight countries with the highest numbers of Catholics—Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, Italy, France, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which together represent 50 percent of the world’s Catholics.

She said the review showed that Brazil, with 172 million Catholics, has not posted a policy for handling abuse allegations on its website. “The crisis is invisible there,” she alleged, though her group had identified some 90 priest abusers in Brazil in 2012 and believes there are “thousands” of cases.

The church in Mexico, with the second largest Catholic population, claims to have dealt with only one abusive priest, while just four have been convicted of this crime. But, she said, the president of the Mexican bishops’ conference described clergy sex abuse as “a bottomless well” and is seeking “unusual new faculties” from the Vatican to deal with the problem.

In the Philippines, the third most Catholic country in the world, the church has had “a lax policy” since 2003 (though it has been removed from the website) and “no priest has been convicted of child sex crimes.”

Ms. Barrett Doyle said the church the Philippines “lets offenders return to the ministry” and “bishops don’t report priests” because they “have a relation that is analogous to father-son with them.” She charged that the Philippines’ church also tolerates “priest fathers” on “a one-child quota system.”

BishopAccountability.org found that globally eight bishops conferences—Brazil, Congo, Peru, Venezuela, Nigeria, India, Ecuador and Uganda—have not published guidelines on how to respond to child abuse and that only one of 20 nations in the world with the highest number of Catholics has a zero-tolerance policy—the United States.

The importance of this summit of the presidents of the world’s 114 bishops’ conferences and of the Eastern-rite churches, which Pope Francis has convened, was underlined by the BishopAccountability.org survey. Pope Francis has said that he wants all of the church’s national conferences to be “on the same page” in terms of the response to the abuse problem.

Ms. Barrett Doyle added that Pope Francis is “the first pope to have said that bishops have to be held accountable” and “the first pope to have said that there has to be an end to cover-up.”

She said that she was “happy and encouraged” by his letter to the Chilean bishops but worries he now “seems to be on the retreat from consolidating reforms” because “he has not acted in a systematic way to change things, by removing bishops and laicizing them,” except in a few cases like that of the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

“He has the power to change the laws so that every priest found guilty [by Vatican standards] of abusing minors is promptly removed from the ministry,” she said, “but I think the Vatican is continuing to resist the fundamental reforms.”

Referring to the presidents of the bishops’ conferences attending the summit, she added, “I don’t think these bishops are bad men; I think there is a really bad system.”

She said, BishopAccountability.org “has a list of 101 bishops accused [of abuse or cover-up], and those who have been removed from office still carry the title bishop-emeritus.”

She noted, moreover, that the evidence shows that “bishops who are abusers are particularly bad when it comes to allegations against priests.” Ms. Barrett Doyle suggested that the Vatican install a proper internal database of all priests so it could quickly identify individuals who are alleged abusers.

Ms. Barrett Doyle was accompanied at the press briefing by Phil Saviano, 65, a board member of BishopAccountability.org, a survivor of abuse who took his story to The Boston Globe and later helped its Spotlight reporting team. “I first went public in 1992, and since then I think the church has made some progress,” Mr. Saviano said.

Describing himself as “an optimist” despite all he has been through, he added, “I hope that something good will come out of this summit.”

Mr. Saviano recognizes that Pope Francis “does seem to be capable of learning on the job” but said, “the question is how much power does he have to make changes on his own,” alluding to resistance within the Vatican and the church on this matter.

He emphasized “the importance of releasing names of priests and bishops who are found guilty,” even if it this means according to “the Vatican criteria for guilt,” in which case, he said, “we should know what those criteria are.”

Ms. Barrett Doyle thinks the Vatican has “played down the expectations” for this summit “because at the end they want to present us with a surprise, perhaps with something modest.”

**

The pope ignored them': Alleged abuse of deaf children on 2 continents points to Vatican failings, The Washington Post (February 19, 2019)

But Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse-tracking site BishopAccountability.org, said the Provolo case "is truly emblematic."

"The church failed them abysmally. The pope ignored them, the police responded," she said. "It's a clear example of the tragedy that keeps playing out."

**

Vatican’s four-day meeting to explore how to protect children from sex abuse by clergy, by Tom Kington, Los Angeles Times (February 19, 2019)

“I find it astounding that there are bishops in the world who still don’t understand,” said Phil Saviano, 66, who is on the board of abuse research group BishopAccountability.org.
-------------------
“We have seen this play out with priests over and over again, with all these bishops saying, ‘I thought he was fine!’” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org. “We have to look at a system that encourages allegations to fall through the cracks, which is designed not to process information but to preserve plausible deniability.”

Barrett Doyle cited the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Msgr. Alexander Salazar in December over abuse allegations the local archdiocese was aware of in 2005.

**

Catholic Church 'nowhere close' to confronting global 'epidemic' of child sex abuse by priests, by Nick Squires, The Telegraph (February 19, 2019)

Pope Francis is "in retreat" from any meaningful effort to bring abusers to justice, said Bishop Accountability, a leading pressure group.
----------------------------------
“So much is at stake this week. The Catholics of the world are grieving and disillusioned,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the head of Bishop Accountability.

“Canon law has to be fundamentally changed so that it stops prioritising the priesthood over the lives of children. But the Church is nowhere close to enacting the necessary reforms to stop this epidemic. And the Pope seems to be in retreat from concrete reform efforts.”

With the Vatican resisting change, it will have to come from outside the Catholic world.

“Unfortunately the way forward will be a bloody, hard-fought path of lawsuits, prosecutions and government investigations,” said Ms Barrett Doyle. “I would be amazed if the conference at the Vatican produces any meaningful reform.”

**

BishopAccountability: reforms needed still far off, The Associated Press (February 19, 2019)

**

Unprecedented meeting at the Vatican on child sex abuse, Host: Carol Hills, PRI's The World (February 19, 2019)

Doyle is the co-director of the research group, Bishop Accountability, which tracks clergy abuse cases worldwide.

**

Blaming homosexuality for abuse of minors is distraction, victims say, by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service (February 19, 2019)

Phil Saviano, who founded SNAP’s New England chapter and is a board member of BishopsAccountability.org, told reporters Feb. 19 that he felt “there has been a lot of scapegoating of homosexual men as being child predators.”

To lay the blame for the abuse of children on homosexuality “tells me that they really don’t understand” the problem and have made a claim “that is not based on any source of reality.”

“I will admit that if a priest is abusing a 16-, 17- or 18-year-old boy, that part of the element that is going on there is homosexuality, but that is not the root of the problem” of abuse by clergy, he said at an event at the Foreign Press Association in Rome.

**

BISHOP ACCOUNTABILITY SEEKS TO PUBLISH NAMES OF ACCUSED PRIESTS AND HEAL VICTIMS, NetNY (February 19, 2019)

Survivors’ accounts, a database of accused priests, and files on bishops are just the beginning of the information Bishop Accountability has gathered on the abuse crisis.

Besides the revelations, the website’s co-director says it also is a relief for victims.

“When they go on our website and see their perpetrators name, immediately, they realize it wasn’t them, you know, that there was someone else who in that it was the perpetrator who’s to blame not them,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of Bishop Accountability.

Doyle is an expert and research analyst on cases of abuse worldwide, but has extensively studied the United States.

“I have always said that the ultimate act of compassion by a bishop is to release the names of credibly accused priests. I’m glad Brooklyn diocese finally did so. But I am horrified to see the number of names on that list. I know it’s by no means a complete list,” she said.

While here in the Vatican, Bishop Accountability is trying to share the truth and names of the priests or bishops have been accused not only of abuse, but also cover-up.

**

Anti-Abuse Group Says ‘Many More McCarricks’ Must Be Defrocked, by Thomas D. Williams, Breitbart (February 19, 2019)

A group devoted to rooting out clergy sex abuse has called for the defrocking of more bishops in the wake of the laicization of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick this week.

At a press conference in Rome Sunday, Anne Barrett Doyle, co-president of Bishop Accountability, said there are “many more McCarricks” and urged the laicization of five bishops whom the group believes to be guilty of punishable offenses concerning sex abuse.

Specifically, Barrett Doyle mentioned two Americans — Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Bishop Joseph Hart of Cheyenne, Wyoming, as well as three others: Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron of Agaña, Guam; Bishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto of Paraiba, Brazil; and Bishop Roger Joseph Vangheluwe of Bruges, Belgium.

These bishops have already been dismissed from their former posts but should be dismissed from the clerical state as well, Barrett Doyle said.

“It is an insult to the Catholics of the world to hold forth McCarrick’s laicization as accountability,” she said. “We are past the stage of confusing a fired bishop as accountability. We haven’t even begun yet.”

During the press conference, Barrett Doyle spelled out why Bishop Accountability believes that the five bishops should be defrocked.

**

Shame and guilt haunt those who say Catholic clergy in Michigan sexually abused them, by Cole Waterman, MLIVE (February 19, 2019)

**

The survivors of clergy sexual abuse who finally pushed the Vatican to recognize the problem, by Brian Clites, Case Western Reserve University (February 18, 2019)

This group also devoted itself to reform issues including celibacy, homosexuality and female ordination in the church. Several additional nonprofits grew out of this group. The most enduring is Bishop-Accountability.org, whose first goal is that bishops acknowledge their responsibility in the clergy sexual abuse crisis and hold one another accountable – including by forcing offending priests and bishops to resign from their posts.

**

‘Not about helping victims’: Advocates question dioceses’ compensation funds, by John Finnerty, CNHI (February 18, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog group Bishop Accountability, said that there may be reason to be skeptical.

Church leaders may also be looking at the compensation funds as a way to diminish political pressure, because if many victims settle their claims there may not be as much clamor to allow lawsuits, he said.
-----------------------------------
McKiernan said that the settlement amounts in New York had been “significant.” Many victims are willing to settle through the funds because despite what happened, they are still unwilling to go to court to fight the church.

“Many of them still have a soft spot for the church,” he said.
------------------------------------
McKiernan said that while the compensation funds will provide a check, they won’t necessarily provide all the answers victims and their families may want about who was involved in covering up abuse.

“Bishops like these funds because they are a quiet way of dealing with these cases,” he said.

His group tracks allegations against priests, but finds those efforts stymied by compensation funds because the church pays off the victims and then doesn’t make any public disclosure about what actually happened.

**

Vatican Hopes Meeting on Child Sex Abuse Will Be a Turning Point, by Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times (February 18, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org, one of the groups that have already begun protesting in St. Peter’s Square, said failure to answer the question clearly was a “cop-out.”

**

Ahead of abuse summit, Vatican officials decline to comment on accused priest, by Joshua J. McElwee, NCR (February 18, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org, called the Vatican officials' declination to speak about Punderson's case "a cop-out, and a formula for failure."

"To generate real remedies, you must examine actual cases," she said in a statement. "The pope shouldn't forbid discussion of the cases. … He should instead use these as real-time teaching moments."

**

Anti-abuse group calls for five “more McCarricks” to be defrocked, by Christopher White and Inés San Martín, Crux (February 18, 2019)

These men, according to Bishop Accountability’s co-president Anne Barrett Doyle, have been removed from their former posts and also should be removed from the clerical state.

“It is an insult to the Catholics of the world to hold forth McCarrick’s laicization as accountability,” she said. “We are past the stage of confusing a fired bishop as accountability. We haven’t even begun yet.”
-----------------------------------------------
Barrett Doyle laid out the case Sunday for defrocking the five prelates targeted by Bishop Accountability.

Nienstedt, she argued, asked two rain-soaked teenagers to strip down in his hotel room while he did the same during World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005. She also said that “We know that he covered up for egregious offenders, not just in the distant past.”

In December, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Nienstedt’s successor, announced that his predecessor would be unable to exercise public ministry in the archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis until allegations surrounding him are resolved.

Barrett Doyle also argued that it was particularly offensive that Nienstedt had been given the title of archbishop emeritus following his resignation in 2015.

“Emeritus does not just mean former bishop, it’s a distinctive status…with rights and responsibilities,” said Barrett Doyle.

Turning to Apuron, who was initially placed on administrative leave in 2016 while a Vatican investigation took place, leading to a guilty verdict in 2018, she said that due to his appeals process, he technically remains the archbishop of Agaña, Guam

“There is a preponderance of evidence that he has inflicted incalculable harm,” she said.

Of Pagotto, Barrett Doyle noted that he was removed in 2016 for the stated reason of doing a poor job with the priests he selected for the diocese, when, in fact, according to her, he was “recruiting sex offenders.”

The diocese was recently ordered by Brazilian courts to pay the equivalent of 3.5 million dollars to victims abused by priests the prelate shielded.

The Belgian Vangheluwe admitted to abusing two of his nephews, and he, too, remains bishop emeritus.

“How is this possible?” asked Barrett Doyle.

She concluded with Hart, formerly of Kansas City, where the diocese has admitted to ten settlements with victims. In 2017, Bishop Steven Biegler, the current bishop of Cheyenne, refused to allow Hart to attend his installation Mass, and, as one of his first acts as bishop, opened an investigation into Hart’s potential abuse.

Barrett Doyle said that “this is what fraternal correction looks like,” adding that Biegler’s handling of Hart offers a model for other bishops to follow.

Joining Barrett Doyle was abuse survivor and Bishop Accountability board member Phil Saviano, who worked closely with the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” investigative team to expose abusive clergy in the archdiocese of Boston.
-------------------------------
Looking ahead to the pope’s abuse summit where he has called the leader of every bishops’ conference around the world to Rome for a high stakes meeting set to begin on February 21, Barrett Doyle said that Bishop Accountability still hopes that the Vatican announces a special prosecutor to “thoroughly investigate the McCarrick affair,” so that anyone complicit in the cover-up of his actions will also be held accountable.

“McCarrick just can’t be a one and done,” said Barrett-Doyle. “There has to be some zeal, some intensity, some sincerity in the pope’s housekeeping efforts.”

**

Pope Francis Defrocks Cardinal McCarrick over Sexual Abuse Crimes, Democracy Now (February 18, 2019)

This is Anne Barrett Doyle, an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy members.

Anne Barrett Doyle: “The bishops who surrounded McCarrick and knew, or should have known, that he was a sexual predator, this, we believe, includes the pope himself, in that he knew, or should have known, from the earliest days of his papacy, that this prominent cardinal already had a file on him at the Vatican.”

**

Ex-cardinal defrocked by Vatican over abuse, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (February 17, 2019)

"The pope has known from the earliest days of his papacy, or he should have known, that ex-Cardinal McCarrick was a sexual predator," said Anne Barrett Doyle, an advocate at BishopAccountability.org.

"He has a resistance to removing bishops, and he also has a tolerance for bishops who are sexual wrongdoers," Doyle said Saturday near St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

Walking with Doyle was Phil Saviano, a board member of BishopAccountability.org, and a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest. While calling McCarrick's defrocking "ultimately a good thing," he said the punishment should have been meted out long ago.

He said he hoped Francis isn't "throwing a bone to his dissenters in an attempt to quiet everybody down. And then McCarrick will be the one and only, because there are certainly many others who have allegations against them who should face some accountability."

**

U.S. Catholic Bishops Identify Hundreds Of Abusive Priests, by Doug Mataconis, Outside the Beltway (February 17, 2019)

“It is probably not everyone, I hate to say it, but it sounds like a robust list compared to some others,” said Terry McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of alleged clerical abuse. “Brooklyn is a really large diocese. It’s larger than some archdioceses.”

**

Catholic Church’s credibility on the line at abuse conference, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 17, 2019)

“The fact that this still exists in 2019, that there is still awareness-raising that has to be done (among bishops) is a measure of what a low priority this has truly been for the Vatican,” said Anne Barrett-Doyle of the U.S.-based abuse tracking group bishop-accountability.org.

“I hope he has the candour to admit that it’s absolutely disgraceful that that’s where we are today,” said Ms. Barrett-Doyle, speaking in St. Peter’s Square.

**

Expectations high for Pope Francis’ sex-abuse summit, but some brace for disappointment, by Jeremy Roebuck, Post Gazette (February 17, 2019)

He, along with Cupich, will represent the United States at the Vatican this week. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and a member of Francis’ Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors, has said he also plans to attend. The worst outcome for all three — said Terry McKiernan, cofounder of the watchdog website Bishop-Accountability.org — would be to return from Rome empty-handed.

“That would be bad for everyone,” he said. “They need a win, and that’s hard to do when your boss in Rome isn’t getting anything done.”

**

Den katolske kirke i USA ramt af skandalesager: Phil var 11 år, da han blev misbrugt af sin præst, by Lillian Gjerulf Kretz, DR (February 17, 2019)

**

The Latest: US cardinal says no bishop is above the law, Associated Press (February 16, 2019)

**

Vatican defrocks former US cardinal McCarrick for sex abuse, by Frances D'Emilio, Nicole Winfield and Trisha Thomas, The Associated Press (February 16, 2019)

“The pope has known from the earliest days of his papacy, or he should have known, that ex-cardinal McCarrick was a sexual predator,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, an advocate at BishopAccountability.org.

“He has a resistance to removing bishops and he also has a tolerance for bishops who are sexual wrongdoers,” Doyle told The Associated Press on Saturday near St. Peter’s Square.

Of the defrocking, Doyle said: “Let McCarrick be the first of many. I can think of 10 other bishops who are substantively, credibly accused of sexual abuse with minor and sexual misconduct with adults, who should be laicized.”
--------------------------------------------------
Walking with Doyle was Phil Saviano, a board member of BishopAccountability.org, and a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest. While calling McCarrick’s defrocking “ultimately a good thing,” he said the punishment should have been meted out long ago.

He said he hoped Francis isn’t “throwing a bone to his dissenters in an attempt to quiet everybody down. And then McCarrick will be the one and only, because there are certainly many others who have allegations against them who should face some accountability.”

His account of being abused helped the Boston Globe produce a Pulitzer-winning investigation into church cover-ups, which was chronicled in the movie “Spotlight.”

**

The Latest: Cardinal calls McCarrick punishment ‘important’, The Associated Press (February 16, 2019)

**

Abuse survivor applauds Vatican laicizing McCarrick, The Associated Press (February 16, 2019)

**

The Latest: US Catholic Group Wants Others Held Accountable, US News (February 16, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org says while his defrocking is significant, "most abusive bishops have escaped" defrocking. She says Francis should use the power of his office to laicize those bishops immediately.

Francis should also say "what he knew and when" about McCarrick.

Doyle is in Rome for the pope's gathering of bishops about the crisis.

She says of the 101 accused bishops her group has tracked, McCarrick is only the seventh to be laicized. McCarrick was the first churchman who reached the rank of cardinal to be defrocked in the scandals.

**

Advocates raise questions about compensation funds, by John Finnerty, CNHI (February 16, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog group, Bishop Accountability, said that there may be reason to be skeptical.

Church leaders may also be looking at the compensation funds as a way to diminish political pressure because if many victims settle their claims there may not be as much clamor to allow lawsuits, he said.
-------------------------------
McKiernan said that the settlement amounts in New York had been “significant.” Many victims are willing to settle through the funds because despite what happened, they are still unwilling to go to court to fight the church.

“Many of them still have a soft spot for the church,” he said.
-------------------------
McKiernan said that while the compensation funds will provide a check, they won’t necessarily provide all the answers victims and their families may want about who was involved in covering up abuse.

“Bishops like these funds because they are a quiet way of dealing with these cases,” he said. His group tracks allegations against priests, but finds those efforts stymied by these types of compensation funds because the church pays off the victims and then doesn’t make any public disclosure about what actually happened.

**

Will the Catholic Church stop the sexual abuse? Don't hold your breath, by Karen Cyson, Times Writers Group (February 15, 2019)

The website BishopAccountability.org (bishop-accountability.org/priestdb/PriestDBbydiocese.html) maintains a list, by diocese, of credibly-accused priests in the U.S.While it may not be completely up to date, what with the release of 286 names in Texas last week, 58 priests named in Virginia andnearly 200 priests named in New Jersey on Thursday,it does contain an astonishing database of credibly-accused priests and the response of the Church (or lack thereof) in all 50 states. Just click on a state and view the roll call. The group that maintains this site has also added links to information on Chile, Argentina and Ireland.

**

More Than 100 Priests Accused of Sex Abuse Are Named by Brooklyn Catholic Diocese, by Rick Rojas and Liam Stack, The New York Times (February 15, 2019)

“It is probably not everyone, I hate to say it, but it sounds like a robust list compared to some others,” said Terry McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of alleged clerical abuse. “Brooklyn is a really large diocese. It’s larger than some archdioceses.”
--------------------------------------------
Advocates said the Brooklyn list was an important development in illustrating the extent of the abuse in the diocese. But they also noted that the diocese, like the others, operated at its own discretion in choosing which names and what information to include. “It is good that Brooklyn included previously unknown abusers by putting them on this list,” Mr. McKiernan said. “But it also leaves a lot to be desired.”

**

'Onslaught' of allegations against priests predicted under Child Victims Act, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (February 14, 2019)

BishopAccountability.org, which since 2002 has chronicled the U.S. Catholic clergy abuse scandal, has a database of 480 accused priests who served in dioceses in New York state. But victims of clergy sex abuse and their advocates said they believe there are far more priests in New York that have molested children than have been revealed so far.

“I think it’s safe to say 480 is not the right number. It might very well be double, or more than double,” said Terry McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Special Report Part 2: “The Sound of Silence,” experts explain the how and why of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, 25 News (February 14, 2019)

**

SPECIAL REPORT: “The Sound of Silence,” a look at allegations of abuse within the Peoria Diocese, 25 News (February 13, 2019)

**

At least 7 priests named in sex abuse list served in area parishes, by Jeff Williamson, 10News (February 13, 2019)

Before his suspension, Murphy served at Our Lady of Nazareth in Roanoke, St. Thomas More in Lynchburg, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Salem, the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Salem, Hollins University in Roanoke and Roanoke College in Salem, according to Bishop-accountability.org.

**

Nienstedt probe shows need for bishop reforms, Minnesota Catholics say, by Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune (February 12, 2019)

There are 37 U.S. bishops — living and deceased — implicated in sexual misconduct cases, either as perpetrators or as supervisors who tolerated abuse, according to Bishop Accountability, a Massachusetts-based group that tracks clergy abuse. The former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is the most recent case.
-----------------------------
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, said the growing list of bishops found to have enabled abuse has erased some public hesitancy to question the men in the royal robes.

"We've become more educated," said Barrett Doyle. "From prosecutors to legislators to ordinary members of the public, we're willing to treat church officials as people who are not above the law."

**

Louisiana clergy abuse lists include one priest who left three-decade-long trail of victims, by Andrea Gallo and Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Advocate (February 8, 2019)

Terry McKiernan of the watchdog site BishopAccountability.org, said the absence of a priest from that published guide is often a tell.

While it’s not clear why Franklin wasn’t listed among America’s priests, in other cases that has happened when a cleric was sent away for treatment, McKiernan said.
--------------------------------------
McKiernan, using editions of the Catholic Directory published at the time, was able to track his progress.

McKiernan said Franklin began 1966 stationed at St. Mary’s Assumption and St. Anthony in the Avoyelles Parish town of Cottonport.

In the middle of that year, McKiernan said, Franklin was transferred to St. Joseph Church in St. Joseph, a Tensas Parish town more than 100 miles away.

He later became pastor of St. Louis church in the Alexandria-area town of Glenmora before leaving the diocese in 1973, having made the local papers for delivering the invocation at a high-school sports awards ceremony and organizing a program meant to provide the public with a better understanding about church doctrine.

McKiernan said so many assignments for Franklin in a short period of time is suspicious in retrospect. He said he was bothered that Alexandria’s list lacked a list of pastoral assignments and New Orleans’ didn’t include how much time clerics spent at any one church.

“What’s happening is (church leaders) feel pressure to reveal information but want to reveal it in a way that makes it less useful than it ought to be,” McKiernan said. “If you want to make it hard to understand the priests’ career … you’re going to leave those gaps.”

**

Were U.S. nuns abused by priests? Catholic women respond to Pope Francis' remarks on abuse, by Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY (February 7, 2019)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability, a website that tracks abusive priests, was both underwhelmed and hopeful after hearing the pope’s comments.

“I guess I was bewildered that the pope verifying this should make headlines — it’s an epidemic problem in certain areas,” she said. “The Vatican has documentation on likely tens of thousands of cases of sexual violence, and so when a Vatican official or the pope makes a pronouncement as if it’s occurring to them for the first time — as if they’re identifying a problem for the first time — it strikes me as disingenuous.”

**

St. John’s Seminary Rector Reassigned to Worcester, by Alex Wasilkoff, The Torch (January 30, 2019)

None of the allegations regarding conduct at the seminary have been directed at Msgr. Moroney, but the decision to quietly reassign him has been taken by some as a sign of mismanagement. Terry McKiernan, co-director of the watchdog group Bishop Accountability, said, “Clearly he is not being invited back [to St. John’s] and that’s significant. But the way this reassignment is being reported conceals from us basic information that we really do need to have.”

**

Abus sexuels : Aux États-Unis, les listes de prêtres « crédiblement accusés » en question, by Anne-Bénédicte Hoffner, La Croix (January 28, 2019)

**

After Damaging Year, Pope Francis Calls For 4-Day Clerical Sex Abuse Summit, by Sylvia Poggioli, National Public Reporter (January 27, 2019)

ANNE BARRETT DOYLE: There is now a worldwide movement by prosecutors and legislators and an outraged public to treat the church like ordinary citizens.

POGGIOLI: Anne Barrett Doyle is co-director of Bishop Accountability, an online research group that tracks clerical abuse cases around the world. Speaking over Skype, she says centuries of secrecy to shield the church from secular law gave its leaders a sense of impunity.

BARRETT DOYLE: That illusion that they are still untouchable will probably persist until a bishop ends up behind bars for covering up. And that day may not be far away.

POGGIOLI: Activists like Barrett Doyle and abuse survivors want the Vatican to implement what it has always avoided - accountability, that officials who knew but looked away while predator priests committed crimes abusing minors be finally brought to justice. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

**

List of names in Diocese of Monterey’s report comes up short, say two groups, by James Herrera, Monterey Herald (January 25, 2019)

**

Chisholm Supports Probe of Clergy Sex Abuse, by Mary Kate McCoy, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism/Wisconsin Public Radio (January 24, 2019)

**

Milwaukee DA Calls For Statewide Investigation Into Church's Response To Sex Abuse Claims, by Mary Kate McCoy, WPR (January 23, 2019)

Terry McKiernan, founder and president of Bishop Accountability, said the names in Green Bay likely wouldn’t have been released without the report out of Pennsylvania.

"This is a small step, but it's a significant step in the right direction," McKiernan said. "When you combine that fact with the investigations that are now going forward I think we are finally going to learn more about the situation."

McKiernan is hopeful the precedent set by Pennsylvania will result in actual legislative change in states that are investigating the church.

Yet that path isn't clear. Many of these investigations in the past have urged lawmakers to eliminate the statute of limitations, which blocks those who were abused from seeking justice after a set period of time has passed, but such changes have run into fierce political opposition and lobbying efforts from the church and other groups.

"Will we be able to make the changes that are necessary? Will the bishops feel that they need to, or will we lapse again into a period that we've seen again and again and again in this crisis where there's attention devoted to it, some changes seem to be made, and then there's backsliding once again," McKiernan said.

**

Church scandal hits close to home, by Heather Gast and Ryan Kambich, The Xavier Newswire (January 23, 2019)

Dioceses nationwide have received mounting pressure from Catholics, survivors and survivor advocacy groups, such as Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and bishop-accountability.org, since The Boston Globe covered allegations against former priest John G. Geoghan in 2002.  
--------------------------------------
Bishop-accountability.org, a non-profit watchdog, hosts a bevy of news articles, released church documents and reports detailing the sexual abuse of both minors and adults in the Catholic Church in the United States.  The website provides evidence of sexual abuse in the Church dating back to the 1940s and includes allegations in nearly every state.  

**

Dakota do Norte publica lista do clero acusado de abusos sexuais, LUSA (January 20, 2020)

**

Madison's Catholic diocese considers probe of its abuse cases, The Associated Press (January 19, 2019)

The announcement came a day after the Green Bay Diocese announced that an internal investigation revealed 46 priests who had been credibly accused of abuse. King said in December that the Madison diocese identified abusive priests in the local Catholic newspaper in 2003 and that the diocese had no additions to add beyond those named at the nonprofit site Bishop-Accountability.org.

**

Lista Negra: 7,000 sacerdotes acusados de abuso sexual en los EU, por EPS, El Manana (January 16, 2019)

**

Más de 7 mil nombres de sacerdotes pederastas surge en EU, by Heiji Morimoto, Breaking (January 16, 2019)

**

Accused priest not on the list, by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle (January 13, 2019)

The Stigmatine letter, made available online by the Bishop Accountability Project, offers a window into a culture of church concealment laid bare more than a decade ago through reporting by The Boston Globe and other news organizations.
---------------------------------
According to the Bishop Accountability Project, Our Lady of Mount Carmel operated a school with between 150 and 200 students. The year Ahern arrived in Pittsfield, he served as an assistant at the Mount Carmel Church, according to a 1975 story in The Eagle. The Braintree native was ordained in 1954 and had worked for churches in West Springfield and Lynn and in New York and Virginia.
--------------------------
Ahern received an order of "limited faculties" from the Stigmatine group in 1988, 1989 and 1990, according to church records linked from the Bishop Accountability Project website. The status restricts a priest's ministerial activity. The measures can prevent a cleric from celebrating Mass or hearing confession.
----------------------------------------------
The Bishop Accountability Project provides a page of information on the late Richard J. Ahern, with links to relevant documents.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/assign/Ahern_Richard_J_CSS.htm

**

Why hasn’t Charlotte Catholic diocese released list of priests accused of sex abuse?, by Tim Funk, The Charlotte Observer (January 10, 2019)

The thinking in the church in the years since was “we’re doing better, there are fewer cases, we just hope . . . “ said Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog group that tracks clergy sex abuse cases.

But in August, he said, “Pennsylvania blew that up.”

A grand jury report released by that state’s attorney general detailed sexual abuse by Catholic priests of more than 1,000 people, mostly children.

“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing, they hid it all,” the report said. “For decades, Monsignors, auxiliary bishops, bishops,. archbishops, cardinals have mostly been protected; many, including some named in this report, have been promoted.”

Though some bishops insisted that these were mostly old cases, McKiernan said, “that didn’t matter to people. They were shocked.”
------------------------------------------------------------------
McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org said Charlotte Bishop Jugis should not only release a list, but put one out that is so complete — with the accused priests’ parish assignments and something about the allegations — that it becomes a model for other dioceses wanting to “get it all out in the open.”

“What’s been happening (with the lists) is that we’ve gotten a better sense of best practices,” McKiernan said. “Why doesn’t Charlotte help that along rather than standing back until they’re told what to do?”

**

Victims of former Fenwick priest tell their stories, by Timothy Inklebarger, oakpark (January 8, 2019)

He has been listed as a sexual predator on Bishop-Accountability.org, a website that tracks those who have committed sexual assault within the Catholic Church.
------------------------------------------------
Hennessy began monitoring priest abuse databases online like http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) http://www.snapnetwork.org/.

"I kept looking to see if Farrell was listed in other instances and he hadn't been," Hennessy said.

It was through his work and the efforts of McLennan and Gerald Lynch that Farrell's name was added to the Bishop-Accountability.org database in late 2018.

**

Cardinal’s cover-up trial a reckoning for French Catholics, Associated Press (January 6, 2019)

“There has been a dramatic change in the zeitgeist. The #MeToo movement has come for the pope and his bishops,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a victims’ group. “The demands for accountability and transparency are coming faster than the Vatican can contain them.”
---------------------------------------------
For Barrett Doyle, the trial will put accountability for alleged injustice into the hands of the law.

“Whatever the outcome of the case against Barbarin, his presence in a secular courtroom … will mark the victory of the rule of civil law over the Vatican’s failed strategy of containment and secrecy,” she said.

**

Big jump in dioceses naming names since Pa. grand jury report on church sex abuse, by Claudia Lauer, Associated Press (January 5, 2019)

**

Sex Abuse Crisis: What dioceses have released names (so far)?, by Claudia Lauer, Associated Press (January 4, 2019)

**

Expulsan al rector del seminario de Boston y lo reasignan a la Catedral de Worcester, por Carlos Esteban, InfoVaticana (January 3, 2019)

“No es inusual que se dé esta opacidad en estas situaciones”, dijo Terry McKiernan, fundador y codirector del grupo de vigilancia BishopAccountability.org. “La forma en que se informa de esta reasignación nos oculta información básica que realmente necesitamos tener”.

**

Pope urges US bishops to heal divisions, repair trust, by Jeff Karoub, The Associated Press (January 3, 2019)

Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which has tracked abuse for more than a decade, said victims are mentioned only fleetingly in the papal letter.

"Only by concentrating on the victims, not on themselves, can the bishops remedy this situation and save the church," he said.

**

Head of BishopAccountability site sends 'to do' list in letter to Cupich, by Terence McKiernan, National Catholic Reporter (January 3, 2019)

**

AP Exclusive: A reckoning is underway in US Catholic Church, by Claudia Lauer, Associated Press (January 3, 2019)

While praising the release of names, many experts said the lists are often incomplete. Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which has tracked abuse for more than a decade, said many dioceses have left off names of known abusers his group has published in its online database.

**

Cientos de clérigos acusados fueron dejados fuera de las listas de abuso sexual de la iglesia, Associated Press (January 2, 2020)

**

Victims accuse Cardinal DiNardo of concealing Iowa sex abuse in calling for his resignation, by Shelby Fleig, Des Moines Register (January 1, 2019)

**

2018

**

2018: The Year of the Whistleblower, by Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register (December 31, 2018)

“There is hardly any provision in the Church to protect them, even though they are acting on behalf of the Church as well as victims,” said Terry McKiernan, who leads the watchdog group, Bishop Accountability, which has posted an online list of whistleblowers, including diocesan and religious order priests, and women religious.

The U.S. bishops have announced plans for a new reporting mechanism that will allow whistleblowers to report sexual misconduct without fear of retaliation. But, in past years and still today, many have worried that such disclosures will make it “impossible to do the work they were born to do,” McKiernan told the Register.

**

BOSTON SEMINARY RECTOR FORCED OUT AMID HOMOSEXUAL ABUSE PROBE, by Stephen Wynne, ChurchMilitant.com (December 31, 2018)

"It's not unusual for opaque transparency to happen in these situations," said Terry McKiernan, founder and co-director of watchdog group BishopAccountability.org. "Clearly he is not being invited back [to St. John's] and that's significant. But the way this reassignment is being reported conceals from us basic information that we really do need to have."

**

Dioceses have gone bankrupt after opening window to sex abuse lawsuits, by Aaron Aupperlee, Trib Live (December 29, 2018)

**

O'Malley denuncia a Dolan ante el nuncio en EEUU por encubrimiento de abusos, by Cameron Doody, Periodista Digital (December 28, 2018)

Una corrección que no ha contentado en absoluto a las víctimas de abusos y sus defensores, como Anne Barrett Doyle, co-directora de la web de rendición de cuentas bishopaccountability.org, quien tachó de "reprensible" el hecho de que Dolan permitiese durante años que Timone trabajara como cura con niños.

"El cardenal puso a otros niños en riesgo", denunció Barrett Doyle. "Lo que plantea la duda: ¿a cuántos otros curas acusados está encubriendo?".

[Translation: A correction that has not satisfied at all the victims of abuses and their defenders, such as Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the accountability website bishopaccountability.org, who described as "reprehensible" the fact that Dolan allowed for years that Timone will work as a priest with children.

"The cardinal put other children at risk," denounced Barrett Doyle. "What the question raises: how many other accused priests are you covering?"]

**

What are survivors and Springfield doing about accused priests?, by Cory Davenport, RiverBender.com (December 26, 2019)

In its release, SNAP called upon people to search their diocese on www.bishop-accountability.org to find more problematic priests. A quick scan of that site reveals another local priest, Frank O'Hara Jr., who was sued in 2008 by two women who claimed O'Hara abused them while they were students in the now-defunct St. Kevin's Catholic School in Rosewood Heights from 1971-1978. O'Hara died in 2006 at the age of 90.

**

Jesuit list includes 33 priests accused of Alaska sexual abuse, by Chris Klint, KTVA (December 26, 2018)

According to clergy abuse database bishop-accountability.org, one of the rural Alaska priests mentioned by Jesuits West – Henry Hargreaves – was described as a “serial child molester” in a 2009 lawsuit.

“He was accused of fondling a 6 or 7-year-old boy multiple times in 1956 in Nulato, Alaska, and of raping a 5 or 6-year-old boy in 1992 in the village of [Nunam] Iqua,” the website posted.

**

For The Catholic Church, A Year Of Unending Clergy Abuse Revelations, by Virginia Alvino Young, NPR (December 26, 2018)

For bishopAccountability.org founder Terry McKiernan, apologies, payouts and prevention efforts aren't enough. He said leaders across the Catholic Church have hoped for years that the sexual abuse scandal would be considered a thing of the past. "They didn't want that history to be examined," said McKiernan. "They wanted it to be left in the archives and forgotten. What they learned in Pennsylvania this year is that that's not going to happen."

After the Boston abuse scandal in 2002, the Vatican approved a zero tolerance policy for clergy who abuse children. But McKiernan said there still aren't any mechanisms in place to hold bishops accountable, or those who cover up abuse. They still report directly to the Pope.

U.S. Bishops were expecting to vote on new accountability measures at a gathering in November, but the Pope ordered the effort to be delayed until February.

Either way, McKiernan is skeptical of internal accountability efforts. He's pushing for more external pressure, like the investigation and report by the Illinois Attorney General this month detailing allegations against at least 500 priests the church had failed to disclose earlier.

"We're seeing forces outside the church compelling and really shaming the church into behaving accountably and behaving at least somewhat transparently," said McKiernan.

**

Priest Who Was Still Saying Mass After Abuse Settlements Is Suspended, by Sharon Otterman, the New York Times (December 23, 2018)

“It’s reprehensible that Cardinal Dolan allowed this priest to minister for years to sexually vulnerable minors,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy abuse. “The cardinal put other children at risk. And it raises the question: How many other accused priests is he concealing?”

**

Pope tells abusive priests to turn themselves in, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (December 21, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability said it was fantasy to think that criminals will suddenly turn themselves in, when the Vatican itself has blocked bishops from adopting mandatory reporting norms, such as in Ireland in the 1990s.

"He minimizes and mischaracterizes the protection of abusers by church leaders, chalking it up to lack of training or awareness, rather than a deliberate choice to conceal and deceive," she said, adding that his claim that the cover-up was a thing of the past is also wrong since it is ongoing.

**

‘Hand yourself over to human justice’: Pope Francis tells priests guilty of abuse the church won’t shield them, by Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (December 21, 2018)

Francis’s call for abusers to turn themselves in “is silly. To command psychologically sick people to do the right thing? It’s also deceptive,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, which documents abuse. “This speech represents a regression to the defense we heard from John Paul II, that the problem was with the perpetrators. We now know the more fundamental problem is with the complicit and deceptive hierarchy.”

**

Pope Francis draws mixed reviews with his warning to abusers within the Catholic Church, by Deb Erdley, Trib Live (December 21, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle is co-director of Bishop Accountability, a nonprofit that tracks reports of clergy sexual abuse. She said Francis still fails to acknowledge the role church leaders have played.

“He minimizes and mischaracterizes the protection of abusers by church leaders, chalking it up to lack of training or awareness, rather than a deliberate choice to conceal and deceive. He implies that the problem lies in the past, ignoring recent revelations that the cover-up persists,” Barrett Doyle said.

**

Investigators raid the offices of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, by Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times (November 29, 2018)

“Files can be in quite a few different places, and there are different sets of files,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a research and advocacy organization that documents the Catholic church’s abuse scandal.

**

Diocese discloses names of priests who sexually abused minors, by Brenden Moore and Steven Spearie, the state Journal-Register (November 29, 2018, Updated December 21, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of Bishop.Accountability.org, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based non-profit that maintains a website of publicly accused priests in the U.S., said the list from the Springfield diocese is “a mixed bag.”

“Springfield decided to go minimal,” said McKiernan, echoing Clohessy’s frustration that assignment histories weren’t included.

“Parents don’t have a map of what priests worked where. From assignment histories, you can tell what parish might have been favored by a bishop to send priests who abuse. You can get insight as to whether a priest was bad news or if the bishop knew he was bad news. Without the assignment list, you’re basically concealing the problem.”

BishopAccountability lists four priests who served in the diocese -- the Reverends Stanislaus Yunker, Louis Schlangen, Richard Niebrugge and Kevin Downey -- who were not included on the list released by Springfield Thursday.

Downey’s name, said McKiernan, might have been left off the list because he belongs to the Franciscan Order. According to BishopAccountability, the alleged claim against Downey came when he was stationed at Quincy College (now Quincy University) in 1990.

“There’s a tendency to leave religious order priests’ names off, but order priests need faculties (permission) to work in a diocese,” said McKiernan. “It’s not uncommon (to leave their names off), but it’s not a positive step. It lets them off easy.”

Niebrugge, Yunker and Schlangen are all dead. Yunker and Schlangen served in parishes in Springfield.

McKiernan said that names new to BishopAccountability from the Springfield list will be added to the website.

?(Seeing that priest’s name on the website) is a significant moment for survivors,” he said.

**

Pope Francis Urges Predator Priests To Turn Themselves In And Face Justice, by Carol Kuruvilla, The Huffington Post (December 21, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking website Bishop-Accountability.org, told HuffPost she thinks the pope is “indulging in make-believe and misdirection.”

“In commanding child molesters to turn themselves in, Francis is pretending. He’s pretending that sick men suddenly can see the light,” she said. “He’s pretending the problem lies with perpetrator priests and some ignorant bishops of the past rather than with an ongoing cover-up approved by the Vatican itself.”

She criticized Francis for bringing up the Catholic Church’s “thread-worn” self-defense that children are abused in all sectors of society. Barrett Doyle said the church doesn’t need a spiritual reboot but a fundamental reform of its laws. Francis’ Christmas message to the Curia hasn’t assured her that he sees the problem clearly.

“Let’s hope he is working on a host of concrete systemic reforms that he plans to roll out in February,” she said.

**

Illinois attorney general says Catholic Church left names of 500 priests and clergy off sex abuse lists, by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post (December 20, 2018)

Madigan, said longtime survivor advocate Terry McKiernan, is trying to force the church to produce lists that are more transparent and meaningful. Even in recent weeks, McKiernan said Wednesday, some lists around the country are being shown to not have included names that they should have.

“There’s a big debate about what ‘credible’ means, but these lists are clearly incomplete in a number of ways. Or at least there is lag before names are added,” he said. “Let’s face it, an allegation is an allegation, and very few are unsubstantiated if the diocese does the work to look into it.”

Dioceses are dragging their feet on substantiating allegations “because they don’t want to acknowledge the crisis they’re in, “McKiernan said.

**

The Church Settled Sexual Abuse Cases Against This Priest. Why Is He Still Saying Mass?, by Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (December 20, 2018)

“It is a staggering violation of the bishops’ zero-tolerance provision,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy abuse. “It is deeply irresponsible of Cardinal Dolan. It is brazen and it is a disservice.”

**

SEVEN FORMER LOYOLA-AFFILIATED JESUITS NAMED WITH CREDIBLE ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, by Rodlyn-Mae Banting, The Greyhound (December 19, 2018)

“If the Jesuits aren’t including guys we already know about on their lists, then I don’t have a lot of confidence that they’re including the guys that nobody knows about yet,” said Terence McKiernan, president and co-director of the BishopAccountability watchdog website.

**

Two decades into crisis, no consensus on what ‘credibly accused’ means, by Christopher White, Crux (December 19, 2018)

When the Holy See requested the U.S. bishops halt plans to enact new standards and accountability protocols at last month’s meeting until after a global summit on sex abuse at the Vatican in February, Bishop Accountability, a group that tracks clergy abuse cases, used the occasion to call on bishops to release the list of names of accused priests before the Rome meeting as one sign of forward motion in responding to the crisis.

Terry McKiernan, president and co-director of the organization, told Crux that the reason such lists came to exist in the first place is because of the efforts of clergy abuse survivors connecting with each other.

“It takes survivors communicating with one another before people begin to take notice,” McKiernan observed, adding that once names of accused priests were publicly listed, it often triggered other victims to come forward and tell their stories.

In recalling the history of the lists, McKiernan said that in many ways, Jason Berry’s groundbreaking 1992 book, Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children, offered an index that served as a first informal list of accused clergy.

Later in the 1990s, “The Linkup,” was established as the first database and its newsletter, “The Missing Link” included a column on “Black Collar Crimes,” with clippings of clergy sexual abuse reports.

When Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, became the first bishop to publically release names of credibly accused priests, followed soon thereafter by Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, they were met with sharp resistance by those that argued that such a move unnecessarily publicized private Church matters, traumatized victims of sexual abuse all over, and in the cases of innocent priests, denied them due process.

McKiernan said that the Pennsylvania grand jury report in August - which chronicled seven decades of abuse of over 1,000 victims at the hands of 300 priests - was a significant part of the “evolution” in how Church leaders thought about lists.

For many, the fact that similar investigations loom over a dozen states and there have been rumors of a federal one, has changed the calculus for bishops that believe that they will eventually be forced to release such information.

Yet even as Pennsylvania has evidenced, when its state Supreme Court ruled last month that the names of 11 clerics must remain redacted because the priests argued they were denied due process, the release of names is not without complication.

For that reason, McKiernan maintains it’s not enough for dioceses simply to release the names - but to release solid lists, as well, which contains hard information and the circumstances of the alleged abuse.

“When names are just published by the dioceses, with no story or history there, it makes things difficult,” he told Crux. “Credible in the Church’s parlance is the lowest bar. Substantiated is a different, higher standard.”

Even so, McKiernan believes the rapid release of lists within recent months is progress, noting, “once a list is out, then it can be updated and improved upon.”

**

Lisa Madigan: 500 more sex allegations against Illinois priests 'have not been adequately investigated', by Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (December 19, 2018)

Madigan, said longtime survivor advocate Terry McKiernan, is trying to force the church to produce lists that are more transparent and meaningful. Even in recent weeks, McKiernan said Wednesday, some lists around the country are being shown to not have included names that they should have.

"There's a big debate about what 'credible' means, but these lists are clearly incomplete in a number of ways. Or at least there is lag before names are added," he said. "Let's face it, an allegation is an allegation, and very few are unsubstantiated if the diocese does the work to look into it."

**

Catholic Churches Are Releasing Names of Accused Priests, But It’s Not Enough, by Hemant Mehta, Family Atheist (December 17, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sex abuse cases, counted “at least 35” dioceses releasing such lists. That’s nearly double the number released in one year since 2002, when the first one was independently publicized by the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona.

“We’ve never seen this kind of outpouring before,” said [McKiernan]

**

Jesuits release lists of clergy accused of abusing minors, by Daniel Burke, by Daniel Burke, CNN (December 17, 2018)

"If the Jesuits aren't including guys we already know about on their lists, then I don't have a lot of confidence that they're including the guys that nobody knows about yet," said Terence McKiernan, president and co-director of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org.

**

At least 8 Wisconsin priests are on the Jesuits' latest list of accused abusers, by Annysa Johnson and Kevin Crowe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (December 17, 2018)

Terry McKiernan of the nonprofit advocacy site BishopsAccountability.org said the west and south-central provinces omitted at least 30 names of abusers who had served in their jurisdictions in the lists made public Dec. 7.

**

Catholic Church: Jesuits name priests with 'established accusations' of child sex abuse, by Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY (December 16, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a website that maintains a database on accused priests and the crisis overall, says this process creates “a mixed chain of command.”

McKiernan points out that most dioceses that released lists of accused priests were in major media markets, where reporters and the public pressured Catholic leaders to account for their clergy. That’s harder when it comes to religious orders, which cover wide geographical swaths and sometimes cross international borders. The Capuchin religious order's footprint is mostly in the upper Midwest – Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin – but extends all the way to the Middle East.

Public attention is largely focused on dioceses and archdioceses, and “religious orders take advantage of that fact,” McKiernan says. “They’re not gonna raise their hand and say, ‘Wait a minute, pay attention to us!’ ”
------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortly after the Jesuits West and Jesuits Central and Southern shared their lists, which went back to 1950 and totaled a combined 151 names – including nearly 40 names not previously known – McKiernan and BishopAccountability pushed back. In an email, McKiernan shared his own list, which included 34 Jesuits accused of abuse who weren’t accounted for in the Jesuits’ official releases.

“If these known accused priests have been left off the list,” McKiernan asks, “how many as yet unknown credibly accused Jesuits have also been left off?”

**

Detroit Archdiocese transfers assets; critics say it's a shell game, by Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press (December 14, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the abuse crisis, said this is a shell game to protect those assets from seizure through lawsuits regarding child sex abuse. He compared it to several other cases, such as a fund the Archdiocese of Milwaukee used to try to protect tens of millions of dollars in assets when it entered bankruptcy.

"I don't know if Detroit will go in that direction," McKiernan said. "But clearly, they're bracing for something."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
McKiernan called the property transfer "a pretty clear attempt to firewall." He said that recent raids indicate authorities are looking aggressively into allegations.

"There's not only potential criminal charges but also a considerable financial exposure, and it certainly looks to me like the archdiocese is creating a sort of segmented system to deal with that new reality."

**

Lists of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse Are Spilling Out Across the Country, by Campbell Robertson, The New York Times (December 14, 2018)

“We’ve never seen this kind of outpouring before,” said Terry McKiernan, co-director and president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy sex abuse cases.

By his count, at least 35 dioceses have released lists or updates of previous lists since the beginning of August. That nearly doubles the number that had ever been released before, since the first one in 2002 by the Diocese of Tucson.

“It’s a dramatic change in how bishops are approaching this,” Mr. McKiernan said.
-----------------------------------
“Names coming out this way,” Mr. McKiernan said of the voluntary releases, “is really different from the way they came out in the grand jury report.”

**

Catholic church still breaking its own laws, 16 years after priest abuse scandal exposed, by Candy Woodall, York Daily Record (December 13, 2018)

Of the 196 dioceses in the U.S., only half have come forward with lists of abusive priests, according to Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog site that tracks abusive clergy.

**

Priest abuse: Five things federal investigators should look for in nationwide probe, by Candy Woodall, York Daily Record (December 12, 2018)

"We need something like that here in the United States. That's the only way we're ever going to know the full truth," said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks priest abuse.

**

More Jesuit educators from New Orleans named in latest church sex abuser list, by Ramon Antonio Vargas and John Simerman, The New Orleans Advocate (December 7, 2018)

That explanation rang hollow to Terry McKiernan of the abuse watchdog website bishopaccountability.org.

“Not providing (that) is not transparency,” McKiernan said Friday. “Especially with the ‘new’ priests whose allegations have not been known until now, it’s really important we know details about the allegations. Because there’s nothing on the record at the moment about those cases.”

**

Jesuit Dallas names 11 'credibly accused' of sexually abusing minors, by Marjorie Owens, WFAA 8 ABC (December 7, 2018)

According to archived articles from the Dallas Morning News and Tampa Tribune on bishop-accountability.org, Rev. Vincent Orlando served as a teacher at the Dallas Jesuit school. He was later removed from a Jesuit school in Florida after a minor accused him of molestation during his time in Texas in 1985.

**

New list of abusive Jesuit priests begs question: How many more are out there?, by Candy Woodall, York Daily Record (December 7, 2018)

Until Friday morning, Terry McKiernan had 178 Jesuit priests on a list of abusive clergy members in the U.S.

His list grew after Catholic Jesuit provinces released the names of 153 priests and brothers credibly accused of sexually abusing children.
------------------------------------------
While the Catholic priest abuse scandal might seem more transparent than ever, McKiernan said we know fewer than half of all abusive priests by name.

And McKiernan should know. As president and founder of Bishop Accountability, he has been tracking abusive clergy since a 2002 report revealed U.S. bishops hid predators and transferred them to parishes where they abused again.

The York Daily Record has determined that there are thousands of abusive priests who have not yet been identified, based on an analysis of data from Bishop Accountability.org, the U.S. Catholic Conference, Vatican statistics, Jesuit statistics and interviews.
------------------------------------------
Lists of abusive priests collected and shared by Bishop Accountability show several dioceses have identified between 8 percent and 10 percent of their priests since the 1950s as abusive. The pattern of abuse has been proven true in dioceses across the country, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status:

- Boston - 11 percent
- Covington - 10 percent
- Harrisburg - 8 percent
- Manchester, New Hampshire - 9 percent
- Spokane - 9 percent

Dozens of dioceses across the country have released lists of abusive priests, and attorneys general have launched investigations in 14 states since the Pennsylvania report was released in August.

But there are still 100 dioceses in the U.S. that haven't named any abusive priests, McKiernan said.

Also troubling is the year's worth of data missing, he said.

The church-funded John Jay report that analyzed priest abuse in the Catholic church covered years 1950 to 2002. The study was commissioned after the Boston scandal prompted bishops to meet in Dallas in 2002.

That report was released in February 2004, and 2003 wasn't included.

"They left out one of the most important years. That's when a lot of victims were coming forward and talking about their abuse," McKiernan said.
------------------------------------
There are presently 17,000 Jesuit priests and brothers worldwide, making it the largest male religious order in the Catholic church.

If the 10 percent holds here - and McKiernan believes it does - there could be 1,700 abusive Jesuit clergy.

"It's likely more of a problem with Jesuits because of access and the way they live," he said.

Jesuits, who practice as the Society of Jesus, frequently serve in teaching roles, such as in prep schools and other institutions. That creates access, McKiernan said.

While there has been no list released of abusive Jesuit priests in Pennsylvania, McKiernan has collected the cases he's aware of in this state:

- Louis Bonacci
- H. Cornell Bradley
- Robert B. Cullen
- John Duggan
- Stephen M. Garrity
- Neil P. McLaughlin
- Garrett D. "Gary" Orr
- William J. Walsh
- William Wehrle

**

U.S. Jesuits release names of clergy accused of sexual abuse, by Keith Coffman, Reuters (December 7, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks Catholic clergy abuse, said in a statement that the disclosures marked a “significant development,” but still falls short of full accountability.

“Detailed descriptions of the allegations should have been provided, especially for priests and brothers whose names are being made public for the first time,” he said. “It is crucial to know how long an accused priest worked in a school or parish, and in what years.”

The central U.S. province said it retained a consulting firm comprised of former FBI agents, and a “comprehensive” audit of its offenders will be released next year.

The U.S. Catholic Church has paid out more than $3 billion to settle clergy abuse cases, McKiernan said.

**

BISHOPS SHIFTING ASSETS TO DODGE HIT FROM SEX ABUSE CLAIMS, by Stephen Wynne, ChurchMilitant.com (December 6, 2018)

The Wisconsin case spilled over into the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis where, according to Bishop Accountability co-founder Terence McKiernan, officials tried to stanch their financial losses by valuing a vast archdiocesan cathedral at just $1.

"The Catholic Church is real estate wealthy beyond our wildest dreams," McKiernan told CBS. "And it's a bit of a conundrum — how much is the diocese worth? How do you value ecclesiastic property?"

McKiernan described the asset-shifting trend as "a shell-game," saying: "No one thinks for a moment that the bishop is relinquishing control of these assets, he just hopes the bankruptcy judge won't consider them assets."

**

Bankruptcy filing for Santa Fe archdiocese, led by Utah’s former Catholic leader John Wester, provides peek at church finances, by Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press (December 5, 2018)

**

Bankruptcy filing provides rare window into diocese finances, by Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press (December 4, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, an online resource of documentation about the scandals, pointed to efforts by church officials there to value a massive granite cathedral at just $1.

“The Catholic Church is real estate wealthy beyond our wildest dreams,” he said. “And it’s a bit of a conundrum — how much is the diocese worth? How do you value ecclesiastic property?”
---------------------------------------
“So it really does seem to us to be a shell-game,” McKiernan said of the cases that have already played out. “No one thinks for a moment that the bishop is relinquishing control of these assets, he just hopes the bankruptcy judge won’t consider them assets.”

**

Priests accused of sexual abuse being ID’d across the U.S.: report, by Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune (December 2018)

“We’ve never seen this kind of outpouring before,” Terry McKiernan, co-director and president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy sex abuse cases told the New York Times. “It’s a dramatic change in how bishops are approaching this.”

**

Facing the flock: His assistant priest was just jailed on charges of molesting a child. Now he must address his congregation, by Terrence McCoy, The Washington Post (November 30, 2018)

Some studies, including a report in 2004 by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, put the number of sexual abusers among priests at about 4 percent, roughly consistent with clergymen of other faiths. Other organizations, including BishopAccountability.org, placed it at just under 6 percent. Anne Barrett Doyle, the organization’s co-director, says it may be shown to be higher still — especially if authorities compel transparency.

**

It's not over: Your thoughts on our open letter to bishops, National Catholic Reporter (November 30, 2018) [Reader letter in response to editorial]

Your NCR report of June 7, 1985, started it. That group of intrepid whistleblowers became my life heroes; Tom Fox, Fr. Tom Doyle, Jason Berry, Patrick Wall, Richard Sipe, lawyer Jeff Anderson, Barbara Blaine and the
Bishop Accountability folks.

It was personal for me. I searched the BishopAccountability.org database of pedophiles and found Fr. Al Larkin. This was a priest that my wife liked a lot and invited him for dinner a few times in the 1970s when my son was serving as an altar boy. About five years ago, with trepidation, I asked my son if anything ever happened; he is 60 now. He told me no, but I don't know whether to believe him.

JOHN MINCK, Palo Alto, California

**

Catholic church facing declining dollars and participation as investigation widens, by Tim Darragh, The Morning Call (November 29, 2018)

The drop in church giving, based on analysis of IRS records from areas where Catholic church scandals occurred, was estimated at $2.36 billion every year, it said. Meanwhile, citing figures from bishop-accountability.org, a watchdog group, the amount the church has spent settling lawsuits and paying legal costs over the last 40 years is $3 billion.

**

Investigators Raid Offices of President of U.S. Catholic Bishops, by Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times (November 28, 2018)

“Files can be in quite a few different places, and there are different sets of files,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a research and advocacy organization that documents the Catholic church’s abuse scandal.

**

Years after 'date-rape drug' conviction, Peoria diocese priest is again removed from ministry, by David Heinzmann, Chicago Tribune (November 26, 2018)

“It’s amazing he was put back in,” said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based advocacy group that has tracked the Catholic hierarchy’s record in dealing with priest misconduct. The fact that Windy has now been removed again “does seem to indicate that the diocese had not thought it through.”

**

How a generational divide shapes U.S. bishops’ response to sex abuse, by Jeremy Roebuck, The Inquirer (November 18, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, pointed to the autonomy bishops from an older generation enjoyed in their dioceses to explain the resistance to change some were showing. By contrast, he said, the prelates who came to their positions more recently have less of an expectation of unquestioned authority.

"The old-timers, they were trained in a very different church and I think they had a different experience of the 2002 abuse crisis as bishops," he said. "The new guard, experienced the crisis as priests on the front lines."

**

Survivors decry Vatican making US bishops wait on abuse vote, The Irish Catholic (November 15, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, called the move a “pre-emptive strike” by the Vatican against US bishops as they seek to respond to the current crisis of sexual abuse and its cover-up “in a modest way”.
----------------------------
At a press conference outside of the Marriot hotel overlooking Baltimore Harbour, where some 300 bishops representing the nation’s 195 Catholic dioceses were meeting inside, McKiernan was joined by co-director Anne Barrett Doyle who said: “When the Vatican intervenes, it’s a signal that progress will be less than we hoped.”

McKiernan and Doyle both recalled the 2002 USCCB meeting where the bishops enacted a “zero tolerance” policy against priests found guilty of abuse. At the time, the US bishops had to appeal to Rome to amend canon law in the US to accommodate the new policy – a move that some within the Vatican opposed.

**

Pope Francis Undermines Vatican Diplomatic Immunity with USCCB Intervention, by Benjamin Harnwell, Breitbart (November 15, 2018)

According to research compiled by Bishop-Accountability.org, to date 15 U.S. dioceses have been declared bankrupt following the post-Boston settlements, with post-1980s settlements totaling over $3 billion.

**

The shame of the Catholic Church, by Cal Thomas, Tribune Content Agency (November 15, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an organization that compiles instances of clergy abuse, is quoted in The Washington Post: “What we see here is the Vatican again trying to suppress even modest progress by the U.S. Bishops. We’re seeing where the problem lies, which is with the Vatican.”

**

Advocates take wait-and-see approach as Catholic bishops tout dip in abuse claims, by Jay Tokasz, the Buffalo News (November 14, 2018)

“Archbishop Pierre was correct to point out that a certain amount of progress has been made. That progress has been made because survivors have come forward and there’s been enormous pressure on bishops to change,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Meeting of U.S. bishops in Baltimore closes with no action after sexual abuse crisis, by Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 14, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, co-director of the research site and advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, said Wednesday evening that he hopes the “deference to the Vatican and the paralysis seen at this meeting raise the stakes for the U.S. bishops in the months ahead.”

“It’s even more urgent that they demonstrate some resolve and act,” rather than just wait docilely for the synod, he said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
McKiernan urged individual bishops to take steps they can in the months ahead to reassure lay Catholics, such as releasing lists of accused clergy, and adding more detail to lists that have already been made public.

**

Meeting of bishops closes with no action, by Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 14, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, co-director of the research site and advocacy group BishopAccountability.com, said Wednesday evening that he hopes the "deference to the Vatican and the paralysis seen at this meeting raise the stakes for the U.S. bishops in the months ahead."

"It's even more urgent that they demonstrate some resolve and act," rather than just wait docilely for the synod, he said.
----------------------------------------------------
McKiernan urged individual bishops to take steps they can in the months ahead to reassure lay Catholics, such as releasing lists of accused clergy, and adding more detail to lists that have already been made public.

**

Yahoo News Explains: Is the Vatican doing enough to address sexual abuse in the church?, by Kayla Jardine,Yahoo News Video (November 14, 2018)

A representative for BishopAccountability.org, Anne Barrett Doyle, said, “I am stunned and disappointed at the lack of courage being shown by the conference. These are American children being hurt.”

**

The 2018 Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis brings new energy — and anti-gay activists — into the survivors' movement, by Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 13, 2018)

Monday’s two public events were dominated by the older groups — research site BishopAccountability and SNAP — whose leaders focus on oversight and justice and participate less in the controversial debates over the perceived roles of celibacy and homosexuality in the crisis. A dozen or so people attended each of those events, and around 20 came Tuesday to stand with survivors who raised signs with words including “truth” and “reform.”
--------------------------------------------
Referring to Church Militant and other far-right websites like Breitbart and LifeSite that have taken up aspects of the cause, BishopAccountability co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said, “I see they perform a service to some extent in that they expose predatory bishops and predatory priests that mainstream press aren’t yet covering. But at the same time, because they have a different goal, their goal isn’t simple justice and accountability and transparency — there is a bias.”
---------------------------
It’s also not the first time the ultraconservative wing of the church was focused on the topic of abuse. Terry McKiernan, Barrett-Doyle’s partner at BishopAccountability, said some of the most aggressive reporting on the issue in the 1980s and early 1990s was by the Wanderer, a 151-year-old Catholic newspaper whose motto is “No one can be at the same time a sincere Catholic and a true Socialist.” Some of the earliest reporting on rumors of McCarrick’s behavior with seminarians in the early 2000s appeared on conservative blogs.

McKiernan said liberals and conservatives tend to focus on abusers who fall in their opposing ideological camps but that he feels it has been — until now — harder for orthodox Catholics to display leadership on the issue.

“Conservative Catholics didn’t want any activism that seemed to be counter to the power structures of the church, which they respected and felt had doctrinal valiance,” McKiernan said. “McCarrick gave them permission to be aggressive but still be thinking with the mind of the church.”

**

Protesters gather outside U.S. bishops’ meeting, call for change, by Emily Rosenthal, Catholic News Service (November 13, 2018)

Leaders from BishopAccountability.org organized a morning news conference, where they and victim-survivors of abuse denounced the Vatican’s request for the U.S. bishops to delay any vote on two proposals they were to discuss at the assembly regarding their response to the clergy sex abuse scandals.
-----------------------------------------
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, and Terence McKiernan, the organization’s president, pointed to Bishop Steven R. Biegler of Cheyenne, Wyoming, as a good example of an accountable bishop. Bishop Biegler strongly supports an ongoing investigation into abuse allegations against retired Cheyenne Bishop Joseph H. Hart, now 87; some claims date to when the retired prelate headed the diocese (1978-2001).

McKiernan told the Catholic Review, the news outlet of the Baltimore Archdiocese, that releasing the names of accused and continuously updating those lists are steps in the right direction of attaining accountability. The Archdiocese of Baltimore was one of the first in the country to publish such a list in 2002, with updates to the list in the years since.

“We know survivors who can’t go into a church,” McKiernan said, adding that, as a researcher, he cannot walk away. “This has actually made my faith stronger and more important.

**

Bishops delay votes on combating church sex abuse crisis, The Associated Press (November 13, 2018)

**

Vatican orders halt to U.S. bishops' reform vote, by Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 13, 2018)

**

Vatican Orders U.S. Bishops to Halt Vote on Stopping Child Sex Abuse, Democracy Now (November 13, 2018)

This is Anne Barrett Doyle of the advocacy group Bishop-Accountability.org.

Anne Barrett Doyle: “I am stunned and disappointed at the lack of courage being shown by the conference. These are American children being hurt. These are American survivors. These bishops are American citizens. I know that they answer to the Holy See, but there’s a bigger imperative here, which is that children and victims need them to step forth and start being responsible leaders of this institution.”

**

Erie’s Persico ‘disappointed’ with delay on abuse votes, by Ed Palattella, GoErie (November 13, 2018)

“When it comes to sexual abuse and bishop accountability, Pope Francis is apparently less enthusiastic about bishops’ conferences and ‘synodality’ than he’s led us to believe,” Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement.

“This bizarrely self-contradictory behavior looks like something else, outside the Vatican bubble. It is a crushing blow for survivors and yet another stumbling block for good Catholics everywhere. Once again, in its own terms, the Vatican is causing scandal.”

**

Malone among several U.S. bishops under fire for abuse complaints, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (November 13, 2018)

“Many of the bishops in here meeting are responsible for countenancing abuse, transferring abusers, not stepping up to the plate. They all ought to hand in their resignations and thereby put pressure on the pope to accept the resignations that ought to be accepted and to start an investigation into what has been happening over the decades in the American church,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Protesters gather outside U.S. bishops' meeting, call for change, by Emily Rosenthal, Catholic News Service (November 13, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, and Terence McKiernan, the organization's president, pointed to Bishop Steven Biegler of Cheyenne, Wyoming, as a good example of an accountable bishop. Biegler strongly supports an ongoing investigation into abuse allegations against retired Cheyenne Bishop Joseph Hart, now 87; some claims date to when the retired prelate headed the diocese (1978-2001).

McKiernan told the Catholic Review, the news outlet of the Baltimore Archdiocese, that releasing the names of accused and continuously updating those lists are steps in the right direction of attaining accountability. The Archdiocese of Baltimore was one of the first in the country to publish such a list in 2002, with updates to the list in the years since.

"We know survivors who can't go into a church," McKiernan said, adding that, as a researcher, he cannot walk away. "This has actually made my faith stronger and more important.

**

Pope demands bishops drop anti-abuse moves, by Julie Zummer, Irish Independent (November 13, 2018)

**

Vatican orders US bishops to delay sex abuse reforms, Agence France-Presse (November 13, 2018)

Some 6,721 priests have been accused of sexual abuse in the United States for alleged acts that took place between 1950 to 2016, according to the group Bishop Accountability.

It counts around 18,565 child victims.

**

‘Our people are crying out’: Bishops weigh anti-abuse action despite Vatican delay, by David McFadden and David Crary, Associated Press (November 13, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, holds a sign during the protest outside the venue of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) general assembly in Baltimore, Maryland. Nov. 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

**

On Vatican order, U.S. bishops halt plans to vote on reforms in wake of sex abuse scandal, by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (November 12, 2018)

"There are lots of things bishops can do," added BishopAccountability co-director Terence McKiernan. "It is certainly possible for them to turn over a new leaf and ... advance their actions and positions in a number of ways."

Since the Pennsylvania grand jury, numerous bishops have released lists of abusers, revealing many names not previously known. "The conference could commit itself, even without a vote, to encouraging fellow bishops to accelerate that process," he said.

**

Catholic bishops will delay votes on steps to combat sex abuse crisis, Boston 25 News (November 12, 2018)

Watchdog group “Bishops Accountability” calling on US Bishops to all submit their resignations to the Vatican pic.twitter.com/lBn0HCunDM — Justin Gray (@grayjustin) November 12, 2018

**

Vatican Requests U.S. Catholic Bishops Delay Vote In Sex Abuse Scandals | NBC Nightly News (November 12, 2018) [VIDEO]

**

Bishops were set to address church sex abuse until the pope stepped in, WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (November 12, 2018) [VIDEO]

**

Bishops delay votes on combating church sex abuse crisis, by David McFadden and David Crary, The Associated Press (November 12, 2018)

**

The 2018 Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis brings new energy — and anti-gay activists — into the survivors' movement, by Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 13, 2018)

Monday’s two public events were dominated by the older groups — research site BishopAccountability and SNAP — whose leaders focus on oversight and justice and participate less in the controversial debates over the perceived roles of celibacy and homosexuality in the crisis. A dozen or so people attended each of those events, and around 20 came Tuesday to stand with survivors who raised signs with words including “truth” and “reform.”
-------------------------------------
Referring to Church Militant and other far-right websites like Breitbart and LifeSite that have taken up aspects of the cause, BishopAccountability co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said, “I see they perform a service to some extent in that they expose predatory bishops and predatory priests that mainstream press aren’t yet covering. But at the same time, because they have a different goal, their goal isn’t simple justice and accountability and transparency — there is a bias.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s also not the first time the ultraconservative wing of the church was focused on the topic of abuse. Terry McKiernan, Barrett-Doyle’s partner at BishopAccountability, said some of the most aggressive reporting on the issue in the 1980s and early 1990s was by the Wanderer, a 151-year-old Catholic newspaper whose motto is “No one can be at the same time a sincere Catholic and a true Socialist.” Some of the earliest reporting on rumors of McCarrick’s behavior with seminarians in the early 2000s appeared on conservative blogs.

McKiernan said liberals and conservatives tend to focus on abusers who fall in their opposing ideological camps but that he feels it has been — until now — harder for orthodox Catholics to display leadership on the issue.

“Conservative Catholics didn’t want any activism that seemed to be counter to the power structures of the church, which they respected and felt had doctrinal valiance,” McKiernan said. “McCarrick gave them permission to be aggressive but still be thinking with the mind of the church.”

**

Vatican orders U.S. bishops to halt plans for vote on sex-abuse reforms, by Jeremy Roebuck, The Inquirer (November 12, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org, described it as another example of Francis and the Vatican being "tone deaf and clueless" about how the wider world perceives their actions.

"The American bishops are not known for being very perceptive about this whole thing — and even they understand the situation is dire," he said. "I think part of what's going on here is that the Vatican was very uneasy that a bishops' conference was taking on the issue of bishop accountability, which the Vatican feels is its purview."

**

U.S. bishops delay action on clergy abuse at Vatican's request, by Gabriella Borter, Reuters (November 12, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, co-director of victims' advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, said the Pope's intervention in this week's conference was a frustrating setback.

"This situation is so terrible that the only way that it’s really going to be solved is if bishops convincingly demonstrate their remorse and concern," McKiernan told Reuters in a phone interview.

**

At Vatican’s insistence, U.S. bishops delay votes on combating church sex abuse, by David McFadden and David Crary, The Associated Press (November 12, 2018)

**

U.S. Bishops Had a Plan to Curb Sex Abuse. Rome Ordered Them to Wait., by Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican's delay of US bishops' abuse measures leaves even some prelates confused, by Heidi Schlumpf, Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (November 12, 2018)

"The timing would suggest that the Vatican was sending a message, not only to the U.S. bishops but also to American Catholics, that they are in charge," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org.

"I think this is a disaster, and it's a dark day for Catholics and mostly for victims and survivors, that this feckless and cowardly group cannot act on its own to do the right thing for American children and the People of God in the United States," she said.

"When the Vatican intervenes, regulations get weaker, not stronger," said Doyle. "When the Vatican intervenes, it's a signal that progress is going to be less than we hoped."

**

Advocacy groups blast Vatican delay of U.S. Catholic bishops' vote on sexual abuse scandal, by Stephen Huba, Trib Live (November 12, 2018)

“We’re seeing where the problem lies, which is with the Vatican,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the website BishopAccountability.org . “The outcome of this meeting, at best, was going to be tepid and ineffectual, but now it’s actually going to be completely without substance.”

Doyle and co-director Terence McKiernan held a news conference following the morning session, calling on all U.S. Catholic bishops to resign, to publish the names of all priests, brothers and nuns in their dioceses who have been accused of abuse, and to “stop blocking legislation that would give victims more time to take legal action.”

**

Pope Francis Reins in U.S. Bishops’ Measures Against Sex Abuse, by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D., Breitbart (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican asks U.S. bishops not to vote on proposals to tackle sexual abuse, by Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 12, 2018)

**

Survivors call Vatican telling US bishops to wait on abuse ‘totally unacceptable’, by Christopher White, Crux (November 12, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, called the move a “preemptive strike” by the Vatican against U.S. bishops as they seek to respond to the current crisis of sexual abuse and its cover-up “in a modest way.”
--------------------
At a press conference outside of the Marriot hotel overlooking Baltimore Harbor, where some 300 bishops representing the nation’s 195 Catholic dioceses were meeting inside, McKiernan was joined by co-director Anne Barrett Doyle who said, “when the Vatican intervenes, it’s a signal that progress will be less than we hoped.”

McKiernan and Doyle both recalled the 2002 USCCB meeting where the bishops enacted a “zero tolerance” policy against priests found guilty of abuse. At the time, the U.S. bishops had to appeal to Rome to amend canon law in the United States to accommodate the new policy - a move that some within the Vatican opposed.

“The Vatican was very unhappy with ‘one strike you’re out,’ Doyle recalled. “They feared there would be, yet again, dramatic change.”
-----------------------------------
“It’s an ingenious way of circumventing this intrusion by Rome into the meeting of the conference,” said McKiernan. “It’s an attempt to proceed with what they’d hope to do here without crossing the Vatican in a way that the Vatican might feel is unacceptable.”

McKiernan, however, warned that the U.S. bishops are increasingly polarized over the direction of the conference and expressed some wariness as to whether or not the idea might gain conference-wide support.

“I wonder if the conference is going to follow Cupich down that road, but I really hope they do,” he said.

Meanwhile, McKiernan and Doyle were adamant that the bishops find tangible ways to show forward momentum on accountability.

“They still could do something dramatic,” said Doyle. “There’s nothing stopping them from saying why doesn’t every bishop in the United States release a list of accused clergy.”

Doyle said that over 50 dioceses around the country have followed such a course and called on others to do the same.

“The conference could certainly commit itself, even without a vote, to encouraging its member bishops to that process,” she said.

**

U.S. bishops postpone votes on measures addressing clergy sex abuse, by Ivey DeJesus, Penn Live (November 12, 2018)

Terence McKiernan and Anne Barrett Doyle, co-directors of BishopAccountability.org, which has been documenting the priest sex abuse crisis since 2003, on Monday called for U.S. bishops to resign. The two were part of protest rallies being held outside the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, where the bishops' annual meeting is being held.

McKiernan and Doyle were demanding that bishops take up three critical decisions: tender their resignations en masse to Pope Francis; name accused clergy and end statutes of limitations.

In a written statement, McKiernan and Doyle said: “You should offer your resignations, as the Chilean bishops did, and invite an investigation by Archbishop (Charles) Scicluna, and provide him everything he needs. You are not credible as an organization with men like Archbishop (John) Nienstedt and Cardinal (Theodore) McCarrick in your ranks.”

**

Vatican Asks U.S. Bishops To Delay Action On Sex Abuse Crisis, by Deborah Becker and Eve Zuckoff, WBUR 90.0 (November 12, 2018)[with audio]

"This is a dark day for survivors and Catholics. It's a real sign that even modest progress is being undercut by the Holy See," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks clergy sex abuse.
-----------------------------
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks clergy sex abuse. She tweets @barrett_doyle.

**

Bishops delay votes on combatting church sex abuse crisis, by David McFadden and David Crary, The Associated Press (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican orders US bishops to delay votes on combating church sexual abuse crisis, The Associated Press, (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican cancels U.S. bishops’ vote on sex abuse reform measures, The Associated Press (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican asks US bishops not to vote on proposals to tackle sex abuse, The Washington Post (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican orders US bishops to halt plans for vote on sex-abuse reforms, by Jeremy Roebuck, Philly.com/The Eagle (November 12, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org, described it as another example of Francis and the Vatican being “tone deaf and clueless” about how the wider world perceives their actions.

“The American bishops are not known for being very perceptive about this whole thing — and even they understand the situation is dire,” he said. “I think part of what’s going on here is that the Vatican was very uneasy that a bishops’ conference was taking on the issue of bishop accountability, which the Vatican feels is its purview.”

**

Bishops halt vote on combating church sex abuse crisis at Vatican's insistence, The Associated Press (November 12, 2018)

**

ABUSE VICTIMS, ADVOCACY GROUPS DEMAND BISHOPS STEP DOWN, by Stephen Wynne, ChurchMilitant.com (November 12, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, spotlighted multiple prelates. "Bishop Robert McElroy is here this week from San Diego," she noted. "When he became bishop of San Diego, he said anyone who's involved in the abuse of a minor, even one case, is not allowed in ministry. Well this apparently didn't extend to abusers of adults."

Doyle outlined a recent case:

McElroy kept Fr. Jacob Bertrand in ministry dspite a complaint to the diocese by a woman that Bertrand had had sexual intercourse with her a few years earlier when she was 24 during a private Mass in her home. Bertrand substantially admitted the misconduct to the diocese, yet McElroy let him run a parish, and in 2016, the priest gave a lecture to college students on the Theology of the Body. When the victim discovered this, she filed a criminal compliant; the priest was found guilty, but McElroy did not remove him until he learned he was being prosecuted in August of 2016.

Doyle also turned the spotlight on her own archdiocese of Boston.

"My own bishop, Cdl. Seán O'Malley, is widely regarded as the most enlightened man on the sex abuse crisis," she said, "[but] when he released his list of accused clergy in August of 2011, he chose to withhold the names of 91 archdiocesan priests."

"This is not us saying this," Doyle clarified, "He admitted that in a cover letter that is still on his website. We know who some of those priests are, and the stories of their victims who told the diocese are absolutely agonizing."

"It is a threat to public safety and it is so cruel to the victims of those priests for Cdl. O'Malley to withhold those names, and this is the man who talks about transparency," she added.

Doyle also spoke to New York Cdl. Timothy Dolan's attempts to suppress reform.

"He has fought for years, spent millions of dollars, to sabotage the efforts of survivors to pass reform of statute of limitations in New York," she noted. "He is protecting his institution at the expense of children and at the expense of survivors."

"That is why we make this call for the bishops to submit their resignations en masse today," Doyle concluded. "This group of men is not fit to answer the current moment's demand for transparency and accountability."

**

Vatican tells U.S. bishops not to vote on proposals to tackle sexual abuse, spurns outside investigations, by Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (November 12, 2018)

**

Vatican orders U.S. bishops to delay vote on sex abuse scandal, The Associated Press (November 12, 2018)

"I know that they answer to the Holy See, but there's a bigger imperative here, which is that children and victims need them to step forward," said Anne Barrett Doyle, who works at the abuse database BishopAccountability.org. "By complying so meekly with what the Pope has demanded of them today, they are surrendering their responsibility."

**

HIGHER CALLING: Pope Francis Just Pulled a Power Play on American Bishops at Crucial Conference, by Barbie Latza Nadeau, The Daily Beast (November 12, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of Bishops Accountability, a website that lists all cases of misconduct and coverups by clergy, called the Vatican’s move “truly incredible.”

“What we see here is the Vatican again trying to suppress even modest progress by the U.S. bishops,” she told reporters outside the conference, where her group is holding several events, including a press event where it called for all U.S. bishops to resign en masse. “We’re seeing where the problem lies, which is with the Vatican. The outcome of this meeting, at best, was going to be tepid and ineffectual, but now it’s actually going to be completely without substance.”

**

Missouri diocese sex abuse inquiry names 33 priests, brothers, KSNT (November 8, 2018)

**

Francis on the ropes: Clerical sexual-abuse scandals strengthen the pope’s conservative critics, The Economist (November 8, 2018)

Not everyone is so confident that Francis has turned a corner. Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a campaigning website, notes the pope “still spends a lot of time talking about calumny”. She points to a homily in September, describing Satan as the Great Accuser, who “has been unchained and is attacking bishops”. It was the latest of many instances when Francis has taken the side of his fellow prelates. That may be because he finds it hard to believe them capable of covering up for priests who preyed on the young. Or perhaps he feels a duty to afford his bishops the presumption of innocence. Or it may reflect unease over his own record: a documentary by a French filmmaker, Martin Boudot, claims that as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis defended a priest who was later imprisoned for 15 years for sexually abusing children.

**

Guam's Catholic Church To File Bankruptcy Amid Deluge Of Sex Abuse Lawsuits, by Colin Dwyer, WVXU (November 7, 2018)

To this point at least 19 dioceses and religious orders have filed — or announced their intention to file — for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. in efforts to settle sexual abuse claims, according to Catholic watchdog BishopAccountability.org.

**

List of clergy sex abusers in New Orleans archdiocese leaves gaps, questions for survivors, by John Simerman, Gordon Russell and Ramon Antonio Vargas, The New Orleans Advocate (November 3, 2018)

Official church records maintained by bishop-accountability.org and provided to The Advocate show that Howell spent time in 1981 and possibly 1982 at the House of Affirmation, a church-run facility in Massachusetts where priests who were thought to be possible pedophiles were often sent.
-------------------------------------------
Terry McKiernan, founder of the watchdog site bishop-accountability.org, also pointed to a lack of dates for the pastoral assignments listed with each name, making it hard to determine when or for how long each priest served in those posts.

**

See 16 names, bios of New Orleans clergy linked to sex abuse scandal; full list nears daylight, by Ramon Antonio Vargas and Matt sledge, The New Orleans Advocate (November 2, 2018)

Below are 16 priests and deacons who either admitted to the sex abuse allegations made against them, left the ministry on their own after being accused, or were removed from ministry. Based on information from media reports, other documents, and the website bishop-accountability.org, each appears to meet the criteria outlined by Aymond for inclusion on the list, though it's possible that some may be excluded.

**

By revealing clergy sex abuse list, Archdiocese of New Orleans to publicly reckon with crisis, by John Simerman, The New Orleans Advocate (October 30, 2018)

"The bishops' own position on this is shifting, but also, the community standard is shifting. Suddenly a lot of people are wondering, 'Why don’t you have a list? What possible reason could you have for not having a list?' " said Terry McKiernan, founder of bishop-accountability.org.

"We're seeing a real rush to get lists out there. Whether they’re good lists or not is another question. You hope the diocese does a complete job. You hope they just level with the people. If they don’t do that, it’s just going to continue coming back to haunt them. It is, of course, already haunting the survivors."

**

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Calls on Neronha to Launch Investigation into Diocese, GoLocalProv (October 29, 2018)

**

The federal investigation of the Catholic Church: What we know so far, CNN WIRES (October 27, 2018)

“We need something like that here in the United States,” said Terry McKiernan, who runs the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org. “That’s the only way we’re ever going to know the full truth.”

**

US religious orders asked to ID priest abusers, The Associated Press (October 26, 2018)

The conference represents more than 16,000 priests and brothers of religious congregations like the Salesians, Jesuits and Christian Brothers, who are known for their work running schools and providing services to the poor and vulnerable. Around the world, members of religious orders have been implicated in large numbers in the abuse scandal, precisely because they have had greatest access to potential young victims, said Terence McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, an online resource of documentation about the scandal.

“The orders have a miserable record, but the impression in the U.S. is that they have a better record. That impression is entirely wrong,” said McKiernan, who has focused much of his research on religious orders.

While there have been a few major legal cases against congregations — the Jesuits in the northwest U.S. reached a $166 million settlement with more than 500 victims in 2011 — religious orders in general have largely “gotten a free pass,” McKiernan said. Orders are divided into provinces that cross state and diocesan lines and can fall through the cracks when dioceses are under the spotlight by law enforcement or the media, McKiernan said.

**

APNewsBreak: US religious orders asked to ID priest abusers, by Nicole Winfield, Richmond Register (October 26, 2018)

**

Firm names more priests accused of sex assault, Bay City News Service (October 25, 2018)

The report has photos of the accused, their work history and accusations, sourced through existing online resources like media reports, bishopaccountability.org and local dioceses' public statements. The report also suggests San Jose was a "dumping ground" for priests accused of sexual abuse.

**

California AG Probes Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse, Cover-Ups, by Jennifer Wadsworth, San Jose Inside (October 24, 2018)

That was the day last month when high-ranking officials from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office, in response to a Sept. 8 letter from Piscitelli, summoned him, two fellow Bay Area members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests—known as SNAP—and two from bishop-accountability.org to a 20th-floor conference room in a secure building on Harrison Street in downtown Oakland.

**

More than 200 named in list of clergy accused of sexual abuse in Bay Area, by Emanuella Grinberg and Stephanie Becker, CNN (October 24, 2018)

The names and allegations have already been made public through several sources, including the Bay Area dioceses' own public statements and groups devoted to exposing clergy misconduct, such as bishopaccountability.org.

**

Priest sex abuse: New report lists 212 Catholic priests in Bay Area dioceses accused of child sex abuse, by Matthias Gafni, Julia Prodis Sulek and John Woolfolk, The Reporter (October 23, 2018)

The law firm acknowledges that the “vast majority” of the claims against the priests named in the report have been settled or not fully evaluated in civil court. Therefore, they say “the allegations should be considered just allegations and should not be considered proved or substantiated in a court of law.” They further describe how they compiled the names from media reports, the priest abuse database on BishopAccountability.org, dioceses own public statements and other sources.

**

DC archdiocese releases list of clergy accused of abuse, The Washington Post (October 22, 2018)

There are 196 Catholic dioceses or archdioceses - organizing regions - in the United States, according to the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More than 50 of those have in recent years published lists of accused priests, said Terry McKiernan, whose site BishopAccountability.org advocates that such lists be released.

Even when the accused clergy are long deceased or removed from ministry, it can still be psychologically powerful for victims to see a comprehensive list of names published, McKiernan said.

"There's enormous value for a survivor in knowing that his or her perpetrator abused someone else. It's a sad fact, but it's a validating fact," he said.

The publication of such lists frequently spurs other victims, abused decades ago, to report their abuse for the first time. In Pennsylvania, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said last week that the state's massive grand jury report listing more than 300 accused priests has prompted 1,272 phone calls to a state-run clergy abuse hotline since the report's publication in August. Previously, the hotline had received 300 calls over a two-year time span, Shapiro said. Some of the new reports might eventually lead to criminal prosecutions.

McKiernan said that even if some priests cannot be held accountable, every diocese should still publish a comprehensive list.

"I think there's an enormous burden in every parish, in every diocese all over the world, of these unaddressed injuries. I think until that dark area of our history is entirely brought into the light, there's just going to be something wrong with the church," McKiernan said.

Responding to those who would consign this decades-old abuse to history and move on, McKiernan said: "Even when it is history, that means we have a responsibility: to study it, to learn from it and to not repeat it. And that's something the lists can do for us."

**

I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: California Attorney General looking into priest sexual abuse, by Dan Noyes, ABC 7 (October 21, 2018)

Piscitelli joined two other members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests or SNAP, and two people from Bishop Accountability.org, the largest online archive of clergy abuse information. Special Assistant to the Attorney General Melanie Rainer led the meeting. AG Researcher Daniel Bertoni was there, with a roster of heavy hitters joining by video conference.

**

Federal authorities launch probe into Pa. Catholic church, by Angela Couloumbis and Jeremy Roebuck, The Inquirer (October 18, 2018)

"I've never heard of such a thing before," Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks and archives abuse scandals in Catholic dioceses, said Thursday.

**

Justice Department probes Catholic Church sex abuse in Pennsylvania, by Bernie Woodall, Reuters (October 18, 2018)

“This is a first. Federal law enforcement has been awfully silent on the Catholic abuse problem, and it’s about time,” said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based resource center that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide.

She said the only other U.S. federal probe was of a bishop in Boston in the early 2000s.

**

Archbishop Aymond is doing the right thing, by Tim Morris, NOLA.com (October 18, 2018)

**

New Orleans archdiocese, others in La., to name priests 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse, By Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune (October 17, 2018)

The U.S. has nearly 200 Catholic dioceses or archdioceses. Recently, more than 50 of those have published lists of accused priests, according to the website BishopAccountability.org.

**

Former school vice principal makes damning list of priests 'credibly accused' of sex abuse, by Noah Cohen, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com (October 16, 2018)

Some 50 dioceses have published similar lists of accused priests in recent years, Terry McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org, told the newspaper. The public disclosures can help victims and encourage more reports.

"There's enormous value for a survivor in knowing that his or her perpetrator abused someone else," McKiernan told the Post. "It's a sad fact, but it's a validating fact."

**

Have the Shepherds of the Catholic Church failed the Laity?, by Sonja Harris, Texas GOP Vote (October 16, 2018)

**

Journal Times editorial: Catholic Church must clean house on priest sex abuse, Editorial Board, The Journal Times (October 15, 2018)

"The Vatican almost never moves at this speed," said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org.Inc., a Massachusetts-based group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases. The pope appears to "understand the gravity of the situation and further harm to the Catholic church's status," he told the AP.

**

Washington Catholic Archdiocese releases names of 31 clergy members ‘credibly accused’ since 1948 of sexually abusing minors, by Michelle Boorstein and Julie Zauzmer, The Washington Post (October 15, 2018)

There are 196 Catholic dioceses or archdioceses — organizing regions — in the United States, according to the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More than 50 of those have in recent years published lists of accused priests, said Terry McKiernan, whose site BishopAccountability.org advocates that such lists be released.

Even when the accused clergy are long deceased or removed from ministry, it can still be psychologically powerful for victims to see a comprehensive list of names published, McKiernan said.

"There's enormous value for a survivor in knowing that his or her perpetrator abused someone else. It's a sad fact, but it's a validating fact,” he said.

The publication of such lists frequently spurs other victims, abused decades ago, to report their abuse for the first time. In Pennsylvania, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said last week that the state’s massive grand jury report listing more than 300 accused priests has prompted 1,272 phone calls to a state-run clergy abuse hotline since the report’s publication in August. Previously, the hotline had received 300 calls over a two-year time span, Shapiro said. Some of the new reports might eventually lead to criminal prosecutions.

McKiernan said that even if some priests cannot be held accountable, every diocese should still publish a comprehensive list.

“I think there’s an enormous burden in every parish, in every diocese all over the world, of these unaddressed injuries. I think until that dark area of our history is entirely brought into the light, there’s just going to be something wrong with the church,” McKiernan said.

Responding to those who would consign this decades-old abuse to history and move on, McKiernan said: “Even when it is history, that means we have a responsibility: to study it, to learn from it and to not repeat it. And that’s something the lists can do for us.”

**

Cardinal resigns as pressure builds at Capitol for state fix to help victims, by John Finnerty, CNHI (October 13, 2018)

Friday's resignation of Washington Roman Catholic Cardinal Donald Wuerl in the wake of allegations that he covered up priest abuse of children while leading the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, is a big step but it shouldn’t be the last one, says Terry McKiernan, president of Bishop-accountability.org.

Bishop-accountability.org is a watchdog group monitoring fallout from investigations into church cover-ups like those revealed in the August grand jury report examining the Pittsburgh diocese and five others across the state.

“The statute of limitations must be reformed in Pennsylvania, so that the survivors whom Wuerl and many others shunted aside can finally experience justice,” McKiernan said.

**

What does 'credibly accused' mean? 6 things to know about Texas Catholic dioceses' sex abuse inquiry, by David Tarrant and Julieta Chiquillo, Dallas News (October 13, 2018)

Others are keeping track, too. The first such list was posted by the Diocese of Tucson in 2002. And Terry McKiernan, co-founder of the watchdog website Bishop-Accountability.org, said the group gathers the lists of the accused that are released by dioceses and religious orders. Currently, the website includes about 4,500 names of priests that have been identified either by the church, a law enforcement agency or a media organization.

**

U.S. archbishop criticized over sex abuse resigns with papal praise, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (October 12, 2018)

“The pope’s letter to Cardinal Wuerl sends a clear message that for Pope Francis, Cardinal Wuerl is more important than the children he put in harm’s way,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org.

“Until Pope Francis reverses this emphasis on coddling the hierarchy at the expense of children, the Catholic Church will never emerge from this crisis,” he said in a statement.

**

Pope Francis Accepts D.C. Cardinal Wuerl’s Resignation, by Francis X. Rocca, Ian Lovett, and Andrew Duehren, The Wall Street Journal (October 12, 2018)

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Pope accepts resignation of US archbishop criticised over handling of sex abuse cases, Reuters (October 12, 2018)

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Pope accepts Washington cardinal’s resignation amid scandal, by David Crary and Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press/Chicago Sun Times (October 12, 2018)

**

Laredo diocese unaware of any local allegations, San Antonio Express-News (October 11, 2018)

Several observers hailed Wednesday's announcements, with some reservations. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which documents abuses by priests, called them positive but "long overdue."

"The bishops of Texas have been among the least transparent in the U.S. Catholic Church," she said in an email. "We estimate that they are concealing hundreds of names of accused clergy. The bishops' extreme secrecy has been enabled by the state's civil statutes of limitation, one of the most victim-hostile such statutes in the country."

Doyle said more than 50 U.S. bishops outside of Texas have released lists of accused priests. García-Siller, she said, should "publish a comprehensive list."

"He should include all clergy, including religious order clerics. He should include full assignment histories, photos and information about the alleged crimes. The bishops of Texas have been secretive about child sex crimes for too long. ... So, their announcement today is welcome."

**

Survivor accuses Oakland Diocese of sheltering abusive priest, by George Kelly, Bay Area News Group (October 11, 2018)

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Texas Catholic dioceses to release names of clergy accused of sexual abuse, by Asher Price , Statesman (October 10, 2018)

“It’s always positive when bishops release names,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, a Massachusetts-based organization tracking the clergy sexual abuse crisis. “In the case of Texas bishops, this step is long overdue. They’re among the least transparent leaders in the U.S. Catholic Church. They’ve been extremely secretive thanks to the state’s civil statute of limitations, which is among the most victim-hostile in the country.”

She said 4,600 clergy have been publicly accused of wrongdoing nationally since the 1950s — but only 134 in Texas, and just seven in Austin.

Major litigation or prosecutions have revealed that dioceses “can expect to have 8 to 10 percent of their clergy identify as accused,” she said. But a 2004 Austin diocese report said that since 1950 only six clergy had been accused.

**

San Antonio archbishop vows to name ‘credibly accused’ priests, by Elaine Ayala, San Antonio Express-News (October 10, 2018)

Several observers hailed Wednesday’s announcements, with some reservations. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which documents abuses by priests, called them positive but “long overdue.”

“The bishops of Texas have been among the least transparent in the U.S. Catholic Church,” she said in an email. “We estimate that they are concealing hundreds of names of accused clergy. The bishops' extreme secrecy has been enabled by the state's civil statutes of limitation, one of the most victim-hostile such statutes in the country.”

Doyle said more than 50 U.S. bishops outside of Texas have released lists of accused priests. García-Siller, she said, should “publish a comprehensive list.”

“He should include all clergy, including religious order clerics. He should include full assignment histories, photos and information about the alleged crimes. The bishops of Texas have been secretive about child sex crimes for too long. … So, their announcement today is welcome.”

**

Catholic Priests in Chile Had to Be Told Not to Touch Children, by Barbie Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast (October 4, 2018)

**

Catholic Church apologizes for ‘bizarre’ guidelines amid abuse scandal, The Associated Press (October 4, 2018)

“This is a bizarre and frightening document. It reveals the dangerous mindset of the Chilean bishops,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online abuse database BishopAccountability.org.

“Even in this era of supposed penitence and reform, they remain weirdly removed from healthy social norms of child protection,” she said. “The recommendations give us a window into the rationalizations of Cardinal Ezzati in particular. They show his apparent inability to be horrified at behavior that constitutes child molestation.”

**

The Response to the Kavanaugh Allegations Exposes the Lessons We Failed to Learn from the Catholic Clergy's Abuse, by Marci A. Hamilton, TIME (October 4, 2018)

No one has been wringing their hands over the possibility of falsely maligning “good men,” as the details in the report leave no question that the crimes described were harrowing and supported with ample evidence. The foundation of this is the last 16 years of the developing clergy sex abuse story that started with the Boston Globe’s Spotlight report on the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Boston Archdiocese. The public has been educated to come to understand that in fact many priests (about 6%, according to bishopaccountability.org) have abused children, and that bishops concealed the crimes and “solved” the problem by moving the perpetrators from parish to parish. Early on, there was handwringing over the fate of the good priests from politicians, bishops and parishioners. But as time has worn on, it has become increasingly impossible to think that any of the clergy were ignorant of the facts. False claims have not proven to be a significant concern.

**

Chile church says sorry for conduct guidelines for priests, by Luis Andres Henao and Patricia Luna, The Associated Press/Chicago Sun Times (October 2, 2018)

**

Galveston-Houston Archdiocese housing former Conroe priest accused of sex abuse at retirement community, by Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle (September 28, 2018)

Terry McKiernan has kept logs on about 4,600 cases of abusive priests for the watchdog website Bishop Accountability, with the oldest claims dating back to the 1960s. Of that number, he said only 13 percent have wound up in the criminal justice system. He sees Larosa-Lopez’ post-jail housing with the Archdiocese as a classic attempt to “shield him from your attention.”

“Monitoring is really at subject in all this. It’s hard to tell if the priests are being kept in or if you’re being kept out,” he said. “The last they want is for him to misbehave in any way. That’s not good for them.”

After reading the three-page affidavit detailing Larosa-Lopez’s alleged abuse, McKiernan said “this is a person you don’t want to have in the streets, let alone a parish.”

**

Pope defrocks priest at centre of Chilean sexual abuse scandal, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (September 28, 2018)

“This justice has been long delayed. It is actually more a reminder of how slow the pope has been to enact meaningful reform,” Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based resource centre that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide, told Reuters.

She called for the same action to be taken against bishops who allegedly protected Karadima.

**

PA Supreme Court To Hear Arguments Over Redactions In Clergy Sex Abuse Report, by Lindsay Lazarski, WSKG (September 26, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, has been archiving and documenting investigations into Catholic clergy sexual abuse since 2003, sparked by the scandal in Boston.

He’s says the Catholic Church has a long track record when it come to resisting transparency and accountability, but that most other reports into clergy sexual abuse don’t have redactions made by a court like this one.

“I think it’s important to remember that the Grand Jury Act in Pennsylvania provides for responses, but it does not provide for censoring of a report,” said McKiernan.

He hopes the court will decide to remove the redactions.

**

Should the Catholic Church Pay Reparations to Sex-Abuse Victims?, by Sigal Samuel, The Atlantic (September 25, 2018)

Despite their criticism of the reparations plans, both lawyers continue to guide clients through them, saying it’s important to let them make their own choices. Some advocates for victims echo that reasoning. “A lot of victims don’t want to go through a litigation process,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of Bishop Accountability, an online research group that tracks clergy-abuse cases. “They need and deserve something, and why shouldn’t the Church give them some money? It’s the least the Church can do. But it’s the silence that accompanies it that makes this a sullied process. The enormous benefit of litigation is that, when a lawsuit gets aired in court, it results in disclosure of documents. The great loss of these [reparations] programs is that they’re keeping things sealed.”

**

GERMAN REPORT REVEALS MORE THAN 3,000 CATHOLIC SEX ABUSE CASES, OVER 1,000 SUSPECTED PREDATOR PRIESTS, by Joshua Gill, Daily Caller (September 25, 2018)

**

Pa. Supreme Court to hear arguments Wednesday over redactions in clergy sex abuse report, by Lindsay Lazarski, WHYY (September 25, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, has been archiving and documenting investigations into Catholic clergy sexual abuse since 2003, sparked by the scandal in Boston.

He’s says the Catholic Church has a long track record when it come to resisting transparency and accountability, but that most other reports into clergy sexual abuse don’t have redactions made by a court like this one.

“I think it’s important to remember that the Grand Jury Act in Pennsylvania provides for responses, but it does not provide for censoring of a report,” said McKiernan.

He hopes the court will decide to remove the redactions.

**

German report documents more than 3,600 abuse cases within the Catholic Church, by Luisa Beck and Chico Harlan, Washington Post (September 25, 2018)

“It is dramatic, the difference between what a thorough state-run investigation will find versus what the church will do when it’s self-reporting,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the site ­BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sexual abuse cases. “Whatever the church reports is a fraction of the actual number — a small fraction.”

**

Report: Thousands of Germans abused by Catholic priests, by Breck Dumas, The Blaze (September 25, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the website, BishopAccountability.org, echoed the same sentiments to The Washington Post.

“It is dramatic, the difference between what a thorough state-run investigation will find versus what the church will do when it’s self-reporting,” she said.

“Whatever the church reports is a fraction of the actual number — a small fraction,” she added.

**

Pope role in study of Argentine sex abuse case spotlighted, The Associated Press (September 22, 2018)

“Before Pope Francis can enact accountability for bishops and other church leaders, he has to own up to the harm he himself caused victims in Argentina,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource Bishop Accountability, which has gathered the documentation on the Grassi saga.

**

Bishops consider identifying clergy accused of sex abuse, by John Simerman, The Advocate (Baton Rouge) (September 22, 2018)

According to bishop-accountability.org, a clergy abuse watchdog site, more than 50 dioceses nationwide -- out of a total of roughly 200 -- have released similar lists.

**

Will names of Louisiana clergy accused of sex abuse be released? Bishops considering it, by John Simerman, The Acadiana Advocate (September 21, 2018)

**

Michigan AG Investigating Sexual Abuse in Catholic Church, by Brandon Speagle and Chloe Kiple, 9 and 10 News (September 21, 2018)

According to the www.bishopaccountability.org database, there were 14 people from the diocese of Grand Rapids, two in the Kalamazoo diocese, 12 in Lansing, 11 in Marquette, six in Saginaw and in the archdiocese of Detroit, nearly 70 people face accusations or were convicted of abuse.

**

As Catholic sex abuse investigations begin, questions remain, by Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service (September 20, 2018)

At least 19 Catholic dioceses and religious orders in the United States have filed for bankruptcy protectionover the past 14 years because of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, according to watchdog group Bishop-accountability.org. In May, the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis reached a $210 million settlement— which lawyers called the largest of its kind in history — in a bankruptcy case that followed several clergy abuse lawsuits.

**

NY Cardinal hires judge to review church sex abuse policies, by Karen Matthews, The Associated Press/Chicago Sun Times (September 20, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the Massachusetts-based BishopAccountability.org, called the New York archdiocese one of the most secretive in the country when it comes to abuse.

“If there is a chance of making it transparent and accountable, it will be thanks to the efforts of Attorney General Underwood, not an investigator paid by the cardinal,” Doyle said. “Although we don’t doubt Ms. Jones’ sincerity, we’ve yet to see one of these internal reviews produce significant systemic change or even damaging revelations.”

**

Diocese releases list of accused, by Rosa Salter Rodriguez, The Journal Gazette, (September 19, 2018)

The list includes eight men not named on the page focused on abuse in the diocese on www.bishopaccountability.org's website, which tracks publicly accused Catholic clergy.

They are Buescher with six accusers, Carsten with one, Gieranowski with three after his death, Gillig with nine, Hernandez with one, Krason with two, Pacquette with seven and Trepanier with one.

The list does not include three priests listed on www.bishopaccountability.org's website under the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

**

Red billboard calling on the Bishop to release the names of priests accused of abuse, by Caroline Marcello, KLFY (September 19, 2018)

The two advertisements are bright red and the messages are short. They read “How many more?” and “Release the names” with the web address bishop-accountability.org.

**

Red billboard calling on the Bishop to release the names of priests accused of abuse, by Caroline Marcello, KLFY (September 19, 2018)

"I reached out to that organization, and they say they don’t know who’s paying for the billboard. “Whoever did this, is really onto something,” says Terry McKiernan with the nonprofit out of Massachusetts. He says, “We are a library and an internet archive of the Catholic abuse crisis. We maintain a database of accused priests."
-------------------------------------------------------
“It’s really the bishops who have to step up and be accountable, I think the message of the billboard is that bishops could do more to put information out there,” says McKiernan.

**

List of accused priests out today, by Rosa Salter Rodriguez, The Journal Gazette, (September 18, 2018)

The list will likely include about 20 names, according to previous statements by the diocese and BishopAccountability.org, an independent, nonprofit website chronicling Catholic clerical sexual abuse for about two decades.
----------------------
Rhoades has had at least five cases come to light since becoming bishop in early 2010, according to news accounts or BishopAccountability.org:
----------------------------------
Meanwhile, BishopAccountability.org has listed seven other clerics with ties to Fort Wayne-South Bend as “publicly accused.” They are:

**

San Diego Diocese Kept Writing Letters of Recommendation for Priest Accused of Abuse, by Polly Stryker, KQED News (September 18, 2018)

A watchdog website, Bishop-Accountability.org, serves as an online resource, but there is no statewide registry for the 12 California Catholic dioceses to use to notify each other of problem priests.

**

Brooklyn diocese pays $27.5M to settle child sex abuse lawsuit, by Ray Downs, UPI (September 18, 2018)

**

A NEW YORK DIOCESE IS PAYING OUT ONE OF THE LARGEST SETTLEMENTS FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN CATHOLIC CHURCH HISTORY, by Tim Pearce, The Daily Caller (September 18, 2018)

**

Former F.B.I. agent who led 2002 child protection efforts says bishops “can’t police their own”, by Jim McDermott, America The Jessuit Review (September 18, 2018)

I wasn’t surprised by the Pennsylvania information because I’ve been working in this area a long time, have met with many survivors of clergy abuse and read thousands of misconduct files. Also, a large percentage of the offenders named by the grand jury had already been posted on the website, BishopAccountability.org or could be easily located in open-source materials.

**

Brooklyn Diocese Is Part of $27.5 Million Settlement in 4 Sex Abuse Cases, by Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (September 18, 2018)

The largest previous individual settlement to an abuse victim in the Catholic Church is believed to be in 2007, when two victims of a lay music minister in the Rockville Centre diocese collected a total of $11,450,000, or $5.725 million each, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy sexual abuse cases. The lawyers for the Brooklyn victims said they believed this was a record settlement to individuals for sex abuse in the Catholic Church in this country.
------------------------------------------
“This is an extremely large settlement, and the size of the settlement has to be an indication of the severity of the abuse, and also of the pressure that the Catholic Church is under due to all the developments that are happening,” said Terry McKiernan, co-director and president of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Why so many accused priests never faced trial, by Sharon Crowley, FOX5NY.COM (September 14, 2018)

"Priests who are accused of sex crimes against children don't wind up in the criminal justice system, apparently, because the church doesn't want them to wind up there," said Terence McKiernan, the founder of a nonprofit called bishopaccountabilty.org. The group tracks whether priests who are publically accused of child abuse ever get criminally prosecuted.

"Favoritism is shown in these cases often by police officers who are Catholics themselves and feel a kind of concern for the church and a loyalty to the church," McKiernan said.

**

Will the Catholic Church Have A Day Of Reckoning?, WGBH News (September 13, 2018)

Jim Braude was joined by Mitchell Garabedian, who's represented thousands of victims of church abuse; Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the group Bishop-Accountability.org, and Michael Rezendes, who was a member of the Globe’s Spotlight team that unearthed the church sexual abuse scandal in Boston.

**

Why this mother of a priest abuse survivor still has faith in the Catholic Church, by Holly Meyer, Nashville Tennessean (September 11, 2018)

Review boards' lack of independence is stark when juxtaposed with the extensive information the Pennsylvania grand jury was able to reveal in its recent report, said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a group that collects data and researches sex abuse in the church.

"They're contingent upon the very institution they're supposedly bringing some independence to," McKiernan said.

**

In clergy sex abuse crisis, few U.S. bishops have been charged, by Ivey DeJesus, Pennlive (September 7, 2018)

"That's the place it begins," said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, which maintains a database of abusive priests and church officials. "If you were are wondering why bishops so rarely to never get indicted for obstruction or any of those offenses, it's really because the cases themselves so often don't surface or surface so late nothing can be done about it."

**

Bishop Gainer has talked about transparency. How's his record?, by Ed Mahon, The York Daily Record (September 7, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said recent revelations and actions show that Gainer isn't living up to his promises of transparency as the leader of the Harrisburg diocese.

For instance:

In 2014, Gainer wrote to the Vatican, saying that a priest accused of sexual abuse should "be permitted to live out his remaining years in prayer and penance, without adding further anxiety or suffering to his situation, and without risking public knowledge of his crimes."
Under Gainer, the Harrisburg diocese tried to shut down the statewide grand jury last year, according to a June article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
And in late August, the Harrisburg diocese issued a statement suggesting resistance to extending the statute of limitations for civil cases.
"Not only is transparency not his priority, which is bad enough," McKiernan said, "but he's pretending it is."
----------------------------------------------------------------
McKiernan, with BishopAccountability.org, sees the action Gainer took in that Pease case as an attempt "to keep the Pease story quiet."

**

Stirred by Sexual Abuse Report, States Take On Catholic Church, by Sharon Otterman and Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times (September 6, 2018)

“Little is known about clergy abuse of children in New York, because of the state’s antiquated and predator-friendly statute of limitations, and because the church has kept the evidence secret all these years,” Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said Thursday in a statement.

“Finally we will learn the truth in New York.”

**

Catholic priest sex abuse scandal drives Spring Valley author, by Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Rockland/Westchester Journal News (September 4, 2018)

Pafumi's database focuses on the numbers, unlike other clergy abuse resources, such as Bishop-Accountability.org, an extensive repository of abuse cases replete with a listing of clergy members and their histories of abuse allegations.

To date, the database lists 14,000 victims from throughout the world.

"This is a worldwide, global phenomenon," he said. “I’ve been doing this now for about five years. I have, to the best of my knowledge, the only international database. I have victims in 51 countries on five continents."

**

The church must welcome outside reformers or be forced to do so, by Gina Scaramella, The Hill (September 4, 2018)

Thomas Doyle is a Catholic priest and expert in canon law who has testified in hundreds of clergy sex abuse cases. He has advocated within the Church since the early 1980s for reforms regarding the handling of reports of clergy sexual abuse. In a confidential 1985 report to the U.S. Conference of Bishops that wasn’t made public until 2001, Doyle warned that the Church could face as much as $1 billion in settlement costs related to civil complaints. (The website BishopAccountability.org, which has maintained a comprehensive archive of all publicly available reports related to the clergy sex abuse crisis in the United States since 2003 estimates that the Church has now paid more than $3.2 billion.) In his testimony before the Philadelphia grand jury, Doyle observed that the only “meaningful change on child abuse has been largely generated by forces external to the church — mostly by media attention and grand jury reports.”

**

A taste of fire: Lawmakers in Chile debates legalising euthanasia, by Caroline Biscotti, Winslow Record (September 3, 2018)

“It’s one of the factors,” said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a research centre that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases globally and has built a database of more than 100 cases of abuse in Chile. The disillusion with the church “plays into the willingness of people to think independently and not follow doctrine.”

**

Pennsylvania grand jury finds some police and district attorneys helped Catholic church cover up priest abuse, by Tim Darragh, The Morning Call (September 1, 2018)

Examples of law enforcement working with the church to block alleged abusers from legal consequences have shown up in investigations around the country and in other countries as well, said Terry McKiernan, a director of Bishop-Accountability.org, which maintains a database of accused clergy.

He cited notes from a 1967 phone call uncovered during the 2002 investigation into the Diocese of Manchester, N.H. During the call, a Catholic police chief leaving his job urged the church to remove a problem priest, Donald Osgood, who hadn’t been charged. The chief feared “the whole thing might blow sky high” if a nonCatholic chief succeeded him, the notes say.

Osgood was moved and left the priesthood, Bishop-Accountability.org files say. He was named in at least four civil lawsuits that later were settled.

“The bishops spend a lot of time schmoozing with the people in power who can help them or hurt them,” McKiernan said.

Reports like these, he said. “give a feel for the hand-washes-hand kind of thing that really was going on.”
-----------------------------------
When the cardinal’s office contacted Trauger about the complaint, he was on a camping trip in South Dakota — with two boys from his parish school. Trauger would be accused again in 1991 and defrocked in 2005, according to Bishop-Accountability.org.

**

Killeen reader offers perspective on clergy abuse cases in Catholic Church, Killeen Daily Herald (August 31, 2018)

The overreaction would be to have a site like“bishopaccountability.org” that has clergy and religious listed even if exonerated. No other religion or school system is held to such a standard whereby lists of people accused are there forever. The site tends more toward an occasion of slander rather than advocate of “freedom of speech”.

**

Archdiocese of Indianapolis plans to release names of priests accused of abuse, by Vic Ryckaert and Mark Alesia, Indianapolis Star (August 30, 2018)

The first list of priests accused of abuse to be released by dioceses and religious orders was issued by the Diocese of Tucson in 2002, according to the website BishopAccountability.org.

The website, an exhaustive repository of information on the church's abuse crisis, has links to lists of priests released by more than 50 dioceses and religious orders. The website says the release of such lists is often imposed as part of a court settlement.

**

KSFR'S Wake Up Call For August 30, 2018, by John Shannon, KSFR (August 30, 2018)

On today's Wake-Up Call, investigative reporter Ellen Berkovitch discusses the Pennyslvania Grand Jury report on pedophile priests with Terry Mckiernan of Bishop Accountability

**

In a Global Church, Even a Widely Publicized Scandal’s Impact is Decidedly Local, by Christina Le Beau, UCLA Anderson Review (August 29, 2018)

In their study, the authors built a unique data set covering 3,024 scandal events during the period 1980–2010. They used Bishop-Accountability.org, a widely-quoted nonprofit, and news reports, IRS data and Google Maps, among other sources, to measure the impact.
-------------------------------------------------------
The Catholic Church, to date, has paid about $3 billion, cumulatively over decades, in legal judgments and settlements related to sexual abuse, according to Bishop-Accountability.org. (In 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached a $660 million settlement in more than 500 cases, the largest payout to date.) The loss of contributions, however, would appear to represent a far greater impact, and one that persists. Bottan and Perez-Truglia estimate that donation losses could amount to $2.36 billion per year.

**

A turbulent time Accusation and revelations around Church's handling of abuse, cover-up take center stage, by Brian Fraga, OSV Newsweekly (August 29, 2018)

Terry McKiernan from BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit organization that tracks clergy sex-abuse cases in the United States, told OSV that while he believes Archbishop Viganò has “an axe to grind,” he added that there still should be a thorough investigation into what the pope and bishops knew about McCarrick, and when they knew it.

“I hope this puts additional pressure on Pope Francis to be more aggressive on the issue,” McKiernan said.

**

Cardinal O'Malley Meets With Priests Amid Sex Abuse Scandal, by Paris Alston, Simón Rios, Jamie Bologna, Eve Zuckoff, and Zoë Mitchell, WBUR (August 28, 2018)

**

$3.8B paid in lawsuits for sex abuse allegations in Catholic Church since 1980s, group says, CNN Wire (August 28, 2018)

Since the 1980s, the Catholic Church in the United States and its insurance companies have paid out more than $3.8 billion in lawsuits and claims involving allegations of clerical sexual abuse, according to a monitoring group.

BishopAccountability, a non-profit that tracks allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, says the payouts involved cases filed by more than 8,600 survivors who were allegedly sexually abused by an undisclosed number of clergy since the 1950s.

Spokesman Terry McKiernan told CNN the number of associated clergy is difficult to calculate because some settlement announcements omit the number of predator priests.

The monies have not gone solely to survivors, McKiernan said. Attorneys get a cut, too. And not all the money comes out of the coffers of the Catholic Church, because the church maintains insurance policies that cover a portion of the settlement payments.
------------------------------
According to the data BishopAccountability has compiled, payouts and claims have been issued across the nation, including in Kentucky, Oregon, Delaware, Alaska, Washington, Iowa, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Vermont, Connecticut, Arizona, Rhode Island, New Jersey, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, New York, Florida and Illinois.

The group has a detailed list on its website naming some of the largest settlements and other case details. CNN has not independently verified the settlements.

**

Old laws close case against retired Louisiana priest, despite ‘credible’ evidence of rape, by Lanie Lee Cook, KATC 3 ABC (August 28, 2018)

Smit served as a priest in Louisiana from 1957-86, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abusive clergy. His time here included a number of assignments within the Dioceses of Lafayette and Lake Charles.

**

Pope’s ignorance of Magdalene laundries confounds survivors, by Catherine Sanz, The Times (August 28, 2018)

**

US website adds seven names of Irish clergy to ‘abuse-tracker’ database: Irish data laws preventing full accountability for church sexual abuse, says victim group, by Sorcha Pollak, The Irish Times (August 27, 2018)

A US-based research group, BishopAccountability.org, have released a database of convicted Irish clergy but claim that the 90 names represent only seven per cent of the total accused priests.
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The Catholic Church’s culture of secrecy, coupled with Ireland’s “strict protection around defamation and data protection”, is making it impossible to ensure accountability for crimes of sexual abuse, a victim’s support group has said.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the BishopAccountability.org website which runs a public “abuse-tracker” of offending clergy, highlighted on Monday the Irish State and church’s continued failure in making perpetrators of sexual abuse accountable for their actions. Last week, the group launched the Irish leg of its online database which identifies 94 priests and brothers who have been convicted of sexually abusing children.

Speaking outside the former Magdalene Laundry on Sean McDermott Street on Monday, Ms Barrett Doyle announced that seven new names had been added to the database following Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland over the weekend. The names included in the database are just “a fraction” of the total number of abusers in the Republic and Northern Ireland, she said, adding that Irish data protection laws had prevented the group from adding additional names.
--------------------------------------
“The great unfinished business here in Ireland remains accountability; accountability of perpetrators and the accountability of the Catholic Church supervisors who enabled them,” said Ms Barrett Doyle.

“The detailed documentation of children’s agony in the major state reports has not yielded accountability; no church official has been charged with failing to report as has happened in France and Australia; no secret archives are being raided as had happened in Chile; no prosecutor is publishing names of accused clergy as in Pennsylvania.”

**

Few bishops resign in the face of clergy sex abuse scandals, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (August 27, 2018)

Despite revelations of cover-ups of clergy sexual abuse in dozens of U.S. dioceses, just five American bishops or archbishops resigned in the past 16 years, according to the website BishopAccountability.org, which maintains a massive database of clergy abuse cases.

“In general, I would say the Vatican has always been very, very reluctant to go that route,” said Terence McKiernan, one of the founders and operators of the website.
-------------------------
The legal issues with Walsh and with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis are likely what compelled Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis to accept their resignations, said McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org.

“That’s the kind of pressure they really understand," he said.
----------------------------------
McKiernan said the reluctance of bishops to resign their posts and of the pope to remove them for mishandling abuse allegations is another example of the church seeking to avoid scandal to the institution.

But he said the reluctance was misguided and “is actually the scandalous thing.”

**

$3.8 billion paid in lawsuits and claims over sex abuse allegations in Catholic Church since 1980s, group says, by Rosa Flores, Meridith Edwards and Susannah Cullinane, CNN (August 27, 2018)

BishopAccountability, a non-profit that tracks allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, says the payouts involved cases filed by more than 8,600 survivors who were allegedly sexually abused by an undisclosed number of clergy since the 1950s.

Spokesman Terry McKiernan told CNN the number of associated clergy is difficult to calculate because some settlement announcements omit the number of predator priests.

The monies have not gone solely to survivors, McKiernan said. Attorneys get a cut, too. And not all the money comes out of the coffers of the Catholic Church, because the church maintains insurance policies that cover a portion of the settlement payments.
---------------------------
According to the data BishopAccountability has compiled, payouts and claims have been issued across the nation, including in Kentucky, Oregon, Delaware, Alaska, Washington, Iowa, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Vermont, Connecticut, Arizona, Rhode Island, New Jersey, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, New York, Florida and Illinois.

The group has a detailed list on its website naming some of the largest settlements and other case details. CNN has not independently verified the settlements.

**

'Abysmal and appalling' - survivors of clerical abuse slam Pope's visit and lack of plan 'to address hurt', by Conor Feehan, Irish Independent (August 27, 2018)

The co-director of BishopAccountability.org, Anne Barrett Doyle, said that although the list now stands at more than 90 individuals it is still only “a fraction of the number of abusers who have sexually assaulted children in the Republic and in Northern Ireland.”

“According to the Irish Church’s own safeguarding audits they admit to more than 1,300 accused clergy since 1975. We have barely seven percent of those priests listed in our database,” said Ms Barrett Doyle.

“More than 1,200 accused priests remain unidentified to the public. Many may still be in ministry, others may have left the priesthood and may work and live in unsuspecting communities. What are the implications of such concealment for child safety, for survivors, and how has this massive ongoing concealment affected the ability to hold Irish Church’s to account?” she asked.

**

Clerical abuse, by John Guillaumier, St Julian’s, Times of Malta (August 27, 2018)

In Chile, the police recently raided the headquarters of the Catholic Church’s Episcopal Conference, thus ending “the impunity of the Chilean hierarchy”, as Anne Barrett Doyle, of BishopAccountability.org, said.

In the United States, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, DC has been asked by the Vatican to cease public ministry after he was accused of molesting minors and seminarians. He is among the highest-ranking of the more than 6,700 Roman Catholic clerics in the US to be accused of sexually abusing children since the Church’s sex abuse scandal broke out in 2002 (BishopAccountability.org.).

**

Former U.S. nuncio calls for pope's resignation, by Brian Fraga, OSV Newsweekly (August 27, 2018)

Terry McKiernan from BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit organization that tracks clergy sex abuse cases in the United States, told Our Sunday Visitor that while he believes Archbishop Vagano has “an axe to grind,” he added that there still should be a thorough investigation into what the pope and bishops knew about former Cardinal McCarrick, and when they knew it.

“I hope this puts additional pressure on Pope Francis to be more aggressive on the issue,” McKiernan said.
------------------------------------
McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org, called Archbishop Viganò’s long statement “a uniquely comprehensive salvo in the Catholic culture wars.” He added that clergy sex abuse cuts across ideological lines.

“Both liberal and orthodox bishops have covered up the abuse crisis, just as both liberal and orthodox priests have abused children, often using their respective ideologies as cover and even as tools of seduction,” McKiernan said.

**

Campaigners urge Pope to deliver plan to tackle child abuse, Shropshire Star (August 27, 2018)

Last week a US research group Bishopaccountability.org published a public database of priests who have been convicted of sexual abuse.

A number of Irish priests have been added to the list.

Co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said they had received a huge reaction from Irish survivors since it was launched last week.

“We’re being flooded with emails requesting names to be added to the database,” Ms Barrett Doyle said.

“Clearly survivors in Ireland see a need of a public registry of abusive clergy.”

But she said the church’s continued secrecy coupled with Ireland’s robust laws around defamation made it “impossible to give anything close to a fair accountability”.

Ms Barrett Doyle added: “The great unfinished business here in Ireland is accountability, accountability of perpetrators and accountability of Catholic church supervisors who enabled them.”

**

Vigano letter draws fiery rhetoric from pope's opponents, by Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter (August 26, 2018)

Pope Francis should not resign, said a statement from BishopAccountability.org, which maintains a database of documents related to clergy sex abuse.

"Instead, it is to be hoped that Vigano's ‘testimony' will put additional pressure on Francis to take a much more aggressive approach to the Catholic abuse crisis than he has articulated during this visit to Ireland," the statement said.

That statement also criticized how Vigano "picks and chooses," implying that sexual misconduct and cover-up "are liberal problems in the Catholic Church."

"Both liberal and orthodox bishops have covered up the abuse crisis, just as both liberal and orthodox priests have abused children, often using their respective ideologies as cover and even as tools of seduction," the BishopAccountability.org statement said.

**

The Latest: Pope gets lukewarm reception in Ireland, The Associated Press (August 25, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online resource Bishop Accountability, said Francis "gave little comfort to heartsick victims" since he provided no details on how he would end the problem, since he alone can sanction complicit bishops.

**

Time for Church in US to face up to crimes, by Bette Browne, Irish Examiner (August 24, 2018)

“We strongly support these ‘look-back windows’ when civil claims can be revived,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, from research group BishopAccountability.org. “This would give older victims more time to find evidence and find witnesses to try to bring their case.”

Such windows, she noted, would only apply to civil cases because in 2003 the US Supreme Court ruled that extending a criminal statute of limitation after the existing limitations period expires violates the constitution.

**

Catholic Church Sex Abuse: Missouri Launches Investigation Into Potential Crimes, by Jamie Ross, The Daily Beast (August 24, 2018)

Survivors of Catholic sex abuse have urged all states to investigate their priests. Terry McKiernan, the founder of BishopAccountability.org, told Time magazine that what was really needed was a national inquiry, saying there was “nothing particularly unusual” about Pennsylvania

**

Oral sex, then holy water: Report documents abuse by priests, by Marc Levy and Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press (August 24, 2018)

Until now, there have been just nine investigations by a prosecutor or grand jury of a Catholic diocese or archdiocese in the United States, according to the Massachusetts-based research and advocacy organization, BishopAccountability.org.
--------------------------
Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org said the report did a good job of highlighting the two crimes of church sex abuse scandals: the abuse of a child and the cover up by church officials that allows the abuse to continue.

"One thing this is going to do is put pressure on prosecutors elsewhere to take a look at what's going on in their neck of the woods," McKiernan said.

**

Pope urged to ‘make zero ­tolerance more than a slogan’, by Sarah Mac Donald, The Tablet (August 23, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, who is co-director of Bishop-Accountability.org, a research group that tracks clerical abuse cases globally, was in Dublin this week to launch the first database naming over 70 Irish clergy convicted of child sex abuse on the island of Ireland.

**

As Ireland awaits Pope Francis, abuse survivors battle to heal scars from a dark past, by Chico Harlan, The Washington Post (August 23, 2018)

In 2009, Drummond pleaded guilty to the indecent assault of 19 boys. This week, Bishop­Accountability.org, a clearinghouse for abuse data, released a list of 88 Irish clergy who’ve been convicted of sexually abusing minors. Drummond, who was sentenced to two years in prison, was one of nine Christian Brothers. Attempts to reach Drummond were unsuccessful.

**

Local angles for the ongoing clergy abuse scandal, by Bill Mitchell, Poynter (August 23, 2018)

The Abuse Tracker: This service aggregates links to coverage of the abuse scandal on a daily basis. Started originally at Poynter in 2002, it’s now maintained by BishopAccountability.org, a non-profit organization focused on what its name describes. As with the letter calling for bishop resignations, you can do text searches on Tracker pages for particular names, topics or locations. The index in the left rail enables searches by time frame.

**

Victims’ advocate says information and who controls it key to abuse crisis, by Christopher White, Crux (August 22, 2018)

For Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org., a resignation wouldn’t provide what’s merited - it would only provide an exit strategy for one player in a much more complex cast of characters.

“I think what Cardinal Wuerl should do that would be better than resigning is give us information,” Doyle told Crux on Tuesday.

“He should give us information about the Archdiocese of Washington,” she continued. “We know nothing about them and what’s going on there. There’s never been a list of [accused] priests, there have never been documents released. And he should be open about [ex-Cardinal] Theodore McCarrick.”

“In a way, I think he could probably do more good there than anywhere else,” she added.

The revelations from earlier this summer regarding McCarrick’s abuse of seminarians and at least one alleged case of abusing a minor, along with last week’s findings that over 1,000 victims had suffered at the hands of more than 300 abuser priests in six dioceses throughout Pennsylvania, has left an already wounded U.S. Church “heartsick and outraged,” said Doyle.

For that reason, Doyle - who is in Ireland this week, ahead of Pope Francis’s visit, for the publication of a list of names of Irish clergy with a history of sexual abuse - is seeking concrete, transparent answers.

In her view, the clerical sex abuse crisis is about information - and who controls that information - and it’s time for that control to be relinquished from the hands of a select few and made available to the public.

“The cruelest thing in the world is for the Church to withhold information that would enable a victim to recover,” Doyle told Crux. “It is an act of cruelty to continue to prioritize the priest’s reputation over the healing of a victim.”

Doyle, who began her activism by holding a poster with the phrase “Protest is Holy” outside Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross in 2002 to call attention to Cardinal Bernard Law’s decades-long involvement in cover-ups, is far from pleased that over fifteen years and two popes later, she’s still having to fight to hold bishops accountable.

Yet seeing the relief that her work has brought victims, especially when their offenders have been publicly named, helps fuel her ongoing work.

“I know that an immense load of self-blame is lifted from a survivor when they see their perpetrator’s name released publicly,” she said, adding that many of them tell her that she helped save their lives.
---------------------------
For Doyle, because the stakes are so high, she and her colleagues at BishopAccountability.org are not just exposing priests who engaged in sexual abuse but leaders who allowed it to happen.

When it comes to individuals such as Wuerl, she wants an honest reckoning more than just a scalp.

“If he would, just once, throw caution to the wind and be totally candid about how this happened, how did someone who was a sexual predator such as McCarrick advance through the ranks?” Doyle asked. “And what is it about the bishops’ culture that lets them just watch and say nothing?”
---------------------------
Doyle believes that O’Malley - a close ally of Pope Francis, and widely viewed as a leading reformer on abuse - “gets it better than most” when it comes to sexual abuse, but she said even his response has been incomplete.

“Cardinal O’Malley has been good to victims. He’s trying to do this strategy which the smart, PR side of the Church favors in recent years which is being kind and compassionate to victims and putting a lot of emphasis on victim care, but they’re still not giving us an iota of information,” said Doyle.

“In the end, disclosure and information are crucial to healing,” she said.

While Francis weighed in with a 2,000-word letter on sex abuse sent to the “People of God,” on Monday, many are viewing his trip to Ireland this week - a nation still reeling from its own abuse crisis a decade ago - as a test of his papacy and whether he can change not only the narrative on the Church’s response to sex abuse, but also the norms for handling such cases.

“He can say I am going to initiate a mechanism for punishing bishops or religious superiors who are complicit in any way and I promise that this time I won’t let any amount of political pushback stop me from implementing this, and I am sorry that I have said over and over again that bishops must be held accountable, but haven’t insisted on making it happen myself. I am going to invoke the full power of the pontiff of the Catholic Church and make this happen,” Doyle said.

Although she wants to be optimistic, she’s certainly not confident that that’s how it will play out. She believes if the Church isn’t willing to take dramatic action, as the unfolding situation in Pennsylvania continues to prove, outside forces will.

“Civil authorities from around the world are going after the Church. It’s an unprecedented time - in Chile, in Australia, in France, in Saginaw, Michigan - [and] something is happening. The untouchability of the Church doesn’t pertain anymore,” she told Crux.

“I think the #MeToo movement has had a lot to do with alerting prosecutors to going after institutions that enable sexual abuse and sexual harassment,” Doyle concluded. “The Catholic Church is paying a price for that, and Pope Francis is really facing a choice here.”

“Either he gets his house in order,” Doyle warned, “or prosecutors are going to do it for him.”

**

Victim Advocates Of Clergy Abuse Say They Won't Bury the Past, by Tom Gjelten, NPR (August 22, 2018)

GJELTEN: A Vatican spokesman said the grand jury's findings were consistent with previous studies showing that Catholic Church reforms, quote, "drastically reduced the incidence of clergy child abuse." That is not to deny that some priests are still sexually assaulting children. Victim advocate Terence McKiernan each year updates a list of priests around the country accused of being abusers.

TERENCE MCKIERNAN: There are - let me see - one, two, three, four, five, six priests just on the most recent list who were ordained in the 2000s.

GJELTEN: And that may be just the tip of the iceberg.

MCKIERNAN: Most of the men ordained in the 2000s who sadly are abusing children - their activities are not going to be known for 20, 30, 40 even 50 years.

GJELTEN: Because it often takes many years for abuse victims to come forward with their stories. Church officials recognize that reality. In fact, researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in a church-commissioned report on clergy sex abuse, considered that reporting lag. They still concluded that abuse numbers have declined sharply. They did so by looking at data going back more than 50 years. Terence McKiernan, who cofounded the group Bishop Accountability, wonders whether the reporting of abuse may have gone down more than the abuse itself. Still, he doesn't have a big quarrel with the John Jay conclusion.

MCKIERNAN: Bishops haven't been very good with their own accountability, but they have been quite aggressive dealing with priests guilty of abusing children. I think there are fewer men in the priesthood abusing children.

**

Call to name and shame abusive clergy, by Caroline O'Doherty, Irish Examiner (August 21, 2018)

The Boston-based group BishopAccountability.org, established following revelations of abuse and cover-ups in Boston in the early 2000s, delivered the warning while publishing the first database of clergy convicted of abuse in Ireland.

Despite the Church here acknowledging child sex abuse allegations against more than 1,300 clergy over the last 40 years, just 75 can be named because of highly restrictive defamation and data-protection laws.

That is despite the fact that many of the others were sanctioned under Church law and the belief that some of the accused remain in ministry or active in community life where they could be in contact with children.

Database co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said the lack of transparency in Ireland is in stark contrast to other countries where it is possible to publish the names of both convicted and Church- sanctioned priests including, in some dioceses, regularly updated details of where they are living.

“In Ireland, we have this painful incongruity of a massive amount of suffering documented but very few perpetrators named publicly,” said Ms Barrett Doyle.

She said making names known publicly helps safeguard children and, even where perpetrators had died, aids healing for victims.

“We have heard from survivors that seeing their perpetrators’ names listed has contributed immensely to their own healing,” she said. “It is instant validation.”

She said the lack of action taken by State authorities against bishops and religious superiors involved in covering up abuse is startling compared to other countries.

“This is a challenge to the DPP and the prosecutors here,” she said. I think they need to have the courage to go after the Church.”

The database launch took place as Pope Francis issued an apology for the Church’s failures in dealing with abuse.
-----------------------------------
Ms Barrett Doyle said it is time for action, not words.

“There’s such a disconnect between what Pope Francis says and what he actually does in terms of reforming the Catholic Church,” she said.

“If he wants to stop the abuse of children, there’s a real simple thing he could do. He could make zero tolerance more than a slogan. It could actually become universal canon law.”

**

Texas not immune to abusive priests, Houston Chronicle (August 21, 2018)

The research group Bishop Accountability wants the Vatican to release the names of all priests convicted under church law of abusing children.

**

'OPEN THE FILES' More than 1,300 Irish priests accused of child sex abuse but only 82 convicted, says victim campaign group, by Michael Doyle, The Irish Sun (August 21, 2018)

US group BishopAccountability.org claims 'hiding names of credibly accused child molesters puts children at risk' as it launches list in Ireland
-------------------------------------
MORE than 1,300 Irish priests have been accused of sexually abusing children, it was claimed yesterday.

But only 82 – including evil clerics Father Tony Walsh and Brendan Smyth – have been convicted, according to a US group.

BishopAccountability.org are in Ireland ahead of the Pope’s visit urging him to address the history of abuse and cover-ups in Ireland.

Director Anne Barrett Doyle said the hidden names represent a “triple threat” because no one knows who or where they are.

She said: “Hiding the names of credibly accused child molesters puts children at risk.

“It also withholds validation from survivors, and makes it nearly impossible for Catholic laypeople to protect their families or hold church leaders accountable.”

Barrett Doyle attributes the large number of undisclosed names of abusive priests in Ireland to the “dangerous combination” of a still-secretive Irish church hierarchy and our strict privacy and defamation laws.

She pointed out that in the United States, more than 35 bishops and religious superiors have published lists of credibly accused clergy.

And she insisted Ireland, the first country to expose clerical child sex abuse, was lagging way behind the rest of the world.

She added: “An institution with a long and troubled history of concealing child sex abuse has two moral imperatives: to protect children and to help survivors heal.

“Disclosing the names of the credibly accused is a powerful way for the Catholic church to achieve both these goals.

“Just last week, in the state of Pennsylvania in the US, the state’s highest ranking prosecutor named nearly 300 credibly accused priests in a massive investigative study of six Catholic dioceses.

“Yet in Ireland, despite searing reports exposing physical and sexual violence toward thousands of children, only a handful of perpetrators has been convicted or even publicly named.”

She launched the Irish database yesterday along with Mark Vincent Healy, an Irish survivor of clerical sex abuse.

**

How to Locate Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse in Your Area, by Katie Joy, Patheos (August 21, 2018)

In order to find a priest from my former church, I conducted a google search that took me to a database called Bishop Accountability. Bishop Accountability is a website dedicated to housing a long list of all priests, bishops, and cardinals accused of sexual abuse. The site includes news, archives of cases, a database of the accused, and updates on ongoing litigation.

Bishop Accountability sources all of their data from diocesan records. Information is sourced from survivors networks, law enforcement records, and research conducted by Bishop Accountability. Through this research, they estimated in 2012 to have 6,275 priests in their database. However, their database grows daily and is on-going. The database includes priests from 1950 to present.

On the website, there is a search tool for individuals to look for specific priests. Searches can be done by a diocese, last name of the priest, or by state. Records indicate accusations, assignments of the accused priests, and sources for the accusations.

**

Act now to stop clergy sex abuse, The Philadelphia Tribune (August 21, 2018)

“There is an entrenched infrastructure of secrecy in the Catholic Church that continues to reward concealment rather than disclosure,” said Co-Director Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountablity.org, a group that collects data and researches sex abuse in the church.

**

'OPEN THE FILES' More than 1,300 Irish priests accused of child sex abuse but only 82 convicted, says victim campaign group, by Michael Doyle, The Irish Sun (August 21, 2018)

US group BishopAccountability.org claims 'hiding names of credibly accused child molesters puts children at risk' as it launches list in Ireland
-------------------------------------------------
BishopAccountability.org are in Ireland ahead of the Pope’s visit urging him to address the history of abuse and cover-ups in Ireland.

Director Anne Barrett Doyle said the hidden names represent a “triple threat” because no one knows who or where they are.

She said: “Hiding the names of credibly accused child molesters puts children at risk.

“It also withholds validation from survivors, and makes it nearly impossible for Catholic laypeople to protect their families or hold church leaders accountable.”

Barrett Doyle attributes the large number of undisclosed names of abusive priests in Ireland to the “dangerous combination” of a still-secretive Irish church hierarchy and our strict privacy and defamation laws.

She pointed out that in the United States, more than 35 bishops and religious superiors have published lists of credibly accused clergy.

And she insisted Ireland, the first country to expose clerical child sex abuse, was lagging way behind the rest of the world.

She added: “An institution with a long and troubled history of concealing child sex abuse has two moral imperatives: to protect children and to help survivors heal.

“Disclosing the names of the credibly accused is a powerful way for the Catholic church to achieve both these goals.

“Just last week, in the state of Pennsylvania in the US, the state’s highest ranking prosecutor named nearly 300 credibly accused priests in a massive investigative study of six Catholic dioceses.

“Yet in Ireland, despite searing reports exposing physical and sexual violence toward thousands of children, only a handful of perpetrators has been convicted or even publicly named.”

She launched the Irish database yesterday along with Mark Vincent Healy, an Irish survivor of clerical sex abuse.

**

Three ways Catholics can fight sexual abuse in the church, by David Clohessy, USA Today (August 21, 2018)

The result: a deluge of news accounts, victim disclosures and betrayed parishioners. Eventually church authorities were forced to admit that some 100,000 US kids have been victimized and some 6,721 priests are proven, admitted or credibly accused predators. (However, even now, bishops refuse to name 2,453 of these child molesting clerics, according to a research/archive group called BishopAccountability.org)

**

Call to name and shame abusive clergy, by Caroline O'Doherty, Irish Examiner (August 21, 2018)

The Boston-based group BishopAccountability.org, established following revelations of abuse and cover-ups in Boston in the early 2000s, delivered the warning while publishing the first database of clergy convicted of abuse in Ireland.

Despite the Church here acknowledging child sex abuse allegations against more than 1,300 clergy over the last 40 years, just 75 can be named because of highly restrictive defamation and data-protection laws.

That is despite the fact that many of the others were sanctioned under Church law and the belief that some of the accused remain in ministry or active in community life where they could be in contact with children.

Database co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said the lack of transparency in Ireland is in stark contrast to other countries where it is possible to publish the names of both convicted and Church- sanctioned priests including, in some dioceses, regularly updated details of where they are living.

“In Ireland, we have this painful incongruity of a massive amount of suffering documented but very few perpetrators named publicly,” said Ms Barrett Doyle.

She said making names known publicly helps safeguard children and, even where perpetrators had died, aids healing for victims.

“We have heard from survivors that seeing their perpetrators’ names listed has contributed immensely to their own healing,” she said. “It is instant validation.”

She said the lack of action taken by State authorities against bishops and religious superiors involved in covering up abuse is startling compared to other countries.

“This is a challenge to the DPP and the prosecutors here,” she said. I think they need to have the courage to go after the Church.”

The database launch took place as Pope Francis issued an apology for the Church’s failures in dealing with abuse.
--------------------------------
Ms Barrett Doyle said it is time for action, not words.

“There’s such a disconnect between what Pope Francis says and what he actually does in terms of reforming the Catholic Church,” she said.

“If he wants to stop the abuse of children, there’s a real simple thing he could do. He could make zero tolerance more than a slogan. It could actually become universal canon law.”

**

List of 80+ Irish paedophile priests published online, by Seán Fahey, Buzz Ireland (August 21, 2018)

A list of Irish clergy members who have been convicted of child sexual abuse has been published online by an independent group.
Bishopaccountability.org published the list on Monday, just in time for the Pope's visit to Ireland later this week.

The independent, US-based organisation had already published several lists of abusers in Ireland, but this week turned its attentions to our country.

The list is full of highly publicised paedophiles in the Catholic Church.
--------------------------------------------
In a statement, BishopAccountability.org explained their rationale for publishing the list now.

""... We are painfully aware of what we as outsiders do not bring. We don’t have the anguished history of Irish survivors, or the deep knowledge of the Irish crisis that many visitors to this page will have."

"We hope that this Irish database will encourage an open debate about how societies balance an accused person's privacy rights against a child’s right to be safe and the public’s right to know."

The group have asked for assistance from the Irish public in filling out the database, as they expect the list of almost 100 Irish priests is just 6% of the total.

**

New database documents Irish clergy linked to sex abuse, by Danica Kirka and Pietro De Cristofaro, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

An international research group launched a database Monday of Irish clergy convicted or credibly accused of sexually abusing children in hopes of pressing Pope Francis to disclose the names of all the priests and brothers deemed guilty by the church.

BishopAccountability.org says the online database unveiled Monday shows the degree to which information still remains hidden in Ireland. The list was released before the pontiff’s visit to Ireland on Saturday.

BishopAccountability issued a similar report on the eve of Francis’ visit to Chile in January, identifying dozens of credibly accused clergy and the bishops who covered up for them. That trip turned disastrous for the pope when he discredited several Chilean victims, although he subsequently did an about-face and apologized to the victims and sanctioned complicit bishops.

**

Pope Francis blasts 'atrocities' by clergy: 'We showed no care for the little ones', by John Bacon, USA TODAY (August 20, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org, called the letter "2,000 words of recycled rhetoric" that failed to provide concrete measures to make ending abuse a priority.

"In the wake of the atrocities detailed in the Pennsylvania grand jury report, heartsick Catholics again look to the pope, yearning for a specific plan for ending the cover-up once and for all," she said. "His rambling letter today dashes this hope."
-----------------------------------
Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, saw positives in the letter but said it did not go far enough.

"He is talking about crimes, not sins, which is important," McKiernan said. But he added that bishops in Pennsylvania have lobbied hard against changing statute of limitation laws that make it difficult for survivors to sue.

"The pope's men on the ground (bishops) have spent millions fighting against change," McKiernan said. "If he would support it, obviously the deal would be done."

**

Pope Francis vows no more cover-ups on sexual abuse, RTE (August 20, 2018)

BishopAccountability.org, a US-based resource centre that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide, said that if Pope Francis wants to stop the abuse of children, he could make zero-tolerance universal canon law.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin ahead of the World Meeting of Families this weekend, Anne-Barrett Doyle said: "Zero-tolerance does exist for US bishops - that is the only national abuse conference in the world, for which the Vatican has recognised zero-tolerance.

"That’s defined as when a priest abuses even one child under a canonical process - if his guilt is recognised or he admits it - he is removed permanently from ministry."

**

Pressure on Pope to reveal names of abuse case priests ahead of Irish visit, by Laura Larkin, Irish Herald (August 20, 2018)

"An institution with a long and troubled history of concealing child sex abuse has two moral imperatives: to protect children and to help survivors heal," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

"Disclosing the names of the credibly accused is a powerful way for the Catholic Church to achieve both these goals."

**

Pope up against Vatican power, says Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, by Catherine Shanahan, Irish Examiner (August 20, 2018)

Meanwhile, a research group behind the website BishopAccountability.org, will today launch the first online database of Irish clergy who have been convicted of sexually abusing children or whose wrongdoing has been documented by State inquiries.

The database gives summaries and sources about allegations against more than 70 Irish priests and religious brothers.

BishopAccountability.org co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said more than 1,300 accused Irish clergy known to the Church remain unconvicted, according to audit figures.

**

Pope: No effort spared to fight abuse, but offers no details, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

“Mere words at this point deepen the insult and the pain,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the research group Bishop Accountability, which released a database Monday of credibly accused or convicted Irish clergy.

**

‘We Abandoned Them’: Pope Francis Condemns Sex Abuse and Cover-Up, by Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times (August 20, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, called the pope’s letter “recycled rhetoric” and “a disappointment.”

“Mere words at this point deepen the insult and the pain,” she wrote in a statement to the news media.

**

'We showed no care for the little ones': Pope's letter vows to end sex abuse, coverups, by Thomson Reuters, CBC (August 20, 2018)

He needs an effective discipline process for bishops and religious superiors who are known to have enabled abuse.
- Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org
---------------------------------------------------
More actions, less words.
- Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org
--------------------------------------------------------
Advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse expressed disappointment.

"More actions, less words," said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based resource centre that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide.

**

Survivor campaign group publish list of over 70 Irish priests convicted of sexual abuse, by Freya Drohan, Irish Central (August 20, 2018)

BishopAcountability.org referenced media sources and Irish State reports in order to publish the names - however, the list of 70 people represents "only about 6%" of the total number accused of sexual abuse.

The list is the first time Irish priests have been named and shamed in public. BishopAccountability has already published three databases profiling convicted abusers in Argentina, Chile, and the US.

Announcing the publication of the Irish-focused list, the US-based website said,

"We are painfully aware of what we as outsiders do not bring. We don’t have the anguished history of Irish survivors, or the deep knowledge of the Irish crisis that many visitors to this page will have", as it called for help to expand on the Irish database.

The group also said in a statement, "These databases have confirmed for us the clarifying power of lists of names. A public list makes children safer. It gives profound validation to victims. It serves as a resource for prosecutors, journalists, scholars and even church insiders: over the last few years, several church officials have asked us to add names or information to our U.S. database."

In the statement, those behind BishopAccountability.org added that they hope the Irish database will "encourage an open debate about how societies balance an accused person's privacy rights against a child’s right to be safe and the public’s right to know."

**

Pope urged to introduce ‘zero tolerance’ on abuse into canon law, by Simon Carswell, The Irish Times (August 20, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of Bishop Accountability, an online research group that tracks clerical abuse cases globally, and Mark Vincent Healy, who was sexually abused by two priests, said the pope’s letter to Catholics on Monday did not go far enough to address accountability for the church’s cover-up of clerical child sex abuse.

The campaigners were speaking at the announcement of an online database that lists the names of more than 70 Irish clergy who have been convicted or identified as abusers in official clerical abuse reports.
---------------------------------------------
Ms Barrett Doyle said the pope could “contribute enormously to the public record in Ireland” by releasing the names of the 3,400 priests the Vatican had found guilty of abuse under canon law over a decade.

“There is such a disconnect between what Pope Francis says and what he actually does in terms of reforming the Catholic Church,” she told a press conference in Dublin. “If he wants to stop the abuse of children, there is a real simple thing he could do. He could make zero tolerance more than a slogan. It could actually become universal canon law.”
-----------------------------------------
The campaigners published the database before the two-day papal visit to Dublin and Knock shrine in Co Mayo this weekend in order “to start a conversation around the link between naming and accountability,” said Ms Barrett Doyle.

“Why, in his country, where so many atrocities have been exposed, is there no accountability? No wonder this is still an open wound here,” she said.

“What a terrible injustice to those thousands of survivors who told their stories to the church and to the media that not one bishop, not one religious superior has suffered so much as a criminal charge. What is the accountability gap in this country?”

She hopes that senior clerics being recently prosecuted in Australia and the US will lead to an international groundswell that will put pressure on the Irish authorities to take similar actions.

Zero tolerance, which exists for US bishops, would, under the canonical process, force senior clerics to remove an abusing priest from ministry permanently when a priest abuses even one child, she said.

**

Pope vows accountability for sex abuse cover-ups but offers no new specifics, by John L. Allen Jr., Crux (August 20, 2018)

Meanwhile, the U.S.-based watchdog group BishopAccountability.org released a list of more than 70 Irish clergy convicted of sexual abuse on Monday, after redacting around 20 names out of concerns over stringent European privacy laws.

“Many have told us that this list is a risky thing,” a statement from the group said. “The Christian Brothers notoriously took legal action to prevent the naming of names in the Ryan Report. The names of accused priests usually appear in the Irish press only if the priest is convicted in a criminal court. Elsewhere in Europe, even convicted child molesters enjoy anonymity.”

“We hope that this Irish database will encourage an open debate about how societies balance an accused person’s privacy rights against a child’s right to be safe and the public’s right to know,” the group said.

**

Pope urged to introduce ‘zero tolerance’ on abuse into canon law, by Simon Carswell, The Irish Times (August 20, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle said Pope Francis could “contribute enormously to the public record in Ireland” by releasing the names of the 3,400 priests the Vatican had found guilty of abuse under canon law over a decade. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
------------------------------------
Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of Bishop Accountability, an online research group that tracks clerical abuse cases globally, and Mark Vincent Healy, who was sexually abused by two priests, said the pope’s letter to Catholics on Monday did not go far enough to address accountability for the church’s cover-up of clerical child sex abuse.

**

Pope Francis vows no more cover-ups on sexual abuse, RTE (August 20, 2018)

BishopAccountability.org, a US-based resource centre that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide, said that if Pope Francis wants to stop the abuse of children, he could make zero-tolerance universal canon law.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin ahead of the World Meeting of Families this weekend, Anne-Barrett Doyle said: "Zero-tolerance does exist for US bishops - that is the only national abuse conference in the world, for which the Vatican has recognised zero-tolerance.

"That’s defined as when a priest abuses even one child under a canonical process - if his guilt is recognised or he admits it - he is removed permanently from ministry."

**

Pressure on Pope to reveal names of abuse case priests ahead of Irish visit, by Laura Larkin, The Herald (August 20, 2018)

Campaign group BishopAccountability.org, which has published similar lists of those accused of abuse in the US and South America, says it contains more than 70 names of clergy convicted of abuse or named in State inquiries.

The organisation is also calling on Pope Francis to release the names of all priests worldwide who have been disciplined by the Church for child sexual abuse and to release files relating to these people.

The group will ask Ireland's Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, to endorse this idea to the Pope.
--------------------------
"An institution with a long and troubled history of concealing child sex abuse has two moral imperatives: to protect children and to help survivors heal," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

"Disclosing the names of the credibly accused is a powerful way for the Catholic Church to achieve both these goals."
---------------------------------
He warned that the "name and shame" approach advocated by BishopAccountability.org would need to include strict controls to ensure there is zero room for false allegations.

**

Pope up against Vatican power, says Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, by Catherine Shanahan, Irish Examiner (August 20, 2018)

Meanwhile, a research group behind the website BishopAccountability.org, will today launch the first online database of Irish clergy who have been convicted of sexually abusing children or whose wrongdoing has been documented by State inquiries.

The database gives summaries and sources about allegations against more than 70 Irish priests and religious brothers.

BishopAccountability.org co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said more than 1,300 accused Irish clergy known to the Church remain unconvicted, according to audit figures.

**

Pope vows no more cover ups on sexual abuse in letter to Catholics, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (August 20, 2018)

Advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse expressed disappointment. “More actions, less words,” said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based resource center that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide.

“He needs an effective discipline process for bishops and religious superiors who are known to have enabled abuse,” she said.

**

Pope: No effort spared to fight abuse, but offers no details, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

“Mere words at this point deepen the insult and the pain,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the research group Bishop Accountability, which released a database Monday of credibly accused or convicted Irish clergy.

What Francis should do to protect children, she said, is to order the Vatican to release the names of all priests who have been convicted under canon law of abusing minors.

**

Survivor campaign group publish list of over 70 Irish priests convicted of sexual abuse, by Freya Drohan, Irish Central (August 20, 2018)

BishopAcountability.org referenced media sources and Irish State reports in order to publish the names - however, the list of 70 people represents "only about 6%" of the total number accused of sexual abuse.

The list is the first time Irish priests have been named and shamed in public. BishopAccountability has already published three databases profiling convicted abusers in Argentina, Chile, and the US.

Announcing the publication of the Irish-focused list, the US-based website said,

"We are painfully aware of what we as outsiders do not bring. We don’t have the anguished history of Irish survivors, or the deep knowledge of the Irish crisis that many visitors to this page will have", as it called for help to expand on the Irish database.

The group also said in a statement, "These databases have confirmed for us the clarifying power of lists of names. A public list makes children safer. It gives profound validation to victims. It serves as a resource for prosecutors, journalists, scholars and even church insiders: over the last few years, several church officials have asked us to add names or information to our U.S. database."

In the statement, those behind BishopAccountability.org added that they hope the Irish database will "encourage an open debate about how societies balance an accused person's privacy rights against a child’s right to be safe and the public’s right to know."

**

New database documents Irish clergy linked to sex abuse, by Danica Kirk and Pietro de Cristofaro, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

**

All Irish clergy convicted of child sex abuse named on list, by Laura Larkin, Irish Independent (August 20, 2018)

International organisation BishopAccountability.org - which has published similar lists of those accused of abuse in the US and South America - will publish the database today.

It includes names of priests and brothers who have been convicted or named in State enquiries and will contain more than 70 names, according to the group.

The organisation is calling on Pope Francis to release the names of all priests - including Irish ones - who have been disciplined by the Church for child sexual abuse.

The Pontiff will visit Ireland this weekend amid a deepening international scandal around its handling of child sexual abuse by clergy members.

The group will ask Ireland's Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, to endorse this idea to Pope Francis.

"An institution with a long and troubled history of concealing child sex abuse has two moral imperatives: to protect children and to help survivors heal," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the group.

"Disclosing the names of the credibly accused is a powerful way for the Catholic Church to achieve both these goals."

--------------------------------------------------------
He said the 'name and shame' approach advocated by BishopAccountability would need to include strict controls to ensure there is zero room for false allegations. Meanwhile, the mandatory reporting approach advocated in Ireland falls short as there is no provision for mandatory care for those who come forward, he said.

**

New database documents Irish clergy linked to sex abuse, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

**

New database documents Irish clergy linked to sex abuse, by Danica Kirk and Pietro de Cristofaro, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

BishopAccountability.org says the online database unveiled Monday shows the degree to which information still remains hidden in Ireland. The list was released before the pontiff's visit to Ireland on Saturday.

BishopAccountability issued a similar report on the eve of Francis' visit to Chile in January, identifying dozens of credibly accused clergy and the bishops who covered up for them. That trip turned disastrous for the pope when he discredited several Chilean victims, although he subsequently did an about-face and apologized to the victims and sanctioned complicit bishops.

"Hiding the names of credibly accused child molesters puts children at risk, withholds validation from survivors, and makes it nearly impossible for Catholic laypeople to protect their families or hold church leaders accountable," co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said.

The Massachusetts-based group seeks to compile every publicly available document and report on the child abuse crisis in the church to hold bishops accountable for shielding abusers from punishment.

The group's list was issued even as the pope condemned the crime of priestly sexual abuse in a letter Monday to Catholics around the world — a move that came in response to new revelations in the United States of decades of misconduct.

Although Francis begged forgiveness for the pain suffered by abuse victims, Barrett Doyle said the pope needed to act, since survivors are insulted and made impatient by words alone.

"There's such a disconnect with what Pope Frances says and what he does in reforming the Catholic Church," she told reporters at a news conference in Dublin. "He could make zero tolerance more than just a slogan."

**

Pope strips McCarrick of title, rank after sex abuse claims, by Katie Hansen, Zeeland Press (August 20, 2018)

“The Vatican almost never moves at this speed,” said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org.Inc., a Massachusetts-based group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases.

The pope appears to “understand the gravity of the situation and further harm to the Catholic church’s status,” he told The Associated Press.

He wondered if the church investigation reveals who among its hierarchy knew about the sex allegations against McCarrick and whether the Vatican will move to punish those clerics as well.

McKiernan noted that the Vatican statement didn’t spell out why the pope was disciplining the bishop.

“We’re still in the old world,” he said, referring to the Vatican’s avoidance of details about the allegations. “(Still) it’s a remarkable development.”

**

Prosecutor: Priests 'weaponized' the faith to abuse kids, The Pike County Courier (August 20, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, said the ritualization of abuse was a fundamental part of how children were sexually exploited.
“Even when the Catholic rituals and doctrines are not specifically mobilized by the priest, they are in play,” he said.
------------------------------
Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, said the ritualization of abuse was a fundamental part of how children were sexually exploited.

“Even when the Catholic rituals and doctrines are not specifically mobilized by the priest, they are in play," he said.

**

Our View: Pa. grand jury report could be just tip of iceberg, Times Leader (August 20, 2018)

Advocacy group BishopAccountability.org counts only nine investigative reports by a prosecutor or grand jury into a U.S. Catholic diocese or archdiocese.
------------------------------------
Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, believes the public will pressure local prosecutors to look into other dioceses.

**

Pope on sex abuse: "We showed no care for the little ones", by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (August 20, 2018)

**

Research group launches online database of accused Irish clergy, Al Jazeera (August 20, 2018)

BishopAccountability.org said the online database, unveiled on Monday, was created in the hope of pressing Pope Francis to disclose the names of all priests and brothers deemed guilty of child abuse by the Catholic Church.

It shows the degree to which information remains hidden in the country, it said.

"Hiding the names of credibly accused child molesters puts children at risk, withholds validation from survivors, and makes it nearly impossible for Catholic laypeople to protect their families or hold church leaders accountable," said Co-Director Anne Barrett Doyle.

The Massachusetts-based group seeks to compile every publicly available document and report on the child abuse crisis to hold bishops accountable for bringing abusers into the church and shielding them from punishment.

**

Pope Francis blasts 'atrocities' by clergy: 'We showed no care for the little ones', by John Bacon, USA TODAY (August 20, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the watchdog website BishopAccountability.org, called the letter "2,000 words of recycled rhetoric" that failed to provide concrete measures to make ending abuse a priority.

"In the wake of the atrocities detailed in the Pennsylvania grand jury report, heartsick Catholics again look to the pope, yearning for a specific plan for ending the cover-up once and for all," she said. "His rambling letter today dashes this hope."
------------------------------------------
Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, saw positives in the letter but said it did not go far enough.

"He is talking about crimes, not sins, which is important," McKiernan said. But he added that bishops in Pennsylvania have lobbied hard against changing statute of limitation laws that make it difficult for survivors to sue.

"The pope's men on the ground (bishops) have spent millions fighting against change," McKiernan said. "If he would support it, obviously the deal would be done."

**

Catholic Community Grapples With Pennsylvania Sex Abuse Report, by Lakshmi Singh, NPR (August 19, 2018)

NPR's Lakshmi Singh discusses the Pennsylvania attorney general's report with Terry McKiernan of Bishops Accountability; Catholic University of America professor Kurt Martens; and The American Conservative journalist Rod Dreher.

**

Catholic Community Grapples With Pennsylvania Sex Abuse Report, NPR (August 19, 2018)

**

Will other states follow Pennsylvania on church abuse?, by Marc Levy, The Associated Press (August 17, 2018)

**

Will other states follow Pennsylvania on church abuse?, by Marc Levy, The Associated Press (August 17, 2018)

Before this investigation, there had been nine investigative reports by a prosecutor or grand jury on a Catholic diocese or archdiocese in the U.S., according to the Massachusetts-based research and advocacy organization BishopAccountability.org.
--------------------
Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said Pennsylvania's landmark investigation will put pressure on prosecutors elsewhere to take a look at what's going on in their area dioceses.

**

Why the Roman Catholic Church still struggles with sexual abuse scandals, by Ed Mahon,Holly Meyer and Xerxes Wilson, USA TODAY NETWORK (August 17, 2018)

“There is an entrenched infrastructure of secrecy in the Catholic Church that continues to reward concealment rather than disclosure,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountablity.org, a group that collects data and researches sex abuse in the church.

Much still remains hidden about clergy sex abuse across the USA, she said. That is why the Catholic Church continues to struggle with it.

**

Call To Remove Cardinals From Pope's Irish Visit, TODAY FM (August 16, 2018)

Anne Barrett-Doyle from BishopAccountability.org.

She says it is difficult to get to the bottom of the issue.

"We don't get reliable victim counts unless we have disclosure, so it's a vicious circle.

"If documents are not disclosed, if prosecutors don't do investigations, if the media doesn't have enough evidence to do their own investigations we have that circle of silence again.

"And that's effectively what we still have in some states of the United States".

**

Calls for three cardinals to be removed from World Meeting of Families, Newstalk (August 16, 2018)

Anne Barrett-Doyle is from BishopAccountability.org.

She says they are looking for the Pontiff to take action.

**

Pa. Clergy Sex Abuse Case Has Ties to W.Va., by Linda Comins, The Intelligencer (August 16, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, said the ritualization of abuse was a fundamental part of how children were sexually exploited.

“Even when the Catholic rituals and doctrines are not specifically mobilized by the priest, they are in play,” he said.

**

'It’s Basically Happening Everywhere.' Survivors Say More States Should Investigate Church Abuse Like Pennsylvania, by Samantha Cooney, Time (August 16, 2018)

“There’s certainly nothing particularly unusual about the state of Pennsylvania. If it’s happening in rural towns in Pennsylvania, it’s basically happening everywhere. There are so many dioceses about which we know very little,” Terry McKiernan, the founder of BishopAccountability.org, tells TIME. “A national inquiry would solve that problem — and survivors and others have spoken for many years about the need for this.”

But only 10 other local attorney generals and grand juries across the U.S. have looked into the issue since 2002, and Pennsylvania is the only state to release reports on abuse in all of its dioceses, according to BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts organization that tracks clergy abuse cases. Only 40 of almost 200 dioceses in the country have publicly released lists of priests who were accused of abuse.

**

Des Moines bishop: No justification for clergy abuse, cover-up cited in Pennsylvania report, by Shelby Fleig, Des Moines Register (August 16, 2018)

Ten other state-level investigations — all on the East Coast — have documented similar abuse by clergy since 2002, according to BishopAccountability.org. Some victims' advocates are calling for attorneys general across the country to launch their own investigations.

**

Church sex scandal: Abuse victims want a full reckoning, by Denise Lavoie, The Asosicated Press (August 16, 2018)

**

'Weaponization of faith': Examples from clergy abuse report, The Associated Press (August 16, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, said the ritualization of abuse was a fundamental part of how children were sexually exploited.

"Even when the Catholic rituals and doctrines are not specifically mobilized by the priest, they are in play," he said.

**

Vatican condemns reported sex abuse by Pennsylvania priests, by Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press (August 16, 2018)

**

Church sex scandal: Abuse victims want a full reckoning, The Associated Press (August 16, 2018)

“It happens everywhere, so it’s not really so much a question of where has it happened, but instead, where has word gotten out, where is information about it accessible?” said Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases.
------------------------
Still, only about 40 of the nearly 200 dioceses in the U.S. have released lists of priests accused of abusing children, and there have been only nine investigations by a prosecutor or grand jury of a Catholic diocese or archdiocese in the U.S., according to BishopAccountability.org.

**

Report: Church brushed off abuse, by Marc Levy and Mark Scolforo, Altoona Mirror (August 16, 2018)

Until now, there have been just nine investigations by a prosecutor or grand jury of a Catholic diocese or archdiocese in the United States, according to the Massachusetts-based research and advocacy organization, Bishop Accountability.org.
-------------------------------
Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org said the report did a good job of highlighting the two crimes of church sex abuse scandals: the abuse of a child and the cover up by church officials that allows the abuse to continue.

“One thing this is going to do is put pressure on prosecutors elsewhere to take a look at what’s going on in their neck of the woods,” McKiernan said.

**

Pope Francis And U.S. Bishops Respond To Report On Sex Abuse In Pennsylvania, by Tom Gjelten, NHPR (August 16, 2018)

GJELTEN: I spoke to one critic, Terry McKiernan of the Bishops Accountability Organization. He's taken a wait-and-see position. We won't see the bishops' plan for this until they meet again in November.

**

Priests molested 1,000 children in Pennsylvania, report says, by Marc Levy and Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press (August 15, 2018)

**

Church sex scandal: Abuse victims want a full reckoning, by Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press (Augsut 15, 2018)

**

Catholic Sexual Abuse Crisis Deepens As Authorities Lag In Response, by Tom Gjelten , NPR (August 15, 2018)

"This is incredibly uncomfortable for the Catholic Church," says Terence McKiernan, co-founder and president of BishopAccountability.Org, which tracks sex abuse cases in the Catholic Church. "It's always dealt with these problems as problems with the priests, when it dealt with them at all. Now the whole system is on view."
-----------------------
"Until very recently, there was a sense among church officials that they lived and worked in a kind of separate preserve, and even that the rules of the land didn't really apply to them," says McKiernan.

**

Bishops accused of brushing off sexual abuse complaints, by Marc Levy And Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press (August 15, 2018)

Until now, there have been nine investigations by a prosecutor or grand jury of a Catholic diocese or archdiocese in the U.S., according to the Massachusetts-based research and advocacy organization BishopAccountability.org.

"One thing this is going to do is put pressure on prosecutors elsewhere to take a look at what's going on in their neck of the woods," Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org said.

**

Pa. grand jury accuses Catholic bishops of brushing off sexual abuse complaints, The Associated Press (August 15, 2018)

**

Cardinal Wuerl’s actions in Pittsburgh scrutinized by Catholic sexual abuse investigation, by Julie Zauzmer and Reis Thebault, The Washington Post (August 14, 2018)

But some advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse criticized Wuerl upon reading the report. “I don’t feel very comfortable with Wuerl voting for the next pope if that opportunity arises in the next few years,” said Terry McKiernan, founder and president of the organization Bishop Accountability.

**

'Like a playbook for concealing the truth': Pennsylvania grand jury details how Catholic Church allegedly covered up priest abuse, by Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times (August 14, 2018)

“We’ve never seen a report that gives so much detail on so many priests,” said Terence McKiernan, founder and president of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog nonprofit that researches and archives allegations against clergy members.

**

Sex Abuse Problems Persist Inside The Roman Catholic Church, by Tom Gjelten, NPR (August 14, 2018)

GJELTEN: Well, yeah because I think often the abuse has been seen as something done by individual priests. That's how the church has generally responded to this. Back in 2002 after the Boston story broke, U.S. Catholic bishops gathered in Dallas and approved a package of reforms that called for punishing priests. But it really didn't address what to do about the bishops who supervised them. I spoke about this today with Terry McKiernan. He's the president and founder of an organization called Bishop Accountability. And in his view, this report today with its broad sweep really leaves the church in crisis.

TERRY MCKIERNAN: This is incredibly uncomfortable for the Catholic Church. It's always dealt with these problems as problems with the priests when it dealt with them at all. Now the whole system is on view.

**

Hundreds of Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children in Pennsylvania grand jury report, by Emily Opilo and Tim Darragh, The Morning Call (August 14, 2018)

The report may be groundbreaking, said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org. Several smaller states, including Maine and New Hampshire — each with one diocese that covers the full state — have issued reports, but no state the size of Pennsylvania has conducted a full accounting, he said.

“You’re going to learn a lot about this crisis that you never knew before,” he said. “Another thing you are going to see in a report of this geographic scope is an accounting of the geographic solution, meaning within the Pennsylvania dioceses there is a certain amount of mobility, and priests who have trouble in one diocese might be transferred to another within the state. There hopefully will be some accounting of that.”

**

Catholic event targeted in Chile abuse investigation, The Associated Press (August 14, 2018)

**

Hundreds of accused priests listed in PA report on Catholic Church sex abuse, The Washington Post (August 14, 2018)

"Accountability from inside the church is not happening," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which that tracks sexual abuse cases. "But secular society is beginning to affect the most change."

Doyle said the Pennsylvania grand jury report could also lead the way for the state to reform statute of limitations laws related to abuse.

**

Catholic Priests Abused 1,000 Children in Pennsylvania, Report Says, by Laurie Goodstein and Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (August 14, 2018)

**

Pennsylvania Report Alleges Child Sex Abuse by More Than 300 Priests, by Scott Calvert and Kris Maher, The Wall street Journal (August 14, 2018)

**

Catholic Priests Abused 1,000 Children in Pennsylvania, Report Says, by Laurie Goodstein and Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (August 14, 2018)

There have been 10 previous reports by grand juries and attorneys general in the United States, according to the research and advocacy group BishopAccountability.org, but those examined single dioceses or counties.

**

Chile authorities raid Episcopal Conference in abuse probe, by Eva Vergara, The Associated Press (August 14, 2018)

“The impunity of the Chilean hierarchy has ended. In Chile, we’re seeing what happens when the Catholic church is treated as an ordinary corporate citizen,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online abuse database BishopAccountability.org.

“Prosecutors in Chile have raised the bar for civil authorities in other countries. The children of Chile will be safer, survivors more likely to find justice, and the church ultimately stronger.”

**

Sex abuse scandals continue plaguing Catholic Church, The Washington Post (August 12, 2018)

**

Why the Vatican continues to struggle with sex abuse scandals, by Chico Harlan, The Washington Post (August 12, 2018)

“The crime in the Catholic Church remains causing scandal, not covering up,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the site BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sexual abuse cases. “Bishops all over the world are not being forthcoming.”

**

Groups want complete report released detailing alleged Catholic sex abuse in Pennsylvania, by Deb Erdley, Trib Live (August 10, 2018)

University of Pennsylvania law professor Marci Hamilton, founder of Child USA, and Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, however, argued the public safety interests of children trump the rights of the clergy wanting their names stricken.

**

Justice Comes For The Cardinal, by Paul Greenberg, Townhall (August 10, 2018)

To quote Terence McKiernan, a student of how the Church handles or rather mishandles cases like Cardinal McCarrick's, there still exists no clerical court to deal with cases like his. Let's not forget that procrastination, that thief of time, can be a sin, too. Pray for the Church, for it too appears to be much in need of divine guidance.

**

Richard Sipe, pioneering expert in clergy sexual abuse, dies at 85, by Peter Feuerherd and James Dearie, National Catholic Reporter (August 10, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, the founder and president of BishopAccountablity.org, a website that tracks church sex abuse cases, said Sipe was an effective advocate for survivors as an expert called to testify in frequent court cases.

"He worked really tirelessly as an expert witness on cases," McKiernan said. "He applied those conceptions as he had articulated them in his books, and he also brought a kind of precision to that ability to use sources and understand them, his understanding of the church which he developed over years as a Benedictine monk and then as a therapist working with priests with problems."

"He had these remarkable, deep relationships with hundreds of survivors," he said. "He wasn't just an 'expert witness,' he was somebody who knew the crisis deeply, both from the clergy point of view and the survivor point of view."
----------------------
McKiernan, however, said that Sipe retained a spiritual connection to Catholicism.

"He's been caricatured by some as working from animus for the Catholic Church, and that just could not be farther from the truth," he said. "For Richard, his Catholic faith remained a reality for him right to his very last moments." At his death, McKiernan said, a Gregorian chant recording was playing in the room.

**

The Death Of Richard Sipe, by Rod Dreher, The American Conservative (August 10, 2018)

**

Alleged misconduct at Brighton seminary prompts inquiry, by Travis Andersen and Danny McDonald, The Boston Globe (August 10, 2018)

Meanwhile, Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks clergy sex abuse cases, called for O’Malley to be more transparent regarding the reason he removed Moroney, who has been at St. John’s Seminary since 2012, according to a statement from the archdiocese.

“He owes the Catholics of this archdiocese more information about why the rector is being removed,” she said during a phone interview Friday afternoon.

Barrett Doyle thought there was a link between “sexually toxic seminaries and the church’s culture of abuse and coverup.”

“Along with the strong reaction to the McCarrick case, it’s a sign that #MeToo has finally arrived in Catholic seminaries,” she said.

Although she applauded O’Malley for arranging an internal investigation, she said “it’s far more important that victims report to law enforcement.”

“We know the church has had little success policing itself,” she said.

**

Archdiocese of Boston Investigating Allegations of Abuse at St. John's Seminary, by Michael Rosenfield and Marc Fortier, NECN (August 10, 2018)

“We’ve actually heard stories like this for years about many seminaries,” said Terence McKiernan from Bishop Accountability.org. “That tension between what the church preaches and what it allows to go on in the priesthood is part of the problem.”

**

Chile Debates Legalizing Euthanasia, by Eduardo Thomson, Bloomberg (August 10, 2018)

“It’s one of the factors," said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a research center that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases globally and has built a database of more than 100 cases of abuse in Chile. The disillusion with the church "plays into the willingness of people to think independently and not follow doctrine."

**

Reject arguments of clergy, advocates argue in amicus brief filed in high court ahead of grand jury report, by Ivey DeJesus, Penn Live (August 9, 2018)

In their filing to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, CHILD USA and BishopAccountability.org noted that as a result of the state's narrowly defined statute of limitations, victims have limited avenues for publicly exposing predators.
------------------------------------
BishopAccountability.org maintains an online database of more than 4,000 accused clergy, bishops, brothers and nuns in the U.S.

**

York County PA parish home to multiple accused priests reacts to 'disgusting' events, by Brandie Kessler, Ed Mahon and Dylan Segelbaum, York Daily Record (August 6, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, the president and founder of Bishop-Accountability.org, which tracks abuse reports, said that there can be many reasons multiple alleged abusers will have worked at the same parish.

"It's not by any means always nefarious," McKiernan said. But sometimes it is.
------------------------------------
It's common for dioceses to establish a schedule of when to move priests on to new parishes.

"In general, you don't want a priest somewhere forever," McKiernan said.

In Boston, every six years or so, priests are reassigned, McKiernan said. When it's time, priests can influence where they go next. A priest might want to be closer to family, or might have always wanted to work in a particular church, which might be considered by church leadership.

And at times, priests have been transferred because of abuse.

McKiernan referenced the 2005 grand jury report that resulted from the investigation into the Philadelphia Archdiocese. The report quotes a memo by Chancellor Francis J. Statkus about Father Joseph Gausch, who served in the archdiocese from December 1945 until 1999, after Gausch had admitted to molesting children.

"Because of the scandal which already has taken place and because of the possible future scandal, we will transfer him in the near future," Statkus wrote in the 1974 memo.

"There are parishes in (some) dioceses that are definitely dumping grounds," McKiernan said.

**

How much did the Vatican know about abusive Pa. priests? What the grand jury report could show, by Ivey DeJesus Pennlive (August 3, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks predatory priests, noted, "There is some mobility among the hierarchy between these dioceses."

"Take Harrisburg Bishop [Ronald] Gainer, who started in Allentown. His predecessor started in Philly. [Nicholas] Dattilo began as a Pittsburgh priest. Each of these men who've run each diocese has his own career track that to some extent took them through other diocese."

"Gainer has acknowledged that Harrisburg bishops had problems. We are going to learn a lot about how they handle these cases, but also learn perhaps even what problems sitting bishops had elsewhere. Even if the grand jury report is not drawing a connection among dioceses.

The investigation into the church in Philadelphia documented many transfers of predatory priests across diocesan lines.

"I'm interested in the transfer policy," McKiernan said. "We know from Philadelphia that Camden was a favorite place to send priests offenders. I wonder if we will see a lot of mobility of offenders within these six diocese. I think some of that is bound to come out, even if it's not their emphasis."
-----------------------

McKiernan singles out Abraham's investigation into Philadelphia and work by New Hampshire prosecutors in the early 2000s, after the Boston scandal made headlines, that uncovered similar abuses in that state's Catholic Church.

The New Hampshire report was an 8,000-page packet that included church documents dated with each case on a priest.

"That was an exemplary report," McKiernan said. "I gotta believe Shapiro is aware of it. That's one advantage. Shapiro now has all this history to look at. He is in a position to be aware of best practices."

McKiernan said 47 of the 71 names released Wednesday by Gainer were new to him. They were not names included in the database of predatory priests maintained by BishopAccountability.org. Gainer stressed that the list he released represents names of clergy historically accused -- and not necessarily credibly accused

**

In wake of McCarrick sex scandal, NJ woman recounts alleged abuse by another former Metuchen Diocese priest, by Nick Muscavage, Bridgewater Courier News (August 1, 2018)

**

Is New York State Going to Have Its Own Clergy Sex-Abuse Scandal? In Buffalo and Rochester, it has already begun., by Nick Tabor, Daily Intelligencer (August 2018)

Another reason New York may be next, says Anne Barrett Doyle, who helps run the website Bishop-Accountability.org, is that the Church itself says 5.8 percent of its American clerics have been “credibly” or “not implausibly” accused of sexual abuse between 1950 and 2016. To date, 86 clerics have been outed in the archdiocese of New York City, and around 400 in the state as a whole, out of thousands who have served here — meaning that either reports of abuse in this state are uncommonly rare, or hundreds of sex offenders here have never been exposed. (Doyle estimates that a bare minimum of 7,000 clerics have served in the New York Archdiocese since 1950, based on published reports. If 5.8 percent of those were credibly accused of abuse, it would mean roughly 320 have never been publicly identified. Or if New York City’s rate were on par with Boston’s, it would mean some 666 have never been outed. The archdiocese has dismissed these as “made-up numbers, with no basis in fact.” As of 2004, the archdiocese estimated that only 1.19 percent of its clerics had been plausibly accused since 1950, and it says every report of abuse among its ranks has been passed along to law enforcement.)

Doyle chalks New York’s low reporting rate to the tight statutes of limitations: most victims cannot sue their abusers or seek criminal charges against them after they turn 23 years old. “I think only Michigan and Alabama are worse than New York state,” Doyle said. “It’s shocking, because New York is so enlightened, in so many other areas, in terms of victims’ rights.”
---------------------------------------
In 2016, Dolan set up a victim compensation fund in New York City, and had paid out $40 million to 189 victims by the end of last year. “I wish I would have done this quite a while ago,” he said when he announced it. “I just finally thought, ‘Darn it, let’s do it. I’m tired of putting it off.’” But most victim advocates remain skeptical. Doyle called it a “savvy, preemptive move,” intended to deter lawsuits. “He was starting, one by one, to pick off victims who might come forward and blow the whole sewer open,” Doyle said.
-------------------------
“What we often hear from prosecutors is that they want to be able to win,” said Doyle, the victim advocate. “But we’ve seen that when a prosecutor, for whatever reason, is particularly dedicated to child protection, and to investigating an institution that is covering it up, their courage and fearlessness can make all the difference.”

**

Pennsylvania Catholic diocese names former Memphis priest in sexual abuse list, by Brandie Kessler and Ed Mahon, York Daily Record (August 1, 2018)

Terry McKiernan is the president and founder of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse reports.

His organization knew about 24 of the clergy members whose names were released by the diocese.

But more than 40 names were new and will be added to their database, McKiernan said. He thinks that's that's the largest number of new names his organization has added to its records based on information released by a diocese.

“It’s a major development,” McKiernan said, adding, “It really changes our understand of the Harrisburg diocese and what’s been going on there.”

**

Harrisburg Catholic diocese names 71 priests, clergy accused of sexual abuse, by Brandie Kessler and Ed Mahon, York Daily Record (August 1, 2018)

Terry McKiernan is the president and founder of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse reports.

His organization knew about 24 of the clergy members whose names were released by the diocese.

But more than 40 names were new and will be added to their database, McKiernan said. He thinks that that's the largest number of new names his organization has added to its records based on information released by a diocese.

“It’s a major development,” McKiernan said, adding, “It really changes our understanding of the Harrisburg diocese and what’s been going on there.”
---------------------------------------------
In 2016, Blum told the YDR that she was sexually abused by a priest in the Boston area when she was 15 years old. She said she didn’t tell anyone about the abuse until about five years ago when she found the priest’s name on www.BishopAccountability.org, and saw that he had abused at least one other, and she knew she wasn’t alone.

**

Pope ousts cardinal after sex abuse claims, by Frances D’emilio, The Philadelphia Tribune (July 31, 2018)

**

'There's going to be a raid': A Chilean prosecutor forces Catholic Church to give up secrets, by Aislinn Laing and Cassandra Garrison, Reuters (July 31, 2018)

BishopAccountability.Org, which tracks allegations of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests, says the only comparable investigation into sex abuse in the Church was in Belgium in 2010 when police launched coordinated raids on Church offices and the home of a cardinal. That investigation did not lead to any prosecutions because of the statute of limitations.

**

Pope accepts resignation of McCarrick after sex abuse claims, by Frances D’Emilio, The Associated Press (July 29, 2018) [Richmond, Virginia-based reporter Sarah Rankin and Rome-based reporter Nicole Winfield contributed to this report.]

“The Vatican almost never moves at this speed,” said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org.Inc., a Massachusetts-based group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases.

The pope appears to “understand the gravity of the situation and further harm to the Catholic church’s status,” he told the AP.

McKiernan wondered if the church investigation will reveal who among its hierarchy knew about the sex allegations against McCarrick and whether the Vatican will move to punish those clerics as well. He noted that the Vatican statement didn’t spell out why the pope was disciplining the cardinal.

“We’re still in the old world,” McKiernan said, referring to the Vatican’s avoidance of details about the abuse allegations against McCarrick. “(Still) it’s a remarkable development.”
--------------------------
“That system is going to (have to) be created exactly for this most embarrassing and prominent case,” McKiernan said.

**

Pope Francis accepts US cardinal’s resignation over sex abuse scandal, News Wires, FRANCE 24 (July 28, 2018)

"The Vatican must investigate and publish its conclusions regarding McCarrick's advancement and very successful career," said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based group that tracks abuse cases.

"The officials responsible must be identified and disciplined, and the investigative file must be made public," McKiernan said in a statement.

**

Former DC, NJ Archbishop McCarrick Resigns From College of Cardinals Amid Sex Abuse Allegations, by Frances D'Emilio, NBC 7 San Diego (July 28, 2018)

**

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick resigns over sexual abuse allegations, The Associated Press (July 28, 2018)

"The Vatican almost never moves at this speed," said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org.Inc., a Massachusetts-based group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases.

The pope appears to "understand the gravity of the situation and further harm to the Catholic church's status," he told the AP.

McKiernan wondered if the church investigation will reveal who among its hierarchy knew about the sex allegations against McCarrick and whether the Vatican will move to punish those clerics as well. He noted that the Vatican statement didn't spell out why the pope was disciplining the cardinal.

"We're still in the old world," McKiernan said, referring to the Vatican's avoidance of details about the abuse allegations against McCarrick. "(Still) it's a remarkable development."

**

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick resigns amid sexual abuse allegations [Video], NBC News (July 28, 2018)

**

U.S. cardinal steps down amid widening sex abuse scandal, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (July 28, 2018)

“The Vatican must investigate and publish its conclusions regarding McCarrick’s advancement and very successful career,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based group that tracks abuse cases.

“The officials responsible must be identified and disciplined, and the investigative file must be made public,” McKiernan said in a statement.

**

Pope accepts resignation of McCarrick after sex abuse claims, by Frances D'Emilio, The Associated Press (July 28, 2018)

"The Vatican almost never moves at this speed," said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org.Inc., a Massachusetts-based group that tracks clergy sexual abuse cases.

The pope appears to "understand the gravity of the situation and further harm to the Catholic church's status," he told The Associated Press.

He wondered if the church investigation reveals who among its hierarchy knew about the sex allegations against McCarrick and whether the Vatican will move to punish those clerics as well.

McKiernan noted that the Vatican statement didn't spell out why the pope was disciplining the bishop.

"We're still in the old world," he said, referring to the Vatican's avoidance of details about the allegations. "(Still) it's a remarkable development."
-----------------------------
"That system is going to (have to) be created exactly for this most embarrassing and prominent case," McKiernan said.

**

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Resigns Amid Sexual Abuse Scandal, by Elisabetta Povoledo and Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (July 28, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which documents the sexual abuse scandal in the church and advocates for victims, called for Pope Francis to make the trial proceedings against Cardinal McCarrick public, and to open an investigation into how Cardinal McCarrick was permitted to advance his church career despite repeated warnings against him.

“The officials responsible must be identified and disciplined, and the investigative file must be made public,” Mr. McKiernan said in a statement.

**

Chile announces wide probe into Catholic Church sex abuse; 266 victims reported, The Associated Press (July 25, 2018 )

**

Chile announces wide probe into Catholic Church sex abuse, The Associated Press (July 24, 2018)

“The prosecutor’s announcement is the latest sign that the impunity of the Catholic Church is ending in Chile. Increasingly, Chilean bishops and clergy are being treated simply as fellow citizens, subject to secular laws,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based group that compiles a database of clergy abuse.

“Today’s report will encourage more Chilean victims to file complaints. Each complaint filed will lead to a safer church.”

**

Questions abound about SNAP's future, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (July 23, 2018)

A major area of continuing focus has been outreach beyond the Catholic Church. The 2018 conference, like recent iterations, presented additional voices, in this case from Amish, Jewish and Christian Fundamentalism communities. Catholic-focused sessions still dominated, among them presentations by Doyle, BishopAccountability.org and Chilean abuse survivor Juan Carlos Cruz.
--------------------------
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, observed, "There has not been a seven months like this in the movement, I would say, since 2002," recapping key moments from the past year:

-Pope Francis and the Chilean abuse scandal;
-The continued fallout from the Australia's Royal Commission, including Cardinal George Pell's pending trial date;
-In France, a cardinal and the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith preparing to stand trial on accusations of failing to report abuse;
-In the U.S., police raiding the home of the Saginaw, Michigan, bishop and diocesan offices, credible accusations brought against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the looming Pennsylvania grand jury report;
-And at the Vatican, an investigation into allegations of abuse within a seminary that houses altar boys for papal Masses.

In addition, a handout from BishopAccountability identified 157 priests credibly accused of abuse that it added to its database since the 2017 SNAP conference. Co-director Terry McKiernan noted that while much has been learned about the scope of abuse and cover-up in larger dioceses, "there are many dioceses where we know next to nothing."

**

Chilean prosecutors probing 36 claims of Catholic Church sex abuse, by Aislinn Laing and Cassandra Garrison, Reuters (July 23, 2018)

**

Chilean prosecutors probing 36 claims of Catholic Church sex abuse, by Aislinn Laing and Cassandra Garrison, Reuters (July 23, 2018)

Anne Barrett-Doyle, of the U.S. press group Bishop Accountability, told Reuters that the cases reported to the civil authorities likely represented a “drop in the ocean” compared to the number of cases only reported to Church authorities and others not reported at all.

“What’s really significant here is that the prosecutor has taken such responsible action against the Catholic Church,” she said. “It is abundantly clear the impunity of the Catholic Church in Chile is ending, that bishops and cardinals will now be answerable to secular law just as average citizens are.”

**
#MeToo, Your Excellency: It's time for the church worldwide to face up to abuse of power by bishops, by Phyllis Zagano, National Catholic Reporter (July 23, 2018)

The website BishopAccountability.org lists some 60 secular and religious bishops accused of sexual abuse of minors and 28 more of abusing adults. They are from every country you can think of, from Argentina to Wales. Some are dead, some are laicized. Some may be innocent. Few are in jail or ever have been.

**

In Wake of McCarrick Scandal, Is Rescinding Honors Whitewashing History?, by Christopher White, The Tablet (July 20, 2018)

**

As McCarrick spotlight grows, is revoking honors sensitivity or whitewash?, by Christopher White, Crux (July 20, 2018)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a website dedicated to tracking and chronicling the Church’s public record on sex abuse, told Crux that some efforts to remove names quickly from buildings or to revoke awards could be “self-serving” and viewed as a quick attempt by administrators to distance themselves from someone who was undeniably associated with the institution.

“I certainly understand survivors wanting this to be done, but I don’t necessarily think it’s a good idea to whitewash these negative stories,” said McKiernan.

**

Sex abuse report still considered for release, by John Finnerty, CNHI (July 12, 2018)

“This precise situation hasn’t happened before,” said Terence McKiernan, president of Bishop Accountability, a Massachusetts-based group. “There’s a strong case that can be made that we can expect bad stuff,” McKiernan said. “It doesn’t surprise me that people don’t want it released.”
-----------------
Controversy over whether unindicted church officials and others ought to be named in grand jury or other publicly-released legal documents is nothing new, McKiernan said.

His group has tracked these disputes and pointed to a number of examples.
------------------
McKiernan said it’s difficult to imagine that the justices will try to extensively edit the grand jury’s report.

“I would be awfully surprised if they decide to wade into an extremely messy situation,” he said.

**

Supreme Court considers clergy abuse report, by John Finnerty, CNHI (July 11, 2018)

**

Canto XIX: Keep the Faith, by Gustavo Arellano, Gustavo Arellano’s Weekly (July 8, 2018)

I was able to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in years like Terry McKiernan, who runs Bishop Accountability, the Internets premier repository of documents, pictures, archives, and stories about what he calls the “crisis” of the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal. I met Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, a religion reporter for the tiny Gallup Independent, who has covered the crisis in Indian Country for as long as I, but with less resources and with a smaller audience.

And we collectively remembered Kathy Shaw, who for over 15 years compiled stories of sexual abuse from across the globe in a daily digest, and who passed away too soon last week.

**

Vatican City still has no policy to fight clergy sex abuse, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (July 1, 2018)

“If the Holy See can’t be bothered to safeguard the handful of kids in its own backyard, how can it possibly protect the millions of children in its care worldwide?” asked Anne Barrett Doyle of the online research database BishopAccountability.org. “It’s a small but telling measure of the Catholic Church’s disconnect when it comes to its abuse problem. It makes promises that it abandons or forgets once the world’s attention fades.”

**

Clive McFarlane: Kathy Shaw used her craft to enrich the lives of others, by Clive McFarlane, Telegram & Gazette (June 29, 2018)

Years later, as the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal dominated headlines, a dogged pair of Telegram & Gazette reporters, Kathy Shaw and George Griffin, began searching for the fugitive priest. The duo learned that the priest, after fleeing the country, had been writing frequently to one of his victims, who shared the letters with Mr. Griffin and Ms. Shaw.
-------------------
A year earlier, she had accepted a request from journalist Bill Mitchell at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies to work on a clergy abuse tracker he had started in 2002. The tracker, which compiles clergy abuse stories around the world, is currently operated by Bishop Accountability.org.

“Kathy was among several reporters that responded,” Mr. Mitchell said of his outreach for help with the tracker.

“She took it in a way unlike anyone else. She became good at it, dedicated to doing it, and doing it all on a volunteering basis in the early years. It is an enormous gift she gave to everybody. It wasn’t long before it became clear how indispensable it had become for attorneys, survivors, and church officials.”
-----------------
Terence McKiernan, the tracker’s archivist, spoke of its importance in a video on the website Bishop-accountability.org.

“Each of these stories is the story of a priest, a brother, a nun intimidating a victim into silence, a victim being afraid to speak,” he said.

“When a priest was returned to a parish, that parish wasn’t necessarily informed about the priest’s past. There are all these overlapping silences and reticences. Because of that, information was really crucial in all of this.”

Ms. Shaw, in a video appearance, concurred.

“Years down the road when the church would pretend there never was a problem because people were making it up, there is this massive archive now where people can go and say, ‘Oh no, no, no, no.’ ”
---------------------------
If we are humble, we acknowledge that in our profession journalists are merely placeholders, that at the end of the day we will move on and another will take our place. But while we are on the job, the potential to greatly enrich the lives of those living in our communities is there if we only take advantage of the opportunity. Kathy did. She will be missed.

**

Kathy Shaw, Watchdog on Clergy Sexual Abuse, Dies at 72, by Sam Roberts, The New York Times (June 26, 2018)

Abuse Tracker has been hosted by Bishop-Accountability.org in Waltham, Mass., since 2006, and the website said on Monday that it would continue to operate the blog.

“In the 16 years since 2002, Kathy posted tens of thousands of articles in Abuse Tracker, transforming the news blog into an indispensable resource and record, used by everyone who works on the clergy abuse crisis or cares about it,” Terence McKiernan and Anne Barrett Doyle, who direct Bishop-Accountability.org, said in an email. “Thanks to Kathy and Abuse Tracker, every local development in the abuse crisis could be followed by people everywhere.”

**

Kathy Shaw, relentless tracker of clergy abuse, got the story out, by Bill Mitchell, NAtional Catholic Reporter (June 26, 2018)

BishopAccountability.org staff — Pauline Hodgdon, Kathy Shaw, Anne Barrett Doyle and Terry McKiernan — receive the 2017 Layperson(s) of the Year award from Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). (Provided photo)
----------------------------------------
In a telephone interview June 25, Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said Kathy's reporting experience equipped her with an "in-the-bones understanding" of what journalists around the world were experiencing as they wrestled with issues that she had also encountered.

"She got it in a way that most people don't," he said. McKiernan also said he believes her leadership work with the Newspaper Guild (she served several terms as chairman of the Worcester unit) strengthened the solidarity she felt with reporters on the story.

In a post to Kathy's Facebook page Monday afternoon, former colleague Scott McLennan wrote:

Saddened by the passing of Kathy Shaw. She was a unionist to the core who kept our spirits high through many trying and maddening times as members of the Newspaper Guild. Wherever her better place may be, I can assure you that it is about to become more just and equitable for all. #RestInPower

McKiernan said Kathy was not a practicing Catholic but had been raised in the church and retained a deep interest in it. As much as she "understood how horrible the abuse was," he said, she "displayed no bitterness toward the church."

I got the same impression: deeply committed to pursuing the story wherever it led, but without any particular animus toward the church. At the same time, Kathy appeared to me especially driven to shed light on what others worked so hard to conceal.

McKiernan said Kathy liked to describe herself as "the Tracker Lady" and thoroughly enjoyed the network of informants she developed around the world. In all the time I worked with her, my interactions were never in person, only on the phone and online. Still, her exuberance was unmistakable.

After posting a story I wrote for Poynter about the Spotlight investigation movie, she told me this in an email:

The tracker thrives … and is not going away. The readership is there. We get the survivors, we get the advocates, we get the "mom and pop" Catholics who want to know what is going on. We are read at the Vatican and in chanceries. I understand readers also include academic researchers, district attorneys, journalists, writers, police officers, lawyers … you name it. I've got this network of people … I've got a couple people from the Netherlands and Belgium and we're getting people from Latin America. Thanks to Google translate I'm able to give English readers at least the gist of what we are finding abroad.

The Tracker had become her baby, so much so that she deflected offers to take a break between Christmas and New Year's, for example, and let others handle the posting. She was clearly not in it for the money. McKiernan said BishopAccountability.org had raised enough money that it was able to compensate Kathy modestly, which was more than I ever managed for her at Poynter.

Kathy had no immediate family, and she lived very simply. In a brief video commissioned by BishopAccountability.org, she describes waking up in the middle of the night and going online to see what might be breaking on the story in other time zones.

In recent weeks, as Kathy grew too weak to post herself, colleagues at BishopAccountability.org filled in, as they have throughout her illness. On Facebook, members of her network chimed in as well.

**

Informe Especial: "Abusos, sotanas y encubrimientos," 24Horas.cl TVN (June 26, 2018)

Además, el equipo conversó con Anne Barret Doyle, de Brishop-Accountability.org, quienes publicaron hace poco una lista de 100 curas chilenos y extranjeros que operaron en Chile, acusados por abuso contra menores. En ella aparecen dos obispos chilenos y más de 80 sacerdotes y diáconos.

“Conocemos una minúscula fracción de sacerdotes abusadores en Chile y creo que hay muchos más ejerciendo el sacerdocio. Es crucial que estos perpetradores sean identificados. Mientras ellos estén allí, los niños chilenos no estarán seguros”, sostuvo Barret Doyle.

**

Grand jury secrecy hides reason for Supreme Court order barring release of priest sex abuse report, by Steve Esack and Tim DarraghContact Reporters, The Morning Call (June 21, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, of bishop-accountability.org, a nonprofit that tracks child sex abuse issues in the Catholic Church, said he has never seen a grand jury process play out in public. For instance, he said, in New Hampshire, under a more “polite” process, the state’s lone diocese was allowed to see the report and issued a “contrite” response.

“It does seem to me this whole situation is being approached in a more concerted and aggressive fashion by the people who it may affect,” McKiernan said.

**

Pa. Supreme Court delays results of investigation into sex abuse at local dioceses, WPXI/The Associated Press (June 21, 2018)

**

Catholic cardinal in Washington accused of sex abuse, Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone and Marguerita Choy, Reuters (June 20, 2018)

McCarrick is among the highest-ranking of the more than 6,700 U.S. Roman Catholic clerics to be accused of sexually abusing children since the church's sex abuse scandal broke in 2002, according to BishopAccountability.org, a private group that tracks the allegations.
--------------------
"This is an absolutely stunning revelation ... The fact that the Church itself is finding it is credible and substantiated suggests that it indeed is because the Church does not say that lightly," said Anne Barrett Doyle, a board member at BishopAccountability.org.

**

Catholic cardinal in Washington accused of sex abuse, Reuters (June 20, 2018)

McCarrick is among the highest-ranking of the more than 6,700 U.S. Roman Catholic clerics to be accused of sexually abusing children since the church’s sex abuse scandal broke in 2002, according to BishopAccountability.org, a private group that tracks the allegations.
---------------------------------
“This is an absolutely stunning revelation ... The fact that the Church itself is finding it is credible and substantiated suggests that it indeed is because the Church does not say that lightly,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, a board member at BishopAccountability.org.

**

Pa. report to document child sexual abuse, cover-ups in six Catholic dioceses, by Angela Couloumbis, The Inquire (June 17, 2018)

The pitched legal battle does not surprise Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks and archives abuse scandals in Catholic dioceses across the country.

“This is an amazing moment,” he said. “With this report, and the previous ones, we will have an assessment of all the dioceses across the state. That has never happened before.”

McKiernan and others predicted the report will reignite impassioned debate in the Capitol over extending Pennsylvania’s civil statute of limitations. During the legislature’s last session, the GOP-controlled House and Senate clashed over whether to make the change retroactive, so that victims who aged out of the statute before they could come to terms with what had happened to them as children would also have the ability to sue.

**

Two Rochester diocese priests accused of abuse had served in Dansville, Geneseo, The Daily News (June 11, 2018)

**

Report on Pennsylvania priest abuse to be most extensive yet, The Associated Press (June 11, 2018)

**

Report on priest sexual-abuse claims due within weeks, The Associated Press (June 11, 2018)

**

Report on priest abuse in Penn. to be most extensive yet, The Associated Press (June 10, 2018)

**

Awaiting Extensive Report on Pennsylvania Priest Abuse: The report will release the results of a two-year grand jury investigation on the handling of sexual abuse claims by Roman Catholic dioceses throughout Pennsylvania, by Claudia Lauer (June 10, 2018)

**

Pa. Awaits Public Release of Lengthy Priest Abuse Probe, by Claudia Lauer, The Associated Press (June 10, 2018)

The report could be groundbreaking, said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org. Several smaller states, including Maine and New Hampshire— each with one diocese that covers the full state — have issued reports, but no state the size of Pennsylvania has conducted a full accounting, he said.

"You're going to learn a lot about this crisis that you never knew before," he said. "Another thing you are going to see in a report of this geographic scope is an accounting of the geographic solution, meaning within the Pennsylvania dioceses there is a certain amount of mobility, and priests who have trouble in one diocese might be transferred to another within the state. There hopefully will be some accounting of that."

**

Organisationsgründung gegen Missbrauch in der Kirche, VOL.at (June 8, 2018)

**

Abuse survivors launch global bishop accountability effort, The Associated Press (June 7, 2018)

**

Abuse survivors launch global bishop accountability effort, The Associated Press (June 7, 2018)

**

Abuse survivors launch global bishop accountability effort, The Associated Press (June 7, 2018)

Lending advice to the group is Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org, a vast database of abusive priests and the superiors who covered up for them.

**

Les victimes d’abus sexuels maintiennent la pression sur le pape, by Simon Petite, Le Temps (June 7, 2018)

François tente depuis de se rattraper. A la mi-mai, il a convoqué l’ensemble des évêques chiliens, lesquels ont tous présenté leur démission. Le pape n’en a pour l’instant accepté aucune. Mais, le 31 mai dernier, il adressait une lettre aux catholiques chiliens reconnaissant la «culture d’abus et le système qui a permis de couvrir» ces agissements. «C’est un aveu sans précédent au sein de l’Eglise catholique», salue l’Américaine Anne Barrett Doyle, codirectrice de l’ONG BishopAccountability.org. Mais le souverain pontife se heurte à de nombreux obstacles structurels. «Il n’y a aucune règle au sein de l’Eglise catholique qui oblige les évêques à révoquer le mandat des prêtres abuseurs», pointe Anne Barrett Doyle.

**

Bishops' prosecutions may point to new phase in church's sex abuse crisis, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (June 6, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org, said the Australian and French cases show that "even the most senior church officials are being treated as fellow citizens."

"The separation of church and state no longer means that religions can do things with impunity," she said. "There's a notion of accountability that has entered there that I think is really appropriate."

"Prosecutors ... increasingly are treating bishops and other church leaders as fellow citizens, not an untouchable species," she added.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Barrett Doyle, whose organization has documented records of abuse in dioceses across the world, called the commission's recommendations "very appropriate."

"I think that they're trying to better keep the church in its proper place," she said. "Religions are communities of believers and their conduct ... should not be allowed to do harm. And if they have certain traditions or rules that do harm, then the secular society has to push back."

**

More secular oversight needed to curtail sexual abuse by priests: Letter, Poughkeepsie Journal (June 2, 2018)

The non-profit watchdog BishopAccountability.Org said New York’s Archdiocese is one of the “most secretive” bishoprics in the nation when it comes to exposing sexual abuse by priest.

**

More secular oversight needed to curtail sexual abuse by priests: Letter, Poughkeepsie Journal (June 2, 2018)

The non-profit watchdog group BishopAccountability.Org said New York’s Archdiocese is one of the “most secretive” bishoprics in the nation when it comes to exposing sexual abuse by priest.

**

La archidiócesis de St. Paul y Mineápolis compensará con más de 200 millones a 450 víctimas de abusos, C.D./Ap, RELIGION DIGITAL (June 1, 2018)

**

Sacred Heart has history of sex abuse, by Damien Fisher, Nashua Telegraph (June 1, 2018)

“They did a lot of work and a lot of damage in New Hampshire,” said Terry McKiernan with the nonprofit Bishop-Accountability.org, which tracks cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

A former Bishop Guertin student, Larissa Troy, filed a lawsuit against the order earlier this month, accusing a former teacher, Shawn McEnany, of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s. According to the lawsuit filed in the Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua, the school hired McEnany as a teacher despite knowing he was already a convicted sexual offender in Maine.

Several brothers with Sacred Heart involved with Bishop Guertin were accused of abuse on the early 2000s, including former headmaster Leo Labbe. A class-action lawsuit resulted in numerous settlements with purported victims. McKiernan said religious orders such as Sacred Heart are often overlooked.

“Religious orders in general, an the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in particular, succeed in being under the radar,” he said.

According to information from Bishop-Accountability.org, every Sacred Heart school in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was staffed at times by alleged or admitted sexual abusers.

On Feb. 12, 2003, three men abused by Guy Beaulieu at Bishop Guertin filed a class-action suit on behalf of all New Hampshire residents who were abused by members of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, according to Bishop-Accountability.org. That lawsuit was later struck down, but 15 alleged victims pursued separate cases against the order.

Sacred Heart settled child sexual abuse claims in June 2004 concerning accusations against brothers Guy Beaulieu, Roger Argencourt, Leon Cyr, Alfred Laflamme, and Leo Labbe, according to court documents accessed through BishopAccountability.org.

McKeirnan said that orders such as Sacred Heart are small and dwindling, with members stationed across the country. The orders are regulated separately from the diocese political regimes that govern most of the Catholic Church.

“We need to pay more attention to the orders,” McKeirnan said. “They are far flung … and they don’t feel much pressure.”

The reforms undertaken by the Catholic Church to address sexual abuse are supposed to apply to the religious orders, but McKeirnan said many do not appear to take the requirements seriously.

**

$210 million settlement announced in St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese bankruptcy case, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (May 31, 2018)

The settlement demonstrated the power of statute of limitations reform, said Terance McKiernan, co-director of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org that tracks bankruptcies and settlements from the church's sexual abuse crisis.

"You can draw a straight line between the Child Victims Act and this day," he told NCR.

He said the size of the settlement seems to suggest that "survivors are going to be fairly compensated." It could also serve as a "bellwether," he added, for others to come in two other Minnesota dioceses, Duluth and New Ulm, currently going through their own bankruptcy proceedings. The St. Cloud diocese announced in February its intention to file for Chapter 11 reorganization but has yet to formally do so.

"I hope it's a sign that these settlements are going to be correct, that they're going to do what really needs to be done by the survivors in these communities," McKiernan said.

**

Archdiocese in Minnesota Plans to Settle With Abuse Victims for $210 Million, by Jacey Fortin, The New York Times (May 31, 2018)

If approved, the settlement will be the largest ever for a sex abuse case involving an archdiocese that has filed for bankruptcy protection and the second largest over all, said Terry McKiernan, co-director and president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy sex abuse cases. (According to the website, the largest settlement, $660 million, was reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and 508 survivors in 2007.)

“Survivors are getting, on average, substantial settlements for what they suffered, and that’s really important,” Mr. McKiernan said of the Minnesota case.

**

450 clergy-abuse survivors reach historic $210 million settlement with Archdiocese, by Sarah Horner, Pioneer Press (May 31, 2018)

**

St. Paul archdiocese to pay $210M to clergy abuse victims, by Steve Karnowski and Amy Forliti, The Associated Press (May 31, 2018)

**

The Pope Told A Gay Man That ‘God Loves You Like This,’ Making Him The Most Accepting Catholic Leader To Date, by Mizuki Hisaka, Inquisitr (May 22, 2018)

For the gay community, the reported comments by the Pope are a great sign of hope for an evolved Catholic religion that is accepting of everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. However, some believe that the meetings that the Pope held with Cruz and other victims only happened “because his first strategy — attacking the survivors’ credibility — had failed,” according to Anne Barrett Doyle. Doyle runs a website that tracks clerical abuse.

**

Mass resignation of 34 bishops exposes crisis in Chilean church, by Nicole Trian, France 24 (May 20, 2018)

**

Hope, cynicism both on display after mass Chile resignations, by Inés San Martín, Crux (May 19, 2018)

According to Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org in a statement released Friday, “The en masse resignation of the Chilean episcopacy is as stunning as it is necessary.”

The online platform has tracked some 80 cases of priests accused of sexual abuse in Chile.

**

Survivors, advocates see lessons for wider church in Chile resignations, National Catholic Reporter (May 18, 2018)

"The en masse resignation of the Chilean episcopacy is as stunning as it is justified," said Anne Barrett Doyle of the U.S.-based abuse watchdog group BishopAccountability.org. "Let's hope Pope Francis accepts all of the resignations and begins to re-build this profoundly corrupt church."

"The renunciation of the entire Chilean hierarchy might serve at least in the near term as a powerful deterrent to complicit bishops and religious superiors around the world," Barret Doyle said in a statement May 18.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Barrett* Doyle said, "It's significant [that] Francis specifically denounced the bishops' mishandling of abuse cases. More than a dozen complicit bishops have been removed previously by Francis and his two recent predecessors, but none have been accompanied by a papal rebuke."

Claret said the pope is starting to clarify things but "we're going to continue learning the information as he makes decisions. Perhaps there are other cases that we'll discover with time."

Claret added that "in this process it's important that the pope has absolute freedom to decide" and that the bishops don't exercise influence as they have in the past.

But Barrett Doyle also said that "the Chilean situation is not unique" and that a pressing question emerges from today's announcement.

"Will the changes in Chile be incorporated in the universal Catholic Church?" she asked. "Or is this another tactic by the Vatican to quarantine reform, as was done in the United States in 2002 and in Ireland in 2010?"

Barrett Doyle said BishopAccountability.org made three recommendations to ensure systemic reform in the universal church:

- "Zero tolerance must become canon law." Under particular canon laws in the United States and Ireland, clergy abusers are removed from ministry. In the rest of the world, however, bishops are governed by Canon 1395.2, which, Barrett Doyle says, "gives them abundant discretion in handling guilty clerics. The bishop decides which allegations to investigate, and permanent removal is not required."

- "The pope must re-initiate the tribunal to discipline bishops and religious superiors who enable abuse." Francis attempted to initiate such a tribunal in 2016, but it did not happen.

- "The information channels that reach the pope must be drastically improved, and abuse cases must be flagged as top priority." In January, after enduring withering criticisms for his defense of Chile's bishops and his dismissal of victims of abuse, Francis was forced to send a special investigator to Chile to obtain the information that he used to confront the Chilean bishops at the Vatican this week.

"It is astounding that despite 16 years of revelations of institutional complicity, the Vatican still has no methodical approach for investigating officials who enable abuse," Barrett Doyle said.

**

UPDATED: All of Chile's bishops offer resignations after meeting pope on abuse, by Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service (May 18, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the abuse watchdog group BishopAccountability.org said, “Today's en masse resignation is historic -- it certainly will be seen as a milestone in the resolution of this crisis.”

“Catholics everywhere owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the steely and gutsy survivors who brought this about. Juan Carlos Cruz, Dr. James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo withstood years of disrespect from Catholic church leaders, including the Pope himself, to get us to this point,” Barret Doyle said.

“Thanks too to Pope Francis for acting boldly at last,” she said.

**

After biggest gaffe, pope demands accountability for abuse, The Courier (May 18, 2018)

“The en masse resignation of the Chilean episcopacy is as stunning as it is necessary,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability, which has tracked more than 80 cases of accused priests in Chile.

But she stressed that complicity with abusers is not unique to Chile.

“We see the same cover-up today by church officials in Argentina, the Philippines, Poland, and Buffalo, New York. Change is occurring in Chile simply because that situation caused a public relations debacle for the pope himself,” she said.

**

Cautious hope from victims and advocates following resignation of Chile’s bishops, by Michael J. O’Loughlin, America The Jesuit Review (May 18, 2018)

The U.S. watchdog group Bishop Accountability called the resignation “as stunning as it is necessary” and urged Pope Francis to accept the resignations and to issue a “papal rebuke.”

“The institutional church and Catholics everywhere owe an enormous debt to the steely and gutsy survivors who brought about this unprecedented event. Juan Carlos Cruz, Dr. James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo withstood years of disrespect from Catholic church leaders, including the Pope himself, to get us to this point,” Anne Barrett Doyle, the group’s co-director, said in a statement. “The unstoppable Catholic activists of Osorno and the brave Marist victims in Chile also helped bring about this long overdue housecleaning.”

“We commend Pope Francis too for acting boldly at last,” Ms. Doyle added.

**

Michigan State Settles With the Victims of Larry Nassar's Abuse. How Might the NCAA Respond?, by Michael McCann, Sports Illustrated (May 18, 2018)

**

All Of Chile's Bishops Offer To Resign After Sex Abuse Cover-Up, by Sasha Ingber, NPR (May 18, 2018)

The decision is a "long overdue housecleaning" that will deter complicit church leaders, said BishopAccountability, a U.S.-based nonprofit that tracks allegations of abuse against Catholic clergy worldwide.

**

Milwaukee priest jailed for sexual contact served at St. Mark's Parish in Phoenix in 1970s, by Anne Ryman, The Republic (May 17, 2018)

**

Anne Barrett-Doyle: "El objetivo del Papa es acallar el clamor público", ADN Radio (May 16, 2018)

**

Fundadora de BishopAccountability.org: “El Papa buscará crear la impresión de que está arrepentido y cambió”, by Juan Paulo Iglesias, La Tercera (May 16, 2018)

**

Chilean Abuse Victims Demand Justice from Emergency Summit, Telesurtv, (May 16, 2018)

**

Trail of trauma: Grand jury report expected to shed more light on sexual abuse in dioceses, by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (May 14, 2018)

A wide-ranging search of Post-Gazette archives, court documents and a watchdog group’s website, BishopAccountability.org, has found a total of 44 people associated with the church who are accused of sexual or other egregious misconduct with minors.
--------------------------
Between the John Jay report and annual church reports since then, nearly 6 percent of priests and deacons serving since 1950 have been accused, according to calculations by BishopAccountability.org. Such percentages rise to as high as 9 or 10 percent in dioceses whose documents have been extensively exposed through court cases, such as in Covington, Ky. and Manchester, N.H.

On the other hand, Erie’s most recent list would still put it at no more than 3 percent.

“We know from the first John Jay report in 2004 that the abuse was homogenous across regions, so that’s at least a little evidence that we really shouldn’t expect peaks and valleys in these data,” said Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org. “Two percent would surprise me in any diocese.”

**

Victims of clergy abuse across Pa. brace for 'very bad stories' in huge grand jury report, by Brandie Kessler, ydr.com (May 10, 2018)

Terry McKiernan with www.bishop-accountability.org, which has cataloged thousands of priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of children, said he believes the grand jury investigation of the six dioceses will be extensive.

“I think that this report is going to be a shocker,” McKiernan said. “Beloved monsignors, who nobody ever imagined would be involved in this kind of thing, are going to be involved.”

**

‘Pope Cannot Claim He Was Misinformed’: Chilean Abuse Survivor After Vatican Meeting, by Alex Leff, NPR (May 10, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks and compiles abuse allegations against Catholic clergy, said that the listening sessions happened at all “are a testament to the graciousness of the three Chilean survivors, Juan Carlos Cruz, Dr. James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo.”

“Although it’s good that the pope initiated these meetings, it’s important to keep in mind that he took this step only because his first strategy — attacking the survivors’ credibility — had failed,” she said, in an emailed statement to NPR.

**

'Pope Cannot Claim He Was Misinformed': Chilean Abuse Survivor After Vatican Meeting, by Alex Leff, NPR (May 10, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks and compiles abuse allegations against Catholic clergy, said that the listening sessions happened at all "are a testament to the graciousness of the three Chilean survivors, Juan Carlos Cruz, Dr. James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo."

"Although it's good that the pope initiated these meetings, it's important to keep in mind that he took this step only because his first strategy — attacking the survivors' credibility — had failed," she said, in an emailed statement to NPR.

"Meeting with survivors has proved to be a winning public relations tactic for popes and bishops. Time will tell whether these meetings were mere damage control or a precursor of desperately needed systemic change in the global Catholic church," she added.
----------------------------------------------
Barrett Doyle said survivors like Cruz "have focused on the bigger picture — the plight of the many Chilean victims who have no voice, and the ongoing safety crisis in Chilean parishes and Catholic schools."

**

Convicted Guam archbishop's presence at papal event alarms survivor advocates, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (May 8, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org, called it "disturbing" that Francis would appear on stage near Apuron.

"Does he not realize that Apuron has been accused by at least five people of child sexual abuse?" Doyle asked in a comment to NCR. "Is he callous or is he uninformed? Either explanation is unacceptable."

**

Vatican silence on Cardinal Pell's trial is a turn from a long history, by Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter (May 7, 2018)

Cardinal George Pell is going on trial in Australia to face charges he sexually abused minors. As victims' advocate Anne Barrett Doyle told my colleague Josh McElwee, this trial is a "turning point" in the long saga of compelling accountability by church leaders. It is even more of a turning point than Doyle may realize. Because the big story here is the dog that did not bark, the fact that the Vatican has made no protest at the prospect of a prince of the church standing trial before a civil magistrate.

**

Australian cardinal back in court on sexual abuse charges, by Rod McGuirk, The Associated Press (May 3, 2018)

**

Pell trial a 'turning point' in Catholic abuse saga, watchdog says, Catholic News Service (May 1, 2018)

An Australian judge’s decision to order Cardinal George Pell to stand trial for multiple charges of sexual abuse of minors is a "turning point" in the abuse crisis evincing the power of governments to hold the church accountable, says a leader of an abuse watchdog group.

"Whatever the trial's outcome, the judge's decision marks the victory of accountability over impunity, and of the rule of secular law over the Vatican's failed strategy of cover-up," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org.

**

Australian cardinal to face trial on sexual abuse charges, by Rod McGuirk, The Associated Press (May 1, 2018)

**

He is the most senior Vatican official to be charged in Church scandal, by Rod McGuirk, The Associated Press (May 1, 2018)

**

Cardinal George Pell to face sexual assault charges in Australia, The Associated Press (May 1, 2018)

**

Australian cardinal back in court on sex abuse charges, by Rod McGuirk, The Associated Press (May 1, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based online abuse resource, described the magistrate’s decision to make Pell stand trial as “a turning point in the global abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.”

“Whatever its outcome, the judge’s decision marks the victory of accountability over impunity, and of the rule of secular law over the Vatican’s failed strategy of cover-up,” she said.

**

Chilean Clergy Abuse Victims Took Their Stories Of Survival To Pope Francis, by Carol Kuruvilla, The Huffington Post (April 30, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability, an organization that tracks clergy sex abuse worldwide, said that she was moved by the “graciousness” of the three men after their meetings with Francis.

“Given the years of silence and disrespect they’ve endured from church officials, including Pope Francis, they could have refused the pope’s invitation,” she told HuffPost in an email. “But always, Juan Carlos Cruz, Jimmy Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo focus on the bigger picture ? in this case, the plight of the many Chilean victims who have no voice, and the ongoing safety crisis in Chilean parishes and Catholic schools.”

Barrett Doyle cautioned that speaking with survivors is a start, but it doesn’t constitute change. She hopes that, along with removing Barros and other Chilean clergy who were aware of Karadima’s crimes, Francis will also create an efficient system for investigating and disciplining bishops who have enabled child abuse.

“Meeting with survivors is a time-tested, winning public relations tactic for popes and bishops,” Barrett Doyle said. “Time will tell whether these meetings were mere damage control or a precursor of desperately needed systemic change in the global Catholic church.”

**

Francis still falls short with Catholic women, feminist scholars say, by Peter Feuerherd, National Catholic Reporter (April 19, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of bishopaccountablity.org, an independent agency which tracks the record of the church on sex abuse, said that Francis has a mixed record on that issue. His rhetoric has been strong, being the first pope to describe the church's response to the sex abuse crisis as a cover-up that needs to be corrected.

Francis has also clearly, in his public statements, called bishops to accountability for the crisis. Yet his major reforms in that area — a pontifical commission and a tribunal for complicit bishops — have fizzled amidst curial opposition and foot dragging.

Sometimes Francis' rhetoric has not been helpful, said Doyle, as in his focus on condemning "calumny," which is sometimes used to hush the voices of sex abuse victims.

Yet Francis' penchant to admit mistakes offers hope, said Doyle. He has turned around his view on a Chilean bishop accused of being an accomplice in clerical sex abuse and has summoned the bishops of that country to the Vatican to address the crisis there. "Heads are going to roll," she said is the consensus of church watchers about the situation of the church in Chile.

Doyle said her hope on sex abuse issues comes largely from outside the church, through the actions of civil authorities in Chile, Australia and some U.S. states who are unwilling to overlook clerics complicit in abuse. The unprecedented search of the offices of the Saginaw, Michigan, diocese by authorities concerned about alleged sex abuse cover-ups offers an example for church officials in other dioceses to be more transparent.

**

Exclusive Excerpt from ‘The Dictator Pope: The Inside Story of the Francis Papacy,’ by Henry Sire, CNS News (April 17, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of Bishop Accountability, has remarked: “No other pope has spoken as passionately about the evil of child sex abuse as Francis. No other pope has invoked ‘zero tolerance’ as often.” Yet in the name of his favourite theme, “mercy,” Francis decisively broke with the Ratzinger/Benedict program of reform, reducing the penalty for priest abusers to “a lifetime of prayer” and restrictions on celebrating Mass. In February 2017 it was revealed that Francis had “quietly reduced sanctions against a handful of paedophile priests, applying his vision of a merciful church even to its worst offenders.”

**

Sex-abuse report looms over Catholic dioceses, by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (April 16, 2018)

**

Catholic Diocese of Erie expands child-protection office, by Ed Palattella, Go.Erie.com (April 16, 2018)

Most Catholic dioceses in the United States have never named accused priests, and no diocese is known to have ever before released a list with the names of accused laypeople as well as clergy.

“I think it is a first,” said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit online resource that tracks abuse in the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. “To my knowledge, that hasn’t happened before.”
------------------
The release of the names of the laypeople, said McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org, recognizes that the Erie diocese, like the Roman Catholic Church, “is a big, diverse organization, and that abuse happens in other areas of the culture as well,” not just with the clergy.

He said the pending release of the grand jury report likely influenced the sweep of the Erie diocese’s disclosures.

“Of course it has a lot to do with the grand jury process,” McKiernan said.

**

As diocese prepares to pay victims, its primary source of money: parishioners, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (April 16, 2018)

**

Expert in diocesan finances has 'never seen' pension move like La Crosse's, by Peter Feuerherd, National Catholic Reporter (April 16, 2018)

**

Sex-abuse report looms over Catholic dioceses, by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (April 16, 2018)

“I think it’s going to be bad,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a victims’ advocacy group. “It’s good that we’re going to learn more, but it’s sad.”

The closest parallel, he and others said, is in Australia, where a commission reported last year that tens of thousands of children suffered abuse over decades in churches — Catholic and otherwise — as well as religious and secular schools and institutions.

**

Abuse Survivors Demand Concrete Action After Pope Admits His ‘Serious Errors’, by Carol Kuruvilla, The Huffington Post (April 13, 2018)

Francis’ actions this week are “long overdue but welcome” the research organization BishopAccountability, which tracks clergy sex abuse worldwide, said in a statement.

The pope’s tone seemed “strikingly different” from his previous approach toward the Chilean victims, Anne Barrett Doyle, the organization’s co-director, told HuffPost.

“It is clear that Pope Francis is trying to convey a change of heart,” Doyle wrote in an email. “While papal apologies in the abuse crisis are nothing new, this is the first time we can recall that a pope has conceded error in how he personally handled a situation of abuse.”

However, Doyle said that Francis’ claim that he lacked information about the allegations against Barros “beggars belief.”

Victims and other witnesses of Karadima’s crimes testified extensively during church, criminal and civil trials, Doyle said.

A committee from Chile’s bishops conference had recommended that Barros resign, according to the AP. The pope also received a letter from a victim in 2015 that outlined how Barros witnessed the abuse carried out by Karadima. It’s unclear whether the pope actually read that letter.

“Few abuse cases in the global Catholic church have generated as much information, testimony and documentation as the Karadima case,” Doyle wrote. “If Francis was misinformed or inadequately informed, it was because he chose to be so.”

For Lennon and other members of SNAP, true progress on this issue would mean a church-wide commitment to turning over all reports of abuse, both new and old, to local law enforcement for investigation.

Doyle said she hopes to see Barros removed from his post and to see the Vatican order an investigation into the Marist Brothers in Chile, a religious order that is also facing allegations of child sexual abuse. Another step would be the establishment of tribunals for judging and disciplining bishops and religious superiors who enable the sexual abuse of children.

“The cover-up by church officials, and the sexual assault of children and vulnerable adults by clergy, is a persistent and catastrophic situation,” Doyle said. “Only systemic reform of this magnitude will begin to resolve it.”

**

In extraordinary move, Pope Francis admits he made ‘grave errors’ in Chile sex abuse case, by Nicole Winfield and Eva Vergara, The Associated Press (April 12, 2018)

**

Pope admits he made 'grave errors' in Chile sex abuse case, by Nicole Winfield and Eva Vergara, Associated Press (April 11, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, of BishopAccountability.org, an online abuse resource, noted an Associated Press report that Francis received a personal letter about Barros' misdeeds from a victim in 2015, but seemingly chose to ignore it.

"If Francis was misinformed or inadequately informed, it was because he chose to be so," she said.

**

Priest who taught at 2 Buffalo area high schools was target of sex abuse complaint, by Dan Herbeck, The Buffalo News (April 9, 2018)

"The records of the Buffalo Diocese show that this priest was working in the Buffalo area during the entire 1980s, and the alleged incident with a minor occurred in the 1980s," said Terence McKiernan, president of the BishopAccountability.org website, which tracks cases of clergy abuse all over the United States. "Based on all available documentation, it would appear that the complaint arose from something that happened in the Buffalo area."

**

Franciscan Friar, who taught in WNY, accused of sexual abuse, by Emily Lampa, WGRZ (April 9, 2018)

"It's actually especially important that they are transparent about these problems when they occur," says Terence McKiernan with bishopaccountability.org, "because they have a duty of care to the children that they often are founded to serve."

McKiernan says that brothers and sisters of the religious orders have even more access to young people than diocesan priests because the religious orders not only staff private parochial schools but also some community services, like girls and boys clubs.

"Connecting the dots is especially important with these religious order priests because they have a real range," he explains. "Someone like Michael Lewandowski, because he works in the province of his religious order - which is a large area - can work and unfortunately can offend in a lot of places."

**

Erie bishop: Disclosures part of ‘search for the truth,’ by Ed Palattella, GoErie (April 7, 2018)

With the release of the names on Friday, the Erie diocese has joined the list of more than 30 Catholic dioceses nationwide that have disclosed the names of priests accused of abuse, according to bishopaccountability.org. The Roman Catholic Church operates 33 archdioceses and 145 dioceses in the United States.

**

Roman Catholic Diocese Of Erie IDs Priests And Lay People Accused Of Abuse, by Claudia Lauer, The Associated Press (April 6, 2018)

**

Eric diocese IDs priests, bishop, laypeople in abuse probe, by Claudia Lauer, The Associated Press (April 6, 2018)

About 35 of 145 dioceses in the U.S., or roughly 25 percent, have released names of credibly accused priests, including two others in Pennsylvania, according to the group BishopAccountability.org.

Terry McKiernan, its president, said naming laypeople was unusual.

“There are various ways the dioceses reduce the number on their list, so increasing the number by including laypeople is a positive step and might be unique in these lists,” McKiernan said, adding that his group has called on the dioceses to include comprehensive work histories for the accused as well.

**

Pennsylvania Diocese Releases Names Of 51 Clergy, Laypeople Accused Of Misconduct, by Carol Kuruvilla, The Huffington Post (April 6, 2018)

About 25 percent of American Catholic dioceses have published lists with the names of credibly accused priests, according to the survivors’ advocacy group BishopAccountability.org.

Just this March, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released its own list of 42 suspected pedophile priests.

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said adding lay members to the list is an unusual step.

“There are various ways the dioceses reduce the number on their list, so increasing the number by including laypeople is a positive step and might be unique in these lists,” McKiernan told the AP.

**

For first time, Diocese of Erie IDs priests and lay people accused of abuse, by Claudia Lauer, The Associated Press (April 6, 2018)

Terry McKiernan, its president, said naming lay people was unusual.

“There are various ways the dioceses reduce the number on their list, so increasing the number by including lay people is a positive step and might be unique in these lists,” McKiernan said, adding that his group has called on the dioceses to include comprehensive work histories for the accused as well.

**

Pedophile Priests Preyed In Local Parishes, by Rick Murphy, The Independent (April 3, 2018)

According to BishopAccountability.org, published reports, minutes from a Suffolk County Grand Jury investigation, and court documents, the diocese routinely reassigned accused or suspected pedophiles to churches on the East End dating back to the 1960s.

**

NY Archdiocese 'most secretive' on priest abuse: Report, by Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, lohud.com (March 27, 2018)

BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based clergy abuse watchdog group, said this week that the nation's second largest diocese has done so poorly exposing sex abuse by priests that it has exposed fewer than one of the nation's smallest dioceses.
-----------
"Given the number of accused clergy who remain hidden, it's sad but not surprising that Cardinal (Timothy) Dolan again is lobbying hard to defeat the Child Victims Act," Bishop Accountability Co-Director Anne Barrett Doyle said in a statement. "The cardinal is able to withhold information because New York's unusually short civil statute of limitations renders victims powerless."
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Barrett Doyle, Bishop Accountability's co-director, said during a telephone interview that the group is run by practicing Catholics "who hope and pray that their work will help the church they love."

She also defended the statistics they provided.

"It's actually based totally on the church's own data," Barrett Doyle said. "It's not our facts. It's the church's facts. We would be more than happy to sit down and take (Zwilling) through our calculations."
----------------
Were lawmakers in Albany to pass the Child Victims Act, Bishop Accountability claims, hundreds of victims of abuse would be eligible to file civil claims in state courts.

**

Law Didn’t Cover Child Sex Crime Victims; DA Undeterred, The Associated Press (March 25, 2018)

**

Michigan Senate passes sexual assault bill despite requests not to from 15 public universities, by Bethany Blankley, Michigan Watchdog (March 15, 2018)

Bishop-Accountability.org lists priests nationwide found in the Database of Publicly Accused Priests. It is not all-inclusive but currently identifies 113 priests in Michigan who were reported for sexually assaulting boys and men. The site lists 67 priests from the Archdiocese of Detroit, six from the Diocese of Gaylord, 13 from Grand Rapids, two from Kalamazoo, 12 from Lansing, 10 from Marquette, and three from Saginaw.

**

Report says priests accused of sex abuse were in a dozen St. Lawrence County towns up to early 2000s, North Country Now (March 14, 2018)

**

Editorial: Release the names of priests accused of sexual abuse, by the Buffalo News Editorial Board, The Buffalo News (March 14, 2018)

Across the country, more than 30 dioceses and archdioceses have publicly identified offending priests, according to the website bishopaccountability.org. Why should Buffalo need to be different? If something distinguishes this diocese to make similar acknowledgements unwise, the church would do well to explain it. Otherwise, the inevitable appearance is that the diocese remains reluctant to fully come to terms with a terrible time in the church’s history – one that long ago bled into the realm of legitimate public concern.

**

Buffalo diocese ponders whether to reveal names of abusive priests, by Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News (March 11, 2018)

More than 30 dioceses and archdioceses across the country have publicized the names of offending priests, according to bishopaccountability.org, a website dedicated to documenting the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic church. The Diocese of Tucso, Ariz., was among the first dioceses to include a full accounting of allegations against priests, with a news release in 2002 that listed the names of 15 accused priests, as well as their parish assignments and their dates of service in the diocese.
--------------------
Advocates for survivors of sex abuse said they believe the number of clergy that molested children in the Buffalo diocese is much higher than the number self-reported by the diocese in 2003.

"I'm sure the 53 is low," said Terence McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org.

McKiernan estimated it's probably closer to 200 priests, based on the overall number of clergy who served in the Buffalo diocese since 1950.

McKiernan noted that a 2002 study of the abuse crisis by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice found little variation across regions as to the percentages of clergy who faced allegations.

The John Jay report found that about 4 percent of Catholic clergy in the U.S. who had served since 1950 faced allegations of sex abuse. Diocesan officials reported that 2.6 percent of clerics in the Buffalo diocese were accused of such abuse.

"They went through their files and did a file review. What did they drop under the table? We see a common practice of ignoring second-hand allegations or anonymous allegations," said McKiernan.

The Buffalo diocese and several others, he added "have never had their accounting. And every diocese is as rotten as the next one."

If the Buffalo diocese had come clean years ago with more details about which priests abused and how those cases were handled, it wouldn't be struggling all over again with stories of horrible abuse, said McKiernan.

"It's so frustrating, this kind of guessing game that you're stuck with," he said. "Why not get it out of the way?"

**

Vatican sex abuse envoy returns with more than he expected, by Nicole Winfield and Eva Vergara, The Associated Press (March 1, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, of the online abuse database BishopAccountability.org, had actually illustrated the problem facing the Chilean church on the eve of Francis’ Jan. 15-21 trip to Chile and Peru. She and other survivors’ advocates held a press conference in Santiago to unveil research showing nearly 80 credibly accused priests and brothers in Chile, many of them even superiors of religious orders.

One month later, Barrett Doyle said it was “encouraging” that Scicluna had come and had even expanded his mandate to take testimony from other victims. But she said time will tell if Francis and the Vatican act on Scicluna’s findings. She said the bigger problem was the Chilean hierarchy and its approach to investigating abuse, which she said remained “in the dark ages.”

“The Chilean church desperately needs systemic reform,” she said.

She noted that the Chilean church’s 2015 sex abuse policy — mandated by the Vatican in 2011 — “contains no zero tolerance provision, no mandated reporting for clergy, and a rejection of the church’s responsibility to make reparation to victims.”

**

Vatican probe of child sexual abuse begins in Chile, The Santiago Times (February 19, 2018)

In Chile, some 80 priests have been accused of sexual abuse of minors, according to the American NGO BishopAccountability.

**

Pope Francis says he meets almost weekly with abuse victims, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (February 15, 2018)

Those remarks angered abuse survivors and advocate groups. Abuse-tracking website BishopAccountability.org said the pope had "turned back the clock to the darkest days" of the abuse scandals, and that it would make victims afraid to come forward for fear of not being believed.

**

Vatican seeks to defuse scandal, says pope meets victims, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (February 15, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, of the online resource database BishopAccountability.org, said the revelation of Francis’ frequent meetings with victims raises the question of whether he has a double standard about which types of victims he believes.

“He appears not to listen to victims who expose the complicity of church hierarchs,” she said in an email. “His response to those victims is silence or even, as we saw in Chile, counterattack.”

**

Chilean victim of sexual abuse demands thorough Vatican investigation, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 9, 2018)

“Such ignorance by the pope would suggest that the Vatican has no system in place for responding to allegations, despite 15 years of scandal and assurances to the contrary,” said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of Boston-based research group BishopAccountability.org.

**

Chile Sex-Abuse Victim: 'Vatican Investigation Must Be Fair,' Reuters by teleSUR/LJS (February 9, 2018)

**

CRITICS: POPE LOSING CREDIBILITY IN ABUSE CASES, by Rodney Pelletier, Church Militant (February 6, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, is claiming Pope Francis most likely "lied" when he said he had never heard from any of Karadima's victims.

**

Pope accused of being ‘deliberately deceptive’ over Chilean abuse case, by Patsy McGarry, The Irish Times (February 6, 2018)

“The most charitable interpretation is that Pope Francis is guilty of either forgetfulness or dysfunction,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of the US -based BishopAccountability.org

She found either “implausible, given the Pope’s demonstrated interest in directly managing the scandal around Barros.” The more likely explanation was that the Pope “was being deliberately deceptive in Chile ...when he said he had seen no evidence of Barros’ complicity.”

This latest news was “evidence that the cover-up by the Catholic church continues and that it still begins at the top,” she said.

**

Victim groups criticize Pope Francis over abuse letter, The Associated Press (February 6, 2018)

The head of a U.S.-based group that has compiled a clergy abuse database said the revelations point to “inexcusable dysfunction at best and willful deception at worst.”

Anne Barrett Doyle is co-director of BishopAccountability.org. She said the “distressing and more likely explanation is that the pope lied.”

**

New Report Details Abuse In Diocese Of Rockville Centre, by Alex Costello, Rockville Centre Patch (February 5, 2018)

**

Profesora Ana María Celis: El Papa aprueba un tribunal para juzgar a obispos que oculten casos de pedofilia, El Mercurio (January 2018)

"Este evento es potencialmente significativo. Por primera vez podría haber un procedimiento claro para disciplinar a los obispos que oculten o permitan los abusos sexuales a menores", dijo Anne Barrett Doyle, de BishopAccountability.org, un grupo independiente que aboga por que la Iglesia Católica aborde el tema.

**

Chilean survivor of clergy sex abuse denies he is lying, by Heidi Schlumpf and Maria Benevento, National Catholic Reporter (January 24, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, said that the pope's comments demonstrated "contempt for victims and fierce loyalty toward brother bishops."

"I think the mask is off," Doyle said. "I think we are seeing where the pope truly stands on this issue."

**

The pope is defending a bishop accused of witnessing abuse. What do his words mean to survivors?, PBS (January 23, 2018)[WITH audio and transcript]

Pope Francis came under fire during a trip to Chile for defending a bishop accused of directly witnessing and covering up sexual abuse by another church figure, dating back to the 1980s. While the pope apologized for his wording, he stands by the bishop. Lisa Desjardins talks with Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org about what the pontiff’s words mean to victims and other Catholics.

**

Pope Apologizes to Abuse Victims but Again Doubts Them, by Jason Horowitz, The New York Times (January 22, 2018)

For some advocates, Pope Francis this week moved decisively into the second camp. The website BishopAccountability.org said the pope had “turned back the clock to the darkest days of this crisis.” On Monday, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said in a statement that “Pope Francis has made his true feelings known.”

**

Dismissive words on abuse scandal cast pall over pope’s trip, by Christine Armario, The Associated Press (January 22, 2018)

“That is the enigma of Pope Francis,” Anne Barrett Doyle of the online abuse database BishopAccountability.org said Sunday. “He is so bold and compassionate on many issues but he is an old school defensive bishop when it comes to the sex abuse crisis.”

**

Pope Francis Offers Partial Apology To Clergy Sex Abuse Victims After Demand For ‘Proof,’ By Carol Kuruvilla, Huffington Post (January 22, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the online database BishopAccountability.org, told HuffPost that in his latest remarks, Francis once again seems to be blaming the victims ― this time, for not trying to meet with him.

Doyle said church investigators have already extensively studied the claims made by Karadima’s victims, in order to deliver the 2011 ruling against the priest. She doesn’t understand how it’s possible for Francis to claim the Barros case was “studied and studied again” if that investigation didn’t also include gathering testimony from victims and other witnesses.

“Few Catholic abuse cases in the world have involved as much testimony and investigation as the Karadima case. Between the church, criminal and civil cases, the victims surely have attested repeatedly about the role of Barros and the other Karadima protégés,” Doyle told HuffPost in an email. “By blaming the victims for not giving evidence, the Pope either is being deceptive or revealing his ignorance of this crucial case.”

**

Cardinal O'Malley: Pope caused 'great pain' for abuse survivors in Chile, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (January 20, 2018)

Francis' words enraged the abuse survivor community and many Chilean Catholics, as three survivors have testified that Barros witnessed Fr. Fernando Karadima abusing them. Abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org said the pope had "turned back the clock to the darkest days of this crisis."

**

Key cardinal rebukes pope over abuse comment in rare move, by Philip Pullella and Caroline Stauffer, Reuters (January 20, 2018)

Boston-based research group BishopAccountability.org has compiled a database listing nearly 70 Chilean priests, deacons, religious brothers and a nun who have been accused of molesting children.

**

Pope Francis Accuses Chilean Survivors Of Slander, by Meghna Chakrabarti and Lily Tyson, WBUR (January 19, 2018)

**

Pope’s Defense of Chilean Bishop in Sex Abuse Scandal Causes Outrage, by Pascale Bonnefoy and Austin Ramzy, The New York Times (January 19, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a group that monitors abuse cases, called the pope’s remarks “a stunning setback.”

She added: “He has just turned back the clock to the darkest days of this crisis. Who knows how many victims now will decide to stay hidden, for fear they will not be believed?”

**

Clergy Abuse Advocates Fear Pope Francis Is Making It Harder For Victims To Speak Up, by Carol Kuruvilla, Huffington Post (January 19, 2018)

Other advocates for abuse survivors have the same fear that victims will be afraid to come forward with their stories. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the online database BishopAccountability.org, called Francis’ attack on the Chilean sex abuse survivors a “stunning setback.”

“The burden of proof here rests with the Church, not with victims ― and especially not with victims whose veracity already has been affirmed,” Doyle said in a statement. “Exhaustive investigations by both church and civil authorities proved the allegations of Juan Carlos Cruz [and others] in regards to Karadima. A reasonable person would consider that they are telling the truth about Barros also.”

“Who knows how many victims now will decide to stay hidden, for fear they too will be attacked as slanderers?” she added.

**

THE NEW YORK TIMES RECALCA QUE FRANCISCO TRATÓ A VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSOS SEXUALES EN CHILE DE DECIR "CALUMNIAS": El medio estadounidense precisó que la defensa que el Sumo Pontífice hizo al obispo Juan Barros generaron revuelo en el país., ahoranoticias.cl (January 19, 2018)



**

Pope shocks Chile by accusing sex abuse victims of slander, The Associated Press (January 18, 2018)

**

Piden al papa Francisco investigar a clérigos acusados en Perú, Diario Correo (January 18, 2018)

**

Víctimas de abusos en Perú piden al Papa que se haga justicia, Deutsche Welle (January 18, 2018)

**

Activistas en Perú piden cárcel para curas que cometen abusos sexuales, AFP/Redacción Publimetro (January 18, 2018)

“Esperamos que el abusador sea sancionado, ahora que el Vaticano ha intervenido en el caso”, declaró la estadounidense Anne Barret-Doyle, quien afirmó que ha habido encubrimiento en los casos de abusos sexuales perpetrados por líderes del grupo laico católico peruano Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, intervenido por la Santa Sede hace una semana.

**

Víctimas de Karadima y reunión del papa Francisco: "No fuimos invitados," by Alberto González and Nicole Martinez, Bio Bio Chile (January 17, 2018)

Sin embargo, las víctimas de Karadima no serían los únicos en sufrir abusos por parte de religiosos en nuestro país. Según una lista distribuida la semana pasada por la ONG estadounidense Bishop Accountability, casi 80 religiosos abusaron de menores desde 2000.

**

Pope meets with abuse survivors, weeps with them in Chile, by Peter Prengman and Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (January 17, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the online abuse database, BishopAccountability.org, praised Francis for opening his visit with the apology, but said Chileans expect him to take action against complicit church leaders.

“This is a crucial opportunity for Francis. With luck, he will not make the mistake of his brother bishops in underestimating the savviness and moral outrage of the Chilean people,” said Barrett Doyle, who last week released research showing nearly 80 Chilean priests have been credibly accused or convicted of abuse.

**

Obispo encubridor de pederastas estuvo en misa del Papa, El Comercio (January 17, 2018)

"Si el Papa se va de Chile sin el compromiso de investigar la complicidad de los líderes de la Iglesia, la desconfianza con la Iglesia se va a agudizar", dice Anne Barrett Doyle, co directora de BishopAccountability en un comunicado.

**

In Chile, Pope Francis Apologizes for ‘Irreparable Damage’ Caused by Sexual Abuse, by Ernesto Londoño, The New York Times (January 16, 2018)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a group that tracks abuse cases in the church, said the pope’s remarks in Santiago were “strong but familiar.” Francis last year acknowledged that the church had been slow to respond to allegations of abuse and said that “pedophilia is a sickness.”

Ms. Doyle, whose group last week published a database of nearly 80 Chilean clergymen who have been accused of abuse, said she hoped the pope would commit to undertaking a sweeping investigation of past cases.

“If the pope leaves Chile without committing to investigate complicit church leaders, the public’s already deep distrust of the church will intensify,” Ms. Doyle said.

**

Francis tells Chile's clergy to seek pardon for abuse and betrayed trust, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (January 16, 2018)

"These remarks reveal the pope’s own lack of clear-sightedness," said Anne Barrett Doyle, who helps run BishopAccountability.org. "The 'reality' that he should call by its name is the reality of collusion, apathy and cowardice among priests."

"The pope could have delivered a very different message," said Barrett Doyle. "He could have urged priests to face their own complicity in the secrecy that shrouds clergy sex abuse."

"This is another missed opportunity, another indication that Pope Francis still doesn’t get it," she said.

**

Confirman reunión reservada del Papa con víctimas de abusos sexuales por religiosos, By Alberto González, Bio Bio Chile (January 16, 2018)

En Chile, casi 80 religiosos abusaron de menores desde 2000, según una lista distribuida la semana pasada por la ONG estadounidense Bishop Accountability.

**

The Pope, “Pain and shame for the irreparable damage caused to children,” by Andrea Tornielli (January 16, 2018)

**

Anne Barrett-Doyle: "Cuando un obispo chileno pase un día en la cárcel, van a haber cambios en la iglesia chilena" America Economia (January 15, 2018)

**

"La Visita del Papa es una oporunidad para comenzara limpiar la casa," El Dia, (January 14, 2018)

**

Víctimas de karadima lideran velatón en la Catedral de Santiago por miles de abusos sexuales, ADNradio.cl (January 14, 2018)

**

Ezzati por acusaciones de encubrimiento y carta del Papa: “He actuado con mucha verdad, a pesar de lo que digan algunas mentes desquiciadas en EE.UU.,” El Mostrador (January 12, 2018)

**
Ezzati responde a ONG que investiga abusos en la Iglesia: “He actuado con verdad y conciencia,” by Alejandra Jara, La Tercera (January 12, 2018)

**
José Andrés Murillo: "Si Karadima hubiera seguido en el poder, lo hubiéramos visto en las fotos al lado del Papa Francisco", by Cristian Aránguiz, americaeconomia.com (January 12, 2018

**

Pope Francis plans talks with Pinochet dictatorship victims during Chile visit, The Associated Press (January 11, 2018)

Just this week, online database www.BishopAccountability.org said it had found 78 priests or members of religious orders credibly accused or convicted of abuse against minors.

**
El Vaticano anunció la intervención del grupo católico en Perú, El Universal (January 11, 2018)

**

ONG estadounidense publica listado con más de 80 religiosos involucrados en abusos, Agencia Puntual (January 11, 2018)

La organización no gubernamental llamada BishopAccountability, lanzó un listado con 80 clérigos chilenos involucrados en casos de abusos sexuales, esto, con el fin de hacer cumplir el compromiso del Papa de “tolerancia cero”.

Anne Barrett-Doyle, quien comanda la agrupación, señaló que “los encubrimientos por parte de las autoridades religiosas en el mundo no son tan potentes como en Chile”, y acusó a Ezzati de “no tomar las suficientes medidas necesarias”.

**

ONG pide al Pontífice remover a cuatro obispos chilenos, by Florencia Donoso, Nacional El Mercurio (January 11, 2018)

**

La Historia es Nuestra: ONG internacional que denuncia abusadores analiza visita de papa a Chile, coopertiva.cl (January 11, 2018) [with audio]

Paula Molina entrevista a Anne Barrett-Doyle, de la organización “Bishop Accountability”, quien cree que Francisco finalmente sí se reunirá con víctimas de abusos cometidos por sacerdotes, pero que el gesto es menor en comparación a las medidas que debe tomar ante estos delitos.

**

Ante la llegada del Papa publican listado de 80 religiosos acusados de abusos sexual, And Noticias (January 11, 2018)

**

Clergy abuse database releases new names in Chile, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (January 10, 2018)

The leading Catholic clergy sexual abuse tracking website has identified nearly 80 priests in Chile that have been publicly accused of sexually abusing minors, releasing their names online just days before Pope Francis is to visit the country.

BishopAccountability.org calls the list only a sampling of the number of Chilean priests who have likely committed abuse, saying that unlike in the U.S., the church in Chile has yet to face substantial outside investigation into its handling of sexual misconduct.

"This list — is a fraction of the total number of accused clerics who would be known if Chile's church leaders were required to report to law enforcement, if its legal system allowed victims more time to bring criminal and civil charges, or if dioceses and religious orders were investigated by prosecutors or state commissions," the group notes in a statement accompanying the database.
------------------------------
Release of the BishopAccountability.org database came shortly after the Vatican announced Jan. 10 that it would be taking control of a Catholic religious association in Peru that has been accused of facilitating the spiritual, psychological and physical abuse of children.

**

Pope Francis to face protests in Chile over bishop appointment, by Dave Sherwood, Reuters (January 10, 2018)

**

Arzobispo Ezzati en la mira por "no hacer nada" ante denuncias de abusos sexuales, La Izquierda Diario (January 10, 2018)

La ONG Bishop Accountability, reconocida por investigar casos de abusos sexuales, denunció e hizo una dura crítica contra el arzobispo de Santiago, Ricardo Ezzati, por "no hacer nada" ante las diversas acusaciones contra sacerdotes y religiosos de la Iglesia Católica, según manifestó la fundadora del grupo mencionado Anne Barrett-Doyle.

La organización presentó una lista con alrededor de 80 sacerdotes y religiosos implicados en casos de abusos sexuales, como Karadima, Precht y sor Paula, entre otros muchos, y se responsabiliza, principalmente, a Ezzati por no tomar medidas drásticas ante esta situación. Es más, desde la ONG denuncian que el arzobispo "está devolviendo a sacerdotes acusados de abuso al ejercicio".

Bishop Accountability remarca que Ezzati es un líder incapaz de ponerle fin a los abusos y que ha permitido que sacerdotes condenados vuelvan a sus funciones, demostrando la profunda complicidad que existe en la institución religiosa.

**

ONG de EEUU lanzó listado con más de 80 casos de clérigos involucrados en abusos en Chile, Publicado por Guido Focacci; La Información es de Aristeo Andrés, Bio Bio Chile (January 10, 2018)

**

ONG estadounidense revela casos de abuso sexual por parte de sacerdotes chilenos, Agencia AFP (January 10, 2018)

**

Organización internacional difundirá archivo con cerca de 70 religiosos acusados de abuso sexual en Chile, elciudadano.cl (January 10, 2018)
**

Organización lanza sitio con casos de sacerdotes chilenos acusados de abuso sexual, El Dínamo (January 10, 2018)

La organización Bishop Accountability, radicada en Estados Unidos, se encarga de proporcionar información a través de Internet acerca de los distintos casos de sacerdotes acusados y condenados por abuso sexual, así como también a religiosos que han actuado como encubridores del delito.

A menos de una semana de la llegada del Papa a Chile, la entidad lanzó en su sitio información sobre los casos chilenos. En total se registraron 70, que agrupa a sacerdotes, diáconos, hermanos religiosos y una monja. Cada nombre está acompañado de un resumen junto con información al lugar que pertenecen y enlaces de noticias al respecto.

Anne Barrett-Doyle, representante de Bishop Accountability, señaló que este lanzamiento se hizo previo a la visita de Francisco I “con la esperanza de que alguno de sus asistentes le haga ver que no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero”.

La organización busca que el Papa remueva al cardenal Ricardo Ezatti y a otros obispos que -según acusa Bishop Accountability- habrían encubiertos otros casos como Horacio Valenzuela (Talca) y Cristian Contreras (San Felipe). “El Papa dice que llora por las víctimas. Queremos que transforme las lágrimas en acciones”, indicó.

Las víctimas del Fernando Karadima han denunciado en varias oportunidades, incluso ante la justicia, que Ezzati sabía de los abusos pero que no hizo nada al respecto. “Él es el líder más poderoso de la iglesia chilena. Si él como líder no le da importancia al mensaje de cero tolerancia ¿Qué podemos esperar para los demás miembros de la iglesia?”, dijo Barrett-Doyle.

“Cuando hacíamos esta investigación estábamos atónitos con los casos de abuso en Chile. Tratan bien a los abusadores y duro a las víctimas”, afirmó.

Por otro lado, la integrante de la organización manifestó extrañeza por el nombramiento de Juan Barros como obispo de Osorno, quien también ha sido acusado por las víctimas de encubrir los abusos de Karadima. “En todos nuestros años de investigación nunca vimos tanta pasión de laicos para protestar en contra de un obispo. Es una desgracia que el papa Francisco haya nombrado a Barros para el cargo que tiene”, señaló Barrett-Doyle.

**

Organización Internacional Revelará Nombres De 70 Religiosos Chilenos Acusados De Abuso Sexual, A Días De La Legada De Francisco, Diario Chile (January 10, 2018)

“La Iglesia Católica de Chile hace oídos sordos a las exigencias del Papa de aplicar el principio de ‘tolerancia cero’”, sostiene la investigadora Anne Barrett-Doyle. “Obispos chilenos siguen guardando en secreto los nombres de muchos de los abusadores”, añaden desde BishopAccountability.org.

“Los niños todavía corren peligro dentro de la Iglesia Católica chilena”. Ese es el contundente diagnóstico que realiza Anne Barrett-Doyle, investigadora católica estadounidense y codirectora de BishopAccountability.org, una organización internacional que documenta casos de abusos en la Iglesia.

**

ONG denuncia 80 religiosos chilenos involucrados en abusos sexuales, infinita.cl (January 10, 2018)

**

Lanzan sitio con nombres de 78 religiosos católicos acusados de abusos en Chile, Fortin Mapocho (January 10, 2018)

El grupo internacional de investigación Bishop Accountability, con sede en Estados Unidos, que investiga los abusos sexuales cometidos por los religiosos de la iglesia católica, lanzó hoy en Santiago en sitio web con 78 casos registrados en nuestro país.

Se trata del sitio http://www.bishop-accountability.org/Chile/, aún en inglés, el primer banco de datos donde aparecen con fotografías, nombres y congregaciones de los miembros de la iglesia católica chilena que han sido denunciados por abuso sexual de menores, incluidos cuatro obispos.

Este nuevo recurso electrónico fue presentado por por Anne Barrett-Doyle, investigadora católica y fundadora del grupo Bishop Accountability grupo fue clave para las investigaciones realizadas por el Boston Globe, sobre abusos sexuales en esa ciudad de Estados Unidos.

**

Organización internacional que investiga abusos sexuales detalla 78 casos cometidos en la Iglesia Católica chilena, Emol (January 10, 2018)

**

Liberan información sobre religiosos chilenos denunciados por abusos sexuales, The Clinic Online (January 10, 2018)

En horas de este miércoles el grupo Bishop Accountability representado por Anne Barrett-Doyle liberó el primer banco de datos de Internet sobre religiosos chilenos que fueron denunciados por abusos sexuales en algún momento.
**

AD PORTAS DE VISITA PAPAL: LANZAN NÓMINA DE RELIGIOSOS ACUSADOS DE ABUSOS EN CHILE, by Giselle Saure, La Nacion (January 10, 2018)

 

**

ONG de EEUU lanzó listado con más de 80 casos de clérigos involucrados en abusos en Chile, by Guido Focacci, Bio Bio Chile (January 10, 2018)

Con el objetivo de llamar al papa Francisco a cumplir su compromiso de “tolerancia cero” en casos de abuso sexual en acciones concretas contra sus autores, la agrupación Bishop Accountability lanzó un sitio con 80 religiosos chilenos involucrados, acusando especialmente al cardenal Ricardo Ezzati de encubrimiento.

La agrupación, liderada por Anne Barrett-Doyle, indicó que este encubrimiento en ninguna parte del mundo es tan potente como en Chile y apuntó a Ezzati, como principal autoridad católica del país, a tomar medidas en estos casos.

**

Publican listado de religiosos chilenos acusados de abuso de menores a días de la visita del Papa, resumen.cl (January 10, 2018)

**

Más de 80 sacerdotes están en lista de ONG de EEUU con casos de abusos sexuales en Chile, by Hans Scott, Agencia UNO, Pagina 7 (January 10, 2018)

Con el objetivo de llamar al papa Francisco a cumplir su compromiso de ‘tolerancia cero’ en casos de abuso sexual en acciones concretas contra los agresores, la agrupación Bishop Accountability lanzó un sitio con 80 religiosos chilenos involucrados, acusando especialmente al cardenal Ricardo Ezzati de encubrimiento. La agrupación, liderada por Anne Barrett-Doyle, indicó que este encubrimiento en ninguna parte del mundo es tan potente como en Chile y apuntó a Ezzati, como principal autoridad católica del país, a tomar medidas en estos casos.

**

GRUPO QUE DENUNCIA ABUSOS SEXUALES EN LA IGLESIA CRITICÓ A EZZATI, radiosantiagobueras.cl (January 10, 2018)

El grupo Bishop Accountability, que lanzó este miércoles el primer banco de datos sobre sacerdotes chilenos denunciados por abuso de menores, criticó al arzobispo de Santiago y cardenal de la Iglesia Católica, Ricardo Ezzati.

La agrupación participó en las investigaciones realizadas por el Boston Globe sobre abusos sexuales en esa ciudad y su representante Anne Barrett-Doyle, acusó a Ezatti de “no hacer nada” para que se investiguen los casos en el país, consignó La Tercera.

“Él es el líder más poderoso de la Iglesia chilena. Si él como líder no le da importancia al mensaje cero tolerancia, ¿qué podemos esperar para los demás miembros de la Iglesia?”, dijo Barrett-Doyle.

**

ORGANIZACIÓN CRITICA A EZZATI POR MINIMIZAR DENUNCIAS DE ABUSOS SEXUALES, La Tercera (January 10, 2018)

El grupo Bishop Accountability, con sede en Estados Unidos y representado por Anne Barrett-Doyle, lanzó este miércoles el primer banco de datos publicado en Internet sobre los clérigos chilenos que han sido denunciados por abuso sexual de menores. Este nuevo recurso electrónico proporciona detalles de los casos de 79 sacerdotes, diáconos, hermanos religiosos y una monja en nuestro país, que han sido condenados por la justicia. Sin embargo, se indica que de acuerdo a lo estudiado, deben hacer cientos de casos que aún se mantienen ocultos.

Barrett-Doyle explicó que este lanzamiento se hizo previo a la visita del Papa Francisco “con la esperanza de que alguno de sus asistentes le haga ver que no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero” contra los abusos.

**

ONG difunde listado de religiosos denunciados por abusos sexuales y acusa: "Ezzati no le da importancia al mensaje de cero tolerancia," El Mostrador (January 10, 2018)

La ONG estadounidense Bishop Accountability presentó un documento que contiene un listado de religiosos chilenos que han sido denunciados por abuso sexual de menores.

La representante de la organización, Anne Barrett-Doyle, explicó que el banco de datos revela casos de cerca de 70 sacerdotes, diáconos, hermanos religiosos y una monja, y que su lanzamiento se hizo como antesala de la visita del Papa Francisco.

"Con la esperanza de que alguno de sus asistentes le haga ver que no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero contra los abusos", sostuvo.

Barrett-Doyle se mostró molesta con el cardenal Ricardo Ezzatti, a quien acusó de encubrir abusos sexuales.

**

ONG difunde listado de religiosos denunciados por abusos sexuales y acusa: "Ezzati no le da importancia al mensaje de cero tolerancia," El Mostrador (January 10, 2018)

**

Organización lanza sitio con casos de sacerdotes chilenos acusados de abuso sexual, El Dínamo (January 10, 2018)

La organización Bishop Accountability, radicada en Estados Unidos, se encarga de proporcionar información a través de Internet acerca de los distintos casos de sacerdotes acusados y condenados por abuso sexual, así como también a religiosos que han actuado como encubridores del delito.

A menos de una semana de la llegada del Papa a Chile, la entidad lanzó en su sitio información sobre los casos chilenos. En total se registraron 70, que agrupa a sacerdotes, diáconos, hermanos religiosos y una monja. Cada nombre está acompañado de un resumen junto con información al lugar que pertenecen y enlaces de noticias al respecto.

Anne Barrett-Doyle, representante de Bishop Accountability, señaló que este lanzamiento se hizo previo a la visita de Francisco I “con la esperanza de que alguno de sus asistentes le haga ver que no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero”.

La organización busca que el Papa remueva al cardenal Ricardo Ezatti y a otros obispos que -según acusa Bishop Accountability- habrían encubiertos otros casos como Horacio Valenzuela (Talca) y Cristian Contreras (San Felipe). “El Papa dice que llora por las víctimas. Queremos que transforme las lágrimas en acciones”, indicó.

**

Con crítica a Ezzati, ONG publicó lista de 80 religiosos acusados de abuso sexual en Chile, Cooperativa.cl (January 10, 2018)

**

ONG difunde listado de religiosos denunciados por abusos sexuales y acusa:"Ezzati no le da importancia al mensaje de cero tolerancia," El Mostrador (January 10, 2018)

La ONG estadounidense Bishop Accountability presentó un documento que contiene un listado de religiosos chilenos que han sido denunciados por abuso sexual de menores.

La representante de la organización, Anne Barrett-Doyle, explicó que el banco de datos revela casos de cerca de 70 sacerdotes, diáconos, hermanos religiosos y una monja, y que su lanzamiento se hizo como antesala de la visita del Papa Francisco.

"Con la esperanza de que alguno de sus asistentes le haga ver que no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero contra los abusos", sostuvo.

Barrett-Doyle se mostró molesta con el cardenal Ricardo Ezzatti, a quien acusó de encubrir abusos sexuales.

**

Organización que investiga abusos sexuales en la Iglesia critica a Ezzati por minimizar denuncias, by Claudia Soto, La Tercera (January 10, 2018)

Bishop Accountability lanzó un sitio web con los sacerdotes denun, aseguró que sería un "gran gesto" del Papa Francisco que removiera al arzobispo de Santiago y a otros obispos como Cristián Contreras Molina y Horacio Valenzuela, por no haber intervenido adecuadamente en estos casos. En cuanto al Pontífice, señaló que "no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero" contra los abusos.

El grupo Bishop Accountability, con sede en Estados Unidos y representado por Anne Barrett-Doyle, lanzó este miércoles el primer banco de datos publicado en Internet sobre los clérigos chilenos que han sido denunciados por abuso sexual de menores. Este nuevo recurso electrónico proporciona detalles de los casos de 79 sacerdotes, diáconos, hermanos religiosos y una monja en nuestro país, que han sido condenados por la justicia. Sin embargo, se indica que de acuerdo a lo estudiado, deben hacer cientos de casos que aún se mantienen ocultos.

Barrett-Doyle explicó que este lanzamiento se hizo previo a la visita del Papa Francisco “con la esperanza de que alguno de sus asistentes le haga ver que no ha cumplido con su promesa de tolerancia cero” contra los abusos.

**

Anne Barrett-Doyle sobre obispo Barros: “Debería salir, pero no tenemos esperanza de que eso ocurra” by Maximiliano Alarcón, Diario U Chile (January 10, 2018)

**

Investigadora norteamericana destroza al clero católico chileno: “Tratan bien a abusadores, pero son muy duros con víctimas”, El Ciudadano (January 10, 2018) [Includes link to video of complete news conference]

**
Organización que investiga abusos sexuales en la Iglesia critica a Ezzati por minimizar denuncias, by Claudia Soto, La Tercera (January 10, 2018)

Organismo internacional revela lista de 78 clérigos denunciados en Chile, by Ximena Bertin, La Tercera (January 10, 2018)

**

Con crítica a Ezzati, ONG publicó lista de 80 religiosos acusados de abuso sexual en Chile, cooperativa.cl (January 10, 2018)

**
Anne Barrett-Doyle sobre obispo Barros: “Debería salir, pero no tenemos esperanza de que eso ocurra,” by Maximiliano Alarcón, Diario U Chile (January 10, 2018)

 

**
ONG enlista a casi 80 religiosos católicos por supuestos abusos sexuales en Chile, AFP (January 10, 2018)

 

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ONG reúne 78 casos de abuso sexual en la Iglesia: “Los obispos en Chile tratan bien a los abusadores y son duros con las víctimas,” El Desconcierto (January 10, 2018)

**

Investigadora norteamericana destroza al clero católico chileno: “Tratan bien a abusadores, pero son muy duros con víctimas,” El Ciudadano (January 10, 2018)

**

Pope Francis to face protests in Chile over bishop appointment, by Dave Sherwood, Reuters (January 10, 2018)

“This is an otherwise remarkable pope who has obviously done a tremendous amount of good in the Catholic Church. But when it comes to the issue of child sexual abuse, he is as recalcitrant as any old-school bishop,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Boston-based research group BishopAccountability.org.

A database compiled by the group and published on its website Wednesday lists nearly 70 Chilean priests, deacons, religious bothers and a nun who have been accused of molesting children, including some that remain in active ministry.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Doyle, who plans to attend the demonstrations, the Chile situation is unique in the context of the global sexual abuse crisis that enveloped the Church for nearly two decades.

“I have never seen a reaction as powerful and anguished as the people of Osorno against this bishop,” she said.

**

Las 80 denuncias por abuso sexual que ha enfrentado la Iglesia en Chile, by Sebastián Labrín y Juan Pablo Sallaberry, La Tercera (January 9, 2018)

**

Casos de abuso sexual en Chile llegan a 80 denuncias y cientos de víctimas, by Javiera Del Fierro, duna.cl (January 9, 2018)

La ONG norteamericana Bishop Accountability, institución que investiga y recopila casos de abusos sexuales cometidos por sacerdotes en todo el mundo, trabajó en un listado de religiosos chilenos que han enfrentado denuncias de este tipo.

La directora de la organización, Anne Barrett Doyle, , presentará en una conferencia de prensa este miércoles el documento con las cifras oficiales.

**

Iglesia católica chilena ha enfrentado 80 denuncias por abuso sexual, nuevopoder.cl (January 9, 2018)

La ONG norteamericana Bishop Accountability, entidad que recopila casos de abusos sexuales cometidos por sacerdotes en todo el mundo, ha estado trabajando en un listado de religiosos chilenos que han enfrentado denuncias de este tipo. Anne Barrett Doyle, directora de la organización, presentará el documento en una conferencia de prensa este miércoles.

**

2017

**

Drawing lessons from the life of Cardinal Bernard Law, National Catholic Reporter (December 27, 2017)

The victims, their advocates and concerned Catholics successfully lobbied for changes to how the hierarchy handles cases of clergy suspected of abusing minors. According to Terance McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, it is important to acknowledge where the church has made strides, such as the Dallas Charter and Essential Norms. Also, 40-plus U.S. dioceses have published lists of credibly accused priests; while that is less than half of the nation's dioceses, it is still more than what has been released elsewhere in the world.
.....
McKiernan said any honors that Law received Dec. 21 were an extension of the Vatican's own mishandling of the cardinal following his resignation — that despite him admitting what he called "mistakes," he received a prominent church, was placed in the Congregation for Bishops and maintained his placement in the conclave.

While some criticize that Law was never properly disciplined for his role in the abuse crisis, McKiernan noted that his resignation still stands as an exception, in that other bishops who shielded abusive priests from the public maintained their posts at the head of their dioceses.

"Many, many other bishops who did similar things during their time in office were never removed at all, or were removed in a way that did not really connect that action with the ways they had behaved during the crisis," he told NCR.
--------
"I don't see under Pope Francis that the church is really walking the talk, and I think that that sends a very, very bad signal down the chain."
– Terance McKiernan
------------
In that way, McKiernan said Law wasn't a scapegoat for his brother bishops but "a convenient shorthand" who came to represent something much larger than himself. "I think that people poured a lot of their indignation into his story, but I don't think that that was inappropriate."

McKiernan said that many worry that the culture in the church has changed little when it comes to the abuse issue.

The recent lapse of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, as well as the Vatican's inability to establish a bishop accountability tribunal, are signs, he said, of the long way the church has to go to get to the core of the issue. He also pointed to Francis' defense of his appointment of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, who has been accused of covering up abuse by a fellow priest.

"I don't see under Pope Francis that the church is really walking the talk, and I think that that sends a very, very bad signal down the chain," McKiernan said.

It's important not to view Law's death as the conclusion of the clergy abuse story, but rather an opportunity to reexamine the situation and where the church is today, not only in Boston but across the country and the globe.

"We need people to really dig into this and continue to work on this because … if the church really didn't understand why it happened, the danger is it will continue to go on and on," McKiernan told NCR.

**

The late Cardinal Law will be remembered as the face of the Catholic Church’s child sexual abuse crisis, by Mathew Bell, KOSU (December 20, 2017)

“It was absolutely shocking to Catholic parents like myself that Cardinal Law had known that this pedophile priest John Geoghan was abusing children, and [Law] kept him in ministry,” says Anne Barrett Doyle of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org.

But it turned out that the story was a great deal bigger than one abusive priest.

“By the end of 2002,” Doyle says, “we understood that [Law] had mismanaged more than 100 abusers in the Boston archdiocese, knowing that children were gravely hurt as a result.”

Acknowledging the pain and anger in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, Law’s successor Cardinal Sean O’Malley on Wednesday issued a statement saying, “As Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Law served at a time when the Church failed seriously in its responsibilities to provide pastoral care for her people, and with tragic outcomes failed to care for the children of our parish communities.”

“I deeply regret that reality and its consequences,” the statement from O’Malley said.

And the story is far from over, says Doyle. She gives Pope Francis credit for being the first pope to say that Catholic bishops must be held accountable for clergy sexual abuse of children. “But [Francis] has been a huge disappointment when it comes to actual results,” she says.

“He never so much as said a disapproving word about Cardinal Law,” Doyle says. “Pope Francis, unfortunately, although he is a breath of fresh air and is progressive on a number of issues, has not delivered on this really crucial issue of getting rid of bishops who cover up for [abusive] priests.”

**

Cardinal's death prompts U.S. sexual abuse activists to take stock of progress, by Scott Malone, Reuters (December 20, 2017)

As many as 100,000 U.S. children may have been victims of clerical sex abuse, insurance experts said in a paper presented at a Vatican conference in 2012. More than 6,700 members of the Catholic clergy were accused of sexual assault, according to BishopAccountability.org, a private group that tracks the allegations.
.....
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, said the church’s position would let it continue to cover up abuse by blocking the exposure that would come with new lawsuits.

“They are protecting the princes of the church who oversaw this conduct, just like Cardinal Law did,” Barrett Doyle said.

**

Boston opened ‘Pandora’s box’ of clergy sex abuse worldwide, by Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press (December 20, 2017)

In addition to the cover-ups, dozens of Catholic bishops have themselves been accused of abusing children worldwide, according to the website BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse in the church. The group’s Terry McKiernan said Wednesday that there are no available numbers for how many total priests have been accused globally.

**

Clergy abuse survivor: 'I hope he gets what he deserves in hell', WCVB (December 20, 2017)

"Cardinal Law's soft landing in Rome, after his Boston disgrace, reminds us that prelate privilege remains the rule in Catholicism," said Terence McKiernan, of BishopAccountability.org, an online database of the global church sex abuse scandal and the bishops who enabled it.

**

'The Hurt Is Still There': Clergy Abuse Survivors, Others React To Cardinal Law's Death, by Deborah Becker, WBUR (December 20, 2017)

Bowers — and several others — say the Catholic church still needs to do more. Terry McKiernan founded the group BishopAccountability.org after the scandal broke in Boston.

"There's an awful lot of work to be done," McKiernan said. "This feels like some kind of conclusion, but it's actually simply only part of the beginning of what we have to do to fix this problem that Cardinal Law is such a glaring example of."

McKiernan maintains a database of U.S. priests who've been accused of abuse. That list now includes 4,300 priests.

**

Cardinal Law, disgraced figure in church abuse scandal, dies, by Rachel Zoll and Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, published on STL.NEWS by St. Louis Media, LLC (ZS) (December 20, 2017)

**

Lawyers release report naming abusive priests to prompt victims to apply for diocese’s fund, by Colin Mixson, Brooklyn Daily (December 19, 2017)

**
UPDATED: Supreme Court unanimously shoots down Obama admin in religious freedom case, by Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews.com (December 15, 2017)

**
Legal group adds to list of Brooklyn priests named in child abuse cases: Brooklyn Diocese accuses group of pushing unproven names ahead of settlement deadline, by Mary Frost, Brooklyn Daily Eagle (December 15, 2017)

**

Kristine Ward, 'moral advocate for survivors' of abuse, remembered, by Brian Roewe, NAtional Catholic Reporter (December 7, 2017)

"She was just a fierce and loving advocate, and she set the bar high for the Catholics in the pews, and I think that will be her legacy, that very strong and uncompromising voice of hers," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.
------------------
Barrett Doyle credited the newsletter as creating "a shared conversation" among Catholics about sexual abuse. She said Ward's statements, often mixing colloquial and colorful language with Scripture passages, exerted continued pressure for accountability not just from church hierarchy but also from those in the pews.

"She really understood the complicity of lay Catholics in this phenomenon, in this crisis of clergy sexual abuse. Children could not have been abused without our deference to priests and bishops," Barrett Doyle said.

**

Brooklyn Diocese Names 8 Priests Who Sexually Abused Children, by Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (November 9, 2017)

Those seven priests represent a fraction of the Brooklyn and Queens clergy implicated in the 233 claims before the compensation program, which is awarding settlements to victims who agree to drop further action against the diocese. A website that tracks abuse allegations against priests, Bishopaccountablity.org, list 55 priests as accused abusers in the diocese since the 1930s, but the total number is unknown.

**

Remembering Boise Bishop Michael Driscoll, Protector of Orange County's Pedophile Priests, by Gustavo Arellano, Laist, (November 2, 2017)

**

Catholic Church faces massive clerical child sex abuse scandal in Pope Francis' Argentina, by Associated Press (October 26, 2017)

Experts attribute the spike to a cultural shift as victims feel more emboldened to denounce abuse, prosecutors are more inclined to investigate complaints of even decades-old abuse, the media are increasingly aggressive about reporting them and courts are willing to hand down stiff sentences.

"It's a domino effect," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based group that compiles a clergy abuse database.

In the U.S., confidential files on hundreds of pedophile priests have been released either through civil litigation, settlements or court order. The contents have revealed that top church officials worked behind the scenes to control the sex abuse scandal and keep it from authorities as well as parishioners.

"What is really remarkable here is that the survivors in Argentina don't have the same powerful legal tools that we see in other countries," Barrett Doyle said. "And yet, we're still seeing the significant increase in cases."

The AP compiled a list of 66 priests, nuns and brothers who have been accused since 2001 of abusing dozens of people, most of them children. The figures were gathered from testimonies by victims, judicial and church documents, and local media reports corroborated in conjunction with the BishopAccountability.org database. The number of new reports remained in the single digits each year from 2000 to 2015. But since the start of last year, victims have named 21 more, most accused of decades-old abuse.

**

#MeToo brings to light scope of sexual assault, victims' suffering, by Phyllis Zagano, National Catholic Reporter (October 23, 2017)

**

RVC Diocese to compensate church abuse victims, by Ben Strack, liherald.com (October 12, 2017)

But Terence McKiernan, founder and president of the Boston-based BishopAccountability.org, a database that collects the names of accused members of the clergy across the country as well as documents related to their cases, said there must be more efforts to toughen the laws in New York.

“One of the dangers that I see here is that people who would likely benefit from an improved statute of limitations are drawn away into these programs, and as a result, reforming the statute of limitations seems to be less urgent,” McKiernan said.

The website dates back decades and names roughly 50 accused priests who worked in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, including two who spent time at St. Agnes Cathedral.

Raised a Catholic, McKiernan was motivated to start the organization in 2003, shortly after the Boston Globe published a series of stories detailing the allegations against priests in the Boston area who had been accused of sexual misconduct with minors. The child of a family he knew was a victim of abuse at his parish in Newton, Mass.

He added that the compensation programs don’t have any provision to make public the names of newly accused priests, or release documents for cases that lead to compensation.

“It’s good for survivors, I think, who can get compensation this way, but not in other ways,” McKiernan said of the fund, “but in terms of transparency, and also in terms of how the plans might affect a move toward a better legislative situation for people who suffered this kind of abuse, not so good.”

**

Dark Canyon: A Follow-Up Interview with Bishop Accountability President, by Ellen Berkovitch, KSFR (September 21, 2017) [with audio]

**

Who Pays for Sex Abuse?, by Marci A. Hamilton, verdict.justia.com (September 14, 2017)

**

Four priests who abused their flock: Grim stories from the San Diego diocese files, by Peter Rowe, San Diego Union Tribune (September 10, 2017)

 

The documents, now curated on the bishop-accountability.org site, make grim reading.

**

Across the nation, priest sexual abuse cases haunt Catholic parishes, USA TODAY (August 23, 2017)

**

SNAP's evolution evident at gathering, in wake of departures, by Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter (August 21, 2017)

The back page of the conference program was further evidence that the Catholic piece of the problem is still prominent. Bishopaccountability.org, an extensive digital repository of information and data about the scandal, lists 59 new names of those considered credibly accused that made it into the organization’s database in the past year. The database, which contains voluminous documentation, including legal transcripts and depositions as well as correspondence, currently lists as credibly accused of sexual abuse 27 bishops, 3,774 priests, 59 deacons, 23 seminarians, 290 brothers and 95 women religious. Not included, according to those managing the website, are 2,645 priests counted as credibly accused by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops but not yet identified.

**

Voorwoord van de paus bij boek van misbruikslachtoffer valt verkeerd, Redactie, www.trouw.nl (17 augustus 2017)

**
Diocese has history of sex offenses by priests, by Ken Stickney, theadvertiser.com (August 9, 2017)

**

He was a priest central to the ‘Spotlight’ child sex abuse scandal. Now he’s a free man, by Alex Horton, The Washington Post (July 29, 2017)

The early accusations against Shanley began a domino effect of more alleged victims coming forward, said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, a watchdog group that collects data and documents on sexually abusive priests.

Doyle told The Post the Archdiocese of Boston should be held responsible for closely tracking Shanley.

“They created Paul Shanley. He should continue to be their problem,” Doyle said. Her organization maintains a database of names of about 4,000 clergymen and other religious figures accused of sexual assault, she said.

**

What happened to other clergy abuse perpetrators?, by Roy Greene and Jeremiah Manion, Boston Globe (July 26, 2017)

**

Statement on Pell case by bishopaccountability.org, [posted] by Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter (July 26, 2017)

**

Vatican treasurer vows to fight sex abuse charges in Australia, by Amy Kellogg Fox News (July 26, 2017)

**

Vatican Cardinal Pell Faces Australian Court on Sex Charges, by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press (July 26, 2017)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an archive of clerical sex abuse documents, said in a statement that while Wednesday's hearing was procedural, its impact would be felt across the world.

"Whatever the outcome of the case against Pell, his presence today in a secular courtroom marks the victory of transparency over secrecy, and of the rule of law over the Vatican's failed strategy of containment," she said.

**

Notorious Pedophile Priest Shanley to Leave Prison This Week, by Eli Rosenberg, Marc Fortier and Michael Rosenfield, NBC New York (July 25, 2017)

**

Convicted Pedophile Priest Paul Shanley to Be Released From Prison, by Eli Rosenberg, Marc Fortier and Michael Rosenfield, NBC Boston (July 25, 2017)

"Even though he is an old man, and even though he's served his time, I worry that, that No. 1, the population is still at risk, and No. 2, this is a terrible thing to put Shanley's alleged victims through," said Terence McKiernan of Bishop-Accountability.org.

**
A First: Cardinal Pell Appears in Australian Court on Sexual Charges, by Jacqueline Williams, New York Times (July 25, 2017)

**

Sylvia Demarest’s Gift of Disturbing Data, by Bruce Tomaso, The Texas Lawbook (© 2016) [Online July 20 2017]

The Dallas lawyer found a way for her work to live on: She donated a trove of records she’d collected over 11 years—information on 2,600 priests accused of pedophilia, plus her litigation files from the Kos case and others—to BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit project dedicated to documenting the Catholic crisis.

Today, that database, augmented by records from other sources, is online and accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

“What Sylvia did was momentous. She was a visionary,” said Terry McKiernan, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

“The database that she started has been phenomenally useful to people around the world. Not a day goes by when we don’t get an email from someone inquiring about a search or thanking us for making this information available.”

**

Netflix crime series "The Keepers" sparks calls for archdiocese to release priest's files, CBS News (July 19, 2017) [with video]

"To my knowledge, the church has never voluntarily released any documents pertaining to the clergy abuse crisis," said Terry McKiernan of Bishopaccountability.org.

McKiernan's organization, which has no affiliation with the church, has published abuse documents from about a dozen archdioceses and religious orders. But he says, in each case, the files were released only after the church was legally forced to do so.

**

Criminal Charges Against a High Vatican Official Are Fueling New Question About Pope Francis' Response, NECN (July 10, 2017)

The Take's Sue O' Connell interviews Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Man, 50, sues Santa Fe archdiocese, claims abuse by disgraced priest, by Rebecca Moss, The New Mexican (July 6, 2017)

**

Netflix's 'Keepers' prompts call for archdiocese to release priest's files, by Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun (July 1, 2017)

Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy abuse cases, said when church officials in other cities have released records of accused priests, it typically has been the result of litigation or in bankruptcy proceedings.

"Even then, there can be amazing delays," said McKiernan, who added that the files may contain everything from a priests' seminary records to complaints about a priest from parishioners to news clippings.

**

Pope removes German cardinal as sex abuse crisis catches up, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (July 1, 2017)

**

Cardinal’s sex abuse charges raise questions about pope’s record, by Josephine McKenna, Religion News Service (July 1, 2017)

“There is a deep disconnect between the pope’s words and his actions,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the advocacy group Bishop Accountability.

Barrett Doyle was critical of the pope for keeping Pell in his post until now, despite knowledge of the allegations against him.

“The pope is not a reformer when it comes to the crisis,” she said. “He apologizes often and uses buzz phrases like ‘zero tolerance.’ But underneath he remains the minimizer and the defender of accused priests.”

**

Gelzinis: Cardinal O’Malley urged to speak up on abuse, by Peter Gelzinis, Boston Herald (June 30, 2017)

Anne Barrett Doyle of Milton, founder of Bishop­Accountability.org, believes they did.

“Accountablity is happening,” Doyle told me yesterday. “The problem is, it’s happening outside the church at the hands of civil authorities looking to solve a crime and secure some justice.

**

Cardinal George Pell denies sex offense accusations: Church sex abuse by the numbers, by Sean Rossman, USA Today (June 29, 2017)

**

Pope's Top Aide Is Charged in Sex Assault Case in Australia: Papal financial adviser Cardinal George Pell was charged in Australia with multiple counts of sexual assault, bringing long-running abuse scandal inside the Vatican for the first time, by Nicole Winfield and Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press (June 29, 2017)

**

Update on the latest news, sports, business and entertainment, The Associated Press (June 29, 2017)

**

Diocese announces compensation plan: Queens sex abuse survivor urges other victims to take advantage of it, by Anthony O’Reilly, Queens Chronicle (June 29, 2017)

**

El tesorero del Vaticano, imputado por presuntos delitos de abuso sexual: Esta mañana, George Pell anunció su retiro temporario de su cargo como secretario de Economía del Vaticano para dirigirse a su país natal, Australia, donde deberá comparecer el 8/7 ante un tribunal de primera instancia en Melbourne, Urgent 24 (June 29, 2017)

**

Critics: Pope must do more to confront sex abuse, by Associated Press (June 29, 2017)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an online archive of clerical sex abuse documents, said she was surprised by the charges "simply because of their boldness."

In an email to The Associated Press, she said: "Some say Pell is being scapegoated. While Pell undeniably is the poster boy for the Australian church's wrongdoing, false allegations are relatively rare."

**

The Latest: Critics: Pope must do more to confront sex abuse, The Associated Press (June 29, 2017)

**

Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn to Pay Millions to Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Posted by Joseph H. Saunders, The Legal Examiner, (June 28, 2017)

At least 54 priests in the Brooklyn diocese, which also includes Queens, have been accused of child sexual abuse, according to BishopAccountability.org, a website that compiles lists based on litigation and news reports. The diocese told The Daily News last year that it would release a complete list of accused priests to the public, but it never did.s

**

Brooklyn Diocese Seeks to Compensate Sex Abuse Victims, by Sharon Otterman, The New York Times (June 22, 2017)

**

Claims against church exceed $530M: Church, victims face uncertain outcome, by Neil Pang, The Guam Daily Post (June 18, 2017)

**

No one is monitoring former abusive priests, by Nicole Sotelo, National Catholic Reporter (June 8, 2017)

While dioceses may not monitor former abusive priests, concerned Catholics and other citizens may take some steps to safeguard their children. You can learn the warning signs of abusive people and how to talk with your kids about safety. You may also check BishopAccountability.org. The organization is the only site to comprehensively catalog the Catholic abuse crisis. The website contains a database of publicly known sexual offenders from the church that you can search by diocese or name.

**

Syracuse diocese, priest sued over child-molesting claims from 30 years ago, by John O'Brien, syracuse.com (June 2, 2017)

**

Guam clergy sex abuse cases tracked in database, by Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News (May 29, 2017

**

From 'Spotlight' to 'Keepers,' Richard Sipe sees celibate priesthood as problem for the Catholic Church, by Dan Rodricks, The Baltimore Sun (May 25 2017)

**

Bishop Hopes 'Healing Mass' Will Help Cure Wounds Of Past Abuse, WWNYTV.com (Apr 20, 2017)

**

The Catholic Church's Child Sexual Abuse Scandal Revisited, by Bruce R. Nelson, brucenelsonblog.com (April 13, 2017)

If you want to see just how vile and entangled this scandal is, click here. It will take you to an amazing data base compiled by a group of Catholic laity under the banner of “Bishop Accountability”. You will find an “abuse tracker”, filled with letters, notes and documents representing more than 50 years of systemic child sexual assault and the Church’s elaborate efforts to keep it all quiet. Most of it came from litigation. Webmaster Kathleen Shaw, a former religion reporter for the Worcester, MA Telegram & Gazette, says she has logged more than 100,000 stories of abuse.

Through court records and crowd sourcing, the site has assembled an astonishing list of pedophile priests. There is a pull-down menu, like you were looking for a Starbucks in a foreign location. It goes by states, then cities. I picked small, remote towns I’d never heard of, only to see as many 15 or 20 priests entered there. There is another database for assignments, showing how abusers were moved from parish to parish by bishops who knew they were sexual predators.

**

Attorneys: ‘Priest left trail of abused and broken children’, by Mindy Aguon, The Guam Daily Post (April 06, 2017)

**

Archbishop Byrnes: Father Joe R. San Agustin laicized in 1970s, by Krystal Paco, Kuam News (April 06, 2017)

Also, newly accused Father Andrew Mannetta was named in two lawsuits earlier this week for clergy sex abuse. The Archbishop had no information on the priest who is believed to have moved from Guam to Hawaii to New York and may be presently residing in Connecticut. According to bishopaccountability.org, Mannetta admitted to sexually abusing boys in lawsuits filed in the mainland.

**

Jesuit Pope Francis is Coming Out; Backsliding on Pedophile Crackdown, Catholic Official Says, by Nate Brown, Christian Truther (March 14, 2017)

Before Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis, he was potentially involved in at least five abuse cases. The following comes from Bishop-Accountability:

1 Fr. Julio César Grassi
Grassi was convicted in 2009 of molesting a boy who had lived in a home for street children that Grassi founded. After Grassi’s conviction, Bergoglio commissioned a secret study to persuade Supreme Court judges of Grassi’s innocence. Bergoglio’s intervention is believed to be at least part of the reason that Grassi remained free for more than four years following his conviction. He finally was sent to jail in September 2013. See our detailed summary of the Grassi case with links to articles.

2 Fr. Rubén Pardo
In 2003, a priest with AIDS who had admitted to his bishop that he had sexually assaulted a boy was discovered to be hiding from law enforcement in a vicarage in the archdiocese of Buenos Aires, then headed by Bergoglio. Pardo also was reportedly hearing children’s confessions and teaching in a nearby school. One of Bergoglio’s auxiliary bishops, with whom he met every two weeks, appears to have lived at the vicarage at the same time. Typically, an ordinary must give permission for a priest to live and work in his diocese. It is unlikely that Pardo lived and ministered in Buenos Aires without Bergoglio’s approval. See our detailed summary of the Pardo case.

3 Brother Fernando Enrique Picciochi, S.M.
After a victim discovered that his abuser had fled Argentina to the US, eluding law enforcement, the victim sought Bergoglio’s help in getting released from the confidentiality order imposed by the cleric’s religious order. He conveyed his request in meetings with Bergoglio’s private secretary and with the auxiliary bishop, current archbishop Mario Poli. The archdiocese would not help. See our detailed summary of the Picciochi case.

4 Rev. Mario Napoleon Sasso
In 2001, following a diagnosis as a pedophile at a church-run treatment center, Sasso was made pastor of a very poor parish with a community soup kitchen in the Zárate-Campana diocese. In 2002-2003, he sexually assaulted at least five little girls in his bedroom off the soup kitchen. In 2006, with Sasso in jail but not yet convicted, the parents of the little girls reportedly sought Bergoglio’s help. Bergoglio was then president of the Argentine bishops’ conference, and the soup kitchen was just 25 miles from the Buenos Aires archdiocese. Bergoglio would not meet with them. See our detailed summary of the Sasso case.

5 Rev. Carlos Maria Gauna
Gauna was an archdiocesan priest under Bergoglio’s direct supervision. In 2001, two girls at a school filed a criminal complaint saying Gauna had touched them inappropriately. Bergoglio reportedly was going to look into it. Gauna still works in the Buenos Aires archdiocese. Notably, he’s now a deacon and a hospital chaplain – possible indicators that Bergoglio considered the allegations credible but decided to demote him rather than remove him from ministry. See our detailed summary of the Gauna case.

**

NY Archdiocese Launches Effort to Reach More Sex Abuse Victims: The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program will look at abuse cases dating back 10-40 years, by Brendan Krisel and Lanning Taliaferro, patch.com (March 09, 2017)

There are 77 priests publicly accused from the New York Archdiocese, according to BishopAccountability.org.

**

New Ulm bankruptcy makes Minnesota No. 1 in church bankruptcies: With New Ulm filing, Minnesota has most Catholic dioceses forced to seek protection, by Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune (March 04, 2017)

New Ulm is the 14th diocese or archdiocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy, according to Bishop’s Accountability, a national clearinghouse and internet archive of clergy abuse documents. Terry McKieran, president of the organization, said he wasn’t too surprised that Minnesota holds three of the 14 slots.

Minnesota is one of only four states to approve a temporary legal window for filing older abuse claims, said Marci Hamilton, a legal scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Similar legislation is pending in five other states. Minnesota also is the only state that approved a three-year window for filing claims. The others were shorter.

Also, the St. Paul archdiocese bankruptcy, in January of 2015, opened the doors to others, McKiernan said. Dioceses are “interconnected,” he said, and share common problems and solutions.

**

New Ulm diocese third in Minnesota to file for bankruptcy, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (March 03, 2017)

**

Cardinal O’Malley says voices of clergy sexual abuse survivors are critical, by Lisa Wangsness, Boston Globe (March 03, 2017)

After the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith balked at setting up the tribunal, Pope Francis dropped the idea and instead issued a letter explaining how existing church laws should be applied to hold bishops accountable for failing to protect children. Collins said it was unclear whether that has happened yet.

“It’s still untested,” O’Malley said, adding, “I think the message was very clear . . . that the church must deal with accountability of bishops.”

As a recent appointee to the congregation, O’Malley said he hoped he could “improve the communication and cooperation.”

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, an online archive of the abuse crisis, said he was discouraged that hadn’t yet happened — despite the pope’s and O’Malley’s support.

“I hear what O’Malley is saying, but . . . it looks like the words are not connected to the actions, and that’s a very depressing thought,” McKiernan said. “They’ve got to admit mistakes they made with Pete and Marie, and do better, because this is not credible without real survivor participation.”

**

NY Archdiocese Seeks $100 Million Loan To Pay Sex Abuse Victims: Several priests who worked in the Hudson Valley are among those publicly accused, by Brendan Krisel and Lanning Taliaferro, Patch Staff (March 03, 2017)

The scandal has touched many families and parishes throughout the Archdiocese, which stretches from Staten Island to Ulster County in the mid-Hudson Valley. There are 77 priests publicly accused from the New York Archdiocese, according to BishopAccountability.org.

**

US groups question Vatican's judge choice in Apuron trial, by Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News (February 19, 2017)

“From what we know of Burke’s record on abuse, he is an odd and unpromising choice for such a sensitive task,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.orga Massachusetts-based information resource that gathers documents and data about the clergy sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.

Doyle said Burke has a “troubling record” in dealing with clergy abuse cases.

“He has consistently defended accused clergy and played hardball with victims,” Doyle told Pacific Daily News.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apuron is one of 84 bishops worldwide who have been accused publicly of sexual wrongdoing, based on data that BishopAccountability.org has compiled.

Doyle said nothing in Burke’s record suggests he is a good choice to head Apuron’s tribunal.

“He does not seem capable of the extreme severity toward offending clergy that Pope Francis called for last week,” Doyle said.

In 1990, for example, Burke as a young canon lawyer defended before the Signatura an accused Pittsburgh priest that then-bishop Donald Wuerl was seeking to remove from the priesthood, Doyle said.

“When Burke won his case, Wuerl himself flew to Rome to argue for the priest’s removal and ultimately prevailed,” Doyle added.

Doyle said that on the other hand, there’s little known about Burke's involvement since 2008 when he left the U.S. to serve as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura.

“Despite his disagreement with Pope Francis on many other topics, let's hope Burke aligns with him on this most crucial issue facing the Church. In the tribunal in Guam, Burke must heed the Pope’s pledges of zero tolerance and accountability for bishops,” said Doyle. “Sadly, early indicators suggest otherwise.”

Doyle said Burke already has warned at least one Apuron victim that his testimony will be sealed under the pontifical secret, “and that does not bode well.”

“Without transparency, there cannot be accountability,” Doyle added.

**

Steve Bannon’s Cardinal Pal Denies Being Posted To Guam Is Punishment From Pope: A political battle is simmering in the Vatican, with arch-conservatives waiting in the wings., by Mary Papenfuss, The Huffington Post (February 19, 2017)

Advocates for victims of priest sex abuse complained about the choice of Burke for the case. They said the conservative cardinal has in other cases “consistently defended accused clergy and played hardball with victims,” Anne Barrett Doyle, a co-director of BishopAccountability.org told the Pacific Daily News.

**

Vaticano envia cardeal para Guam para investigar denúncias de abusos sexuais, Lusa, RTP Noticias (Febrauary 16, 2017)

"Burke não tem sido aberto relativamente ao abuso do clero no passado", defendeu Terence McKiernan, presidente da BishopAccountability.org, uma plataforma `online` com dados sobre abusos sexuais cometidos por padres.

McKiernan, citado pela agência Associated Press, afirmou que Burke falhou em divulgar as listas de padres acusados quando esteve à frente de duas dioceses norte-americanas, e publicou dados de uma que pareciam subestimar o problema, além de que se mostrou, na perspetiva do mesmo responsável, relutante em indemnizar as vítimas ou facultar-lhes apoio.

**

Cardinal sent to Guam to investigate sex abuse claims, Associated Press (February 15, 2017)

"Burke hasn't been open about clergy abuse in the past," Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, an online resource about priestly sex abuse, said in an email.
McKiernan said Burke failed to release lists of accused clerics when he was with two American dioceses, and released data from one that seemed to understate the problem. He also said Burke was reluctant "to compensate victims or provide for their care."

**
On the Vatican's radar, by Neil Pang and Gaynor D. Daleno, The Guam Daily Post (January 29, 2017; Updated February 09, 2017)

**

Près d’un prêtre australien sur 10 accusé d’agression, by Pieuvre.ca (February 07, 2017)

**

Investigação: 7% dos padres Austrália abusaram sexualmente de crianças, Journal de Noticias (February 07, 2017)

Nos EUA, quando o escândalo dos abusos sexuais praticados por religiosos chegou à luz do dia, houve 5,6% dos padres que foram acusados de molestar crianças entre 1950 e 2015, segundo os relatórios dos bispos norte-americanos analisados pelo sítio BishopAccountability.org, que segue a informação sobre abusos de padres.

**

Seven percent of Australian Catholic priests have been accused of child sexual abuse, report reveals, by Jardine Malado, The Christian Times (February 07, 2017)

In the U.S., as many as 5.6 percent of the clergy have been accused of molesting children, according to the reports by American bishops analyzed by BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks data on abusive priests.

**

World, by Webb Emily, Daily Herald (February 06, 2017)

**

7 percent of Australian Catholic priests accused of abuse, by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press (February 06, 2017)

**

International News: 7 percent of Australian Catholic priests accused of abuse, by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press (February 06, 2017)

**

The Buried Abuse of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese, by Craig Malisow, Houston Press (January 17, 2017)

Unlike other dioceses throughout the country — Boston, Los Angeles, Orange County, among others — Galveston-Houston has escaped scandal. Advocates say this archdiocese has avoided scrutiny largely because of Texas’s rigid statute of limitations, which has stifled the kind of successful civil litigation that has forced other bishops and cardinals into disclosing the records of hundreds of predators.

As Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Bishop Accountability, puts it, “Texas has one of the most victim-hostile statute[s] of limitations in the country.”

Although the religious order Salisbury worked under — the Josephites — and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, released statements on Salisbury’s crimes in 2004, Houston’s top Catholic clergy have acknowledged the diocese’s predator priests only if forced to through criminal charges, civil lawsuits or media reports.

The furthest nod toward transparency was in 2004, when then-bishop Joseph Fiorenza stated that 22 priests between 1958 and 2004 had been “credibly accused.” Their names, work histories or criminal records (if any) were not released.

But victims’ advocates believe that number is unrealistically low. As Barrett Doyle told the Press, “My educated guess is that an extraordinary amount of information about abuse of children by priests remains buried in that archdiocese.”

*****
In 2004, as part of a historic, yet hardly transparent, initiative, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops tasked the John Jay College of Criminal Justice with producing a report on abuse in the church, based largely on self-reported numbers. Covering the years 1950-2002, the report indicated that 4,392 priests and deacons had been accused of child sexual abuse, or 2.7 percent of the overall population of Catholic clergy working during that time.

That rate has risen to 5.6 percent today, according to Anne Barrett Doyle of Bishop Accountability, which calculates and reports the numbers annually. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has never amended its figure of 22 priests and 4 deacons — a 1 percent rate.

“That is just insane,” Barrett Doyle said, noting that in the small diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, “We know of more than 90 accused clergy.”

The Manchester diocese’s abuse and cover-ups were made public by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, which, following media reports in 2002, convened a grand jury and subpoenaed roughly 9,000 pages of documents showing how the diocese regularly covered up allegations of abuse.

In 2003, just before the AG’s Office was about to seek indictments on multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child, the diocese entered into an agreement with the AG’s Office requiring the diocese to submit to annual audits for five years, as well as other governmental oversight. Through the AG’s oversight, the diocese has identified 98 priests accused of sexual abuse.

But Fiorenza was never pressured into such disclosure, nor was his successor, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, whom Barrett Doyle calls “one of the less-transparent bishops in the United States.”

For one thing, Barrett Doyle said, DiNardo has not updated Fiorenza’s “absolutely preposterous” 2004 report on credibly accused clergy.

And, she said, in addition to being a low number, it’s useless without knowing all of the priests’ names.

“We don’t even know who they are,” Barrett Doyle said. “This is actually a public safety crisis…We don’t know where those perpetrators are, not to mention the dozens, if not hundreds, of allegations, that the archdiocese has rejected and they aren’t counting as ‘credible.’”

**

O’Malley is named to Vatican office that reviews abuse cases, by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe (January 15, 2017)

Anne Barrett Doyle, codirector of www.bishop-accountability.org, said O’Malley has a reputation of being “the pope’s go-to man for clergy sex abuse,” but she has not been impressed with his work thus far.

“The [Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors] is taking very modest steps and hasn’t achieved anything like real change,” Doyle said. “So I don’t know how he can cause the CDF to change.”

**

Paus wil 'zero tolerance' voor misbruikplegers, Reuters (January 03, 2017)

"Deze paus blijft zero tolerance verkondigen, maar bekrachtigt dat niet", reageerde Anne Barrett-Doyle, oprichtster van de Amerikaanse onderzoeksgroep Bishopaccountability.org, tegenover The Guardian naar aanleiding van de brief van Franciscus. "Hij weet net zo goed als wij dat kerkwetten geen dekking geven aan zero tolerance. Het is dus louter retoriek. Het trieste feit is dat de kerk nog steeds zijn systeem niet heeft aangepast om het tot een verplichte realiteit te maken."

**

First Roman Catholic bishop indicted in clergy abuse scandal dies, by Lisa Wangsness, Boston Globe (January 04, 2017)

Terence McKiernan, a spokesman for BishopAccountability.org, an online archive of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, said Dupre’s story reflects the Vatican’s past failures — and ongoing struggles — in holding bishops accountable for the abuse of children.

“Dupre, even though he paid a price in the sense that he did resign once his past was revealed, that’s a pretty mild punishment,” McKiernan said. “And I think most bishops who enabled abuse, and even some bishops who offended themselves, paid no price at all.”

Pope Francis, who has vowed to hold bishops accountable, has appointed Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, to an advisory panel on sexual abuse. Those members have been invited to address a training course for new bishops, the Associated Press reported last fall.

Yet the Vatican has allowed many bishops who have protected child abusers to step down without a clear public accounting and condemnation of their misconduct, McKiernan said.

**

Paus Fransiskus Minta Uskup Tidak Menoleransi Pelaku Kekerasan Seksual, by Wikanto Arungbudoyo, Okezone News (January 03, 2017)

**

Pope tells bishops to have zero tolerance for sexual abuse, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (January 2, 2017)

Anne Barrett-Doyle, founder of the U.S.-based research and monitoring group BishopAccountablity.org, said in an email that the pope's words were little more than rhetoric.

"This pope keeps proclaiming zero tolerance but doesn't enact it. He knows full well that Church law contains no zero tolerance provision. Zero tolerance is mere rhetoric. The sad fact is that the Church still has not changed its system to make zero tolerance a binding reality," she said.

She said that while it existed in the United States, it is "still optional in the global Catholic Church".

**

2016

**

Argentina Investigates Alleged Sex Abuse at School, by Almudena Calatrava & Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (on ABC NEWS), (December 23, 2016)

**

Alleged victims of pedophile priests say Pope Francis was made aware in 2014, Fox News (based on reporting by the Associated Press) (December 23, 2016)

**

Priests at Argentinian school for deaf youngsters 'would choose their victims to sexually abuse knowing other children would not hear them scream' , by Jennifer Newton, Daily Mail (MailOnline), (December 23, 2016)

**

Argentina Probes Sex Abuse at Deaf School, What Vatican Knew, by Almudena Calatrava & Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (December 23, 2016)

"No other pope has spoken as passionately about the evil of child sex abuse as Francis. No other pope has invoked 'zero tolerance' as often. No other pope has promised accountability of church superiors," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability, an online resource about clerical abuse. "In light of the crimes against the helpless children in Mendoza, the Pope's assurances seem empty indeed."

**

Argentina Probes Sex Abuse at Deaf School, What Vatican Knew, by The Associated Press (in New York Times) (December 23, 2016)

**

Argentina probes sex abuse at deaf school, what Vatican knew, by Almudena Calatrava & Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press )in the San Francisco Chronicle) (December 23, 2016)

**

Legisladores fueron al Arzobispado y crece el escándalo del Próvolo: más denuncias de advertencia al Vaticano, Los Andes (December 06, 2016)

La agencia dice que BishopAccountability.org, un portal en internet sobre pederastia clerical, había avisado que Corradi era culpable de abusos en Verona, Italia, y que ahora estaba en Mendoza

``Es espantoso y doloroso que Corradi no haya sido frenado por el papa Francisco ni otras autoridades de la Iglesia. La presencia de Corradi en la escuela en Mendoza no era un secreto'', afirmó Anne Barrett Doyle, codirectora de BishopAccountability.

**

Argentina: al menos 22 víctimas de abusos de curas, AP, (December 05, 2016)

BishopAccountability.org, un portal en internet sobre pederastia clerical, dijo días atrás que grupos italianos de víctimas de abuso le habían advertido al Vaticano sobre Corradi y otros acusados de abusar sexualmente de niños en una escuela para sordomudos en Verona.

"Es espantoso y doloroso que Corradi no haya sido frenado por el papa Francisco ni otras autoridades de la Iglesia. La presencia de Corradi en la escuela en Mendoza no era un secreto", afirmó Anne Barrett Doyle, codirectora de BishopAccountability.

**

Pope was told of priest arrested in Argentina, victim advocates say, Associated Press (December 02, 2016)

**

Horacio Corbacho Sexual Abuse: Catholic Priest Accused Of Assaulting Deaf Children In Argentina, by Tatayana Yomary, Latin Times (December 02, 2016)

**

Defensores de personas abusadas aseguran que el Vaticano sabía del cura abusador, panamaamerica.com.pa (December 01, 2016)

"Es espantoso y doloroso que Corradi no haya sido frenado por el papa Francisco ni otras autoridades de la iglesia". La presencia de Corradi en la escuela en Mendoza no era un secreto", dijo Anne Barrett Doyle, codirectora de BishopAccountability.

BishopAccoutability.org [sic], un portal en internet sobre pederastia clerical, dijo que grupos italianos de sobrevivientes le dijeron al Vaticano en el 2008 y el 2014 sobre Corradi y otros acusados de abusar sexualmente de niños en una escuela para sordomudos en Verona.

"Nos faltan las palabras. Es espantoso y doloroso que Corradi no haya sido frenado por el papa Francisco ni otras autoridades de la iglesia. La presencia de Corradi en la escuela en Mendoza no era un secreto", dijo Anne Barrett Doyle, codirectora de BishopAccountability.

**

Victim advocates: Pope told of priest arrested in Argentina, by The Associated Press (Luis Andres Henao, Nicole Winfield, Almudena Calatrava) (December 01, 2016)

BishopAccountability.org, an online resource about clerical abuse, reported that Italian survivor groups told the Vatican in 2008 and 2014 about Corradi and others accused of molesting children at a school for the deaf in Verona.

“Words fail. It is appalling and heartbreaking that Corradi was not stopped by Pope Francis or by other Church authorities. Corradi’s presence at the school in Mendoza was no secret,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.

“Thanks to the Church’s inaction, Corradi appears to have been able to replicate exactly the grotesque situation he enjoyed in Verona – a ring of child molesters in charge of utterly defenseless children who could neither hear nor speak. If the allegations are true, the Pope must accept responsibility for the unimaginable suffering of these new victims.”

**

Outrage in Argentina after two priests are detained for allegedly abusing deaf kids, Fox News Latino (December 01, 2016)

**

The hypocrisy of morality: Sexual abuse in the Catholic church is forgotten but not gone, by Julia Reinhold, The Rival (George Washington University) (December 01, 2016)

Bishop Accountability, a site devoted to documenting the abuse crisis in the Catholic church, gives full media coverage of clergy abuse. Scrolling through, there are multiple stories posted everyday.

**

Watching The Professors, by Rod Dreher, The American Conservative (November 28, 2016)

Think of Professor Watchlist as a version of BishopAccountability.org. That website — that invaluable website — arose as a collaborative project by Catholic laymen and laywomen who had lost trust in the Catholic hierarchy’s ability to police its own ranks, and even to tell the truth about what was going on inside the priesthood. BishopAccountability.org has a tremendous database, culled from media and court records, detailing accusations of clerical sex abuse and episcopal cover-ups and mismanagement of the crisis. It is not a site devoted to the theological wars within American Catholicism. It only exists as a resource for people who want to know what information is publicly available about particular priests and bishops.

That BishopAccountability.org has to exist at all is a disgrace. But the disgrace does not belong to BishopAccountability.org.

I know, I know, clerical sex crimes and their coverup is not on the same moral or legal plane as fatmouthing left-wing professors. The point is that both websites are grassroots responses to a serious problem within bedrock institutions of civil society, problems that compromise the ability of those institutions to perform their necessary function.

**

Apuron's canonical trial now ongoing, Byrnes says, by Haidee V. Eugenio, Pacific Daily News (November 28, 2016)

Apuron, born and raised on Guam, is one of 84 bishops worldwide who have been accused publicly of sexual wrongdoing, according to BishopAccountability.org, a group tracking public records involving bishops.

**

Minnesota archdiocese offers $132 million to settle sex abuse claims, by Steve Gorman, Religion News Service (November 16, 2016)

**

Minnesota archdiocese offers $132 million to settle sex abuse claims, by Steve Gorman, Reuters (November 15, 2016)

**

Editorial: The church has earned our healthy skepticism, by NCR Editorial Staff, National Catholic Reporter (October 28, 2016)

So, what's not to like about it? Anne Barrett Doyle does a service to abuse victims and to the Catholic community at large in raising serious questions about the process and whether the plan is an unalloyed benefit to all victims.

Doyle is co-director with Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, a unique repository of data and arguably the most extensive catalogued collection anywhere of newspaper stories, court records, depositions, analyses and internal church correspondence having to do with the Catholic church's clergy sex abuse scandal.

Consequently, it is not too much of a stretch to say that Doyle knows more detail about the scandal than most people, including bishops, ever will.

Light-of-Truth-friends-2016.jpgNCR's award-winning reporting and commentary are possible because of support from people like you. Give today.
The devil, in this instance, is in both the details and the larger context. Two details raise concerns for Doyle:

Victims are required to sign a legal agreement that appears to bind them to privacy and confidentiality.
As part of the agreement, victims receiving an award agree, in releasing the archdiocese from future liability, not to sue the church in the future.

**

NY cardinal's new compensation program for victims will keep sex abuse hidden, by Anne Barrett Doyle, National Catholic Reporter (October 24, 2016)

[Anne Barrett Doyle is co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an independent non-profit based in Waltham, Mass., founded in 2003, to research child abuse by priests and religious and on the management of those cases by bishops, religious orders and the Holy See.]

**

Compensation Program Offered to Sex Abuse Victims by New York Archdiocese, by Karen Mathews, Claims Journal (October 10, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Massachusetts-based BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that collects records on abusive priests, said New York’s “restrictive statute of limitations has enabled Dolan to hide the true scope of the clergy abuse crisis in the NY archdiocese.” She wrote in an email, “His proposed victims’ compensation fund is another tactic designed to fend off disclosure.”

**

Apuron's canonical trial: What we know so far, by Haidee V. Eugenio, Pacific Daily News (October 09, 2016)

**

New York Archdiocese Will Compensate Church Sex Abuse Victims, by Emma Whitford, Gothamist, (October 07, 2016)

"Ultimately, this move is aimed at keeping the public in the dark about the true scope of the Catholic abuse crisis in New York," Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, told the Washington Post.

**

NY archdiocese offers compensation program for abuse victims, The Associated Press (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Massachusetts-based BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that collects records on abusive priests, said New York’s “restrictive statute of limitations has enabled Dolan to hide the true scope of the clergy abuse crisis in the NY archdiocese.” She wrote in an email, “His proposed victims’ compensation fund is another tactic designed to fend off disclosure.”

**

New York Archdiocese Offers Compensation Program for Sexual Abuse Victims, by Sharon Otterman and Samantha Schmidt, The New York Times (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountablity.org, a watchdog organization that documents abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Church, said the program was an attempt to preemptively settle with victims who would be able to sue the archdiocese if the Child Victims Act were to ever pass. “He’s presenting it as mercy, but it’s actually a shrewd strategy,” Ms. Doyle said.

Mary Caplan, a former director of the survivors’ network’s New York chapter, who was abused by a New Jersey priest in New York City as a child, said she would “encourage victims to think long and hard before approaching church officials or their representatives.”

Ms. Doyle also criticized the archdiocese’s decision to consider abuse claims only against archdiocesan priests or deacons, not members of religious orders or other priests working in the archdiocese, leaving out a large number of potential abusers.

**

Archdiocese of New York to Compensate Clergy Abuse Survivors: Cardinal Dolan, by Andrew Siff, NBC (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that collects records on abusive priests, said in an email that New York's "restrictive statute of limitations has enabled Dolan to hide the true scope of the clergy abuse crisis in the NY archdiocese."

"His proposed victims' compensation fund is another tactic designed to fend off disclosure," she said.

**

New York Archdiocese Announces Compensation for Sexual Abuse Victims, by Karen Mathews, The AP (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that collects records on abusive priests,

New York's "restrictive statute of limitations has enabled Dolan to hide the true scope of the clergy abuse crisis in the NY archdiocese," she wrote in an email. "His proposed victims' compensation fund is another tactic designed to fend off disclosure."

**

Saying sex abuse is a ‘nauseating crime,’ New York’s cardinal announces plan to compensate victims, by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, The Washington Post (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of a group that advocates for church transparency called BishopAccountability.org, said in an email that Dolan’s plan “isn’t mercy, it’s strategy.”

More than 1,000 victims have received compensation from the Boston archdiocese, 570 in Milwaukee, 508 in Los Angeles and 169 in Portland, according to Doyle. If the proposed Child Victims Act is passed, the identities of hundreds of abusive priests, brothers and nuns will be made public, probably bringing forth many more victims, Doyle said. In the New York archdiocese, 77 clerics have been accused publicly, according to the group.

“Ultimately, this move is aimed at keeping the public in the dark about the true scope of the Catholic abuse crisis in New York,” Doyle said.

**

New York archdiocese will offer compensation to church sexual abuse survivors, by Marie Solis, mic.com (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, told the AP that the program still doesn't give survivors a chance to seek legal justice. "[New York's] restrictive statute of limitations has enabled Dolan to hide the true scope of the clergy abuse crisis in the NY archdiocese," she said. "His proposed victims' compensation fund is another tactic designed to fend off disclosure."

**

NY archdiocese offers compensation program for abuse victims, by Karen Mathews, The Associated Press (October 06, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Massachusetts-based BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that collects records on abusive priests, said New York's "restrictive statute of limitations has enabled Dolan to hide the true scope of the clergy abuse crisis in the NY archdiocese." She wrote in an email, "His proposed victims' compensation fund is another tactic designed to fend off disclosure."

**

NY archdiocese offers compensation for abuse victims, but critics protest (+video), by Steven Porter, CS Monitor (October 06, 2016)

**

Texas law firm seeks info on another Guam priest accused of rape, by Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News (Guam), (September 27, 2016)

The website www.bishop-accountability.org, which lists the names of priests and bishops with sex abuse allegations filed against them, indicated that Sutton served a single year as a parish priest in the Pueblo diocese, and was later on assigned as chaplain in an orphanage, in a hospital, and in the U.S. Navy where he had served during World War II.

**

“Spotlight: A Public Discussion about Faith, Journalism and Protecting Children from Sex Abuse,” KGLP Gallup Public Radio, (September 24, 2016) [Audio length 74:38]

Participant information: Terence McKiernan, from Boston, is the founder and president of BishopAccountability.org, an archive and research institute of the worldwide clergy abuse crisis (www.bishop-accountability.org). He compiled the lists of cities shown at the end of the movie Spotlight. McKiernan was born in the Bronx and attended Catholic elementary school and Jesuit high school. He studied Latin and Greek and Ancient Art History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the University of Bristol in England, and Stanford University. McKiernan worked as an academic editor and consulting firm manager before founding BishopAccountability.org in 2003. He is married, with two children now in college. Contact:mckiernan1@comcast.net Cell: 508-479-9304

**

Priest who demanded homosexuals have a ‘celibate life’ suspended after being accused of molesting 15-year-old boy in the Bronx, by Rocco Parascandola, Graham Rayman and Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News (September 6, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, said the Archdiocese of New York notoriously hides information, preventing a more complete picture of the extent of abuse among priests in the state.

“We know of very few accused priests in New York State,” Doyle said. “We know about more accused priests in the diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire than we do in the Archdiocese of New York.”

**

Diocese to send abuse reports to AG; advocates underwhelmed, WPRI.com (August 31, 2016)

**

Catholic Diocese of Providence to report all abuse to Attorney General, The Associated Press (August 31, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, with BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the global clergy abuse scandal, says the agreement is better than nothing.

But Barrett Doyle says it falls short because it doesn't bar the diocese from interviewing victims or subjecting them to polygraph tests, which she says has been done before.

**

Teacher Out at Fordham Prep After School Says ’84 Sexual Abuse Claim Is Credible, by Colin Moynihan, New York Times (August 8, 2016)

One such student, Terry McKiernan, who graduated from Fordham Prep in 1971, said he had visited Mr. Beck’s house and had accompanied him on outings that involved drinking. Mr. McKiernan, a director of the website Bishopaccountability.org, which documents abuse by priests, said he experienced a moment of unease when they visited a water-filled quarry in Tuckahoe, N.Y., and the teacher urged him to swim naked. When Mr. McKiernan declined, he said, Mr. Beck became irritated.

Although some of Mr. Beck’s behavior was clearly wrong, Mr. McKiernan said, the teacher was also capable of kindness and had helped him move on from a life at home that was often troubled.

“Generally, despite the underage drinking and the experience at the quarry, Beck was a net positive influence in my life,” Mr. McKiernan said in an interview.

**

Diocese of Brooklyn to publish names of pedophile priests on website, by Michael O'Keefe, New York Daily News (June 13, 2016)

If DiMarzio is truly committed to transparency, the bishop’s list would include the names of deceased as well as living priests, said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org. It would also include clergy from religious orders as well diocesan priests.

“It should include photos and their assignment history,” said Barrett Doyle, whose website tracks priests accused of sex abuse.

“If the goal is to protect children and heal survivors, you need to provide context.”

**

Long Island priest faces two lawsuits and police probe into alleged child sex abuse, but diocese won’t boot him, by Edgar Sandoval, Michael O'Keefe, and Larry McShane, New York Daily News (May 25, 2016)

An advocate for sex abuse victims said there is no set standard for determining culpability or discipline.

“It is up to the bishop’s discretion,” said Ann Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org. “Murphy has a history of being incredibly tolerant of abusive priests.”

**

Annual report shows continued toll of clergy sex abuse crisis, by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe (May 20, 2016)

But Terence McKiernan founder of Bishop Accountability, an organization that tracks the abuse crisis, said holes still remain in the church’s annual reports, including one introduced when the report last year began using a different reporting period for some data.

**

New York lawmakers have few excuses with myths debunked about child sex abuse legal reform, by Glenn Blain, New York Daily News (May 16, 2016)

The Catholic Church in the United States has already paid about $3 billion to resolve child sex abuse claims, and at least 13 Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy, according to data compiled by BishopAccountability.org, a private group that has tracked the scandal.

Hamilton, however, argued bankruptcy is employed more as a legal tactic to minimize payouts and draw out potential accusers rather than an expression of financial ruin.

“The Catholic Church is tremendously wealthy,” added Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org. “It is not going to go out of business.”

**

'Inquiries' into sex-abuse allegations going beyond Altoona-Johnstown diocese, by Brad Bumsted, TribLive (May 13, 2016)

“The church has long encouraged all accusations to be reported immediately to law enforcement. We also have a policy that requires us to remove someone from ministry if there are credible allegations made,” Hill said.

But Terry McKiernan, president of Boston-based BishopAccountability.org, said, “The molestation and collusion revealed in the Altoona-Johnstown grand jury report are certainly problems in other dioceses, but secrecy has so far prevailed. The attorney general's scrutiny is especially needed in the Harrisburg, Greensburg, and Erie dioceses, each of which have larger Catholic populations than Altoona-Johnstown.

“Clearly a broader investigation by the AG is needed,” McKiernan said.

**

List of Baltimore Priests Accused of Sex Abuse Updated: 14 Names Added, by Shafaq Hasan, Non Profit Quarterly (May 12, 2016)

“There are various ways in which the Church has over the years really limited everyone’s knowledge of this, and survivors are very, very aware of that. And when the Church finally says, okay, we’re not doing that anymore, that is a huge relief. It really lifts a terrible burden,” said the president of BishopAccountability.org, Terence McKiernan. The organization encourages dioceses to name accused priests, but estimates only 31 out of the 170 dioceses in the country do so.

**

[LOOK] List Posted of 71 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children, by Rachel Herron, BET.com (May 12, 2016)

The current list has many members of the Catholic community speaking on the possible impact of this public information. President of BishopAccountability.org, Terry McKiernan, told the Baltimore Sun that he “personally [feels] that it's valuable that they are putting these names out there and taking some ownership.” In fact, several dioceses have come out and published names of accused priests after the success of the Oscar-winning movie Spotlight, which recounted the Boston Globe investigation.

**

US Catholic church has spent millions fighting clergy sex abuse accountability, by George Joseph, The Guardian (May 12, 2016)

Many legal advocates and survivor groups have been particularly disappointed with the bishops’ lobbying efforts given the new era of reform promised by Pope Francis. “The pope announced last June he would be setting up a tribunal to investigate bishops who protected predators, but the tribunal reportedly hasn’t even been created yet,” says Anne Barrett Doyle of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org.

**

Pédophilie dans l'Eglise américaine: des victimes encore bien seules, lexpress Par AFP (December 5, 2016)

**

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has posted a list of 71 priests accused of sexually abusing children, by Julie Zauzmer, The Washington Post (May 11, 2016)

The organization BishopAccountability.org, which calls for dioceses to name accused abusers, estimates that just 31 out of more than 170 Catholic dioceses in the country have a public list. Two sources who have worked with the U.S. Catholic church said that that number seems roughly accurate.

The organization’s president Terence McKiernan praised the Baltimore list for including a paragraph about the accusation against every priest on the list. Visitors to the website can read it by holding their cursor above the priest’s name. “I think it’s to Lori’s credit,” McKiernan said. “Baltimore’s unusual in actually saying something about what the allegations are.”

That public documentation is powerful for survivors, he said. “There are various ways in which the Church has over the years really limited everyone’s knowledge of this, and survivors are very, very aware of that. And when the Church finally says, okay, we’re not doing that anymore, that is a huge relief. It really lifts a terrible burden.”

**

Spotlight: 71 priests accused of sexually abusing children, by Baltimore Archdiocese, rt.com (May 11, 2016)

The original list was removed from the archdiocese's website before Keeler retired in 2007, according to Bishop-Accountability.org, but the names among those released this week along with 14 others who have been accused since 2002.

There is still criticism about the difficulty to find details about the priest and allegations, which was easier to locate on the initial website.

Bishop Accountability analyzed the new information and found the accused priests worked in at least 94 parishes in Baltimore, one receiving seven on the list.

About 30 out of 170 dioceses in the US have released lists, but in some cases it was only because they were required to do so as part of court case settlements, according to Bishop Accountability.

The website reports discrepancies between the total number of accused clergy members and those which have been publicized.

While their own database contains 3,581 names, a total counted in 2014 at the Conference of Catholic Bishops found there were 6,427 “credibly” accused priests from 1950-2013.

Bishop Accountability says this means 44 percent of the total accused are not yet known to the public.

**

Baltimore archbishop lists priests, clergy suspected of pedophilia, AFP (May 11, 2016)

**

Baltimore Archdiocese Posts List of 71 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children, by Brendan O'Connor, Gawker (May 11, 2016)

The list includes a paragraph describing the allegations in a scroll-over text appended to each name.

“I think it’s to Lori’s credit,” Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said. “Baltimore’s unusual in actually saying something about what the allegations are.”

“There are various ways in which the Church has over the years really limited everyone’s knowledge of this, and survivors are very, very aware of that. And when the Church finally says, okay, we’re not doing that anymore, that is a huge relief. It really lifts a terrible burden.”

**

Baltimore archdiocese posts list of accused priests, by Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun (May 10, 2016)

Only a fraction of Catholic dioceses have published the names of accused priests. Some lists have been required as part of a lawsuit, said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based watchdog group that tracks data on clergy sexual abuse.

"I personally feel that it's valuable that they are putting these names out there and taking some ownership," McKiernan said. "In all fairness, Baltimore is to be commended for just doing it, not doing it because it they have to."

Still, McKiernan said the way the list is formatted makes it difficult for website users to view all the details released.

Caine says church officials are open to suggestions to make the online list more user-friendly.

The Oscar-winning movie "Spotlight," which chronicled the Boston Globe's investigation, has renewed interest in such lists, McKiernan said.

According to BishopAccountability.org, about 30 dioceses nationwide — out of more than 170 — have published lists of priests accused of sexual abuse. McKiernan says the lists vary, with some offering more detail than others.

**

Peterson: Spotlight still shining on clergy molestation, by Gary Peterson, The Mercury News (April 30, 2016)

Volunteers want convicted and confessed priests to be entered into a database. (A large, searchable database, which also includes accused priests, can be found at bishop-accountability.org.)

"Bishop-accountability has a list of about 4,400," said SNAP volunteer Tim Lennon. "The church admits there is over 6,000. We're saying there are at least 2,000 predator priests who may still be in ministry for all we know."

**

Altoona-Johnstown bishops' actions on abuse claims called into question, by Brad Bumsted, Trib Live (April 23, 2016)

Pennsylvania appears to be at a “tipping point” on the possibility of more priest abuse charges and major public policy shifts on civil litigation in child abuse cases, said Terry McKiernan, founder of the Boston-based Bishopaccountability.org. The state Attorney General's Office is investigating 300 calls made to a hotline since the March release of a grand jury report implicating other priests in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese.

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Bishop Accountability's summary of Maurizio's work history shows a gap from 1997 to the early 2000s when Maurizio is not listed on any official church assignment. It's not clear why he was off the grid.

“This is a huge red flag,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishopaccountability.org, said.

**

Zimbabwe: Pope Francis' Family Blueprint, by Stanely Mushava, All Africa (April 15, 2016)

**

Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse Survivors Slam Pope Francis For Inaction, by R. Siva Kumar, Newseveryday.com (April 11, 2016)

**

Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse Survivors Disappointed By Pope Francis’ ‘Amoris Laetitia’, by Julia Glum, International Business Times (April 9, 2016)

Some of the issues linked to clergy abuse are topics at the core of Catholicism, said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org in Waltham, Massachusetts. Gender politics and sexual orientation are two examples. Another is divorce, which was central in “Amoris Laetitia.”

With clergy abuse, “Here we have an issue very intimately related with the family, actually, and [Francis] doesn’t make the logical connections,” McKiernan said. “If this is ever going to get significantly better — and I don’t think it has yet — the church itself has to be acting better, and the pope definitely has a role to play in that.”

**

Victims want Atlanta’s Catholic leader to ID accused pedophiles, by Johnny Edwards, myajc.com (April 5, 2016)

SNAP has even offered Gregory a head start, naming six priests who the group says should be on the list. They turned up in cursory internet checks, Blaine said. Two of them formerly worked at Marist School in Brookhaven and one spent time at the Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center in Sandy Springs, according to SNAP’s research of media accounts, the Official Catholic Directory and the abuse-documenting website Bishop-Accountability.org

**

N.J. diocese settles decades-old church sex abuse claims, by Greg Adomaitis, NJ.com (March 30, 2016)

According to bishop-accountabilty.org, Brennan allegedly abused a child at a Brooklawn parish between 1957 and 1959. Matthews was accused of abusing a child in 1966. Neither men — both of whom have since died — had been previously identified as being accused of sexual misconduct prior to Monday's announcement.

**

Boston Archdiocese settles with 7 alleged victims of clergy abuse, by Brian MacQuarrie, Boston Globe (March 28, 2016)

**

Ex-Crespi Carmelite student gets 5-figure settlement for alleged sexual abuse, by Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News (March 28, 2016)

Another of the 16 alleged perpetrators named Monday, Richard T. Coughlin, went from the Archdiocese of Boston to the Diocese of Orange in Southern California and set up the All American Boys Chorus after allegedly abusing boys in Massachusetts. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has said that at least five people have accused Coughlin of abuse, according to documents at BishopAccountability.org.

**

PA child sex abuse scandal has ties in Norfolk, Staff, WVEC (March 17, 2016)

**

Catholic church's secret archives key to exposing sex abuse scandal, by Matt Assad and Peter Hall, The Morning Call (March 12, 2016)

The Catholic church has paid more than $3 billion in out-of-court settlements since 2002 to more than 5,600 victims alleging abuse by Catholic clergy, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks Catholic clergy abuse worldwide. Those victims are only about a third of the nearly 16,000 who have alleged abuse, and many cases are pending.

"The reason we know most of what we do … is litigation that drove disclosure," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Lawmakers push to expand prosecution limits on child abuse cases, by Brad Bumsted, TribLive (March 09, 2016)

**

Law officers, clergy forged ties stymieing prosecutions, by Caitlin McCabe and Maria Panaritis, Philly.com (March 07, 2016)

**

Experts say Sheridan case should be reopened, by Barbara Boyer, Caitlin McCabe and Maria Panaritis, Philly.com (March 07, 2016)

**

Dioceses more responsive to Catholic Church sex abuse scandals, by Jason Cato, Trib Live (March 05, 2016)

Philadelphia is the only other diocese in Pennsylvania to have posted such a list, according to bishop-accountability.org. The website lists 42 cases of abuse involving priests from the Pittsburgh diocese and six from Greensburg.

**

Spotlight: Truth, justice, mercy and Catholic priests, by Prosy Abarquez Delacruz, J.D., Asian Journal (March 05, 2016)

**

‘Spotlight’ win a validation for victims, by Margery Eagan, Crux (March 1, 2016)

“He’s a populist on everything but this (sex abuse) issue,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, the most complete database on accused priests and bishops here and around the world.

She pointed to the odd juxtaposition of Sunday’s Oscars with the almost-simultaneous testimony of Francis’ handpicked and hugely powerful finance czar before an Australian government sex abuse commission. And it’s focused laser-like on that czar’s history, raising the obvious question: Why would the pope even elevate Cardinal George Pell when he stands accused of bribing a victim, treating other victims callously, and being aware that his bishop was relocating the nation’s worst predator priest from parish to parish to parish?

Yet “this is the most meaningful example of holding bishops accountable we’ve seen,” said Barrett Doyle. Unfortunately, a government, not the Vatican, has set that example. For despite the pope’s call to go after bishops, he hasn’t gone after any. Said Barrett Doyle: “Not a single bishop has lost his title or lost a day’s pay,” no matter how directly he enabled sex crimes against children.

**

Pennsylvania Diocese Leaders Knew of Sex Abuse for Decades, Grand Jury Says, by Richard Pérez-Peña and Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times (March 1, 2016)

**

2 Catholic bishops in Pennsylvania accused of covering up sexual abuse of children, by Cliff Pinckard, cleveland.com (March 01, 2016)

**
Attorney general to hold press conference in Blair County, likely linked to Baker abuse case, by Dave Sutor, The Tribune-Democrat (February 29, 2016)

**

Top Vatican cardinal to testify about sex abuse, by Nicole Winfield, Fox Reno (February 28, 2016)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the global abuse scandal, praised the commission's work as "the purest example of holding bishops accountable that we've seen to date."

Transcripts of public hearings are published online, including documentation as confidential as email exchanges between attorneys and clients.

"It has not been Catholic Church-bashing," Doyle added. "They are looking at the response by all institutions."

**

Insider: Pope’s Child Abuse Commission Is ‘Smoke and Mirrors,’ by Jason Berry, The Daily Beast (February 23, 2016)

**

SPOTLIGHT ON SPOTLIGHT, by Shoma A. Chatterji, The Citizen (February 17,2016)

In the years since Spotlight’s report, sexual abuse by Catholic Church priests has been uncovered in 105 American cities and 102 dioceses world wide. (Source: www.bishop-accountability.org, a database compiled by Terry McKiernan)

**

Spotlight Screens for the American Civil Liberties Union, Bishop Accountability and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, by Jazz Tangcay (February 11, 2016)

**

New Catholic Bishops Told They Don't Have to Report Sexual Abuse to Police, by Lucy Westcott (February 11, 2016)

"In one sense, this isn’t surprising. As BishopAccountability.org has pointed out, 'zero tolerance,' while often uttered by Catholic officials, isn’t even the official policy of the global church,"

**

Indian bishop lifts convicted priest's suspension, ucanews.com (February 11, 2016)

Father Jeyapaul took a 16-year-old girl to his rectory and "kissed her repeatedly, pulling her on top of him and at one point touched her beneath her clothing,” bishop-accountability.org, an abuse victims’ group website said citing a letter supposedly written to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2005 by Crookston Bishop Victor Hermann Balke.

**

Church-Abuse Survivors Accuse Vatican of Empty Promises, by Jennifer Swann, TakePart (February 9, 2016)

Saunders is known as a fierce critic of the church, and his appointment to the commission lent it a tremendous amount of credibility, said Anne Barrett Doyle, the codirector of the online archive BishopAccountability.org. "I was actually thinking, 'They might be this independent watchdog group,' " said Barrett Doyle, whose organization conducts research and tracks news related to the church's sex abuse scandal. "We never see members of the advisory commission of church panels speaking out against the church, so it was actually making them seem like the real deal."

The Vatican's decision to suspend Saunders may have shattered any illusion of progress in the eyes of its detractors. The Vatican announced Saturday that Saunders would "take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission's work." The institution told reporters that the commission's members should not comment directly on specific cases of abuse, deferring to investigators instead. Barrett Doyle sees that as an inherent contradiction.

"To have a mission that prohibits the group from speaking about individual cases is to really limit its effectiveness," she said. "What is it supposed to do—create rules going forward in a vacuum without using real-life examples as the source for what must be avoided and what must be included in your rules?"

**

Vatican critic and abuse survivor refuses to step down from commission, Reuters (February 7, 2016)

Groups that track sexual abuse by the clergy rallied to his defense.

"The apparent attempt today by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to eject an outspoken survivor raises serious doubts about its integrity and independence," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org in the United States.

**

Lists of accused ND priests still under wraps: 'We know they're out there, but we don't know their names,' by Archie Ingersoll, The Dickinson Press (January 26, 2016)

Most U.S. dioceses, however, have not coughed up a list.

This is true in the two dioceses that cover all of North Dakota, Fargo and Bismarck, which each rejected a request to release a complete list of priests who ever spent time in the diocese and were accused of sexual abuse.

If a complete list had been released, it would have contained new names, said Terry McKiernan who runs BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based website that gathers information on accused priests.

"If a diocese is going to try to do the right thing, you're going to find names on the list that you've never seen before," he said.

To support his claim, McKiernan referred to a church-commissioned survey, done by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, that grew out of a historic meeting of U.S. bishops in Dallas in 2002, a time when the clergy sexual abuse scandal was flaring up.

The John Jay survey relied on reports from bishops to count the number of clergy with allegations of sexual abuse against them, from 1950 to 2002. The survey, updated in the years since 2002, has tallied a total of 6,427 accused clergy from 1950 to 2013.

The names of all those 6,427 clergy are not publicly known, but through court documents, diocese lists and news reports, BishopAccountability.org has aggregated the names of 4,129 accused priests.

This means there are at least 2,298 accused priests that have not yet been identified.

"We know they're out there, but we don't know their names," McKiernan said.

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McKiernan said the church should devise a best practice for drafting these lists because they regularly omit important details such as a description of the alleged offense, the date of the abuse and the number of victims. He said these were the same shortcomings of a list of 77 names released this month by the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Wall said a benefit of releasing names of the accused is that it can sometimes prompt a victim to come forward, whereas the majority of victims do not. "They take this to the grave. They live a life of silence and shame that way," he said.

McKiernan said all dioceses would ideally release all the names of accused priests. It could lead to suits from victims, but it could also improve parishioners' view of their church, he said.

"We really do need all the names if children are going to be safe and survivors are going to reach the kind of peace that they really deserve," he said.

**

SNAP pushing for public awareness of abuse by priests, by Sean Evans, WTVM (January 25, 2016)

**

Lists of accused ND priests still under wraps, by Archie Ingersoll, Inforum.com (January 24, 2016)

If a complete list had been released, it would have contained new names, said Terry McKiernan who runs BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based website that gathers information on accused priests.

"If a diocese is going to try to do the right thing, you're going to find names on the list that you've never seen before," he said.

To support his claim, McKiernan referred to a church-commissioned survey, done by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, that grew out of a historic meeting of U.S. bishops in Dallas in 2002, a time when the clergy sexual abuse scandal was flaring up.

The John Jay survey relied on reports from bishops to count the number of clergy with allegations of sexual abuse against them, from 1950 to 2002. The survey, updated in the years since 2002, has tallied a total of 6,427 accused clergy from 1950 to 2013.

The names of all those 6,427 clergy are not publicly known, but through court documents, diocese lists and news reports, BishopAccountability.org has aggregated the names of 4,129 accused priests.

This means there are at least 2,298 accused priests that have not yet been identified.

"We know they're out there, but we don't know their names," McKiernan said.
------------------
McKiernan said the church should devise a best practice for drafting these lists because they regularly omit important details such as a description of the alleged offense, the date of the abuse and the number of victims. He said these were the same shortcomings of a list of 77 names released this month by the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Wall said a benefit of releasing names of the accused is that it can sometimes prompt a victim to come forward, whereas the majority of victims do not. "They take this to the grave. They live a life of silence and shame that way," he said.

McKiernan said all dioceses would ideally release all the names of accused priests. It could lead to suits from victims, but it could also improve parishioners' view of their church, he said.

"We really do need all the names if children are going to be safe and survivors are going to reach the kind of peace that they really deserve," he said.

**

We were just lucky, you and me, by Tim Horan, Salina Journal (January 23, 2016)

**

Does Pope Francis cry for the victims of his Church?, Filipino Free Thinkers, published in GMA News (January 18, 2016)

It’s 2016 and there’s no reason to believe things will get better. A week after Pope Francis visit, Anne Doyle of BishopAccountability.org sent a letter to Patricia B. Luna, OIC-Executive Director of the Council for the Welfare of Children.

The letter drew attention to 12 priests in the Philippines, most still active in ministry, several having “worked at some point in the United States but were banned from U.S. dioceses following serious allegations of child rape and molestation.”

In another letter sent the following month, Doyle explained that “Filipino bishops know of the serious allegations against these priests but are keeping them in ministry.”

Those bishops are just following protocol. The CBCP policy on child abuse betrays the fact that Pope Francis has not fulfilled his promise of zero tolerance. Philippine Bishops are not required to report abusive priests to authorities or even to remove them from active ministry.

Doyle explained that the reason there seems to be “zero tolerance” in the US is because of the public outrage in 2002, which prompted the US bishops to ask for special measures — measures that are much stricter than the official Vatican policy enforced in other countries.

**

Church IDs past Pacific County priests as alleged child-sex abusers, by Matt Winters, Chinook Observer (January 16, 2016)

**

Questioning a Legacy, by David Clohessy (Opinion), Anchorage Press (January 14, 2016)

Or consider Archbishop Robert Sanchez. He’s the former Archbishop of Santa Fe who was accused of having sexual intercourse with at least 11 women, some of them teenagers. According to BishopAccountability.org, an independent archive of the church’s abuse crisis, Sanchez “also had extensive knowledge of the sexual abuse by priests and rarely did anything to punish or remove them.”

**

G. Wayne Miller: Only luck protected me and others, by G. Wayne Miller, Providence Journal (January 10, 2016)

**

2015

**

Convicted Somerset County priest seeks public relations help, by Liz Zemba, Trib Live (December 23, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of bishopaccountability.org, said she is aware of other accused or convicted priests who started campaigns to clear their names, but none sought help from a professional firm, to her knowledge.

“I've never heard of one hiring a PR firm,” Barrett Doyle said. “It's quite unusual.”

**

Duluth Diocese may use mediator to negotiate bankruptcy, by Riham Feshir, Minnesota Public Radio News (December 11, 2015)

**

Notable Verdicts: Organ transplants gone wrong, botched surgeries, bad priests, by Mike Mosedale, Minnesota Lawyer (December 10, 2015)

**

Church 3.0: How the Catholic and Protestant churches fill their pews in an age of declining attendance, by Francis Flisiuk, The Portland Phoenix (December 9, 2015)

According to an interview between Pope Francis and an editor from the La Repubblica newspaper in Italy, about 2 percent of Catholic clergy are pedophiles. Locally, 49 priests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland have been publicly accused of the sexual abuse of a minor since the 1940s, according to the online Database of Publicly Accused Priests at BishopAccountability.org.

**

Duluth diocese files bankruptcy over sex abuse judgment, by Martin Moylan, MPR News (December 7, 2015)

**

Graves: 'Spotlight' shines, reminds of abuse victims, by Chris Graves, Cincinnati Enquirer (November 28, 2015)

**

Mercer: 'Spotlight’ – more than a great newspaper story, by Marsha Mercer, Richmond Times Dispatch (November 27, 2015)

**

Spotlight is an airtight journalistic procedural, by Josh Rosenfield, audienceseverywhere.net (November 23, 2015)

Last Gasp: Before the end credits of Spotlight roll, the film shows a lengthy list of cities with similar Catholic Church sex abuse scandals. I was sitting in a theater in Providence, Rhode Island, and I could feel the air rush out of the room as the city’s name appeared. In an instant, the distance afforded by cinema evaporated. I can’t say for how long Spotlight will stick with me, but that moment was unforgettable. Once again, the film had taken something massively monstrous and made it impossibly intimate. I have my qualms with Spotlight’s dry narrative, but it has enough bits like this to make those qualms almost irrelevant.

**

Newspaper drama 'Spotlight' deserves its accolades, by Linda Cook, qctimes.com (November 21, 2015)

**

Spotlight delivers with exceptional cast, by Hope Sandusky, The Collegian (November 16, 2015)

**

‘Spotlight’ movie shows how Catholic leaders were more concerned with guarding the church’s reputation, by Tim Funk, Charlotte Observer (November 13, 2015)

**

‘Spotlight’ portrayal of sex abuse scandal is making the Catholic Church uncomfortable all over again, by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post (November 9, 2015)

Terry McKiernan, founder of a Boston-based abuse-tracking group bishopaccountability.org, said he doesn’t see child sex abuse as necessarily more prevalent in the Catholic Church. But he believes the reaction in the new statements about “Spotlight” reflect an ongoing problem.

“What if they had responded in a searching way? A radical way? Because there is so much left to do,” he said. “And I’d prefer they not take credit for something they did so reluctantly. It’s not something they innovated, they were forced into it.”

**

With the spotlight on Boston, Chicago archdiocese says it did better, by Michael O'Loughlin, CRUX Now (November 6, 2015)

Terry McKiernan of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org agreed that Bernardin spearheaded some major changes to protect children, but he said the fact abuse was happening “was not a surprise” to the cardinal.

“He just worked aggressively to get on top of it. His philosophy was to never let a crisis go to waste,” McKiernan said. “He was not your typical bishop.”

However, “it’s a little bit of stretch to describe [the archdiocese] as leaders in the field,” he said. “The whole Church was playing catch-up with this.”

Still, McKiernan acknowledged that the situation in Chicago was far ahead of what was happening in Boston at the time.

**

Database of accused clergy in Boston Archdiocese, by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe (November 06, 2015)

The Globe’s review considered not only church records, but court records, news coverage, material from attorneys, and information from BishopAccountability.org, which has closely researched and documented the clergy sex abuse crisis.

**

Spotlight: Why it works and how it matters, by Bill Mitchell, Poynter (November 6, 2015)

And unlike Watergate, a once-in-a-lifetime, only-in-Washington sort of blockbuster, clergy sexual abuse is a story that continues to unfold in hundreds of communities and newsrooms around the world. The film concludes, in fact, with a screen-after-screen list of cities and towns where the abuse drama erupted beyond Boston.

-----------

Bill Mitchell is a Poynter affiliate who launched the Clergy Abuse Tracker as director of Poynter Online and ran it from March 2002 until December 2003. The tracker is now hosted by BishopAccountability.org and is updated daily by the editor Mitchell recruited in 2002, Kathy Shaw.

**

Spotlight hopes to bring victims of abuse forward: Movie highlights Roman Catholics officials covering abuse, Reuters (November 5, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which maintains records on abuse and cover ups, said he worries that a movie set more than a decade ago could lead some viewers to believe the crisis had passed.
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing for people to ask themselves in what ways is this continuing and in what ways is it better,” said McKiernan, who has seen the film. “How is it that this terrible problem duplicated itself around the world, and what do we do about that?”

**

Movie review: 'Spotlight" is the best film about the media of this generation, Examiner.com (November 5, 2015)

Conservative estimates done by researchers concluded that likely 3% of all Catholic priests nationally could be abusers. In Boston at that time, that would be around 90 priests. Nationally, using 2000 statistics, 3% would have been 1,350. That's an epidemic, not a collection of isolated incidents and the end credits of the film list all of the dioceses and cities that identified similar cases to Boston's after the 2002 reporting. The list takes five screens to complete.

**

Two movies seek to show journalism at its best, but only one delivers, by Charles Kaiser, Columbia Journalism Review (November 5, 2015)

**

Jury awards $8 million to victim of abuse by priest with ties to Peoria, by Cass Herrington, Peoria Public Radio (November 5, 2015)

Catholic directory records shared by BishopAccountability.org show that Fitzgerald was quote “in residence” at an orphanage in Peoria in 1962. The records say the Guardian Angel Home housed 40 children at the time.

**

Jury orders $8M in damages, says Diocese of Duluth, Catholic order are responsible for child sex abuse, by Chao Xiong, Star Tribune (November 4, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of the Boston-area watchdog group, Bishop Accountability, said that the largest jury award he could immediately recall was $11.5 million given several years ago to two abuse survivors in New York. The closest jury awards or settlements tend to hover in the $5 million range, he said.

“This is, in a way, the voice of the people,” McKiernan said of Wednesday’s verdict. “This is an indication of how the people feel about this kind of crime.

“One of the things that the money means is that this was truly horrible, and this poor man really deserves significant compensation for what he’s suffered and what it’s done to his life.”

**

Former Douglas sexual abuse victim's experience featured in movie 'Spotlight,' by Richard Duckett, Telegram & Gazette Staff (November 4, 2015)

**

Jury returns $8 million verdict in Duluth priest abuse case, Valley News Live (November 04, 2015)

**

Superb ‘Spotlight’ doesn’t turn journalists into heroes, by Ty Burr, Boston Globe (November 03, 2015)

**

Remaining a Catholic in the face of tragedy, by Margery Eagan, CRUX Now (November 03, 2015)

Doyle and McKiernan have done this work full-time for more than a decade now. Yet both not only remain Catholic, they say their faith has increased.

Here’s how Doyle and McKiernan explained that a few days back in their Waltham repository.

**

NCR research: Costs of sex abuse crisis to US church underestimated, by Jack Ruhl & Diane Ruhl, NCR (November 2, 2015)

Between 1950 and August of this year, the church has paid out $3,994,797,060.10, NCR found.

That figure is based on a three-month investigation of data, including a review of more than 7,800 articles gleaned from LexisNexis Academic and NCR databases, as well as information from BishopAccountability.org and from reports from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

**

The Paper Chase: In Spotlight, reporters dig through dusty files and search court records. It’s thrilling, by Dana Stevens, Slate.com (November 2015)

The closing credits of Spotlight reveal the global scope of the cover-up uncovered by this 2001 news story, the Spotlight team’s hundreds of follow-ups, and the further reporting of other journalists as the story spread. In alphabetical order, we see the names of places around the world where priest abuse scandals have unfolded: multiple cities in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Tanzania. Countless towns across the U.S. The list goes on for longer than you want to believe possible, taking up several full screens of text. The only thing that could ever be worse than knowing these awful crimes were deliberately concealed by those who could have stopped them? Never knowing they happened in the first place. When you think about it that way, the Spotlight investigative team starts to look as much like heroes as real-life journalists can get.

**

Review by Daniel Gelb, All Movie

Spotlight is an important film for the ugliness that its subjects uncovered. Before the credits roll, there is a list shown of every major city that has been involved in a child-abuse scandal in regards to the Catholic Church. It's staggering in its length, and speaks to the weight of the efforts of Baron, Bradlee, Robinson, Rezendes, Pfeiffer and Carroll in Boston.

**

Column: Justice only half-served in Hastert case, by Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune (October 30, 2015)

**

Survivors of clergy sex abuse hope 'Spotlight' film brings victims forward, by Scott Malone, Reuters (October 30, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which maintains records on abuse and cover ups, said he worries that a movie set more than a decade ago could lead some viewers to believe the crisis had passed.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing for people to ask themselves in what ways is this continuing and in what ways is it better," said McKiernan, who has seen the film. "How is it that this terrible problem duplicated itself around the world, and what do we do about that?"

**

On the Tenth Anniversary of the 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Archdiocese, by Marci A. Hamilton, verdict.justia.com (October 29, 2015)

There have been eight reports by prosecutors in the United States, and the 2005 Philadelphia Report is the one in my view to be duplicated in other jurisdictions. In the words of Terry McKiernan, president of the comprehensive online archive of the history of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse history, BishopAccountability.org: It “combined many different strong perspectives and modes of analysis. Anyone reading the report can get an education in how priests’ career histories, their abuse histories, and the management approach of the diocese could add up to a catastrophe for children. The report gets at the two crimes better than any other report—it provides detailed case studies of the abuse itself and the best analysis of how management made it all happen. Those case studies and the pattern studies are very unusual in the depth of their engagement and sympathy. The great article in NCR is a good reminder of where that empathy came from and how much it cost.”

**

Accused pedophile priests flee to South America to keep practicing, report shows, by Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino (October 15, 2015)

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Local Catholics Say Pope Sends Positive Messages, The Inside Korea (October 6, 2015)

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Pope Francis’ visit leaves lasting impression, by David Lee, celebcafe.org (October 01, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a private group tracking the sexual abuse scandal, said the test of the pope’s resolve will be whether he follows through on his promise to hold the culprits accountable.

**

Pope blames bishops who cover up pedophile priests, by Erick Barnes, The Oracle Observer (September 30, 2015)

**

Pope Francis’ words on abuse vary by his audience, by Cathy Lynn Grossman, The Deseret News (September 30, 2015)

Bunson, editor of The Catholic Almanac, estimated that less than 10 percent of the 300 bishops who were gathered at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington to hear the pope on Sept. 23 were bishops in 2002 when the scandal erupted.

However, one who was — Cardinal Roger Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles — was sitting front and center alongside others with “dodgy” records, said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a website that tracks bishops who some say have failed to protect youth.

“He seemed to be ‘silo-ing’ his audience — not realizing that people from outside this particular silo, the U.S. bishops, would be listening and responding,” said McKiernan.

**

Those who hid sex abuse by priests 'are guilty' - pope, Newvision (September 29, 2015)

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The clergy sex abuse scandal in the US Catholic Church, by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press (September 28, 2015)

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What Pope Francis didn't say, but needs to say, to address concerns of victims of sex abuse by priests, GUEST: Anne Barrett Doyle of Bishop Accountability.org, NECN (September 28, 2015)

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Pope says those who hid sex abuse by priests 'are guilty', by Jean-Louis De La Vaissiere, AFP (September 28, 2015)

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Pope Francis' Meeting With Sex Abuse Survivors Isn't Enough To Fix The Problem, Support Groups Say, by Josephone B. Yurcaba, Bustle.com (September 28, 2015)

The pope has expressed that the Church will have a "zero tolerance" policy for sexual abuse, but, in an op-ed for The Boston Globe, Anne Barrett Doyle pointed out that "zero tolerance" is only compulsory in the United States. The policy that any offending bishop be removed from the Catholic Church immediately after his first offense was instituted in response to a cycle of abuse and cover-ups that was revealed in the U.S. in 2002, according to the Globe.

**

Pope Francis’s words on clergy sex abuse ring hollow for some survivors, by Stephanie Kirchgaessner, The Guardian (September 27, 2015)

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Pope Francis Vows to Hold Accountable All Involved in Clergy Sex Abuse, Reuters (September 27, 2015)

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Pope Francis in Philly: What to watch for on Sunday, by Daniel Burke and Kristi Ramsay, CNN (September 27, 2015)

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Pope meets with 5 victims of sex abuse, by the Associated Press (September 27, 2015)

BishopAccountability.org says in a statement that "apologies and meetings cannot substitute for reform." The group wants Francis to enact "zero tolerance" for sexual abusers in the priesthood, hold bishops accountable and release the names and case files of thousands of priests who abused children.

**

Pope Francis Meets Sex-Abuse Victims, Expresses ‘Solidarity’ for Their Suffering, by Deborah Ball and Kris Maher, Wall St. Journal (September 27, 2015)

"The test of his resolve will be whether he will actually enact true reforms in the church,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, Co-Director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks clergy abuse.

**

‘God weeps,’ pope says, after meeting clergy sex abuse victims, by Scott Malone and Philip Pullella, Reuters (September 27, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a private group tracking the sexual abuse scandal, said the test of the pope’s resolve will be whether he follows through on his promise to hold the culprits accountable.
....
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been the subject of multiple damaging grand jury reports relating to the scandal, which by the Church’s own estimate has involved 6,400 clergy credibly accused between 1950 and 2013 nationwide.

**

Pope Francis meets with church sex-abuse victims, by David K. Li, New York Post (September 27, 2015)

Since the revelations of abuse began to emerge in the early 2000s, the church has coughed up about $3 billion for legal costs and rehabilitation for offenders, the watchdog Bishop Accountability has said.

**

After Criticism, Pope Francis Confronts Priestly Sexual Abuse, by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times (September 27, 2015)

For a churchman known for his empathy for the marginalized and his insistence on dialogue and what he calls “encounter,” Francis has seemed reluctant to encounter abuse victims. As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, before he became pope, Francis declined to meet with abuse victims and their families who say they begged to talk with him, according to news reports and several victims interviewed in Argentina last year.
.....
Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, met with abuse victims at least five times during foreign trips: in the United States, Australia, Malta, Britain and Germany, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases and advocates for survivors. Francis has traveled to 15 countries as pope, but had not met with any survivors of clergy sexual abuse until Sunday.

**

Catholic abuse victims ask for more from Pope Francis visit, by Laila Kearney, Reuters (September 27, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based documentation center on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, said Francis would need to act fast to make a show of support to the nation's abuse victims.

"Francis speaks with such compassion for the marginalized," Doyle said. "Right now, the most marginalized people in his whole Church are feeling quite excluded and insulted," she said.

**

For only second time, Francis meets abuse survivors, says 'God weeps', by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (September 27, 2015)

"Pope Francis needs to hear survivors' stories," said Anne Barrett Doyle, Co-Director of the sexual abuse tracking website BishopAccountability.org.

"Stories have the power to open minds and hearts, and this is an influence the Pope needs, as shown by his tone-deaf message to US bishops on Wednesday," she said.

"The pope speaks of healing," said Barrett Doyle. "Let's hope he realizes that healing cannot be divorced from accountability."

**

Catholic abuse victims ask for more from Pope Francis visit, by Laila Kearney, Reuters (September 26, 2015)

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Child sex abuse survivors reject adulation for pope during US visit, by Renee Lewis, Al Jazeera (September 25, 2015)

Up to 100,000 American children may have suffered sexual abuse by clergy, according to insurance experts who presented a paper at a Vatican conference in 2012. At least 4,300 Catholic clergy were accused of sexual assault, and only 300 convicted, according to Bishop Accountability, a private group that has tracked the issue. In many cases, priests were moved from parish to parish instead of being defrocked and reported to authorities.

**

Catholic Church Sex Abuse Survivors Frustrated By Pope Francis' US Visit, Lack Of Action, by Julia Glum, International Business Times (September 25, 2015)

Today, Blaine is the founder and president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a self-help organization based in Chicago. She said that although Francis seems to be more compassionate than his predecessors, he hasn’t actually done anything to make children safer. As of 2014, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has identified at least 17,259 people who say they were abused by priests as children, according to the Massachusetts nonprofit Bishop-Accountability.org.

**

Could the Vatican face racketeering charges for harboring abusive clergy?, by Will Carless, GlobalPost (September 25, 2015)

Spurred on by angry abuse victims, attorneys in the US, Europe and elsewhere have successfully brought huge lawsuits against individual priests and their dioceses or religious orders. In the US, the church has paid more than $3 billion in compensation to victims, according to BishopAccountability.org, driving several large dioceses, including San Diego and Milwaukee, into bankruptcy.

**

Pope Francis needs to do more to stop priest sex abuse, advocates say, by Will Carless, GlobalPost (September 24, 2015)

Two-and-half years into Pope Francis’s papacy, these revelations raise questions over whether he has done enough to address the church’s plague of sex abuse. More than 6,000 priests face allegations, according to Bishop-Accountability.org, and many have never faced justice for their alleged crimes.

**

Pope praises US bishops’ response to abuse, angering victims, by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press (September 24, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that collects records on abusive priests from around the world, called the pope’s remarks “distressing and quite off-base.”

**

Pope's praise for US bishops angers victims of sex abuse, by Graeme Smith (September 24, 2015)

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Pope tells U.S. bishops crimes of sexual abuse should never be repeated, by Susan Cornwell and Philip Pullella, Reuters (September 24, 2015)

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Pope Francis draws fire for praising U.S. bishops' response to abuse scandal, Fox News Latino (September 24, 2015)

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"Greater Boston," WGBH-TV (September 24, 2015)

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ONGs americanas acusam papa de minimizar casos de pedofilia, by Fabíola Ortiz, BBC Brasil (September 24, 2015)

Na opinião de Anne Barret Doyle, uma das diretoras da organização Bishop Accountability, que documenta desde 2003 casos de violações sexuais na Igreja Católica, o papa Francisco não poderá fugir do tema.
"Os EUA são o marco zero dos escândalos de abusos sexuais. Ele terá que tocar fundo no tema apesar de o encontro com vítimas não estar no seu programa oficial. Não tem como vir aos EUA e não tratar disso. O que está em questão é se ele realmente fará alguma ação significativa", disse à BBC Brasil.

**

Pope Francis' sex abuse comments draw ire from victims, by Alan Zarembo and Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times (September 23, 2015)

Terry McKiernan, who runs BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit group that tracks the abuse scandal, said Francis failed to acknowledge that most dioceses across the country have not disclosed the names of abusers and continue to lobby against reforming statute of limitations laws that shield priests from prosecution for crimes committed many years ago.

“It would be a shame if the pope’s words were taken as encouragement by the bishops to continue that behavior,” he said. ...

According to BishopAccountability.org, at least 6,400 U.S. priests have been accused of abuse, but only about 4,000 of those have been named. Dioceses across the U.S. have paid out more than $3 billion in settlements.

**

Pope tells US bishops 'crimes' of sexual abuse must not be repeated, AFP/Reuters (September 23, 2015)

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Charity's persistence led to Somerset County priest's arrest, by Paul Peirce, Trib Live (September 23, 2015)

The years of persistence by ProNiño officials to see Maurizio stand trial was lauded Wednesday by a nonprofit that tracks and documents abuse by officials in the Roman Catholic Church, BishopAccountability.org
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the Massachusetts-based group, said “We salute the selflessness and unimaginable bravery of the young victims who traveled from Honduras to testify about their abuse by Father Maurizio. Because of them, other children will not be assaulted by this dangerous man. They are heroes.”

**

Survivors of sexual abuse say Pope Francis hasn't made enough progress, by Huizhong Wu, Mashable (September 23, 2015)

The church's clerical sex abuse problem has gone on for decades. BishopAccountability.org has documents which detail calculated abuse that happened as early as the 1940s.

**

Pope praises U.S. bishops' response to abuse, angering victims, The Associated Press (September 23, 2015)

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The Latest: US, Vatican delegations discuss Cuba embargo, The Associated Press (September 23, 2015)

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Pope Francis is doing more to fight sex abuse than his predecessors. That's still not enough, by Dylan Matthews, Vox (September 23, 2015)

For one thing, some known sex abusers are still practicing as priests. "In researching the Philippine Catholic Church," BishopAccountability.org co-director Anne Barrett Doyle writes, "we found several examples of Filipino bishops retaining priests who are barred from ministry by US bishops. One, a priest criminally convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor in Detroit, was recently a featured preacher at prayer gatherings that included young people." The abuse situation isn't solved as long as known abusers — including ones with criminal convictions — are still in ministries where they can harm children.

**

"Greater Boston," WGBH-TV, September 22, 2015

**

Pope Francis needs to do more to stop priest sex abuse, advocates say, by Will Carless, GlobalPost (September 22, 2015)

Anne Barret-Doyle, co-director of Bishop-Accountability.org

1) How do you rate Pope Francis’s efforts in dealing with sex abuse?

Have the changes gone far enough? Not even close. But the pope’s actions point in the right direction.

His commission has shown pluck and determination that many didn’t expect: witness commission member Marie Collins’ rebuke this week of the Chilean cardinals who blocked abuse survivor Juan Carlos Cruz from joining the commission. The commission also persuaded Pope Francis to commit to the new tribunal to judge bishops.

Promising this tribunal has been the pope’s most meaningful action. For the first time, the Vatican will address systemically a problem it used to deny even existed. But the tribunal faces huge obstacles. For instance, it will judge bishops according to current canon law, which is alarmingly lenient toward clergy who abuse children.

Few people realize that the global church legal system has no “zero tolerance” provision: there is no canon law that says any cleric found guilty must be removed permanently from ministry. Pope Francis keeps invoking zero tolerance, but his vow is essentially meaningless, because it’s not backed by binding policy.

2) What more should the pope do?

Pope Francis should:

Make zero tolerance universal church law.

• Make sure the new tribunal is effective. Its remit must cover religious superiors as well as bishops, and past office-holders as well as current ones. And it must hold officials accountable for enforcing zero tolerance, not the lax standard of current canon law.

• Demonstrate transparency: Release the names and assignment histories of all 3,400 clerics found guilty by the Vatican from 2004 to 2013.

• Come clean about his own record in Argentina, especially his troubling role in the case of convicted child molester, Rev. Julio César Grassi.

• Stop letting religious orders (e.g., Jesuits, Franciscans) use their complex jurisdictional status to evade accountability, both in and out of the church.

• Enlist civil society’s help. Secular mechanisms have proved to be far more effective than the church at identifying abusive clerics and complicit supervisors. Encourage state-run investigations.

• Order bishops to stop blocking repeals of statutes of limitation. Victims must be allowed access to civil courts. Civil actions expose toxic secrets.

**

The Burden of the Gospel – Papal Homily in Philadelphia on September 27, 2015, by Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, Guest blogging on the Hamilton-Griffin Blog (September 21, 2015)

**

The World in 2:00, Talk Radio News (September 21, 2015)

Anne Barrett-Doyle is the co-director of Bishop Accountability, which maintains the largest database of clergy sex abuse records outside of the Vatican.

“Rumor has it he will meet with victims. And he could announce he is going to make zero tolerance the rule of the Catholic Church worldwide. He won’t do that, but that would be the kind of decisive action that would really save children.”

American bishops have acknowledged at least 6,500 publicly-accused predator priests, but the problem is worse globally, in countries where the Church hasn’t pledged zero tolerance and where the power differential between priests and parishioners is greater.

**

Víctimas de abusos sexuales reclaman al papa una verdadera tolerancia cero, EFE - Agencia EFE (September 21, 2015)

"Urgimos al papa Francisco a conmemorar su primera visita a EE.UU. anunciando el fin de esta terrible situación. Como primer paso, debería prometer aplicar una verdadera tolerancia cero en la Iglesia", señaló en una conferencia de prensa en la sede de la ONU su codirectora, Anne Barrett Doyle.

Para ello, Doyle consideró necesario modificar el derecho canónico y asegurar que cualquier sacerdote responsable de abusos sea castigado y no, como ocurre ahora en algunos casos, trasladado a otra región o país.

**

The Pope Is Coming!, by Grant Gallicho, Commonwealth Magazine (September 20, 2015)

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Op-Ed: Pope must make 'zero tolerance' the law of the global church, by Anne Barrett Doyle, Boston Globe, September 20, 2015

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US church welcomes pope under shadow of abuse scandal, Agence France-Presse (September 18, 2015)

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Investigators Allege a Clergy Abuse PipeLine: From The USA to Latin America, by Phillip Martin, WGBH News (September 18, 2015)

Pope Francis has declared a zero tolerance policy for clergy accused of pedophilia, but Anne Barrett Doyle says that the practice of transferring problem priests still persist.

“Outside the United States we still see child molesters being given second chances. So there’s a gap here between what the Pope is pledging and the impression he’s creating with all of us that there’s a new zero tolerance policy in effect in the Catholic Church.”

The Globalpost investigation comes weeks before the release of "SPOTLIGHT" ---a much-anticipated film about the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize winning expose of aberrant clergy behavior, which until 2001/2002 had only been talked about in whispers and rumors:

Both researcher Anne Barrett Doyle and reporter Will Carless believe that their investigation is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

“There are Catholic priests who are accused of abuse in the United States and Europe and other sort of developed countries that are fleeing all over the world,” says Carless.

**

Fugitive Fathers: How the Vatican’s alleged sex abusers hide and preach in South America (VIDEO), by Will Carless, Jimmy Chalk, and Rob Harris, Global Post (September 17, 2015)

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South America has become a safe haven for the Catholic Church’s alleged child molesters, by Will Carless, Global Post (September 17, 2015)

Anne Barrett-Doyle is a founder of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abusive priests around the world. She said that despite the pope’s letter, it’s still entirely unclear what standards bishops worldwide are now being held to. She said the rules in the US, though far from perfect, remain much more stringent than church doctrine elsewhere.
“It’s a lie, it’s absolutely false that there’s anything approaching zero tolerance in the emerging abuse policies around the world,” Barrett-Doyle said.

............

BishopAccountability.org maintains a database of more than 6,400 clerics who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse in the United States. The database contains extensive information about Montero, Madden, Van Dael and many other priests who have avoided scrutiny by simply getting on a plane and flying to a new country.

.................

In 2014, following reports by BishopAccountability.org, GlobalPost traveled to Paraguay to confront Urrutigoity, who had been promoted to second-in-command of the diocese of Ciudad del Este in the country's east.

**

Catholic Church pedophile enjoys new life in Colombia, by Grace Brown, Columbia Reports (September 17, 2015)

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Ahead of Pope Francis’ Visit, Survivors of Sexual Abuse Take Stock, by Vivian Yee, The New York Times (September 15, 2015)

To some advocates, however, the move was incomplete: Francis could have done much for transparency simply by confirming that the bishops were removed because of their negligence in abuse cases, they said.

He could also direct archdioceses to release the names of credibly accused American priests, at least 2,400 of whom have never been identified, said Terence McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org, a group that documents clerical sexual abuse.

“One obvious reform Francis could start would be to say to dioceses, ‘Transparency means really being honest about what happened in the past,’ ” Mr. McKiernan said.

**

James V. Johnston intends to bring healing as new bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese, by Brian Burnes, Judy L. Thomas, and Robert A. Cronkleton, The Kansas City Star (September 15, 2015)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a group that operates an online database of accused priests, said the fact that Johnston served in Knoxville under Bishop Anthony O’Connell — who resigned in 2002 after admitting that he had sexually abused teenage boys — raised some concerns.

**

Critics: Bishops Lag Behind Pope's Promise To Deal With Abusive Priests, National Public Radio (September 14, 2015)

GJELTEN: Abuse survivors in New York and other states are pushing to lengthen the statute of limitations on clergy abuse cases, but the church is resisting. A statement on the New York bishops' website says they objected to the church being singled out for special treatment. A spokesman for the New York bishops declined to be interviewed. But in an email, he said the church has taken tremendous steps to address the issue of child sexual abuse. He says, it has offered financial, psychological and spiritual assistance to abuse victims. Terence McKiernan, who heads a group called Bishop Accountability, would like Pope Francis to signal support for statute of limitation reforms.

TERENCE MCKIERNAN: The clergy abuse crisis is not simply another issue. It has had drastic effects on the degree to which people are willing to donate to the church, the degree to which people are willing to show up on Sundays. And if he were to step forward about this issue, he would change a lot of minds.

**

Ongoing child sex abuse in Catholic church casts shadow on pope's US visit, by Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian, September 10, 2015

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KC diocese holds second healing service for clergy sex abuse survivors, by Elizabeth A. Elliott, NCR (September 10, 2015)

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Victims of clergy sex abuse say church stands in way of justice: Ahead of Pope Francis’ first US visit, victims’ advocates call on the pontiff to take on the church itself, Al Jazeera (September 10, 2015)

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As Pope visit nears, U.S. sex victims say Church remains obstacle to justice, by Scott Malone, Reuters (September 10, 2015)

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As Pope visit nears, U.S. Catholic Church faces financial strain, by Richard Valdmanis, Reuters (September 8, 2015)

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Church pays $40K to settle abuse claims involving priest with Naples ties, by Ryan Mills, Naples Daily News (September 04, 2015)

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DIVINE INTERVENTION?: Vatican’s No. 1 Pervert Priest Dies Suddenly in Vatican City, by Barbie Latza Nadeau, The Daily Beast (August 28, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, sent out a press release on August 24 questioning just what happened to the Polish priest meant to be the example of the Vatican’s good will towards victims of priestly abuse.

“If he is free but being monitored, officials should explain the details of the monitoring system, recognizing that the record of the abuse crisis includes many tragic failures of monitoring arrangements that seemed fail-proof on paper,” Doyle said in her statement. “Much is at stake here, from the safety of children to the credibility of Pope Francis’s celebrated pledge that no bishops will be treated as ‘daddy’s boys’ on his watch.”

.........................

Correction 8/28/15 11:01 AM: A previous version of this article referred to Anne Barrett Doyle as the co-director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

**

Priest formerly in Yakima ordered to pay $5 million in abuse case, by Kip Hill, The Spokesman-Review (August 25, 2015)

The nonprofit watchdog group BishopAccountability, based in Massachusetts, reports that more than $3 billion has been spent nationwide to settle cases of clergy abuse.

**

Leader at St. John’s Abbey will ‘step back’ during sexual misconduct investigation, by Shaymus McLaughlin, bringmethenews.com (August 21, 2015)

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Archdiocese of Milwaukee reaches $21-million settlement with sexual abuse victims, by Natalie Schachar, LA Times (August 5, 2015)

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Milwaukee Archdiocese Offers Settlement For Victims of Clergy Sex Abuse, by Priyanka Boghani, PBS (August 5, 2015)

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Despite allegations, suspended priest thrives as family therapist, by Caitlin McCabe, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) (July 16, 2015)

"If a diocese is serious about protecting children and families, they need to convey on their website that they have removed a priest because they believe their victims," said Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that maintains an online database of abuse allegations. "Their names need to be in the public domain."

**

Landmark Vatican Child Abuse Trial To Begin, by Mark Stone, Sky News (July 11, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, from BishopAccountability.org which documents sexual abuse within the Catholic church, said: "It's very important that this apparently veracious predator be investigated arrested and tried.

"[But] I think it's minimal and of course it was an obviously good thing to do - the evidence against him was overwhelming."

..................

"I am concerned that this will be a less independent and rigorous process than if it were being held in a truly secular country like the Dominican Republic or Poland," Ms Barrett Doyle said.

"It's not a sign that the crackdown on sexual abuse is really under way within the Catholic church… It is not as if the Vatican brought these crimes to light and decided to punish this man.

"I don't think the Vatican can be congratulated for trying someone who has been found with a massive cache of child abuse images on his computer and who apparently has sexually abused some of the most vulnerable children in the Dominican Republic."

....................................

"This is a matter of great concern because the Catholic Church does not have a great record of monitoring [alleged] abusers closely pending trial," Ms Barrett Doyle said.

**

Ex-nuncio falls ill before start of child abuse trial, by Paddy Agnew, Irish Times (July 11, 2015)

While some of the groups representing victims of priestly abuse have welcomed the Wesolowski trial, they have said much more needs to be done to root out wrongdoers.

One group, BishopAccountability.org, says 79 bishops have been accused publicly of sexual wrongdoing, and only four have been defrocked.

**

Former Vatican ambassador hospitalized ahead of child abuse trial, by Crispiam Balmer, Reuters (July 11, 2015)

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Jesus weeps: Archdiocese persisted in its sin, by Mike Tighe, La Crosse Tribune (June 25, 2015)

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Interim archbishop faces daunting task in tumultuous Twin Cities archdiocese, by Jean Hopfensperger, Star tribune (June 20, 2015)

In the Twin Cities, it will be far more difficult for Hebda not to be actively engaged because clergy abuse is at the center of the church’s many troubles — the victims’ lawsuits, the bankruptcy, the fundraising troubles, the demoralized faithful, said Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a national Internet archive of clergy sex offenders.

“The issue is everywhere,” said McKiernan.

**

U.S. archbishop, deputy resign over sex abuse coverup charges, AP (June 16, 2015)

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Vatican orders former archbishop to stand trial for sex abuse, Reuters, (June 16, 2015)

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Vatican to try ex-papal ambassador on child sex charges, by Siobhan Fenton, The Independent (UK) (June 16, 2015)

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Two Catholic US bishops resign in child sex abuse scandal, Reuters (June 16, 2015)

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Two Catholic U.S. bishops resign in child sex abuse scandal, by Isla Binnie, WTVB (June 16, 2015)

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Pope tough on abuse, AP, (June 16, 2015)

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Top bishops quit in Minneapolis over abuse claims, Associated Press (June 16, 2015)

On Monday, the Vatican declined to say whether Nienstedt and Piché had been forcibly removed or had stepped down by choice. Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse cases, said Monday that the Minneapolis clerics were “low-hanging fruit” and that Pope Francis must clarify why they left office.

“The last three popes have removed bishops for this,” she said. “But no one has made an explicit statement saying this is the reason. That kind of confirmation in light of last week’s (announcement of the new tribunal) is really important. We can’t continue to have popes staying mum when bishops are removed.”

**

US archbishop quits after archdiocese charged with cover-up, by Nicole Winfield, AP (June 15, 2015)

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U.S. archbishop quits after archdiocese charged with cover-up, by Nicole Winfield, AP (June 15, 2015)

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Vatican orders former archbishop to stand trial for sex abuse, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (June 15, 2015)

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US archbishop quits, Vatican indicts ex-Dominican ambassador in Pope crackdown on sex abuse, AP (June 15, 2015)

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Two Catholic U.S. bishops resign in child sex abuse scandal, by Isla Binnie, Reuters (June 15, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church, said the resignations were "disgracefully overdue."

"Today's news from Minnesota is a sobering reminder that the real source of accountability in the Catholic abuse crisis continues to reside outside the church," Doyle said.

"Nienstedt and Piche would still be in power if not for (Choi's) recent indictment of the archdiocese."

**

Ex-Vatican Envoy Jozef Wesolowski to Stand Trial for Sex Abuse, by Tracy Connor, NBC News (June 15 2015)

"It's long overdue and questions remain about whether the Vatican city-state's appropriation of this case was a tactic to prevent trial in the Dominican Republic and Poland," said Anne Barrett-Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks Catholic Church abuse cases.

"The church's interest there is they want to control the outcome," she said. "A trial in an independent country could involve embarrassing disclosures and about what the church knew and when they knew it."

**

Archbishop, Deputy Bishop of St. Paul, Minn., Resign in Wake of Criminal Charges Against Archdiocese, by Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal (June 15, 2015)

“The Minneapolis crisis exposed in the last two years looks as calamitous and extensive as Boston and L.A.,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks data on sex-abuse cases in the church.

But, Ms. Doyle said the key difference in the Twin Cities is timing. Minnesota county prosecutors allege archdiocese officials knew of misconduct of one priest but failed to take actions to safeguard children well after U.S. bishops instituted a new, strict abuse policy in 2002.

“What makes the Twin Cities example worse than other places is that this is all taking place in the post-reform era,” Ms. Doyle said. “It shows even good-sounding policy doesn’t keep kids safe.”

**

US archbishop quits after archdiocese charged, by Nicole Winfield, AP (June 15, 2015)

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Twin resignations in Twin Cities called 'prudent move,' 'a painful process', by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (June 15, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, said the Twin Cities case provides "a crucial lesson" for the tribunal to be formed under the guidelines.

"The new process must have a mechanism for suspending church officials pending investigations, and this suspension must be swift," she said, adding that Pope Francis left Nienstedt in office for months despite questions of his leadership.

**

US archbishop quits after archdiocese charged with cover-up, by Nicole Winfield, Winona Daily News (June 15, 2015)

**

Catholic Archbishop and Aide Resign in Minnesota Over Sexual Abuse Scandal, by Mark S. Getzfred and Mitch Smith (June 15, 2015)

The Minnesota and Missouri church leaders are hardly the first bishops to resign under scrutiny or accusations that they failed abuse victims. Since the papacy of John Paul II — now St. John Paul — began in 1978, 16 other bishops have resigned or been forced from office under a cloud of accusations that they mishandled abuse cases, according to research by BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group in Waltham, Mass. Archbishop Nienstedt is the 17th, by that group’s count.

**

Pope Francis backs new Vatican sex abuse tribunal, iFreePress (June 15, 2015)

“For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who hide or enable child sexual abuse”, said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church.

**

Questions, Answers On Minnesota Archdiocese Legal Case, CBS Minnesota (June 14, 2015)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said given everything that’s going on in St. Paul and Minneapolis — from a state law that opened a window for victims of prior abuse to file claims, to the archdiocese filing for bankruptcy — he believes Archbishop John Nienstedt is “at or near the top of the list” of bishops who will be scrutinized.

In addition, a high-profile lawsuit that accused the archdiocese’s handling of abusive priests of amounting to a public nuisance led to disclosures of dozens of priests’ names. Nienstedt himself is under internal investigation for sexual misconduct, an allegation he has denied.

“All of these pieces are coming together, interestingly, at the same time that the Vatican is taking an institutional approach to exactly the problem that Neinstedt presents them with,” McKiernan said. “He’s definitely got a target painted on his back.”

**

Pope creates tribunal for bishop negligence in abuse cases, by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press (June 12, 2015)

Terrence McKiernan, president of the online resource BishopAccountability.org, said the new tribunal was "a promising step" and that it was particularly significant that the Vatican was allocating senior staff and funds to it. But he said there were already several well-known cases of active bishops and cardinals who failed in their duty to protect children.

"This system will be coping with the complex interactions of enabling and offending that we see in cases involving bishops," he said in a statement. "Priests abuse children and so do bishops — bishops who offend are inevitably enablers, and the commission's plan must confront that sad fact."

**

Editorial: Tribunal a new phase in abuse crisis, NCR (June 11, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of Bishop Accountability.org, said the new system is a "promising step," but to succeed will require "a courage and an aggressive commitment that have so far been sadly lacking, despite the innovations of Pope Francis."

The advocates are correct. There really is no system yet. Establishing it and appointing the proper personnel will be no easy task. Once established, it will be fighting against an entrenched bureaucracy ruled by ancient customs of privilege and status. And it could be abandoned in five years.

**

Accountability of Bishops in Abuse by Priests, NECN: Broadside, June 11, 2015 [VIDEO]

**

Vatican City: Pope Francis backs new sexual abuse tribunal, by Philip Pullella, The National (June 11th, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church, cautiously welcomed the announcement.

“For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse. But the path already promises to be bumpy. How can the Vatican discipline enablers when its own top ranks are occupied by them?”

**

Pope sets up child abuse tribunal, by Philip Pullella, Irish Examiner (June 11, 2015)

“This development is potentially quite significant. For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church.

“But the path already promises to be bumpy. How can the Vatican discipline enablers when its own top ranks are occupied by them?”

She mentioned Australian Cardinal George Pell, who has been accused of covering up sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s when Pell was a priest.

Pell, now head of the Vatican’s economic secretariat, has denied the accusations, saying he has always taken a strong stand against child abuse. He denies moving priests accused of abuse between parishes or offering one victim inducements to drop a complaint.

**

Pope Francis Sets Up Tribunal For Pedophile Priests, by Maria Leonila Masculino, Food World News (June 11, 2015)

"Priests abuse children, and so do bishops," Terence McKiernan, president of the BishopAccountability.org told CNN. "Bishops who offend are inevitable enablers, and the commission's plan must confront that sad fact."

**

The Accountability of Bishops, by Michael Sean Winters, NCR (June 11, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, voiced a different concern. He complained that the process still lacked transparency, calling the CDF “a black box.”

**

Pope Francis sets up tribunal for bishop child abuse cases, by Ruth Gledhill, Christian Today (June 11, 2015)

Terrence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said it was a promising step but added: "This system will be coping with the complex interactions of enabling and offending that we see in cases involving bishops. Priests abuse children and so do bishops – bishops who offend are inevitably enablers, and the commission's plan must confront that sad fact."

**

Editorial: Tribunal a new phase in abuse crisis, NCR Editorial Staff, National Catholic Reporter (June 11, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of Bishop Accountability.org, said the new system is a "promising step," but to succeed will require "a courage and an aggressive commitment that have so far been sadly lacking, despite the innovations of Pope Francis."

**

Pope Creates Tribunal To Investigate Bishops Accused Of Hiding Sex Abuse, by Tom Gjelten, NPR (June 10, 2015) [with audio]

Terence McKiernan, co-director of bishopaccountability.org, says until now, Roman Catholic bishops have been reluctant to judge each other, even when bishops have clearly been remiss in handling abusive priests.

TERENCE MCKIERNAN: There really hasn't been a mechanism for dealing with the problem, and that's not an accident. The bishops have not been overly hasty in an examination of their own records.

**

Pope Creates Tribunal for Bishop Negligence in Child Sexual Abuse Cases, by Elisabetta Povoledo and Laurie Goodstein, New York Times (June 10, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a Boston-based group that documents cases of sexual abuse by priests, called the development encouraging because it “provides a structure, personnel, a budget and a brief for actually acting.”

**

Pope Francis puts pressure on bishops to prevent child abuse (+video), by Sarah Caspari, Christian Science Monitor (June 10, 2015)

The proposal details five points for the establishment of the new system. Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an organization that digitally archives public documents on the subject, told Reuters in an email that the plan is "potentially quite significant" because it develops "a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse."

**

Pope Francis approves new Vatican department to investigate bishops who cover up sexual abuse, Reuters (June 10, 2015)

"This development is potentially quite significant. For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse," said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church.

"But the path already promises to be bumpy.

"How can the Vatican discipline enablers when its own top ranks are occupied by them?"

She mentioned Australian Cardinal George Pell, who has been accused of covering up sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s.

Cardinal Pell, now head of the Vatican's economic secretariat, has denied the accusations, saying he has always taken a strong stand against child abuse.

He denies moving priests accused of abuse between parishes or offering one victim inducements to drop a complaint.

"Disciplining such powerful colleagues will be politically harrowing," Ms Barrett Doyle said.

"But for the Pope to make good on bishop accountability, this new program must begin at the top.

"Diocesan bishops cannot be expected to comply with standards that Vatican officials have ignored with impunity."

**

Pope approves office that would probe bishop sex abuse, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (June 10, 2015)

However, Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church, cautiously welcomed the announcement.

“This development is potentially quite significant. For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse,” she told Reuters in an email.

“But the path already promises to be bumpy. How can the Vatican discipline enablers when its own top ranks are occupied by them?”

“Disciplining such powerful colleagues will be politically harrowing. But for the pope to make good on ‘bishop accountability’ this new program must begin at the top. Diocesan bishops cannot be expected to comply with standards that Vatican officials have ignored with impunity,” she added.

**

Pope approves new office to investigate bishops on sexual abuse, Reuters (June 10, 2015)

"This development is potentially quite significant. For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse," said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church.

"But the path already promises to be bumpy. How can the Vatican discipline enablers when its own top ranks are occupied by them?," she told Reuters in an email.

She mentioned Australian Cardinal George Pell, who has been accused of covering up sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s when Pell was a priest.

Pell, now head of the Vatican's economic secretariat, has denied the accusations, saying he has always taken a strong stand against child abuse. He denies moving priests accused of abuse between parishes or offering one victim inducements to drop a complaint.

"Disciplining such powerful colleagues will be politically harrowing. But for the pope to make good on 'bishop accountability' this new program must begin at the top. Diocesan bishops cannot be expected to comply with standards that Vatican officials have ignored with impunity," said Barrett Doyle.

**

Vatican removes de facto immunity for bishops concealing sex abuse, by Jason Berry, Global Post (June 10, 2015)

BishopAccountability, the online archive, in a review of documents and testimony, stated in a recent post: “Cardinal Pell conceded to the commission that his instructions had resulted in [the victim] ‘being cross-examined and challenged as to whether the abuse occurred, in circumstances which were harmful and painful to him.’"

....

Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, called the Vatican’s announcement of the tribunal “a promising step toward bishop accountability, but it will require a courage and an aggressive commitment that has so far been sadly lacking, despite the innovations of Pope Francis."

**

Pope Francis approves new tribunal to judge bishops accused of covering up sex abuse, by Michelle Boorstein and Abby Ohlheiser, Washington Post (June 10, 2015)

Terence McKiernan, president of a group that compiles worldwide data on clergy abuse, said the new process was a positive development but far from sufficient.

McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, praised the process for putting bishop accountability cases into the CDF. Accusers “will be treated more respectfully and their cases acted upon if there are people dedicated to this topic, and that’s good. This was an obvious next step,” he said.

However, he called the CDF itself “a black box” that is usually not transparent to the general public regarding its decisions and investigations into priest-abusers, adding that transparency remains a “huge problem in the Catholic Church.”

**

'Sea change' in Catholic sex abuse scandal, by Daniel Burke, CNN (June 10 2015)

"Priests abuse children, and so do bishops," said Terence McKiernan, president of the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org. "Bishops who offend are inevitable enablers, and the commission's plan must confront that sad fact."

**

Seattle Archdiocese to pay $1.2M to settle sex-abuse suit, by Sara Jean Green, Seattle Times (May 18, 2015)

**

Missouri diocese’s apostolic administrator hopes for ‘grace, healing', Catholic Philly (April 24, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, called the resignation of Bishop Finn “a good step but just a beginning.”

“The pope must show that this decision represents a meaningful shift in papal practice — that it signals a new era in bishop accountability,” she said in an April 22 statement.

“What no pope has done to date is publicly confirm that he removed a culpable bishop because of his failure to make children’s safety his first priority,” Doyle added. “We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately. That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun.”

**

Canon lawyers: Origins of Bishop Finn's resignation unclear, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (April 23, 2015)

**

Abuse watchdogs praise Bishop Robert Finn resignation, but want more, by Michael O'Loughlin, CRUX (April 21, 2015)

A group that monitors bishops agreed that Finn’s removal was a “good step,” but called on Pope Francis to elaborate on the reasons for Finn’s dismissal.

“But what no pope has done to date is publicly confirm that he removed a culpable bishop because of his failure to make children’s safety his first priority. We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately,” Anne Doyle, a spokesman for BishopAccountability.org, said in a statement. “That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun.”

**

Pope Accepts Resignation Of Bishop Robert Finn For Not Reporting Abuse, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (April 21, 2015)

In a statement, Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the online abuse resource BishopAccountability.org, said Finn's resignation was a welcome step but called on Francis to publicly s t ate that he was removed for mismanaging the Ratigan case and failing to protect children.

She noted that bishops had been allowed to resign under the past two popes, but that the Vatican has never publicly linked their resignations to mishandling abuse cases.

"We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately. That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun," she said.

**

Missouri Bishop Robert Finn resigns 3 years after conviction for clergy sexual abuse coverup, by Anne-Gerard Flynn, masslive.com (April 21, 2015)

**

Vatican accepts resignation of U.S. bishop convicted of sex abuse coverup, by Michelle Boorstein and Abby Ohlheiser, The Washington Post (April 21, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of clergy abuse watchdog Bishop Accountability, said in a statement that the resignation was “a good step but just a beginning.”

Doyle urged the pope to demonstrate the beginning of “a new era in bishop accountability” by making a public statement that Finn’s resignation was a result of the bishop’s “failure to make children’s safety his first priority.”

**

U.S. Catholic bishop in child pornography case resigns, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (April 21, 2015)

"Pope Francis's removal of (Finn) is a good step but just a beginning," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a resource center for sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church.

"The pope must show that this decision represents a meaningful shift in papal practice, that it signals a new era in bishop accountability," she told Reuters in an email.
........
Barrett Doyle urged the pope to confirm that Finn was removed for failing to make children's safety a top priority.

"That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun," she said.

**

Pope accepts resignation of 'cover up' US bishop, BBC (April 21, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, an online abuse resource, said the resignation was a welcome step, but she called on the pope to publicly state that Mr Finn was removed over his conduct in the case of his priest, Rev Shawn Ratigan.

"We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately. That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun," she said.

**

Pope Francis accepts the resignation of Kansas City bishop who waited six months before he reported priest suspected of widespread child abuse, by Belinda Robinson, Daily Mail (April 21, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the online abuse resource BishopAccountability.org, said while Finn's resignation was a welcome step - more has to be done.

She has called on Francis to publicly state that he was removed for mismanaging the Ratigan case and failing to protect children.

She noted that bishops had been allowed to resign under the previous two popes, but that the Vatican has never publicly linked their resignations to mishandling abuse cases.

'We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately. That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun,' she said.

**

What makes Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn's resignation so significant, by Christine Mai-Duc, La Times (April 21, 2015)

A 2002 investigation by the Dallas Morning News identified 109 bishops accused of enabling sexual abuse within the U.S. church.

According to 2010 data compiled by BishopAccountability.org, a site that has tracked the abuse scandal, 45 of those bishops named by the Dallas Morning News had retired, 15 were promoted, 12 resigned, and three died in office. One bishop’s role as administrator ended and a new bishop took over.

According to the site, 24 U.S. Catholic bishops have been publicly accused of sexually abusing minors. Of those, four are still working, 16 retired and four died in office.

**

Reaction to Bishop Robert Finn’s resignation ranges from relief to regret, compiled by Judy L. Thomas and Glenn E. Rice, The Kansas City Star (April 21, 2015)

**

Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Who Failed to Report Priest's Suspected Child Abuse, bY Taylor Wofford, Newsweek (April 21, 2015)

Anne Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a Waltham, Massachusetts, group that seeks to hold Catholic bishops accountable for not reporting sexual abuse by priests, agrees. "The pope must show that this decision represents a meaningful shift in papal practice—that it signals a new era in bishop accountability," she said in a statement Tuesday. "But what no pope has done to date is publicly confirm that he removed a culpable bishop because of his failure to make children’s safety his first priority. We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately. That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun."

**

Pope accepts resignation of Robert Finn, years after U.S. bishop's conviction, by Greg Botelho, CNN (April 21, 2015)

Anne Doyle, from the watchdog group that documents the Catholic church's abuse crisis, called Finn's removal "a good step but just the beginning."

"The pope must show that this decision represents a meaningful shift in papal practice -- that it signals a new era in bishop accountability," Doyle said. "... What no pope has done to date is publicly confirm that he removed a culpable bishop because of his failure to make children's safety his first priority. We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately."

**

Robert Finn, Missouri Bishop Convicted of Shielding Pedophile Priest, Resigns, by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times (April 21, 2015)

The removal of Bishop Finn will now put pressure on Pope Francis to act against Bishop Barros in Chile, said Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that maintains an online database of sexual abuse cases. She said that, as with Bishop Finn, no pope had ever confirmed that the reason for a bishop’s removal was negligence in handling child abuse cases.

“We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately,” Ms. Doyle said. “That would be unprecedented, and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun.”

**

Papst nimmt Rücktritt von US-Bischof an, dw.de (April 21, 2015)

Die Entscheidung des Papstes, Finn zu verabschieden, wurde von Kritikern begrüßt, aber als halbherzig gerügt. "Nur ein Anfang" und noch "keine bedeutsame Wende" in der päpstlichen Haltung, meinte etwa Anne Barrett Doyle von der Online-Plattform "BishopAccountability.org", die Daten über sexuellen Missbrauch in der kathlischen Kirche sammelt. Franziskus lasse ein klares Urteil vermissen.

**

Is Pope Francis doing enough on sex abuse? Vatican abuse commission members question case of Chilean bishop, by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, The Washington Post (March 27, 2015)

The pope met with survivors last July and asked for forgiveness, though some are beginning to question Francis’s commitment on the issue, said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group that warehouses information about abuse allegations.

**

UPDATE: Priest abuse survivor speaks out, by Jeff Reinitz, WCF Courier (March 24, 2015)

**

Pope's zero tolerance for bishops who covered for pedophiles faces tough test in Chile, by Eve Vergara, Associated Press (March 16, 2015)

Anne Barrett Doyle from BishopAccountability.org, an online resource about abusive priests and complicit bishops, called the appointment "bafflingly inconsistent" with Francis' promise to root out abuse.

"The pope should have suspended and investigated Barros, not given him another diocese to run," Barrett Doyle said in an email to the AP.

**

Pope's views on pedophiles put to the test in Chile, The Associated Press, (March 16, 2015)

The controversy is being watched by victims, advocacy groups and others as a test of whether Francis will meet their demands to hold bishops accountable for having ignored or covered up wrongdoing by priests.

Anne Barrett Doyle from BishopAccountability.org, an online resource about abusive priests and complicit bishops, called the appointment "bafflingly inconsistent" with Francis' promise to root out abuse.

"The pope should have suspended and investigated Barros, not given him another diocese to run," Barrett Doyle said in an email to the AP.

**

A prueba la política papal de cero tolerancia con abusadores, The Associated Press (March 16, 2015) [Same article as above]

**

When the pope speaks, priest abuse cases get heard, by Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post (March 15, 2015)

Francis, like Benedict before him, victims’ groups say, has failed to act decisively against bishops charged with hiding abuse in their diocese, and he has embraced solutions they see as little more than window dressing. They cite alarming instances, for example, in which local dioceses have left abusive priests in ministry. The activist group BishopAccountability.org, for instance, recently drafted a letter to senior church officials profiling a number of accused clerics in the Philippines who, they say, still enjoy easy access to children. Symbolism alone, critics insist, will not get the job done.

**

Sex abuse investigation of pastor at Rhinebeck church continuing, by Paula Ann Mitchell, Daily Freeman (March 14, 2015)

**

Prison release of former priests raises questions for Catholic church, by Lilly Fowler, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 24, 2015)

PDF Version

The question of what the church should do in such instances is one that leaders will likely continue to confront as other abusive former priests complete prison sentences. According to the nonprofit group Bishop Accountability, between 275 and 300 Catholic clerics have served prison terms in the United States.

**

Pope Francis's response to clergy sex abuse tripped up by Vatican loophole, by Jason Berry, GLobal Post (February 20, 2015)

But the 2011 CDF “Circular Letter” to bishops on protocols for abusive clerics has policies that have already failed. The 2011 document, signed by then-CDF prefect Cardinal William Levada and his undersecretary Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria, tells bishops to follow civil and canon law “as thoroughly as possible.”

“The return of a cleric to public ministry is excluded if such ministry is a danger for minors or a cause of scandal," the document reads. It is the bishop who decides if danger or scandal exists.

“In fact, this is what bishops have always done,” BishopAccountability co-director Anne Barrett-Doyle told GroundTruth. “The CDF sees a bishop as judge and jury. He can forgive a guilty priest if he wants to after some clinic stay, and put him back in the saddle. That’s what the American bishops did for decades until it blew up on them.”

.....................

A new BishopAccountability report, “Sexual Misconduct among Priests in the Philippines,” dissects the CDF 2011 policy on the heels of Francis’s remarkable trip to the islands.

“We have identified 12 cases of allegedly abusive priests that raise immediate concerns about child safety,” Barrett-Doyle and co-director Terry McKiernan said in a letter with the report to a new member of the Pontifical Commission on the Protection of Minors, Filipino psychotherapist Gabriel Dy-Liacco.

“At least half of these [dozen] priests are still active in Philippine parishes, and none appears to have been laicized,” they wrote.

The Boston-based researchers identify two priests as repeat offenders from America, noting that the Philippines bishops’ conference knew about their backgrounds.

............................

A third priest admitted he sexually assaulted boys in the 1990s, while a fourth was “quickly transferred to his [local] bishop’s residence in 2011 after a 17-year-old girl filed rape charges,” according to the BishopAccountability report.

Moreover, the BishopAccountability directors charge, Filipino priests who sire children are often reassigned.

McKiernan and Barrett-Doyle criticize Cardinal Luis Tagle, the charismatic archbishop of Manila, who many see as a potential successor to Pope Francis.

**

Vatican Commission on Sex Abuse Proposes Sanctions Against Bishops, by Thomas D. Williams, PH.D., breitbart.com (February 08, 2015)

**

Vatican Abuse Commission To Recommend Action Against Bishops, by Philip Pullella, Reuters (February 07, 2015)
BishopAccountability.org, a American documentation service on sexual abuse in the Church, called on the commission to recommend "tough and unambiguous" measures.

**

Pope Francis told to hand priests over to police as new Vatican child abuse commission starts work, by Nick Squires, Telegraph (February 6, 2015)

Bishop Accountability, another US-based anti-abuse group, said the Pope had failed to act against bishops who are known to be protecting priests accused of abusing or raping children, citing cases in the Philippines.

“An effective universal policy will require such bishops to be removed by the Vatican and their irresponsibility acknowledged by their national conferences and by the Pope,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of the organisation.

“Bishops and religious superiors must be required to report all allegations to law enforcement authorities, even when not mandated by secular law, and they must be required to publicly release information about credibly accused priests, including the priests' names, assignment histories, alleged crimes, and church files.”

**

Commentary: Why I don’t like Pope Francis, by Red Tani, Philippine Daily Inquirer (January 19, 2015)

According to bishop-accountability.org, which has one of the most comprehensive databases of clerical child abuse, not only did the Pope do nothing, there was even “evidence that Bergoglio knowingly or unwittingly slowed victims in their fight to expose and prosecute their assailants.”

..................

If you’re a progressive Catholic, you’re probably excited about the Pope’s visit. “Finally, a progressive Pope is changing the Church, and he’s coming to the Philippines!”

But if you read the story of Wesolowski, the cases in Argentina, and reports by the UN Committee against Torture and bishop-accountability.org, you’ll begin to see that there’s a gulf between proof and public relations, between initial impressions and in-depth investigations. And you’ll find that this gulf is not unique to the issue of child abuse.

**

Minnesota Catholic archdiocese files for bankruptcy protection, by David Bailey (Minneapolis) and Brendan O’Brien (Milwaukee), Reuters (January 16, 2015)

**

A Response to Bishop O’Hara, by Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan's Blog (January 07, 2015)

**

IN MEMORIAM

Dallas' Trish McLelland, who built database of abusive priests, dies, by Joe Simnacher, The Dallas Morning News (January 07, 2015)

Trish McLelland: 1946–2015, bishop-accountability.org (January 2015)

**

2014

**

Pope Issues Blistering Rebuke of Vatican Bureaucracy, by Deborah Ball and Tamara Audi, The Wall Street Journal (December 23, 2014)

Terence McKiernan, President of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the sex-abuse scandal in the church, said the pope’s speech must be followed with real actions.

“This is a very capable man who is really making some remarkable changes. Rhetoric is part of the way you change things, but it needs to be accompanied by real and significant action,” he said.

**

How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF, by Jason Berry, The Daily Beast (December 21, 2014)

Neither book gives any coverage to Bergoglio’s handling of clergy sex abuse cases as a bishop and cardinal. The website BishopAccountability.org has posted an extensive file of media reports and documents on scandals in Argentina to suggest that Bergoglio was not a healing pastor to abuse victims.

**

Finance report shows 'trouble' in Twin Cities, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (November 24, 2014)

According to BishopAccountability.org, in the last decade,, 11 U.S. dioceses have filed for bankruptcy, most recently in January in both Helena, Mont., and Stockton, Calif. In Milwaukee, the Twin Cities' neighbor to the east, bankruptcy hearings have been ongoing for nearly four years.

**

Top Vatican prosecutor failed to report abuser, by Michael Rezendes, Boston Globe (November 23, 2014)

Said Terence McKiernan, founder of the advocacy group bishopaccountability.org: “Do you really want to pick someone who is actually in the paper trail of one of the most egregious cases that the Jesuits have ever handled?”

**

Former priest in Minnesota, California sexual abuse cases has local ties, News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne IN) (November 22, 2014)

**

Former Minnesota priest who fled to India faces sex abuse charges, by Kevin Bonham and Charly Haley, Forum News Service (November 19, 2014)

**

Papal U.S. Visit and Bishop Accountability, Broadside with Jim Braude, NECN (November 18, 2014) [video]

**

Sean O’Malley: American face of the papacy, by Jack Encarnacao, Boston Herald (November 17, 2014)

**

The Internet, Religion, Transparency, and Battling Tyranny, by Marci A. Hamilton, Verdict (Justia.com), (November 13, 2014)

The Internet is also the home for the remarkable database of facts, documents, and news stories about the ongoing revelations of clergy abuse at www.bishopaccountability.org, which was founded by Terry McKiernan and Anne Barrett Doyle, who now devote the vast majority of their time to building and securing this cache of information.

**

Advocacy group faults bishop's response on abusive priest, By Max Brantley, Arkansas Times (November 7, 2014)

**

Former Catholic priest who taught at Marrero school settles sexual abuse lawsuit in New York, by Andrea Shaw, |The Times-Picayune [New Orleans LA] (November 5, 2014)

**

New names added to list of Roman Catholic clerics accused of sexual abuse, by Denise Lavoie, Associated Press (October 31, 2014)

**

Local Priest Abuse Files Unsealed, Channel 7 NBC San Diego (October 25, 2010)

The release of records is biggest so far in a U.S. church case, said Terry McKiernan, founder of the website Bishop Accountability.org. The website collects and publishes internal church papers that have been released as the result of litigation on clergy abuse nationwide.
"I think as we absorb this, it will shed a lot of light on these issues. It's amazingly rich," McKiernan said. "These documents are providing a window into the California experience that we haven't had before."

**

Somerset County priest indicted on child-sex charges related to Honduras orphanage work, by Liz Zemba, Trib Live News (October 08, 2014)

**

The case against 'Father Joe': Five years too late, Trib Live News (October 07, 2014)

Unexplained by anyone in the diocese is why the allegations seemingly went nowhere for years. Anne Barrett Doyle, who runs the website BishopAccountability.org, accused Bishop Mark L. Bartchak and his predecessor, Bishop-emeritus Joseph V. Adamec, of looking the other way. Maurizio's lawyer says he intends to fight the charges.

**

Inaction on priest's alleged sex abuse of orphans at issue, by Liz Zemba, Trib Live News (October 04, 2014)

But four years later, Maurizio was traveling to other orphanages, so a frustrated official sent an email about the allegations to a website, bishop-accountability.org, dedicated to tracking sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.

**

N.J. diocese pays $610K to settle claim it allowed sexually abusive priest to remain in ministry, by Mark Mueller, Newark Star Ledger (October 3, 2014)

**

Pennsylvania Priest Accused of Abuse Was Reported 5 Years Ago, Records Show, by Trip Gabriel, The New york Times (September 26, 2014)

An activist who runs a priest-abuse website that learned of the accusations months before the arrest accused Bishop Mark L. Bartchak and his predecessor, Bishop Joseph V. Adamec, of looking the other way for years. “Their total lack of interest is so disturbing,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.
.......
Out of frustration that the authorities were ignoring Father Maurizio, ProNino USA contacted BishopAccountability.org, which tracks accusations of child sexual abuse against Catholic clergy members. It alerted a lawyer with ties to the Department of Justice and shared documents with the Department of Homeland Security, whose agents in Pittsburgh began investigating, Ms. Barrett Doyle said.

**

Pope sacks Paraguayan bishop accused of protecting abuser priest, Reuters, (September 25, 2014)

**

Letter: The Catholic Church’s cover-up, by Tony O’Rourke, Basalt, The Aspen Times (September 23, 2014)

Did you know there is a site that tracks pedophile priests, BishopAccountability.org? Look it up. There’s a lot more than a few of them. Just Google “pedophile priest,” and see what comes up. You’ll see there are, once again, a lot more than just a few child-molesting priests out there.

**

Film on confronting clergy abuse to be shown at church:'A Matter of Conscience: Confronting Clergy Abuse,' Hanover Eagle (September 22, 2014)

Fathers Patrick Collins, Ronald Lemmert, Bruce Teague, James Connell and Thomas Patrick Doyle, and Sisters. Maureen Paul Turlish, Sally Butler and Claire Smith agreed to tell how they reported occurrences of clergy sexual abuse despite serious repercussions for their actions. Mitchell Garabedian, attorney for countless survivors of clergy abuse, and Anne Barrett-Doyle of Bishop Accountability.org generously participated in the project.

**

Marianist order focus of abuse probe with heavy ties to North Catholic, by Bill Zlatos and Bobby Kerlik, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (September 6, 2014)

At least 14 of the accused Marianists, some of whom were defrocked, are dead; others' whereabouts are unknown, according to the Massachusetts-based watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, newspaper accounts, court documents and church officials. The alleged abuse goes back about seven decades.

..........

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, said religious orders typically are less aggressive than dioceses in managing abusive members.

“The 31 known Marianists accused, including those recently revealed at North Catholic, show that the order has a serious problem with sexual abuse, and the North Catholic revelations suggest that more remains to be learned at other Marianist schools,” McKiernan said.

**

Group criticizes diocese's handling of accused priest, by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazettte (August 19, 2014)

**

Religious arrogance, by Mark Pommier, Hibbing Daily Tribune (August 7, 2014)

The website called “bishopaccountability.org” will jolt the viewer into how widespread sexual abuse has been in the Catholic church, and their on-going efforts to diminish and deflect attention from it.

**

At SNAP conference, debate emerges about what Pope Francis will do, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (August 3, 2014)

But a more critical lens of Francis re-emerged in the day’s final panel, delivered by Anne Barrett Doyle and Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org.

Barrett Doyle recapped research their organization has done in translating hundreds of court documents and news reports from Argentina about Francis’ record on abuse as cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires. She said the documents show that the at-the-time Jorge Mario Bergoglio, “stayed almost totally silent on [the abuse] issue.”
..............
Barrett Doyle also announced the website will launch a database of accused priests in the Philippines before the pope’s scheduled January trip.

**

Proof of accused priest's innocence non-existent, by IND Staff, IND (August 1, 2014)

Dutel, according to an interview between Fontana and Minnesota Public Radio, was also accused of making sexual advances toward several grown men. It's also worth noting that Dutel's name appears on BishopAccountability.org — a database of priests publicly accused of sexual abuse, which you can access by clicking here.

**

Vatican taking action in divisive Paraguay diocese, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (July 30, 2014)

Urrutigoity's subsequent re-emergence in Paraguay was documented by the online resource BishopAccountability.org and the Global Post.
......
In a statement Wednesday, BishopAccountability's Anne Barrett Doyle said Livieres should be punished beyond just having his ordinations suspended for having willingly ignored the warnings of the Scranton bishop about Urrutigoity.

**

Some say pope’s reported claim that 2 percent of priests are pedophiles is too low, by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post (July 14, 2014)

Bishop-accountability.org, a Web site that publishes public information about accused priests and their cases, notes that some U.S. dioceses don’t submit regular reports to bishops on such cases. The group alleges that in dioceses where greater information was made available, either by choice or because of litigation, “the percentage of accused priests is approaching 10 percent.”

Anne Barrett Doyle of bishop-accountability.org, said the figure — however it was said — is “extremely low, it’s wrong.” She noted that Francis met last week with several European victims — his first such meeting — survivors from the developing world, including Latin America, were excluded.

“I think what this reflects is this pope’s lingering containment strategy. . . . I think he’s continuing to minimize the problem.”

**

Did Pope Francis really say 2% of priests are paedophiles?, by Lizzy Davies, The Guardian (July 14, 2014)

Regardless of what the pope did or did not say, advocates for the victims of clerical sex abuse continue to argue that the church plays down the true scale of the problem. Barbara Dorris, outreach director of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, said on Sunday that BishopAccountability.org, a website that attempts to document abuse cases and apparent cover-ups, had figures suggesting that the proportion of US priests accused of abuse from 1950 until 2013 was about 5.6%.

**

Don't believe the Pope Francis sexual abuse PR stunt. Believe in payback, by Sadhbh Walshe, The Guardian (July 10, 2014)


Details are murky, but Anne Barrett-Doyle, who runs the website Bishop-Accountability.org, which has tracked the case closely, told me this week that Grassi remained free on conditional release until September 2013, when his final appeal was rejected, at least in part because of a private report commissioned by Bergoglio that sought to prove Grassi's innocence and, according to Barrett-Doyle, to discredit the victims.

**

Catholics divided on meaning of pope’s meeting with victims, by Laura Crimaldi, The Boston Globe (July 09, 2014)

Anne Barrett Doyle, codirector of BishopAccountability.org, a Waltham group devoted to collecting documents about the abuse crisis, said Francis’ pledge was a first.

“The pope made an unambiguous commitment to hold bishops accountable for failing to protect children,” Barrett Doyle said. “We have not had a papal promise like this to date, one so plainly said. Now, we can hold the pope accountable for following through with this pledge.”

**

Pope Francis meets with sexual abuse victims: Positive step or public relations coup? (Poll), by Nick Canedo, syracuse.com, (July 09, 2014)

Anne Barrett Doyle, director of the BishopAccountability.org advocacy group, told The Associated Press that Francis' meeting with the victims was a positive step. "The pope made a significant and historic promise to discipline bishops who fail to respond adequately to child sexual abuse," Doyle said.

**

Pope promises to hold bishops accountable for protection of minors, by Frances D"Emilio, The Associated Press (July 08, 2014)

Francis himself has been criticized by survivor advocates for how he handled abuse cases when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, specifically for not meeting with victims and denying that he had handled the case of an abusive priest, said Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of the advocacy group Bishop Accountability.org.

**

Pope begs forgiveness for 'sacrilegious cult' of Church sexual abuse, Reuters (July 08, 2014)

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a US-based documentation centre on abuse in the Catholic Church, said the meeting was "positive and necessary," even if overdue.

"Now Pope Francis must internalise and personalise his point about Church leaders 'who did not respond adequately to reports of abuse'," she said in a statement.

She called on the pope to "follow through on his promise today to discipline the many more bishops and religious superiors who even recently have enabled child sexual abuse through their negligence or deliberate cover-up".

**

Pope Francis’ meeting with abuse victims wasn’t a PR stunt, Vatican says, by Josephine Mckenna, Religion News Service (July 07, 2014)

Another U.S.-based group, Bishop Accountability.org, said the pope had been “largely silent” on clerical abuse in his native Argentina and he must remove and discipline abusive clerics.

**

Pope: Bishops will be accountable for sex abuse, by Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press (July 07, 2014)

Francis has been criticized for how he handled abuse cases when archbishop of Buenos Aires, specifically for not meeting with victims and for denying he had handled the case of an abusive priest, said Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org.

Still, Doyle said Francis' meeting with the three men and three women was a positive step.

"The pope made a significant and historic promise to discipline bishops who fail to respond adequately to child sexual abuse," she said.

**

Begging for forgiveness, Pope says bishops must be held accountable for abuse, by Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) (July 07, 2014)

**

Pope begs forgiveness for Church sexual abuse, by Nick Squires, The Telegraph (July 07, 2014)

A group that has documented the scale of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, Bishop Accountability, cautiously welcomed the Pope’s strong language but said he had a poor record of dealing with the scandal back in his homeland.
..............
“Avoidance, silence, and denial were successful containment tactics in Latin America, but they will not work on the global stage, and they are not consistent with the mercy and compassion so evident in Francis's papacy,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of Bishop Accountability.
Although the Pope’s record on abuse was not encouraging, the group said it hoped his first meeting with victims would galvanise him. “The test of his sincerity will be the actions he now takes,” said Ms Barrett Doyle, calling for him to change canon law to compel bishops worldwide to report suspected child sexual abuse to civil authorities.

**

Pope Meets Sex Abuse Victims, Bearing A Plea For Forgiveness, by Sylvia Poggioli, NPR, (July 06, 2014)

POGGIOLI: Little was known in English-speaking world until the Boston-based group bishopaccountability.org recently published a report showing that when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was president of the Argentine Bishops Conference, the future Pope Francis was silent on the issue. In the book he wrote together with his friend Rabbi Abraham Skorka, then-Cardinal Bergoglio says there were no cases in his diocese. And when a bishop called him for advice, he told him not to allow the suspect to exercise as a priest and to start a canonical trial. But according to this new report, Bergoglio was aware of at least four cases in Argentina. And his former spokesman says the cardinal declined to meet with the victims. The report says it would have been particularly appropriate for Argentine victims to be present at the meeting with the pope tomorrow.

**

Report: Vatican launching investigation of Urrutigoity, by Mark Guydish, The Abington Journal (July 04, 2014)

In announcing the suppression, Martino cited four factors, including the allegations of sexual misconduct and financial problems. The diocese eventually settled the civil suit for a total of $454,500.

But the society, and Urrutigoity, seemed to find a new home in Paraguay, and in March news came that Urrutigoity was elevated to the second highest position in his new South American diocese.

That news prompted the watchdog group, Bishopaccountability.org, to accuse the Diocese of Scranton of allowing Urrutigoity to “transfer” to Ciudad del Este Diocese.

**

Winona diocese releases priest abuse details, by Amy Forliti, Associated Press (June 24, 2014)

Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said that while more information on the priests and circumstances about the allegations would be helpful, the information released Monday is a positive step and goes beyond what many other dioceses have done.

"Granted they were, to some extent, forced into this by a judge's order, but having been compelled to do it, this latest step is closer to doing it right," McKiernan said. "Transparency is always better."

**

Bill extends time limit on sexual abuse lawsuits: Would let alleged child victims file until age 53, by Travis Andersen, Derek J. Anderson and Jennifer Smith, Boston Globe (June 20, 2014)

BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group for victims, echoed the sentiments of other advocates who wanted a stronger bill, even while praising the version that was passed.

In a statement, the group said: “The bill is far from perfect. It keeps the courthouse doors slammed shut to most of the thousands of child sexual abuse victims now age 53 or older. And it will do almost nothing to expose and hold accountable those supervisors and employers who already have been negligent, careless, or deceptive in managing offenders.”

**

Buenos Aires victims urge Pope Francis to focus on sexual abuse in his home city, by Will Carless, Global Post (June 16, 2014) [with video]

For more information about abuse within the Catholic Church in Argentina, check out activist group BishopAccountability.org’s excellent and detailed Special Report on the country.

**

New STL ties in priest sex abuse case, by Stephanie Diffin, KSDK (June 12, 2014) [with video]

**

Bishops talk sex abuse complacency, not accountability at annual meeting, by Brian Roewe and Joshua J. McElwee, NCR (June 12, 2014)

Terence McKiernan, head of a nonprofit that documents the church's response to sexual abuse, said Wednesday that Cesareo's presentation was "not adequate to the dire situation in which the USCCB finds itself." He singled out abuse scandals in Kansas City, Mo.Milwaukee and St. Paul-Minneapolis as placing "in crisis" positive developments made so far. He said the bishops should vote to censure bishops in these dioceses.

"Though Cesareo warns against complacency, he finds it impossible to press the bishops on the most urgent issue -- their own performance," said McKiernan, president and co-director of BishopAccountability.org. "This is a time for substantive action, not business as usual."

**

Lawyer seeks Minn. church's electronic data on priests, by Amy Forliti, Associated Press (June 11, 2014)

**

Victims’ Lawyer Seeks Electronic Data From Church, The Associated Press (June 10, 2014)

**

Hopefully, the law is finally catching up…, by Mark Shea, patheos.com (June 6, 2014)

**

PARAGUAY: Más pruebas contra cura por supuesto abuso sexual, entornointeligente.com (June 3, 2014)

**

EXCLUSIVE: After US sex abuse scandals, an accused priest rises again in Paraguay, by Will Carless, GlobalPost (June 3, 2014)

In March, the nonprofit group BishopAccountability.org, which specializes in tracking problem priests, announced on its website that not only was Urrutigoity active in the Catholic church in Paraguay, but he had been promoted to the position of vicar general, essentially the second most powerful post in the diocese of Ciudad del Este.

**

Will the Vatican step up and hold bishops accountable?, by Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter (June 2, 2014)

 “The church is finally changing on this issue because of pressure to change,”BishopAccountability.org co-director Terry McKiernan told NCR.

“I think we’re seeing the beginnings of a recognition at the Vatican that they’re not going to emerge from this mess until they act on the enabling of abuse by bishops, and transferring of the criminals. These two U.N. committees [on Torture, and Rights of the Child] are raising the consciousness of the Vatican, making this a major political problem,” McKiernan said.

 “The Holy See argues that the U.N. conventions only obligate them on priests or bishops in the Vatican City State, but it’s hard for them to claim they don’t have effective control over priests in many countries, as demonstrated by the CDF handling these cases,” McKiernan continued. “It’s to SNAP’s credit that they got the U.N. to review the research they’ve done. Even though the case against the Vatican has gone nowhere in the International Criminal Court, other countries are thinking of clerical abuse of children in the context of international law — and that is important.”

.......

“I have problems with O’Malley,” said McKiernan, of the Boston-basedBishopAccountability.org. “O’Malley released a list of perpetrators in 2011, and the same day admitted he left off 91 names. So there are transparency issues. We see the same thing in the pope’s statement in the book he did with Rabbi [Abraham] Skorka of Argentina [On Heaven and Earth] where he says he never encountered an abuse case. That’s not true, the media has reported on cases from Buenos Aires. But O’Malley is coming from a place where the church was pushed to the brink and I think he’s talking sense to the pope. They both know it’s a global problem.”

**

Clergy abuse victims are divided over Pope Francis’ offer to meet, by David Gibson, Religion News Service RNS (May 28, 2014)

**

Marion Co. priest faces new allegation of child sexual abuse, by Joey Brown and Katie Bauer, Wave 3 News (May 12, 2014)

**

Lawsuit sheds light on scope of sexual abuse in Catholic Diocese of Charleston, by Adam Parker, The Post and Courier (April 25, 2014)

**

Dutch Catholic bishop was child molester, says church commission, by Tom Heneghan, The Sydney Morning Herald (April 13, 2014)

**

Catholic Church admits bishop’s sex abuse, Buenos Aires Herald with Reuters (April 13, 2014)

**

Past members of sex abuse commissions tell of struggles with bishops, by Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter (April 11, 2014)

Sharing their frustration is Lieve Halsberghe of Louvain, Belgium, a researcher for BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy organization for victims of clergy sex abuse. 2010 saw the churches in Belgium, Ireland, Austria, Germany and Italy engulfed in scandals as revelations about the extent of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests became public. In Belgium, this led to a civil investigation and even a police raid on national church offices.

.......

In Boston, O'Malley has withheld names of 70 accused religious order priests, "including some who have gone to prison," according BishopAccountability.org.

**

Pope asks forgiveness for 'evil' of child abuse by priests, by Naomi O'Leary, Reuters (April 11, 2014)

"It's nice to have expressions of concern. But actions need to happen, and people have been waiting an awfully long time for that to occur," said Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, which documents abuse cases.

"The best thing he could have done today would have been to step up to the microphone and announce that he is beginning to remove bishops who have behaved criminally in keeping priests in ministries where they don't belong, moving them around so that they continue to be a danger to children."

**

Pope takes responsibility for child abuse scandal: Talks of sanctions; victims’ groups call for action, by John L. Allen Jr., The Boston Globe (April 11, 2014)

The pope’s comments come at a time when his overall approach to the child abuse crisis had been drawing mixed reviews.

Critics have charged he hasn’t engaged the abuse scandals with the same vigor he’s brought to other problems. The American watchdog group BishopAccountability.org, for instance, recently raised questions about his response to five abuse cases in Argentina, while his comments in a recent Italian interview claiming that the church has been unfairly singled out for its record on child abuse reminded some observers of the exculpatory rhetoric employed by church officials at the onset of the crisis.

**

Bankruptcy for Twin Cities Archdiocese considered, by Jay Olstad, KARE, April 3, 2014 [with video]

**

The Fight to Reveal Abuses by Catholic Priests, by Clyde Haberman The New York Times, March 30, 2014 [with video]

**

Priest accused of sexual abuse in Akron and Bedford loses clerical status, by Colette M. Jenkins, Beacon Journal religion writer (March 27, 2014)

**

Dear Pope Francis, To Know Is Not The Same As To Do, by Rod Dreher, The American Conservative (March 24, 2014)

A Roman Catholic priest who was accused of molesting boys in Shohola and Moscow, Pa., has been promoted to the No. 2 position in his diocese in Paraguay.

That is according to a database released this week, listing Catholic clergy from Argentina involved in sex abuse cases. The database was compiled by BishopAccountability.org, an organization that aims to keep a record of sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

**

Francis names O’Malley to Vatican antiabuse panel, by John L. Allen Jr., Boston Globe (March 22, 2014)

Just days later, the American advocacy group BishopAccountability.org released records purporting to show that the future pope had failed to act aggressively on five cases involving priests accused of abuse in Argentina, though only one of those priests was actually ever under his direct authority.

**

Pope Francis Names Eight Members Of First Anti-Child Abuse Panel, Inquisitr (March 22, 2014)

In an earlier report by The Inquisitr, one of the issues that had many skeptical of this new commission is the fact that the Vatican wasn’t speaking on how they would be handling information on nuns, monks, and priests who allegedly abused minor. Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org had said at the time, “The world is starting to wonder if Pope Francis has forgotten the crisis.”

“[He] must address publicly the problems of clergy sexual abuse and its mismanagement with the same candor he has shown on a range of topics, from homosexuality to mediocre homilies. He has shown zest in ridding the Vatican of financial corruption. He must apply the same energy and determination toward ridding the church of bishops who have enabled abuse.”

**

Future Pope accused of failing abuse victims while archbishop, by Isabel de Bertodano, The Tablet, (March 21, 2014)

**

Pope Francis Accused of Shielding Priests Who Sexually Abused Children, by Keegan Hamilton, VICE News (March 14, 2014)

Earlier this week, BishopAccountability.org released a report entitled “Pope Francis and Clergy Sexual Abuse in Argentina.” The report focuses on Bergoglio’s stint as archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 to 2013, and includes a database with links to public documents and media reports about 42 priests in Argentina previously accused of sexual misconduct. Specifically, the report focuses on five cases of sexual abuse by priests in which it alleges that "Bergoglio knowingly or unwittingly slowed victims in their fight to expose and prosecute their assailants.”

The principal researcher behind the report is Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org. In an interview with VICE News, Doyle described herself as a devout Catholic who was inside the Vatican last year during the papal conclave that elected Bergoglio pope. Doyle joined BishopAccountability.org in 2003 amid revelations of sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, and eventually made her work with the non-profit her full-time job. Prior to focusing on Argentina, the organization published a similar database of priests accused of molestation in America.

“We try to aggregate all public information about the sexual abuse crisis,” Doyle said. “When we suddenly had a pope from Argentina, the first or second question that occurred to us was: How did he manage the sex abuse crisis when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires? He was there 15 years. He was the most powerful Catholic bishop in Argentina.”

.....

To be clear, the BishopAccountability.org report does not directly link Bergoglio to sexual abuse in Argentina. Instead, it details cases where it appears as though Bergoglio either failed to take strong, decisive action against accused priests, or helped to temporarily shield them from prosecution or incarceration.

**

Priest in Pike County sex case promoted after move to Paraguay, by Beth Brelje, Pocono Record Writer (March 14, 2014)

**

Morning Briefing, by Caitlin Hendel, National Catholic Reporter (March 13, 2014)

**

Francis' Argentina abuse record questioned, by Brian Roewe and Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (March 12, 2014)

The group BishopAccountability.org published Wednesday morning what it has called the first comprehensive analysis of Francis' abuse track record while he was Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio. The documents span the 15 years (1998-2013) he served as the head of the Buenos Aires church, as well as his time as president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (2005-2011) and includes information on 42 accused Argentine clerics.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishiopAccountability.org, said during his first year as pope, Francis has repeatedly attacked corruption in the church's finances but has "basically ignored" the abuse scandal.

"Does Francis have the will to resolve this catastrophic problem?" Doyle said in a press release, pointing to Francis' March 5 comments to an Italian newspaper that the church "is the only one to be attacked" despite the prevalence of child sexual abuse in other institutions.

"Studying his record as archbishop will help us better understand his underlying approach," she said.

..................

The timeframe of the documents coincides with a period when clergy sex abuse crises raged in other parts of the world. For the most part, it shows a mostly silent Argentine church, BishopAccountability.org said. 

"[Bergoglio] released no documents, no names of accused priests, no tallies of accused priests, no policy for handling abuse, not even an apology to victims," BishopAccountability.org said on its website.

..............

In the case of Grassi, BishopAccountability.org said the documents show Bergoglio commissioned a secret study to persuade Argentine Supreme Court justices that the priest was innocent, despite a 2009 conviction of molesting a boy.

...................

Bergoglio's apparent silence echoes a larger pattern in the South American coastal country, BishopAccountability.org said, calling Argentine bishops "among the least transparent in the worldwide church." It said the Argentine bishops' conference has yet to publish its abuse-response policy, which was due in Rome in May 2012, and questioned their reported cases of alleged abusers.

**

St. Paul archbishop, accused of touching boy, won't be prosecuted, by Emily Gurnon, Pioneer Press (March 11, 2014)

Nationally, 22 bishops across the country have been accused of sexually abusing a child, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse allegations against priests and other clergy.

**

Pope Francis image rightly tarnished by child abuse comments, by Markham Hislop, Beacon News: Independent Online Local News (March 09, 2014)

“It is astonishing, at this late date, that Pope Francis would recycle such tired and defensive rhetoric,” said Terence McKiernan, founder of the US-based website, BishopAccountability.org.

McKiernan adds that Pope Francis failed to apologize to children abused by clergy and has not even expressed sorrow.

**

Pope Francis’s first year: Faith, hope—and how much change?, The Economist (from the print edition) (March 08, 2014)

“He has changed the topic from abuse without doing anything about it,” says Anne Barrett Doyle of the American watchdog group bishopaccountability.org. “I would never have predicted that a whole year would go by without the new pope reaching out in a meaningful way to the victims.” In his most recent interview, with Corriere della Sera, Francis appeared to suggest that the church was the true victim: it was “perhaps the only public institution to have acted with transparency and responsibility...And yet the church is the only one to have been attacked.”

**

Pope Francis criticized for defensive comments on abuse scandal, by David Gibson, The Washington Post, Religion News Service (March 07, 2014)

“He is triumphalist about clergy abuse of children and silent about the complicity of bishops,” said Terence McKiernan, head of BishopAccountability.org.

**

Pope slammed for ‘defensive rhetoric’, by Nicole Winfield, AP (March 06, 2014)

The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has said that while he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he never dealt with a case of sex abuse, and indeed the scandal has yet to explode in Argentina on the scale that it has elsewhere, including in neighbouring Chile. But the online database BishopAccountability.org has cited several cases of Argentine bishops siding with abused clerics and imposing gag orders on victims - practices that were common in the US before American bishops changed their tune amid the explosion of cases in 2002 and resulting avalanche of lawsuits.

..................

Terrence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org said it was “breathtaking” that Francis had made the church the victim of the scandal, rather than express sorrow to the hundreds of thousands of victims or acknowledge the complicity of bishops in covering up the crimes.

“It is astonishing, at this late date, that Pope Francis would recycle such tired and defensive rhetoric,” McKiernan said in a statement.

**

Pope Moves to Deflate Breathless Portrayals of Stardom, by Jim Yardley, New York Times (March 05, 2014)

Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a victim’s advocacy group, criticized Francis’ remarks as insensitive and “triumphalist.” He said the pope should have apologized to victims rather than praise the church’s response.

“The chutzpah of this self-assessment is breathtaking,” Mr. McKiernan said in a statement.

**

Pope hits out at criticism of Church over sexual abuse, BBC News (March 05, 2014)

The founder of the US-based website, BishopAccountability.org, Terence McKiernan, was more direct in his criticism, complaining that the Pope had not merely failed to apologise to the children who had been abused but had not even expressed sorrow.

"It is astonishing, at this late date, that Pope Francis would recycle such tired and defensive rhetoric," he said.

**

Former Priest Gets Paid Disability For His Pedophilia, by Michael Allen, Sun (February 23, 2014)

**

Milwaukee Catholic archdiocese plans compensation fund for abuse victims, by Brendan O'Brien, Reuters (February 13, 2014)

The $4 million proposed by the Milwaukee archdiocese would be one of the smallest, if not the smallest, fund of its kind, according to Bishopaccountability.org, a website that tracks settlements and bankruptcy cases involving the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.

**

Archdiocese of St. Louis turns over its clergy abuse names, as court ordered, by Jennifer S. Mann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 10, 2014)

**

UN panel assails Vatican on priest abuse, by Michael Rezendes and Lisa Wangsness, Boston Globe (February 06, 2014)

**

Missouri's top court orders St. Louis archdiocese to name accused priests, by Jennifer S. Mann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 05, 2014)

**

UN report blasts Vatican on sex abuse, by Nicole Winfield, The Boston Globe (February 05, 2014)

**

Archdiocese data give fuller accounting of St. Louis priest abuse scandal, by Jennifer S. Mann, St. Louis Post Dispatch (January 31, 2014)

The website BishopAccountability.org, which tracks sex abuse cases within the Catholic Church, has compiled a list of disclosures by all dioceses nationally, and the reports vary greatly in what detail is provided. Some were the result of voluntary disclosures, but the majority were requirements included in settlements.

Terence McKiernan, president of the organization, said the Archdiocese of St. Louis falls behind others of its size when it comes to disclosure. He said the fight over keeping the names of the accused private “is a very, very clear sign that St. Louis is not being transparent.”

He noted, “It’s sad to say, but almost everything we know about this is because survivors have been willing to tell us.”

**

In Files, a History of Sexual Abuse by Priests in Chicago Archdiocese, by Steven Yaccino and Michael Paulson, The New York Times (January 21, 2014)

The personnel files of accused priests have previously been made public in other American dioceses, including Boston and Los Angeles, generally as a result of litigation. Most of the documents have been published in an online archive,BishopAccountability.org.

**

Priest sex abuse files made public on 30 Chicago Archdiocese priests, The Associated Press, ABC Local Chicago (January 21, 2014) [WITH VIDEO]

**

Organization wants photos of priests who abuse kids on Diocese website, by Harve Jacobs, Live 5 WCSC (January 21, 2014)

Dorris says right now, the only place to find names and photos of priests convicted or accused of sexual abuse is on a website www.bishopaccountability.org.

**

Chicago Archdiocese Releases Documents Detailing Abuse Complaints, by Mary Ann Ahern, NBC Chicago (January 21, 2014) [with video]

**

Cardinal O’Malley sidelines Cardinal Dolan as top advisor to Francis, by Sean Dunne, Irish Central (January 19, 2014)

Terrance McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, said O’Malley ignores the “culture warrior” rhetoric of past prelates in favor of finding common ground with all believers. That resonates with Francis, who has already benched cardinals who courted controversy in public fights over church doctrine.

...............

“O’Malley is kind of consolidating power within the Francis administration without having any official title,” McKiernan said. “Pope Francis is a shrewd guy. By establishing this side group of cardinals, he side-steps the hierarchy while he’s restructuring it.”

**

U.N. panel uses treaty on children's rights to grill Vatican on sex abuse, by John Zarocostas, The Sacramento Bee (January 16, 2014)

A group of lay Catholics from the United States in written testimony dated Jan. 11 cited a 2012 conference where Cardinal William Levada said 4,000 cases of child sexual abuse "had been adjudicated canonically by the Holy See" between 1950 and 2001. The group, Bishopaccountability.org in Waltham, Mass., said, however, it believed the Vatican's files "likely contain detailed records of more than 10,000 cases of sexual abuse of children."

**

Chicago archdiocese prepares for release of historical files on sex abuse, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (January 9, 2014)

**

2013

Bishop Accountability (Terry McKiernan, Anne Barrett Doyle) - Global Abuse Archives and the Papacy of Bergoglio, SNAP Survivors Network [with video-Vimeo]

Lynn ruling elates supporters, deflates victim advocates, by Aubrey Whelan, Inquirer Staff Writer (December 28, 2013)

Philadelphia abuse reversal conveys a painful lesson, by David Gibson, Religion News Service, NCR (December 27, 2013)

US court reverses conviction in Catholic Church child sex abuse case, RT.com (December 26, 2013)

Who Am I To Judge? A Radical Pope’s First Year, by James Carroll, The New Yorker (December 23, 2013)

Archbishop Nienstedt steps aside as police investigate allegation, say church not cooperating in other cases, by Emily Gurnon and Nick Woltman, Pioneer Press (December 18, 2013) [with video] [with documents]

Police: Clergy stonewalling in Minnesota sex abuse investigations, by Emily Gurnon and Nick Woltman, Pioneer Press (December 18, 2013)

With Nienstedt Inquiry, Archdiocese Now Likely 'has the Vatican's attention,' by Beth Hawkins, MinnPost (December 18, 2013)

Winona Priests 'Credibly Accused' of Child Sex Abuse Disclosed, by Emily Gurnon, Pioneer Press (December 16, 2013) [with photo gallery] [with documents]

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley Unveils Vatican Effort to Prevent Abuse, by Lisa Wangsness, The Boston Globe (December 6, 2013)

Le Pape François constitue une commission consultative sur les abus sexuels, The French People Daily (December 6, 2013) [Source in French]

Pope Forms Commission With Cardinal Sean O’Malley To Advise On Sex Abuse, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (December 5, 2013)

Minn. archdiocese to Reveal Accused Priests' Names, by Amy Forliti, Associated Press (December 5, 2013)

Pope Forms Commission to Advise on Sex Abuse, by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press (December 5, 2013)

Minn. Archdiocese Publishes List of 34 Priests Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse; 8 New Names, by Amy Forliti, Associated Press (December 5, 2013)

Pope Setting Up Commission on the Sexual Abuse of Children by Priests, by Elisabetta Povoledo, Alan Cowell and Rick Gladstone, The New York Times (December 5, 2013)

St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese Releases Names of Abuser Priests, by Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter (December 5, 2013)

Pope Francis Launches Commission to Tackle Sex Abuse, by David Gibson, Religion News Service, (December 5, 2013)

Is Pope Francis Ignoring Clergy Sex Abuse? Some Are Beginning To Wonder, by David Gibson, Religion News Service (December 4, 2013)

Will the new commission for the sex abuse crisis heal the past?, by Caitlyn Schmid, US Catholic (December 2013)

Twin Cities Archdiocese Is Just at the Beginning of its Sex Abuse Scandal, by Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune (November 24, 2013)

Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence Accused of Protecting Sex Abusers, by W. Zachary Malinowski, Providence Journal (November 21, 2013)

I-Team: Alleged Victims of Abuse Call for Investigation of Diocese, by Katie Davis, NBC 10 (November 20, 2013) [with video]

I-Team: Letters Raise Questions About Alleged Sex Abuse in Diocese, by Katie Davis, NBC 10 (November 18, 2013) [with video]

St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese to Name Abusing Priests, by Jean Hopfensperger and Tony Kennedy, Star Tribune (November 12, 2013)

Possible Delay in Release of Accused Priests’ Names, by Beth McDonough, KSTP, (November 12, 2013) [with video]

More On The Archdiocese’s List Of Accused Priests, CBS Local Minnesota (November 12, 2013)

Archbishop Pledges to Release Names of Priests Who Sexually Abused Children, by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio (November 11, 2013) [with audio] [with documents]

Church Leaders Qualify Promise to Name Priests Who Sexually Abused Children: Twin Cities Archdiocese Under Scrutiny, by Tom Scheck and Madeleine Baran, MPR News (November 11, 2013) [with audio]

St. Paul Archdiocese To Name Abusive Priests, Minnesota CBS Local (November 11, 2013) [with video]

Archdiocese Paid $11 Million for Misconduct by Priests, by Tony Kennedy, Star Tribune (October 23, 2013)

Catholic Students Torn Over Allegations, by Alexi Gusso and Nathaniel Rabuzzi, Minnesota Daily (October 22, 2013)

Northboro priest's Fall Laid to Gambling Addiction, by Shaun Sutner, Telegram & Gazatte Staff (October 20, 2013)

Demands Grow to See Secret Lists of Minn. Priests Accused of Abuse, by Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune (October 10, 2013)

Most Wis. Clergy Abuse Victims Get Little, by M.L. Johnson, ABC News (July 5, 2013)

Victims Await Milwaukee Clergy Sex Abuse Files, by M.l. Johnson, Beaumont Enterprise (June 23, 2013)

Breaking the Silence: The Growing Faith Movement to End Sexual Violence, by Catherine Woodiwiss, The Sojourners (May 28, 2013)

Leaders of 2 Groups Appeal to Pope About Worst Jesuit Abuse Cases, by David Clohessy, SNAP (March 15, 2013)

Catholic Sex Abuse Victims Still Waiting for the ‘Francis Revolution,’ John L. Allen Jr., National Catholic Reporter, National Post (March 10, 2013)

BishopAccountability.Org Blocked: Access To Clergy Sex Abuse Site Limited At Vatican, by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter (March 08, 2013)

I-team: Priest Won't Be Monitored, by Katie Davis, NBC 10 (February 26, 2013)

Archdiocese Adds LA Clergy Docs After Complaints, by Gillian Flaccus, The AP (February 6, 2013)

Los Angeles Archdiocese Is Accused of Failing to Release All Abuse Records, by Laurie Goodstein and Jennifer Medina, New York Times (February 4, 2013)

Priest Who Admitted Groping Boy Appointed to High-Profile Position in Newark Archdiocese, by Mark Mueller, The Star-Ledger via NJ.com (February 3, 2013) [with documents]

Leading U.S. Cardinal Punished for Role in Covering up Child-Sex Abuse, by Cathy Lynn Grossman, Gannett News Service, Chicago Sun Times (January 31, 2013)

BishopAccountability.org: watchdog group releases data from Archdiocese’s ‘Secret Archives’ on claims against Philly priests, by Juliana Reyes, Technically Philly, (January 29, 2013)

Website Publishes Claims Against Phila. Priests, by John P. Martin, Inquirer Staff Writer, Philly.com (January 23, 2013)

Read ‘Em and Weep: Bishop Accountability Publishes Data On Claims Against Philly Priests, by Susan Matthews, Catholics4Change (January 23, 2013)

2012

Vatican’s New Sex Abuse Prosecutor Gets No Confidence Vote, by Joe Saunders, Legal Examiner (December 23, 2012) [with video]

Monsignor at Roslindale's Sacred Heart Apologizes After Soliciting Donations for Accused Priest, by Todd Feathers, Wicked Local correspondent (March 30, 2012)

Victims" Group Demands Answers About Springs" Priest, by Ryan Maye Handy, The Gazette (January 27, 2012)

2011

Disgraced Cardinal Leaves Rome Job, News 24 (November 22, 2011)

Attorney for Clergy Abuse Victims Welcomes Law's Departure, by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe (November 21, 2011)

Boston Globe: Alleged Accusers Left off List, Boston Catholic Insider (November 21, 2011)

Bishop Indicted; Charge Is Failing to Report Abuse, by A. G. Sulzberger and Laurie Goodstein, New York Times (October 14, 2011)

Study: Changes of 1960s Behind Church's Abuse Crisis, NPR (May 18, 2011)

This Was a Modern Day Prophet Speaking God's Message in the Temple, National Survivor Advocates Coalition (March 31, 2011)

How Priests Accused of Abuse Can Go Undetected, by Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR (March 29, 2011) [with audio]

Activists Urge Diocese to Publicize Abuse Claims, by Tim Loh, Ct Post (March 28, 2011)

2010

Critics Demand Names of All Priests Accused of Sex Abuse, by Brian Fraga, The Standard-Times (June 26, 2010)

Rallies Held at Mass. Dioceses, Sun Chronicle (June 25, 2010)

Catholic Church Faces Renewed Questions about Disclosing Names of Abusers, by Michael O'Malley, Plain Dealer (June 7, 2010)

Cardinal to Lead Vatican Visitation in Dublin, by Jim Lockwood, The Pilot (June 4, 2010)

Pope Names Team to Investigate Abuse in Ireland, by Rachel Donadio, New York Times (May 31, 2010)

The Church's Moral Accountability, by Terry Mckiernan, Washington Post (March 31, 2010)

Pope Offers Apology, Not Penalty, for Sex Abuse Scandal, by Rachel Donadio, Star News (March 21, 2010)

Critics Want Bishops to Disclose Where Abusive Priests Went, by Daniel Tepfer, Stamford Advocate (February 3, 2010) [with documents]

Catholic Archdiocese May Release Names of Sex-abuse Priests by Year’s End, by Lane Lambert, The Patriot Ledger (January 29, 2010)

6000 Is Number of Pedophile Priests in U.S. Catholic Church Since 1950. Found So Far. and Still Counting, by Kay Ebeling, City of Angels (January 16, 2010) [with video]

2009

Guilty priests: BishopAccountability.org tracks clergy sex offenders (Video), by Donna Diegel, Examiner (December 29, 2009)

Priest Abuse Victims Want Churchmen Investigated, by Daniel Tepfer, Connecticut Post (December 4, 2009)

Coakley Criticized for Not Prosecuting Geoghan Earlier, by Brad Puffer, NECN (November 23, 2009) [with video]

A Search for Links Between U.S., Irish Church Abuse, by Deborah Becker, WBUR (August 12, 2009) [with audio]

The Globe's Global Impact in Changing Times, by Monica Brady-Myerov, WBUR (April 10, 2009)

Naming Abusers Can Protect Kids, by Margery Eagan, Boston Herald (April 7, 2009)

Bishop Says He'll Consider Naming Names, by Jim Fennell, New Hampshire Union Leader (March 30, 2009)

2008

Diocese Faces Complex Choices, by Sam Hemingway, Burlington Free Press (June 1, 2008)

Vast Archive on Abuse Aids Victims, Scholars: Database Lists 3,000 Accused Priests, by Michael Paulson, Boston Globe (January 29, 2008)

2007

Victims' Group Brings Message to WW Church, by Michelle A. Carrier-Migliozzi, Kent County Times (November 30, 2007)

2006

Priest Abuse Investigators Wonder If Foley Is the Beginning, by Jamie Holmes, WPTV [Florida] (October 21, 2006)

O'Malley Asks for Forgiveness at St. Patrick's, by Nadine Wandzilak, Stoneham Sun (May 31, 2006)

Groups Reflect on Clergy Abuse Scandal, by Carolyn Y. Johnson, Boston Globe (January 8, 2006)

2005

Web Site Tracking Accused Priests, by Kathleen A. Shaw, Telegram & Gazette (June 17, 2005)

2004

Church Releases Abuse Stats, by Kathleen Durand, (Fall River MA) Herald News (February 21, 2004)

Diocese Details Abuse: Report Says 32 priests Accused of Sexual Misconduct Since 1954, by Sean Gonsalves, Cape Cod Times (February 21, 2004) [with document]

2003

Protesters Demonstrate Outside Cathedral, by Kathleen Durand, Herald News (July 31, 2003)

Church Scandal Prompts Push to Change Laws, by Gregg M. Miliote, St. Cloud Times [Collegeville MN] (April 9, 2003)

 

 

 

 

 



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