ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
Juan Carlos Cruz – via BishopAccountability.org

[includes copy of the letter to Pope Francis. incluye copia de la carta a Papa Francisco]

From: Juan Carlos Cruz

Rome – February 7, 2016 – At noon today Juan Carlos Cruz delivered two letters to Pope Francis with the help of Pontifical Commission member, Peter Saunders. The letters were given to Cardinal Sean O’Malley who is to personally deliver them to his Holiness. The letters are from the organization of lay Catholic people of Osorno, Chile, and another one from the clergy of the same city. Both letters plea with the Holy Father to remove Bishop Juan Barros who is causing an unprecedented division in the diocese because of his implication in the cover-up of sexual
abuse in Chile.

Osorno is the community of faithful Pope Francis called “dumb” and “leftist” last year because of their refusal to accept the imposition of a bishop involved in the most emblematic case of child sexual abuse in Latin America.

Excerpt from the letter to Pope Francis from organization of lay members of the diocese of Osorno; “The frustration that your decision has caused us, Pope Francis, does not resist more silence or omission. During this year we have knocked on every door including the nuncio, the cardinals and the bishop’s conference and have received nothing but mockery.”

According to Juan Carlos Cruz, “We can never give up when it comes to protecting children and this is not the message being sent by Pope Francis appointing Bishop Barros to Osorno. This bishop witnessed my own abuse and that of many other boys over a period of 35 years. With the help of Peter Saunders, this is what I expected to tell the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at their meeting in Rome this weekend. Previously, Commission member Marie Collins told me that they were going to investigate and talk about the issue. Sadly, the commission attempted to silence Peter Saunders instead and thereby avoided my presence and all the inherent questions about my situation.”

“The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has become another Vatican corner of secrets and lies while children are still being abused all over the world and many bishops remain silent,” continued Cruz. “Apparently there is more to the emails between Cardinals Errazuriz and Ezzati who influenced the removal of my name as a prospective Commission member. This has been denied by Cardinal O’Malley during a phone call he made to me.

However, it contradicts Cardinal Errazuriz’s statement under oath where he said, “In fact it is true that I intervened so that he was not appointed.”
Cruz will remain in Rome until Tuesday speaking to the media and meeting with relevant individuals.

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UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

Silences such as Christian involvement in child abuse, anti-Semitism, slave-owning, demand constant rupture. On such noise does the health of Christian society depend.
~ Diarmaid MacCulloch, Silence: A Christian History (NY: Penguin, 2013), p. 216.

Some things appear not to change, don’t they? Just as I had finished reading Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Silence, news broke that abuse survivor and member of the Vatican commission on abuse Peter Saunders had been pushed off the commission — apparently, because he has been too outspoken. As Paddy Agnew reports for The Irish Times, Saunders has recently been vocally critical of Pope Francis for reneging on a promise to attend meetings of the commission and address commission members’ questions about his handling of the abuse crisis in the Catholic church.

Last week, the film “Spotlight” was screened at the Vatican for the abuse commission. Pope Francis conspicuously did not attend the screening of the film, a “silence” widely reported by media outlets around the world.

And because he refused to keep silent about Pope Francis’s obvious (to all of us with eyes to see) unwillingness to confront the abuse crisis forthrightly and transparently, Peter Saunders has now been silenced. As Rosie Scammell and Stephanie Kirchgaessner report for The Guardian (first link above), following his sacking by members of the abuse commission, Peter Saunders told the media,

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PENNSYLVANIA
WJAC

The Bishop of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has announced that two priests have been placed on leave.

Rev. David J. Arseneault, 70, and Rev. James B, Coveny, 79, have been placed on leave from the public ministry.

Arseneault served as Pastor of Most Holy Trinity Parish in Huntingdon since 2000 and Coveny was ordained to the Priesthood in 1964 and retired in 2011.

The Bishop, Mark L. Bartchak, said it is a precautionary measure while the Diocese takes a further into the allegations of sexual misconduct that dates back over 20 years.

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown said that they will continue to cooperate with law enforcement to resolve the issue.

“I remain committed to doing everything I can to ensure the protection of young people in this

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UNITED KINGDOM
Spiked

CHARLOTTE GILL
WRITER

There are bad things in the world. But not every bad thing needs a film about it.

Someone should have told the producers of Spotlight, a piece of Oscar bait that’s dull, uninspiring and does little more than tell you that something bad happened.

It’s based on the true story of a group of journalists who, while working for the Boston Globe in 2001, began a campaign to expose the extensive child abuse carried out by Roman Catholic priests in the Boston area. The plot is as follows: the journalists expose the paedophiles. Everyone is horrified. The end.

That really is just about all there is to Spotlight. In fact, nothing much happens in it at all, other than the journalists tracking down the Catholic priests, interviewing them and documenting their crimes.

Of course, people should be able to make films about bad things. But there has to be something else to it – intellectual analysis, parallels in the plot and nuanced editing. It is not enough simply to record, like a documentary, a series of events; the writing and direction must also bring something more out of the material. Otherwise it doesn’t really do justice to true events.

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AUSTRALIA
Mercury

February 8, 2016

REX GARDNER
Mercury

THE moment you mention the church and child abuse, people turn off. They’re suffering overload.

After years of hearing about institutional betrayal of young people and their parents, many want something more palatable and uplifting in their lives than these grubby stories. It’s understandable we want to turn away, because our trust and lifelong belief in people and places that deliver moral and spiritual guidance is taking a hammering — probably more than at any time in this nation’s history.

The church at the end of the street doesn’t stand for what it used to.

The brands and reputations of our major churches and some educational institutions are close to being smashed, and irretrievably so.

Their ongoing message — however meaningful — will simply bounce off people who have lost faith and trust. We’re not listening and believing the message any more, no matter what you say.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has released a communiqué at the end of its week-long Plenary Assembly at the Vatican. Dated February 8, 2016, the statement details the focal points and proposals that emerged from the six Working Groups of the session, including a request for Pope Francis to remind all authorities in the Church of the importance of responding directly to victims and survivors who approach them, the finalization of a Universal Day of Prayer, and a penitential liturgy.

The communiqué goes on to list upcoming activities of the Commission and partner organizations, including workshops on the legal aspects of the Protection of Minors with a view to to establishing greater transparency around canonical trials, and the development of a website to facilitate sharing of best practices for the protection of minors around the world.

Below, please find the full text, in its official English version, of the communiqué from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors

***************************************
News Release
Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
8 February 2016
TO BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has had seven full days of meetings in Rome. Meetings of the six Working Groups focused on updates for current projects, and developing and drafting proposals. Outside collaborators who assisted the Working Groups included the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD), and an expert in Penal Canon Law. Draft proposals were presented to the Plenary Assembly for further discussion and decision about policies to propose to the Holy Father. Policies endeavor to recognize the diversity of information and guidance currently available to the Church around the world.

Examples of proposals being finalized for Pope Francis’ consideration include: a request for him to remind all authorities in the Church of the importance of responding directly to victims and survivors who approach them; the finalization of a Universal Day of Prayer and a penitential liturgy.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

VATICAN CITY
ANSA

(ANSA) – Vatican City, February 8 – The Catholic Church should respond “directly” to victims of child sex abuse by clergy, according to a recommendation by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors announced on Monday. Other proposals to be submitted to Pope Francis for consideration following seven days of meetings in Rome include establishing a universal day of prayer and creating a penitential liturgy, the Vatican said in a statement.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors came into being in 2014 as part of a drive by Pope Francis to rid the church of the scourge of child abuse and help victims. It is mandated to advise the pope on how the Catholic Church should protect children and help victims of sexual abuse by the clergy.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Michael White
Monday 8 February 2016

It looks as if the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, is edging towards an apology to Field Marshall Lord Bramall (92) over unfounded allegations of child sex abuse and that some kind of further apology is coming to the family of the late Leon Brittan. It’s too late to do him much good, as it is to former prime minister Edward Heath, also caught up by some wildly improbable allegations.

Today’s report by senior Dorset police officer James Vaughan into the Met’s handling of the Brittan allegations shows how complicated such historic claims can be.

Vaughan’s report says detectives were “fully justified” in pursuing a “fairly compelling account” of rape in 1967, but only made to police in 2012, though procedural mistakes were made.

Newspapers that made hay with separate lurid claims of sexual abuse and worse, made by someone known as “Nick” and others, later switched sides, as their reporting of Vaughan confirms today.

His report did not say Brittan would have been cleared, only that an acquittal was more likely than a conviction.

It’s worth noting in passing that Vaughan concluded that a key police officer in the Brittan case misunderstood the law on consent and it would have been reasonable to arrest the former cabinet minister, which nearly happened but didn’t. As so often, loose ends need tidying up.

But is (arguably) the most distinguished of all those accused, George Bell, Bishop of Chichester (1929-58) – a saint by some reckonings – being quietly traduced by the Church of England to cover its own back?

I’ve made some inquiries, but don’t claim to know the definitive answer. Others are furious in his defence. One of them, ex-Telegraph editor and formidable Thatcher biographer, Charles Moore, thinks that Bell has been stitched up by the police and his church. This case is again bubbling this week thanks to a scoop in the Brighton Argus – of which more later.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

PENNSYLVANIA
Washington Times

ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) – A central Pennsylvania bishop has placed two priests on leave over child-sex abuse allegations more than 20 years old.

Altoona-Johnstown Bishop Mark Bartchak says he’s put the Revs. David Arseneault (AR’-sen-oh) and James Coveney on leave while the diocese “re-examines allegations of sexual misconduct involving young people.” The priests could not immediately be located for comment Monday.

The 70-year-old Arsenault has been pastor of Most Holy Trinity Parish in Huntingdon since 2001. Coventry, who is 79, has been retired since 2011.

The bishop isn’t detailing the allegations other than to say they date back more than 20 years.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

VATICAN CITY
Buenos Aires Herald

VATICAN CITY — A man who says he was sexually abused by a priest on multiple occasions delivered two letters yesterday addressed to Pope Francis from Chilean Catholics, asking the pontiff to remove a Chilean bishop accused of protecting a notorious paedophile.

Juan Carlos Cruz delivered the letters with Peter Saunders, a prominent and outspoken British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy. Saunders on Saturday refused to step down from his position despite a no-confidence vote, and said only the pope could dismiss him, raising tensions.

The letters were left for Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, the president of the commission, at a Rome guest house where the commission was meeting. O’Malley was asked to give them to the pope.

The letters involve Juan Barros, who was installed last year as bishop of Osorno. The appointment outraged many parishioners, legislators and abuse victims who said Barros had protected a priest accused of having been one of the nation’s most notorious sexual predators.
The priest in question has denied he abused Cruz and the bishop has denied knowledge of wrongdoing.

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AUSTRALIA
Huffington Post

By Eoin Blackwell

Survivors of abuse at Catholic orphanages say they are bitterly disappointed by a decision by the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse to allow Cardinal George Pell to give evidence via video link.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Monday excused Pell from giving evidence in person, instead allowing him to appear before the inquiry via video link from Rome.

He is expected to give evidence on church abuse and the management of abusive priests in Ballarat.

Commission Chair, Justice Peter McClellan, said he accepted medical evidence there would be a risk to the 74-year-old’s health if he is forced to fly to Australia to give evidence.

“There is a risk to his health if he undertook such travel at the present time,” McClellan said while delivering his ruling on Monday.

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CHILE
El Mostrador

[Phil Saviano. The first whistleblower who uncovered cases of sexual abuse in the Church.]

por ALEJANDRA CARMONA 8 febrero 2016

Phil Saviano llega hasta las oficinas del Boston Globe con una caja. En ella hay recortes de pequeñas notas de prensa y fotografías. El eco de su voz ignorada por años. Pruebas en las que pocos medios de esa ciudad habían querido ahondar. Un cargamento de pistas que llevaron a la unidad de investigación de ese periódico, Spotlight, a revelar una serie de abusos cometidos por sacerdotes en Massachusetts, no solo ignorados por otros medios sino también por la propia Iglesia Católica.

Ese Phil Saviano, el de la caja, es en realidad un actor que interpreta a Saviano. Pero no se distancian mucho porque el propio Phil ayudó con sus relatos al guionista Josh Singer. Una historia que podría ser la misma que escuchamos desde hace años –insistentemente– en Chile. “Es también un abuso espitirual”, dice –en una de las escenas de la película– Phil, el actor que lo interpreta con su mismo nombre.

Para el propio Saviano (63), esas líneas del guión son lo mismo. O peor.

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AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

Tim Clarke
February 8, 2016

The Catholic Bishop to Australia’s Defence Forces has gone on trial in Perth accused of sexually molesting five boys while he was teaching at a Benedictine boarding school in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Max Leroy Davis has denied six charges of gross indecency relating to five different boys aged between 12 and 15 at the time they say they were all assaulted while pupils at St Benedict’s College in New Norcia.

The five victims, who are all now in their 50s, alleged remarkably similar abuse while boarding at the school – and all say it was Mr Davis who abused them.

The 70-year-old was at the time a Dorm Master, and dean of discipline at the school, which was run under the Benedictine order of monks who still reside in the town north of Perth.

A jury at Perth District Court was told the boys will all give evidence they were touched on the genitals by Mr Davis in their beds, in the school’s infirmary, or in Mr Davis’ quarters in the school.

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AUSTRALIA
WA Today

The former head of the Catholic Church’s military diocese has been wrongly accused of being a child sex abuser while two other clergymen may have been responsible, a Perth court has heard.

Bishop Max Leroy Davis is charged with six counts of being grossly indecent with five boys under the age of 15 between December 1968 and October 1972 at St Benedict’s College in New Norcia, northeast of Perth.

Davis, 70, was the dorm master and in charge of discipline and corporal punishment at the boarding school at the time, the West Australian District Court heard on Monday.

In his opening address, prosecutor Mark Nicol said the boys were touched sexually under the guise of medical examinations in their bed or infirmary, or while seeking clarification on sex education.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Pamela Medlen

The former head of the Australian Defence Force’s Catholic diocese allegedly abused five students under the pretence of giving them medical examinations, a charge he denies, a Perth court has heard.

Max Davis is accused of six counts of indecent dealings with male children between 1969 and 1972 when he worked at a St Benedict’s College in New Norcia.

The prosecution alleges Davis performed indecent acts on five students aged between 13 and 15 years old.

One of the alleged victims told the court he had gone to the school infirmary with a sore stomach and that Davis prodded his abdomen before grabbing his genitals.

In his opening statement, Davis’ defence lawyer said he would not dispute the men had been sexually abused while at the college.

However, he told the jury there were two other religious men who were known to have been involved in inappropriate behaviour with boys, and that the victims could have mistaken them for Davis.

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

The former head of the Catholic Church’s military diocese, who is accused of sexually abusing boys more than 40 years ago, is a victim of mistaken identity, a Perth jury has heard.

Bishop Max Leroy Davis, 70, is charged with six counts of being grossly indecent with five boys under the age of 15 between December 1968 and October 1972 at St Benedict’s College in New Norcia, northeast of Perth.

Davis was the dorm master and in charge of discipline and corporal punishment at the boarding school at the time, the West Australian District Court heard on Monday.

In his opening address, prosecutor Mark Nicol said all the victims were touched sexually under the guise of medical examinations or while seeking clarification on sex education.

After touching one boy, Davis allegedly told him he would ‘grow up to be a powerful man’.

The court heard the boys were shocked and uncomfortable, but did not discuss what happened to them with anyone at the time.

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ROME
The Tablet (UK)

08 February 2016 | by Christopher Lamb in Rome

Despite his popularity, the Pope is in danger of being blindsided by the Vatican’s reaction to victims

Is the Catholic church’s sex abuse crisis becoming a headache for Pope Francis?

Anyone who has seen the new Spotlight film detailing clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up in Boston will be reminded how damaged the Church, in particular its bishops and the clerical leadership system, has been by the scandal.

Abuse and how it was handled dogged the papacy of Benedict XVI and it could also wound Pope Francis. At the weekend it was announced that Peter Saunders, a British abuse survivor, was no longer working with the pontifical child protection commission. Mr Saunders, a founder of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), disputed his enforced “leave of absence” saying he was seeking a meeting with Pope Francis about the matter.

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AUSTRALIA
The New Daily

MICHELLE BROWN

Cardinal George Pell has been excused from giving evidence in person to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Cardinal Pell will appear before the inquiry by video link from Rome to give evidence on church abuse in Ballarat.

Commission chair Justice Peter McClellan said he accepted medical evidence that the 74-year-old would be at risk of heart failure if forced to fly to Australia to give evidence.

“Although people with the conditions that Cardinal Pell has may fly long distances, it is apparent from the medical report that in the case of Cardinal Pell there is a risk to his health if he undertook such travel at the present time,” Justice McClellan said.

“Having regard to the nature of his aliments it could not be expected that his health is likely to improve and remove those risks.”

“Although it remains preferable that he gives evidence in Australia, when the alternative that he give evidence by video link is available the Commissioners are satisfied that course should be adopted.”

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Monday, February 8th, 2016

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A consultant last week agreed to review limited financial records provided by an insurer for the Diocese of Gallup and make a “thumbs-up or thumbs-down” decision whether to oversee a trust fund to handle future claims that may be filed by alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse against the diocese.

Settlement talks in the 26-month-old Chapter 11 bankruptcy case stalled last month after Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America, a church-owned nonprofit, declined to turn over extensive financial records demanded by the consultant, Michael P. Murphy, the managing director of Michigan-based AlixPartners LLP.

Murphy was hired last year to represent the interests of sexual abuse victims who may file claims in the future.

Murphy on Wednesday told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma of Albuquerque that he would view Catholic Mutual’s financial statement early this week, then decide whether to oversee a future-claims trust fund to distribute money paid by Catholic Mutual. Attorneys say the future-claims trust fund is a vital part of a settlement in the case.

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AUSTRALIA
Central Chronicle

Agency, Sydney

The Vatican’s Australian finance controller was cleared today to testify at a child abuse inquiry in his homeland via videolink because of a heart condition, a ruling bound to frustrate victim groups who wanted him to appear in person. Cardinal George Pell, once seen as a contender to become pope, was scheduled to testify at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on December 16 but asked to give evidence by videolink instead.

The judge chairing the inquiry said he accepted a January 29 medical report saying the former archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne had hypertension and ishcemic heart disease complicated by a previous heart attack, and said he could testify remotely. “Although people with the conditions that Cardinal Pell has may fly long distances, it is apparent … that in the case of Cardinal Pell there is a risk to his heath if he undertook such travel at the present time,” the judge, Peter McClellan, told the inquiry.

“Having regard to the nature of his ailments, it could not be expected that his health is likely to improve and remove these risks,” McClellan said, effectively reversing his December statement that he wanted Pell to testify in person. McClellan said Pell must testify from Rome via videolink on February 29. The inquiry heard testimony last year that priests suspected of abuse in Pell’s former diocese were moved between parishes and put in church-appointed rehabilitation instead of being reported to police. Pell, 74, has denied those allegations.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

February 8, 2016

Rachel Browne
Social Affairs Reporter

Cardinal George Pell will not return to Australia to give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse despite abuse victims’ calls for him to appear in person.

Commission chairman Peter McClellan​ ruled that while it would be preferable for the Vatican-based cardinal to appear in person, he accepted medical evidence that a long-haul flight posed a serious health threat to the 74-year-old.

A hearing held in Sydney on Monday was told Cardinal Pell suffered from a number of heart troubles.

Part of a medical report from an Italian specialist was read out at the hearing.

The medical report found Cardinal Pell suffered from hypertension, ischemic heart disease, complicated by a previous myocardial infarction, and cardiac dysfunction related to the arterial hypertension.

“The undertaking of a long journey could induce an episode of heart failure and were this to occur during a flight it would also be difficult to treat,” the report concluded.

Justice McClellan accepted the findings of the medical report, telling the hearing there would be a risk to Cardinal Pell’s health if he flew to Australia to give evidence about alleged child sexual abuse in Diocese of Ballarat and the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Michelle Brown

Cardinal George Pell has been excused from giving evidence in person to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Cardinal Pell will appear before the inquiry by video link from Rome to give evidence on church abuse in Ballarat.

Commission chair Justice Peter McClellan said he accepted medical evidence that the 74-year-old would be at risk of heart failure if forced to fly to Australia to give evidence.

“Although people with the conditions that Cardinal Pell has may fly long distances, it is apparent from the medical report that in the case of Cardinal Pell there is a risk to his health if he undertook such travel at the present time,” Justice McClellan said.

“Having regard to the nature of his aliments it could not be expected that his health is likely to improve and remove those risks.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Sunday 7 February 2016

Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, will give evidence about child sex abuse that occurred within his parishes via videolink following a ruling by the chair of the royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse, Justice Peter McClellan.

Child sexual abuse victims have been waiting to hear whether Pell would appear in person since December, when his lawyers told the commission days before he was due to give evidence that he was too unwell to make the flight from Rome to Melbourne.

At the time, McClellan refused Pell’s request to instead appear via video link, saying the issues that Pell was due to give evidence on were complex and his answers would be better delivered in person. He said the commission would wait until February to see if Pell’s health had recovered enough to allow the flight.

On Friday, Pell’s lawyer, Allan Myers QC, tendered medical documents to the commission that indicated Pell was still too unwell to fly. After hearing from lawyers for the victims, who largely argued that Pell’s medical condition was “very common” to anyone of the cardinal’s age, 74, McClellan adjourned to consider his position.

On Monday McClellan revealed that the conditions were hypertension and ischaemic heart disease. While it would be preferable that Pell fly to Australia to give evidence, McClellan said the commissioners were satisfied doing so would pose a risk to Pell’s health and that his condition was unlikely to improve.

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CHILE
Telesur

The appointment of Juan Barros as bishop of Osorno in 2015 sparked controversy as the cleric is accused of protecting a notorious child-abusing priest.

Outraged Chilean Catholics asked Pope Francis to fire a controversial bishop accused of shielding a pedophile priest in a pair of letters delivered on Sunday by one of the victims of the Chilean priest’s sexual abuse.

The letters addressed to Pope Francis were delivered by Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean sexually abused by a Catholic priest as a teenager, and Peter Saunders, a British member of an advisory committee to the pope on sexual abuse in the church. The two left the letters with a cardinal to be delivered to the Pope.

Catholics in Chile wrote to the Holy See to demand that Juan Barros, controversially appointed bishop of Osorno, be removed from his post. Hundreds outraged by the appointment protested in southern Chile last year to try to block Barros from being ordained, but Pope Francis dismissed the outcry, claiming the accusations against Barros had been invented by a bunch of “leftists.”

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MISSOURI
Berger’s Beat

FORMER ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROF Larry Stukenholtz has passed away. He was suspended in 2007 after SNAP had disclosed he’d been sued for child sex crimes at a Catholic school in Orange County, CA

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

[live stream]

The Royal Commission has called a directions hearing to be held in Sydney on Friday 5 and Monday 8 February 2016.

The purpose of the directions hearing is to consider Cardinal George Pell’s capacity to attend the third part of the public hearing into Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat.

This will be immediately followed by a directions hearing to consider Bishop Ronald Mulkearns’ capacity to attend the third part of the public hearing into Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat.

Stage 3: February 2016

This public hearing will be continued from 22 – 26 February 2016.

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CHILE/CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
24 Horas

[Juan Carlos Cruz sends letters to Pope Francis to remove the Bishop Barros.]

El denunciante del caso Karadima, entregó las misivas a un miembro de la comisión que asesora al Santo Padre en temas de abusos sexuales por parte del clero.

Juan Carlos Cruz, envió dos cartas al Papa Francisco pidiéndole que remueva al obispo Juan Barros, acusado de proteger a Fernando Karadima.

El denunciante del caso Karadima, envió las cartas a través de Peter Saunders, un prominente miembro británico de la comisión de asesoramiento papal sobre abusos sexuales de parte del clero.

Las cartas quedaron en una casa de huéspedes de Roma, donde se reúne la comisión, para que fueran recogidas por el cardenal de Boston Sean O’Malley, presidente del cuerpo, a quien se le pidió que las misivas llegaran a manos del Papa.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Charlotte King

Australia’s most high-profile Catholic Cardinal George Pell will learn this afternoon whether he will be able to give evidence to the child abuse royal commission from Rome.

Access to Cardinal Pell’s two-page medical report was given to counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse at Friday’s hearing, on the condition the details were not published.

His lawyers applied for the 74-year-old to be able to appear via an audio visual link at hearings of the inquiry dealing with abuse in Ballarat.

A Ballarat victim of child sex abuse criticised Cardinal Pell, saying he was demanding more from the royal commission than had been offered to survivors.

Abuse survivor David Ridsdale said there needed to be transparency surrounding the reasons given for the Cardinal not wanting to appear in person.

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANO/CHILE
Bio Bio

Tras la separación de Peter Saunders de la Comisión Papal de abusos sexuales, quien había invitado a Juan Carlos Cruz para relatar situación de Obispo Juan Barros en Osorno, el Movimiento de Laicos de la comuna dijo que esto demuestra que los abusos dentro de la iglesia “siguen siendo un tema tabú”.

Recordemos que la invitación nace de Saunders, luego que Juan Carlos Cruz haya sido excluido de integrar dicha comisión que aborda los abusos sexuales ocurridos en iglesias. Según explicó el denunciante de Fernando Karadima, cuando estaban almorzando y comentando lo que se iba a exponer en dicha instancia, entre eso la situación de Barros, Saunders fue avisado de su separación de la comisión.

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CANADA
Edmonton Journal

CLAIRE THEOBALD
KEITH GEREIN, EDMONTON JOURNAL

Published on: February 7, 2016

A former bishop of Edmonton’s Anglican diocese says he has no recollection of ever meeting a priest accused of sexually assaulting teen boys at a city youth jail in the 1980s.

Ken Genge, who served as bishop from 1988 to 1996, said Sunday he read news of the arrest of Father Gordon William Dominey, but it didn’t trigger any memories. Pictures of the priest published over the weekend also failed to register.

“His name is vaguely familiar, but I don’t remember him,” Genge said from his home in Langley, B.C. “Obviously, it’s a very serious thing.”

Edmonton police say two people came forward in September saying they had been sexually assaulted by a priest employed at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre in the 1980s.

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CANADA
CTV

North Vancouver churchgoers say they were stunned to learn their priest is facing five historic sex assault charges against children in Edmonton.

“It’s horribly shocking,” said Evan Jennings, who attends St. Catherine’s Capilano Anglican Church. “It’s awful. The poor guy…poor all the people, I guess.

Father Gordon William Dominey, 63, allegedly sexually assaulted five youth while he was employed at now-closed Edmonton Youth Development Centre from 1985 to 1989. He was working at the time as a priest in the Diocese of Edmonton.

In September 2015, Edmonton police say they began investigating reports of sexual assaults that occurred at the facility in the 1980s.

Police say the victims were between 14 and 17 years old.

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
swissinfo

Por Philip Pullella

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (Reuters) – Un chileno que dijo haber sufrido abuso sexual de parte de un sacerdote envió dos cartas al Papa Francisco pidiéndole que remueva al obispo Juan Barros, acusado de proteger a un reconocido pedófilo en el país sudamericano.

Juan Carlos Cruz envió las cartas a través de Peter Saunders, un prominente miembro británico de la comisión de asesoramiento papal sobre abusos sexuales de parte del clero.

Las cartas quedaron en una casa de huéspedes de Roma, donde se reúne la comisión, para que fueran recogidas por el cardenal de Boston Sean O’Malley, presidente del cuerpo, a quien se le pidió que las misivas llegaran a manos del Papa.

Las cartas refieren a Barros, quien fue nombrado el año pasado como obispo de Osorno, lo que generó indignación entre muchos católicos, legisladores y víctimas de abuso sexual, que dicen que el ahora obispo protegió al padre Fernando Karadima, uno de los pedófilos más notorios del país.

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CHILE
Terra

[A group of lay and pastoral staff of different parish communities in the Diocese of Osorno, southern Chile, today called on Pope Francis to dismiss Chilean Bishop Juan Barros for his connection with the concealment of sexual abuse.]

Un grupo de laicos y agentes pastorales de distintas comunidades parroquiales de la diócesis de Osorno, en el sur de Chile, pidieron hoy al papa Francisco que destituyera al obispo chileno Juan Barros por sus vinculaciones con el encubrimiento de abusos sexuales.

A través de una carta que un miembro de la comisión pontificia se encargará de entregar personalmente al sumo pontífice, la organización de laicos y agentes pastorales solicitó al papa destituir al obispo Barros, quien, según la misiva, “está causando una división sin precedentes dentro de la diócesis”.

El obispo de la diócesis de Osorno, ciudad ubicada a 940 kilómetros al sur de Santiago, es acusado de encubrir los abusos sexuales cometidos por el sacerdote chileno Fernando Karadima.

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ROME
Telegraph (UK)

By Andrea Vogt in Bologna 07 Feb 2016

The outspoken British member of a papal advisory commission on sex abuse has demanded a meeting with Pope Francis over what he says is a Vatican attempt to silence him.

The Vatican press office announced on Saturday that Peter Saunders, head of Britain’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood, had been asked to take a leave of absence from the commission he was invited by Pope Francis to join when it was set up in 2014. It was established to lay down “best practices” for tackling sex abuse in the church.

In a hastily-called press conference Saturday, Mr. Saunders said that despite a near-unanimous vote of no-confidence against him, he would not step down.

And in an interview on Sunday he told The Telegraph that he would consider himself still a member of the commission until the pontiff who hand-picked him for the role told him otherwise.

“It was suggested I take some time out to consider my options,” he said. “But I said the only one who can dismiss me is the man who appointed me, and so I have requested a meeting with the pope.”

Mr Saunders said he planned to leave Rome and return to his family in the UK next week while awaiting a response. Since going public about the commission’s decision, he has received dozens of emails of support, as well as menacing warnings from observers suggesting he watch his back. Survivor support groups that track sexual abuse by clergy quickly spoke out in his defence.

“The apparent attempt by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to eject an outspoken survivor raises serious doubts about its integrity and independence,” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org said. …

“Someone in the commission said, ‘You know Rome wasn’t built in a day, don’t expect the church to change overnight’,” he said. “My response was, ‘It only takes a few seconds to rape a child and that child’s life is changed forever.’ We know abuse in the church is rampant. We need more action now.”

Mr Saunders said he was particularly disturbed by the story of two Italian priests who told a member of the commission about a colleague known to be abusing children.

They had gone to their bishop but said they had been told to stay quiet. They had then gone to the local police, who asked if they had spoken to their bishop.

Mr Saunders pressed the commission for action, but was rebuffed, as it was deemed inappropriate to address individual cases.

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ROME
Irish Times

Paddy Agnew in Rome

UK child sex abuse lobbyist Peter Saunders, who was given a “leave of absence” from his role in the Holy See’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, has said that the “Vatican system” seems “essentially corrupt and unwilling to do the right thing”.

After a commission meeting on Saturday, the Holy See announced “it was decided” that Mr Saunders would take a leave of absence in order to “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”.

According to Vatican sources, this was prompted by concern among members that Mr Saunders had a conflict-of-interest created by his dual role as a campaigner with the UK child sex abuse lobby Napac and as a policy consultant on the Vatican commission.
In particular, Mr Saunders surprised fellow commission members last week by criticising Pope Francis.

Appointment of bishop

He claimed Pope Francis had reneged on a promise to attend commission meetings to answer questions about his handling of the sex abuse issue.

He also criticised the pope’s appointment last summer of controversial Chilean bishop Juan Barros to the Diocese of Osorno. Bishop Barros has been accused of covering up the sex abuse crimes of Fr Fernando Karadima, a Chilean priest.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, Mr Saunders said he was “shell-shocked” and disappointed at the manner in which the “inquisition” had expressed a vote of no confidence in him.

As far as he is concerned, he has not taken a leave of absence, while he says the only person who can sack him is Pope Francis. He argues that “nothing significant” is happening at the commission, adding: “I had great hope for Pope Francis . . . but so far there has been no real change”.

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VATICAN CITY
Daily Mail (UK)

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY, Feb 7 (Reuters) – A man who says he was sexually abused by a priest on Sunday delivered two letters addressed to Pope Francis from Chilean Catholics asking him to remove a Chilean bishop accused of protecting a notorious paedophile.

Juan Carlos Cruz delivered the letters with Peter Saunders, a prominent and outspoken British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy. Saunders on Saturday refused to step down despite a no-confidence vote, and said only the pope could dismiss him.

The letters were left for Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, the president of the commission, at a Rome guest house where the commission was meeting. O’Malley was asked to give them to the pope, Saunders and Cruz said.

The letters involve Juan Barros, who was installed last year as bishop of Osorno. The papal appointment outraged many parishioners, national legislators and abuse victims who said Barros had protected a priest accused of having been one of the nation’s most notorious sexual predators.

The priest in question has denied he abused Cruz and the bishop has denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.

“The devastation that your decision has caused us, Pope Francis, cannot withstand any more silence or omission,” said one of the letters, signed by about 30 representatives of parishes in Osorno. “We have knocked on every door … and have received nothing but mockery.”

Cruz, 51, sent a copy of one of the Spanish-language letters along with a statement in English to reporters. The other was a private letter to the pope from clergy in Osorno, Cruz said.

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ROM
Spiegel

Er wurde selbst von einem Priester vergewaltigt, kämpft seit vielen Jahren gegen Missbrauch in der katholischen Kirche und wollte in der vom Papst eingesetzten Kinderschutz-Kommission für bessere Aufklärung sorgen. Doch damit soll nun Schluss sein.

Auf einer Sitzung der päpstlichen Kommission wurde entschieden, dass der Brite Peter Saunders beurlaubt sei, damit er darüber nachdenken könne, “wie er die Arbeit der Kommission am besten unterstützen könnte”. Danach, ergänzte Vatikansprecher Federico Lombardi, wolle man entscheiden, ob Saunders in der Kommission verbleibe oder “von außen” seinen Beitrag leisten werde.

Die Kommission wirft Saunders vor, Kampagnen zu betreiben und zu oft mit den Medien zu sprechen – dabei sei es doch Aufgabe der Kinderschützer, dem Papst vernünftige Maßnahmen zur Missbrauchsbekämpfung vorzuschlagen, und nicht, Urteile zu verbreiten.

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AUSTRALIA
The Courier

By Melissa Cunningham
Feb. 7, 2016

Days before a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will decide whether terminally ill former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns is well enough to give evidence, he was reportedly seen walking around the grounds of a nursing home unassisted.

On Friday the inquiry heard Bishop Mulkearns was extremely frail, had colon cancer, was in chronic pain and was terminally ill with a life expectancy of months.

Recent photos believed to be of Bishop Mulkearns, show him walking around the gardens of a nursing home, using a walking frame and without any medical assistance.

Other photos show him reading a book outside believed to be over a period of about two hours.

David Grace QC, acting for the bishop told the inquiry on Friday Bishop Mulkearns wished to give evidence but medical advice recommended he did not attend court in person.

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INDIA
The Times of India

Jaideep Shenoy | TNN | Feb 7, 2016

MANGALURU: Mangaluru City Police has arrested a widower assistant priest of a muzrai temple in Kateel on charges of sexually abusing a teenager from his neighbourhood who performed household chores at his house. Police named the accused as Harishchandra Rao alias Appu Bhatta who offered tirtha to devotees visiting the temple. Harishchandra, 56, had recently lost his wife, a psychiatric patient and he was residing at their house with his two daughters.

Police said the teenager and her brothers grew up in the same neighborhood as the accused and the families knew each other well. Owing to financial condition in her family, the teenager carried out odd jobs at the house of Harishchandra. The incident, according to the teenager took place in September last and the accused had coerced her in to having sexual intercourse on at least six different occasions since then and this act made her pregnant as well, police said.

Incidentally, Bajpe police, with whom a case has been registered under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation), said they had received an intimation from Lady Goschen Hospital some four months back when the teenager had gone there for treatment. However, since she had not to given any statement or desisted from lodging a complaint about the sexual assault then, police had to back down. The victim has since come forward to lodge a complaint, police said.

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AUSTRALIA/NIGERIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher, article posted 7 February 2016

The Brisbane Catholic Archdiocese, which has been bringing priests from Nigeria to help solve a shortage of priests in Australia, has announced that one of Brisbane’s imported priests (Father Malachy Onuoha) has been stood down by his home diocese in Nigeria. The Nigerian diocese is investigating misconduct allegedly committed in Nigeria by Father Onuoha some years ago. In the Brisbane archdiocese (which covers south-east Queensland), Fr Onuoha has been serving as the parish priest in charge of two parishes (Gatton and Laidley, situated between Ipswich and Toowoomba), helping to solve Australia’s shortage of Catholic priests.

Brisbane archbishop Mark Coleridge stated on 7 February 2016 that Fr Onuoha was stood aside while in Nigeria on holidays. He will remain in Nigeria while the Nigerian diocese investigates the allegations.

Research by Broken Rites

On 2 October 2006, the Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper gave some information about Brisbane’s plan to bring priests from Nigeria:

The Catholic priest shortage in southeast Queensland has become so acute the Brisbane archdiocese is recruiting in Nigeria.

The archdiocese has one parish priest [in 2006] for every 6000 Catholics, double the number to which they were ministering 15 years ago, church figures show.

Despite the southeast Queensland population explosion, parish priest numbers in the region [in 2006] have plummeted by about a third from 150 to 103 in a decade.

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ITALIA
FarodiRoma

[Police per order of the appeals court in Rome have arrested priest Ruggero Conti, former parish priest of the Porto-Santa Rufina diocese, and he is to serve a prison sentence of 11 years, 10 months and 19 days and pay a $39,600 euro fine for sexually abusing minors and inducing child prostitution.]

p
The police of Tuscania company, pursuant to an ‘order put by the Court’ s Appeal of Rome, at the end of the Supreme Court decision, they arrested Father Ruggero Conti, former parish priest of the diocese of Porto-Santa Rufina.

I carabinieri della compagnia di Tuscania, in esecuzione di un’ ordinanza messa dalla Corte d’ Appello di Roma, al termine della decisione della Suprema Corte di Cassazione, hanno arrestato don Ruggero Conti, ex parroco della diocesi di Porto-Santa Rufina.

L’ uomo dovrà scontare una condanna totale di 11 anni, 10 mesi e 19 giorni nonché pagare la multa di 39.600 euro per violenza sessuale su minori e induzione alla prostituzione minorile. L’ arrestato, dopo le formalità di rito, è stato trasferito in un istituto religioso protetto in attesa di essere definitivamente tradotto in un carcere. Don Ruggero Conti, lombardo di origine, a Roma era finito in una delicata inchiesta del sostituto procuratore Francesco Scavo con l’ accusa di aver abusato, tra il 1998 e il 2008, di sette adolescenti che partecipavano o avevano partecipato ai gruppi parrocchiali nella chiesa della «Natività di Maria Santissima», nella zona di Selva Candida, dove era parroco. Li avrebbe circuiti promettendo capi d’ abbigliamento e ricariche telefoniche. La vicenda divise i fedeli. Condannato in primo grado a 15 anni e 4 mesi, pena poi ridotta due anni dopo, in appello, la pena era stata ridotta a 14 anni e due mesi perché nel frattempo erano finiti in prescrizione tre degli episodi contestati. Don Conti era stato sottoposto a divieto dell’ esercizio pubblico del ministero nel 2008 e quindi sospeso «a divinis» nel 2011.

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ITALIA
Giornale di Sicilia

[Child abuse victim of Don Roberto Elice: “I told everything to the Curia in 2014.”

PALERMO. «Mi sono autodenunciato alla Curia a novembre del 2014»: così don Roberto Elice ha spiegato, davanti al gip di Palermo di avere riferito quasi due anni fa ai suoi superiori le molestie inflitte a tre minorenni palermitani.

Il sacerdote è stato arrestato per violenza sessuale dopo la denuncia della madre di due delle vittime. Oggi è stato sentito dal giudice nel corso dell’interrogatorio di garanzia.

La Curia, dopo la «confessione» ha trasferito il prete a Roma in una struttura per sacerdoti con problemi, l’ha sospes

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DEUTSCHLAND
idea

[The Evangelical United Brethren at Korntal wants to voluntarily pay up to 5,000 euros to former home children who have experienced sexual abuse between the 1950s and 90s in the facilities in Korntal and Wilhelmsdorf respectively.]

Korntal (idea) – Die Evangelische Brüdergemeinde Korntal will jeweils bis zu 5.000 Euro freiwillig an ehemalige Heimkinder zahlen, die sexuellen Missbrauch zwischen den 1950er und 90er Jahren in den Einrichtungen in Korntal und Wilhelmsdorf erlebt haben. Das gab der Vorsteher, Klaus Andersen (Korntal), am 5. Februar vor der Presse bekannt. Damit wolle die Gemeinde bei verjährten Fällen zeigen, dass sie das Leid der Betroffenen anerkenne. Die Höhe orientiere sich an vergleichbaren Zahlungen anderer Institutionen. Das genaue Antragsverfahren solle mit ehemaligen Heimkindern ausgehandelt werden.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Stuttgarter Zeitung

Korntal-Münchingen – Bei der Aufarbeitung der Missbrauchsfälle in Kinderheimen der evangelischen Brüdergemeinde Korntal gibt es ein neues Wort: Täterorganisation. In der ersten Pressekonferenz seit dem Beginn des Aufarbeitungsprozesses hat der weltliche Vorsteher, Klaus Andersen, das Brüdergemeindewerk gleich mehrfach so bezeichnet. Und er kündigte an, den Betroffenen in Anerkennung ihres Leids bis zu je 5000 Euro bezahlen zu wollen. Dafür soll eine Stiftung gegründet werden. „In dieser wichtigen Frage müssen wir einen neuen Impuls setzen und zeigen, dass wir unsere moralische Verantwortung für die Geschehnisse annehmen.“

Die Pietisten kommen damit einer zentralen Forderung der Betroffenen nach. Diese fordern eine Wahlfreiheit zwischen Geld- und Sachleistungen, während die Brüdergemeinde seither nur Sachleistungen gewähren wollte. Ergänzend gab Andersen bekannt, die Brüdergemeinde habe dem interdisziplinären Forschungsprojekt der Landshuter Wissenschaftlerin Mechthild Wolff zugestimmt. Korntal bezahlt das Projekt. „Beide Entscheidungen gehen an die Substanz unseres Werkes“, sagte Andersen, ohne konkreter zu werden.

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ROM
Neue Zurcher Zeiting

(ap)
Die päpstliche Kommission zur Aufklärung von Sexualvergehen katholischer Geistlicher muss vorerst ohne das Missbrauchsopfer Peter Saudners auskommen. In einer Sitzung am Samstag sei entschieden worden, dass der Brite Saunders von seiner Mitarbeit freigestellt werde, um zu überlegen, wie er die Arbeit der Kommission am besten unterstützen könne, teilte der Vatikan am Samstag mit. In der Vergangenheit hatte Saunders das Arbeitstempo der Kommission scharf kritisiert.

Die von Papst Franziskus 2013 berufene Kommission soll eine Strategie gegen sexuellen Missbrauch ausarbeiten. Saunders wurde vor gut einem Jahr ins Gremium berufen. Er war als Kind sowohl von Familienmitgliedern als auch von Geistlichen missbraucht worden und traf im Sommer 2014 mit fünf Leidensgenossen den Papst, dem er von seinen Erlebnissen berichtete.

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ROM
Kristianstadsbladet

Britten Peter Saunders, medlem av Vatikanens rådgivande kommitté rörande sexuella övergrepp, lämnar gruppen. Saunders har varit en av de mest frispråkiga kritikerna av Vatikanen. Enligt ett uttalande beslutades det under ett utskottssammanträde att “Saunders skulle ta tjänstledigt”.(TT)

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ROME
NRC (Nederland)

Bastiaan Nagtegaal 6 februari 2016

De commissie die het Vaticaan moet adviseren over manieren om in de toekomst misbruik binnen de kerk te voorkomen, heeft een prominent lid op non-actief gesteld. De Brit Peter Saunders, zelf ook misbruikslachtoffer, is in het verleden zeer kritisch geweest op de commissie.

“Besloten is dat de heer Peter Saunders verlof neemt van zijn lidmaatschap om te overwegen hoe hij het werk van de commissie het beste kan ondersteunen”, schreef het Vaticaan volgens AP in een persverklaring. Veel meer details werden vanuit Rome niet bekendgemaakt.

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ROME
Catholic Herald (UK)

Peter Saunders describes no-confidence vote as ‘outrageous’

An outspoken British abuse survivor has said he will defy a Vatican commission’s request for him to take “take a leave of absence”.

Peter Saunders described a vote of no confidence against him by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors as “outrageous”.

Mr Saunders, who was appointed to the commission in December 2014, said he was taken by surprise when the Vatican issued a statement on Saturday announcing the leave of absence.

Speaking at a press conference in Rome, he said: “I was asked to consider what my role should be with the commission. I did not make a decision to take or accept any decision on a leave of absence. I said I would reflect on what I would do. I may well have been back in the meeting shortly.

“I then heard that the Vatican had made a statement about my taking a leave of absence. I was never told in advance of any such statement and I find it outrageous that I was not told, much less that the statement occurred before I had had any time to reflect on what I might do next.”

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WASHINGTON
The Seattle Times

By Janice Palm
Special to The Times

THE recent story in The Seattle Times of one man’s struggle to heal from being sexually abused while a student at St. Benedict School in Wallingford brings to light both the lifelong, often silent, struggle for those who have been sexually victimized in childhood and also the critical need for adults to act when children divulge abuse.

Steve O’Connor’s story [“Victim speaks out on archdiocese’s omissions from list of accused child sex abusers,” Jan. 25] depicts the all-too-familiar pattern for sexually abused children who grow into adulthood carrying the secret of abuse. Many, if not most, victims wait decades before coming forward to speak of the abuse. In that time, they carry on with life, attempting to outpace the self-doubt, the fears and the pervasive and often debilitating sense of shame.

Unfortunately, the effects of the childhood violation of one’s body and ability to feel safe in the world do not dissipate as time passes. The demands and responsibilities of adulthood, including the need and desire to form close relationships, actually compound the effects of abuse, often leading to struggles with anxiety, deep depression, addictions and a number of other chronic mental and physical difficulties across a lifetime.

Get help if you suspect child abuse or have been sexually abused
State Child Protective Services (CPS), 866-ENDHARM (866-363- 4276)

Hotlines for help and treatment:

• Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress: 206-744-1600

• King County Sexual Assault Resource Center’s 24-hour resource line: 888-998-6423

O’Connor’s outrage that the Seattle Archdiocese’s list of known perpetrators did not include the name of his perpetrator, who was a teacher and principal at his school, is justifiable. The need for accountability provides validation of the life-altering harm that was done. The continued confusion and evasion perpetuated by the Catholic Church is nothing short of a denial of the pain and suffering that countless children who are now adults continue to suffer.

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WALES
Wales Online

BY HUW SILK

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have been accused of ordering the destruction of documents in direct contradiction of an order not to do so from a major child sexual abuse inquiry.

Religious organisations, as well as schools, colleges and other institutions, have been told by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse – led by Judge Lowell Goddard – to keep hold of any documents which could be useful to the investigation.

A request sent out to the bodies last year stated measures should be taken “to ensure that everything of potential relevance to the Inquiry is retained”.

Jehovah’s Witness elders hear allegations against members of the congregation and record what is said.

We have seen a copy of an edict distributed to Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations around the UK ordering the destruction of “all agendas and minutes of elders’ meetings (other than business meeting minutes)”, “all personal notes taken at elders’ meetings (except those based on discussions of outlines from ‘the faithful and discreet slave’ and that do not mention any particular individual)” and “any other personal records, notes, or correspondence that refer to particular individuals”.

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VATICAN CITY
Crux

By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor February 7, 2016

Given what a cancer the clerical sexual abuse scandals have been for the Catholic Church, one would imagine the Vatican would want new bishops to get a state-of-the-art presentation on best practices in terms of preventing such meltdowns in the future.

The Vatican has been running just such a training course since 2001 for newly appointed bishops around the world, and almost 30 percent of the Catholic prelates in the world today have taken it.

It’s more than a bit surprising, therefore, to discover that at least last year, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the body created by Pope Francis to identify “best practices” in the fight against child abuse, was not involved in the training.

What’s the point of creating a commission to promote best practices, and putting one of the Church’s most credible leaders on the abuse issue, Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, in charge of it, and yet not having it address the new leaders who will have to implement those practices?

On Monday, the top official at the Congregation for Bishops, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, outlined the papers presented during the most recent course, saying he wanted to invite “suggestions for improving the experience.” …

In other ways, however, his presentation seemed seriously wanting. For instance, Anatrella argued that bishops have no duty to report allegations to the police, which he says is up to victims and their families. It’s a legalistic take on a critical issue, one which has brought only trouble for the Church and its leaders. Why, one wonders, was it part of a training session?

Most basically, canonical procedures kick in only after abuse has been alleged. Presumably the goal ought to be to stop those crimes from happening, and in that regard it’s striking that Anatrella devoted just a few paragraphs to abuse prevention, using abstract language without concrete examples.

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GERMANY
New York Times

By MELISSA EDDY
FEB. 6, 2016

REGENSBURG, Germany — Udo Kaiser was 8 years old, brimming with energy and a bell-clear soprano voice when he arrived at the boarding school of the famed boys choir that bears this city’s name. Before his first day ended, he had been struck by a teacher.

The months that followed brought twisted ears or slaps for disrupting the silence demanded in the classrooms, corridors and dining hall. Singing the wrong note earned a beating with a conductor’s baton. Fingers that missed notes at the piano were slammed with the fallboard.

But it was the night he was caught playing with marbles in his dormitory, and was called to the prefect’s room for punishment, that would later send him into years of depression and cause him to lose his voice.

There, a priest whom the boys called “the pickle” because of his long nose, ordered him to pull down his pajama bottoms and kneel. The priest, whom Mr. Kaiser declined to name but said had since died, then placed the boy’s head between his legs and took up his rod.

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RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal Staff Writer

Posted Feb. 6, 2016

When a complaint is filed with a diocesan “intake officer” about a member of the Episcopal clergy, the church launches a “Title IV” ecclesiastical disciplinary process.

That process seeks to support everyone involved or affected — from the clergy member in question, to those who may have been harmed, to the larger community. It also seeks to resolve conflicts, whether through “healing, repentance, forgiveness,” or restitution, justice, reconciliation, or someone’s agreement to change behavior.

“This is not a matter of what punishment can a person get. It’s how can we best act to heal all the brokenness and woundedness for everybody who is impacted,” said Robin Hammeal-Urban, canon for mission integrity and training for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

Prior to July 1, 2011, the process in the Episcopal Church was based on a military code of justice, she said. “The question was, what sentence should be imposed on the clergy person? That, at this point, has been rejected.”

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ROME
Crux

By Inés San Martín
Vatican correspondent February 6, 2016

ROME — A clerical sexual abuse survivor who has been bitterly critical of the response from the Vatican and Pope Francis to several high-profile recent controversies involving abuse scandals has been asked to take a “leave of absence” by other members of the panel.

But the member, Peter Saunders of Great Britain, said at at press conference later Saturday that as far as he’s concerned, he’s still part of the commission.

“I have not left, and I am not leaving my place,” Saunders said. “I was appointed by Pope Francis, and I will only talk to him about my position on the commission.”

A short Vatican statement released Saturday said that Saunders, an abuse survivor named to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in 2015, a body created by Pope Francis in March 2014, will now ponder “how he might best support the commission’s work.”

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, who heads the commission, said Saturday that he has asked Saunders “to advise the commission on the possible establishment of a victim survivor panel to work with the commission.” …

A Vatican official who’s close to the commission’s work told Crux on Saturday that in terms of his future role, Saunders has a decision to make.

“He has to decide if he’s an advocate and campaigner [for survivors] instead of being an adviser,” the official said.

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IRELAND
Wexford People

By David Tucker
PUBLISHED
06/02/2016

Wexford is listed among the world’s high-profile places of child sexual abuse in the Oscar-nominated film ‘Spotlight ‘ now showing in the Omniplex Cinema in Drinagh.

The film features the Pulitzer prize-winning investigation by Boston Globe journalists in the USA in 2001 into the cover-up by the Catholic Church there of the cases of 87 priests accused of child sexual abuse.

Their investigation led to the resignation of Cardinal Law of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Simon Kennedy, then a solicitor in New Ross, who advised many of County Wexford’s abuse victims, visited Boston at the time and met some of the lawyers who are now represented in the film. Amongst those mentioned in the film were former priest and Canon Law expert,Tom Doyle with whom he consulted.

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RHODE ISLAND/PENNSYLVANIA
Providence Journal

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal Staff Writer

Posted Feb. 6, 2016

In small-town Pennsylvania, congregants at St. James Episcopal Church in Bedford are praying for the Rev. Howard W. White Jr., who faces allegations of sexual abuse of teenage boys.

Mr. White, a former assistant chaplain at St. George’s School in Middletown, is embroiled in a widening sex-abuse scandal at the elite Episcopal prep school that dates to the 1970s. On Saturday, authorities confirmed that White is now under investigation for sexual abuse in North Carolina, where he was formerly a church rector.

“The congregation has been very supportive of him, holding him in prayer, sending him cards, bringing him soup,” said the Rt. Rev. Canon Audrey Cady Scanlan, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. “They’re caring for him as they would care for any member of the congregation who is in a time of need.”

The church has begun an investigation into White’s actions — at the same time that both Rhode Island State Police and an independent investigator try to uncover the full extent of what occurred at St. George’s. And dozens more former students have come forward to say they were victims of sexual abuse at the school.

White and others implicated in the St. George’s scandal have not been criminally charged; however the school has acknowledged that sexual abuse took place, and apologized to victims and the school community. The school has sent information to Rhode Island State Police, which are conducting a criminal investigation.

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AUSTRALIA/NIGERIA
Catholic Leader

February 7, 2016

FR Malachy Onuoha has been stood aside from ministry by his home diocese in Nigeria pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct some years ago in his native country.

The Archdiocese of Brisbane has confirmed that Fr Onuoha, the parish priest of Gatton-Laidley, was stood aside while in Nigeria on holidays. He will remain in Nigeria while the investigation into these allegations is conducted by an independent panel appointed by his Bishop.

Archbishop Mark Coleridge said Fr Onuoha’s return to the ministry would depend on the outcome of the investigation.

“The Archdiocese has only recently been made aware of the allegations and the investigation.
None of the allegations refer to Fr Onuoha’s time in the Archdiocese,” Archbishop Coleridge wrote in a letter to Gatton-Laidley parishioners.

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CANADA
Ottawa Citizen

THE PROVINCE, THE CANADIAN PRESS 02.05.2016

An Anglican priest has been arrested at his Coquitlam home on sex assault allegations stemming from his work in an Edmonton youth jail in the 1980s.

Police say Gordon William Dominey, 63, is accused of sexually assaulting five youths when he worked at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre between 1985 and 1989.

Dominey was arrested on Thursday. He faces five charges of sexual assault and five charges of gross indecency.

Investigators began looking into the allegations in September 2015. That is roughly the time Dominey began working at St. Catherine’s Capilano in North Vancouver, according to the church’s website.

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CANADA
Anglican Diocese of New Westminster

By The Right Reverend Melissa Skelton

February 6, 2016

A Pastoral Message from Bishop Melissa Skelton

It is with genuine sadness and sincere concern that I write to you today to inform you that the Reverend Gordon Dominey, currently Priest-in-Charge at St. Catherine’s, Capilano, was arrested on February 4 by the RCMP and Edmonton Police Service. We have received very little information to date, but I do know that this involves incidents alleged to have taken place at least 30 years ago while Gordon was a priest in the Diocese of Edmonton.

Consistent with Diocesan practice, Reverend Dominey has been placed on administrative leave. I am offering ongoing pastoral care and support to Gordon in what must be a very difficult time for him. This support will continue as the legal process unfolds. He is entitled to a presumption of innocence and I ask for your prayers for Gordon, for all those who are involved in this legal process and for those bringing forth the allegations against him

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CANADA
CBC News

Edmonton police have charged an Anglican priest with sexual assault in relation to incidents that allegedly occurred in an Edmonton youth incarceration facility during the 1980s.

Father Gordon William Dominey allegedly sexually assaulted five youth while he was employed at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre in the 1980s. The assaults are reported to have happened at the incarceration facility from 1985 to 1989.

Dominey transferred from the Diocese of Edmonton to the Diocese of New Westminster in Vancouver in July of 1990.

He was the priest-in-charge at St. Catherine’s Anglican Church in North Vancouver until he was arrested on Thursday Feb, 4. when the Bishop of New Westminster, Melissa Skelton, placed Dominey on administrative leave, according to a release.

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ROME
Los Angeles Times

Tom Kington

An outspoken and critical member of Pope Francis’ commission on priestly sex abuse has said he will defy moves to oust him, claiming that only the pontiff himself can remove him from the panel.

In a move that will raise questions about Francis’ commitment to tackle abuse within the Roman Catholic Church, Peter Saunders, a British member of the commission who suffered abuse by priests as a child, was sidelined on Saturday.

In a short statement, the Vatican said that during a commission session hours earlier, “it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work.”

But Saunders, who has advised the British government on abuse, told reporters on Saturday that he had been personally hired by Francis and could be fired only by him.

“I have not left and am not leaving my position on the commission,” he said, reading a prepared statement. “I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis and I will talk only with him about my position.”

Saunders said he “might” even show up at the commission’s Sunday meeting. “I haven’t had a call from His Holiness, so the door is still open,” he said.

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANA
Vanguardia (Mexico)

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO.- La comisión asesora del papa Francisco sobre abusos sexuales votó el sábado separar a uno de sus miembros, un conocido sobreviviente de los abusos, quien había expresado diferencias sobre la misión del organismo.

El británico Peter Saunders, quien aboga por los sobrevivientes, había criticado con dureza la lentitud de la Santa Sede para tomar medidas de protección a los niños y de castigo a los obispos que encubrieron a curas pedófilos. También quería que la comisión interviniera en casos individuales en lugar de limitarse a elaborar políticas a largo plazo contra los abusos.

Se resolvió que el señor Peter Saunders se tome licencia para estudiar la mejor manera de apoyar el trabajo de la comisión”, anunció el Vaticano tras una reunión de la comisión el sábado,

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ROMA
El Mostrador (Chile)

[Papal Commission on Clergy Abuse expels a British member who invited the victim who explosed priest Fernando Karadima of Chile.]

Una de las víctimas de Fernando Karadima, Juan Carlos Cruz, denunció este sábado que el miembro de la Comisión Papal para la tutela de los menores creada por el Papa Francisco en el marco de los casos registrados en todo el mundo, Peter Saunders, fue echado del organismo.

Hoy se conoció que la entidad religiosa votó hoy por separar al británico Saunders, quien es un conocido sobrevivientes de los abusos cometidos por curas y que mantenía fuertes discrepancias sobre la misión que tenía el organismo.

Saunders había cuestionado duramente la lentitud de reacción del Vaticano en la adopción de medidas de protección a los niños y el castigo a los obispos que encubrieron a sacerdotes pedófilos. Además, otra de sus críticas apuntaba a que la comisión interviniera directamente en casos individuales en lugar de elaborar políticas a largo plazo.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

February 6, 2016

Joelle Casteix

Peter Saunders was given a vote of no confidence by the Vatican commission on the prevention of child sex abuse. His crime? Demanding the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Preventing child sexual abuse is uncomfortable and requires action. You can’t sit back and take the long view. Why? Because of the thousands of children who are being abused while you haggle over language and recommendations.

You can read the whole article here.

He’s in good company. But he was on the varsity Vatican team. Me? Small potatoes.

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ROMA
Publicmetro

[Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of priest Fernando Karadima, tried to meet Saturday with the pontifical child abuse commission but his request was declined. Instead, they voted to oust Peter Saunders, who backed Cruz, from the commission.]

Juan Carlos Cruz señaló que desde el Vaticano le pidieron a Peter Saunders, integrante de la Comisión Pontificia que reflexionara si quería seguir siendo parte de la Comisión.

Este sábado el denunciante del caso Karadima, Juan Carlos Cruz, llegó hasta el Vaticano con la esperanza de poder exponer su caso y el del obispo Juan Barros, quien había tenido problemas con la comunidad de laicos del sectores tras su nombramiento, pero Cruz no pudo llegar hasta la cita en la Comisión Pontifica para tratar casos de abusos sexuales en el mundo.

De acuerdo a lo que señala Juan Carlos Cruz en un comunicado, Peter Saunders, quien es integrante de la comisión y sobreviviente de abusos sexuales lo había invitado para exponer su caso, pero hoy desde el Vaticano le señalaron que Cruz no podría ir.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, February 6, 2016

Statement by Barbara Blaine, President of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, 312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org

“The Vatican says that as part of an advisory body, the (Pope’s abuse) commission’s members should not comment on individual cases of abuse and leave these up to investigators,” Reuters reports.

That’s baloney. It’s perfectly appropriate for people like Pete Saunders and other members of the Vatican clergy sex abuse panel to address individual cases. If Obama appoints me for a commission to examine crime prevention, I should still “stop” if i see a purse-snatching or call 911 when i see a robbery.

It is irresponsible for church officials to stay silent when Francis promotes and defends compilcit clerics like Bishop Barros of Chile. There is no excuse for silence, we should always report, no matter what.

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ROME
Reuters

VATICAN CITY | BY PHILIP PULLELLA

A prominent and outspoken British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy on Saturday refused to step down despite a no-confidence vote, and said only Pope Francis could dismiss him.

A Vatican statement issued earlier said that “it was decided” at a commission meeting that Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence. Saunders, head of Britain’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood, would now “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”, it said.

But Saunders, who as a child was abused by two priests, told a hastily called news conference: “I have not left and I am not leaving my position … the only person who can remove me is the person who appointed me, the pope.”

Saunders said he had not been aware of the Vatican’s statement until after it was issued.

Saunders had been publicly critical of the commission, which was set up in 2014. Made up of clerics and lay people from around the world, its task is to help Pope Francis establish “best practices” in dioceses around the world to root out sex abuse in the Church. Eight of its 17 members are women and two are themselves victims of abuse by clerics.

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ROME
Herald Sun (Australia)

AAP

A prominent and outspoken British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy has refused to step down, despite a no-confidence vote, and said only the Pope could dismiss him.

A Vatican statement issued earlier on Saturday said that “it was decided” at a commission meeting that Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence.

Saunders, head of Britain’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood, would now “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”, it said.

But Saunders, who as a child was abused by two priests, told a hastily called news conference: “I have not left and I am not leaving my position … the only person who can remove me is the person who appointed me, the Pope.”

Saunders said he had not been aware of the Vatican’s statement until after it was issued.

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ROME
International Business Times

[Peter Saunders statement – via BishopAccountability.org]

BY ISMAT SARAH MANGLA @ISMAT ON 02/06/16

UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. EST — Peter Saunders, the sexual abuse survivor the Vatican said was taking a leave of absence from a commision on sexual abuse, said Saturday he is not stepping down despite a no-confidence vote. Earlier in the day, the Vatican issued a statement saying “it was decided” Saunders would take a leave of absence.

Saunders, who was abused by two priests as a child, said only Pope Francis has the authority to dismiss him. He held a new conference to dismiss the commission’s announcement.

“I have not left and I am not leaving my position. … The only person who can remove me is the person who appointed me, the pope,” Saunders said.

He added that he did not know about his “leave of absence” until the Vatican issued its statement on Saturday. Saunders has been critical of the commission that he’s served on since 2014.

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ROME
The New York Times

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO and LAURIE GOODSTEINFEB. 6, 2016

ROME — A high-profile Vatican commission on the prevention of child sexual abuse voted on Saturday to temporarily suspend one of its members, an outspoken victim of clerical abuse who accused the church of failing to deliver on its promises of reform and accountability.

But the suspended commission member, Peter Saunders, said at a news conference in Rome on Saturday evening that he would stand his ground.

“I have not left, and am not leaving my position on the commission,” Mr. Saunders said. “I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis, and I will talk only with him about my position.”

The public blowup could undermine confidence in Francis’ efforts to rebuild the Roman Catholic Church’s credibility on the child abuse issue. When the 17-member commission was created by Francis in his first year as pope, many victims and their advocates hoped that the presence on the panel of Mr. Saunders and another victim would spur the commission to act forcefully. But Mr. Saunders, who founded the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, in England, has complained that the commission has failed to produce tangible results. …

The church in Chile has been coping with an explosion of discontent ever since Francis proceeded with the appointment of Bishop Juan Barros to lead the diocese of Osorno. Bishop Barros was a close associate of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, a Santiago priest whom the Vatican found guilty of sexual abuse in 2011.

Father Karadima’s victims say that Bishop Barros was aware of the abuse and failed to speak up, and then failed to support the victims years later when they stepped forward. But Francis was caught on video last year calling the people of Osorno “dumb” for protesting against Bishop Barros with what he said was no proof.

At the commission’s meeting on Saturday, its third since it was formed, Mr. Saunders asked to bring in one of Father Karadima’s victims, Juan Carlos Cruz, to speak to the members. Mr. Saunders said that he was refused, and that commission members told him they were frustrated with his speaking to the news media and advocating action on specific cases. Instead, the 16 members present voted “no confidence” in his membership, with 15 in favor and one abstention.

Mr. Cruz appeared with Mr. Saunders at the news conference in Rome and said the commission had become the “laughingstock of survivors.” Mr. Cruz had at one time been recommended for membership on the commission, but emails published by Chilean news outlets showed his participation was blocked by the Chilean church hierarchy.

“No matter what we do, we hit a brick wall with Francis, his commission and his cardinals,” said Mr. Cruz, who works in the United States.

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ROME
America Magazine

Gerard O’Connell | Feb 6 2016

The commission set up by Pope Francis to advise him on the Protection of Children has “decided” that Mr. Peter Saunders (UK), one of the two survivors of sexual abuse on this body, should “take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work.”

It announced this in a statement released to the press after its meeting on Saturday morning, Feb. 6. It said that at that meeting the commission members had “discussed the direction and purpose of the commission” and “as the result of this discussion” it took its decision.

Pope Francis appointed Mr. Saunders to the 18-member commission on Dec. 17, 2014. A British survivor of sexual abuse as a child, Mr. Saunders had set up Britain’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood to support survivors and develop better resources for responding to such abuse. He joined Marie Collins, an Irish survivor, whom the pope had appointed to the commission the previous March. Their presence gave added credibility to the commission and to the pope’s determination to deal with abusers, hold bishops accountable and ensure the protection of children and minors in all church institutions.

To understand today’s decision by the commission it is worth noting that from the beginning its role was meant to be an advisory one to the pope. Francis spelled this out clearly in a chirograph on March 22, 2014 when he wrote that its “specific task” is “to propose to me the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults, in order that we may do everything possible to ensure that crimes such as those which have occurred are no longer repeated in the Church. The commission is to promote local responsibility in the particular Churches, uniting their efforts to those of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults.”

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ROME
CNN

By Ray Sanchez, CNN

(CNN) One of two sex abuse survivors on Pope Francis’ commission on the abuse of minors by the clergy has taken a leave of absence, the Vatican announced Saturday.

But Peter Saunders, an outspoken critic of the papal commission, responded: “I have not left and I’m not leaving.”

Founder of the London-based National Association for People Abused in Childhood, Saunders told reporters, “I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis and I will only talk to him about my position.”

A Vatican statement said the “direction and purpose” of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was discussed at a Saturday meeting.

“It was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” the statement said.

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ROME
Sky News

A British member of the Pope’s advisory commission on sexual abuse in the clergy has refused to step down – despite receiving a vote of no confidence.

Peter Saunders, an outspoken critic of the Vatican, said “the only person who can remove me is the person who appointed me: the Pope”.

The Vatican had released a statement saying Mr Saunders, who himself was a victim of sexual abuse by two priests, had decided to take a leave of absence from the commission.

However, just hours later, the campaigner said he had not been aware of the Vatican’s comments – and branded the commission a “disgrace”.

Mr Saunders added: “They believe that child abuse is behind us, but it is in no way behind us.”

His colleagues have accused of him of being hard to work with, and also claimed he speaks to the media too frequently.

Mr Saunders made headlines last year when he said Australian Cardinal George Pell should be dismissed over claims he failed to take action to protect children years ago.

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ROME
Religion News Service

Rosie Scammell | February 6, 2016

ROME (RNS) One of the two victims of clerical sexual abuse serving on a Vatican commission set up by Pope Francis has apparently been sidelined.

The Holy See on Saturday (Feb. 6) said Peter Saunders, a British Catholic who was abused by Jesuit priests as teenager, is taking a “leave of absence” from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Its head, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, said Saunders had been asked to consider establishing a victim survivor panel to work with the advisory body.

But Saunders rejected the Vatican’s version of events. At a press conference in Rome, he said he wanted to reflect on his role, insisting he was still part of the 17-member panel.

“I have not left and I will not leave my position on the commission,” he said. “I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis and I will only talk to him about my position.”

Saunders, founder of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood in Britain, is one of two victims to sit on the advisory body, set up by the pontiff in 2014. The other is Marie Collins, who was raped by a priest as a girl in Ireland.

Saunders said there was a vote of no-confidence backed by all but one member of the commission present at the three-day meeting, which ends Sunday. He said they were unhappy with his outspokenness on pedophilia in the church.

“A number of members of the commission expressed their concern that I don’t tow the line when it comes to keeping my mouth shut,” Saunders said. “I made clear I would never be part of something that was a public relations exercise.”

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VATICAN CITY
BBC News

[Peter Saunders statement – via BishopAccountability.org]

An outspoken British member of a Roman Catholic commission on sexual abuse has refused to quit, saying his treatment by the Vatican is “outrageous”.

Peter Saunders, who as a child was abused by priests, said he would stay and only discuss his position with the Pope – the man who appointed him.

The commission earlier voted for Mr Saunders to “take a leave of absence”, saying he was difficult to work with.

Mr Saunders has been highly critical of the commission, set up in 2014.

‘Disgrace’

Responding to a Vatican statement about his leave of absence, Mr Saunders was quoted by Reuters as saying in Rome: “I was never told in advance of any such statement.

“I find it outrageous that I was not told, much less that the statement occurred before I had had any time to reflect on what I might do next.

“I have not left and I’m not leaving my position on the commission. I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis and I will only talk to him about my position.”

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By Melissa Cunningahm
Feb. 7, 2016

Clergy abuse victims have been left reeling again with uncertainty surrounding whether Cardinal George Pell will appear at a child sex abuse inquiry in the city this month.

A lawyer representing Cardinal Pell, Allan Myers, made an application for the cardinal to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat on Friday via video link from Rome rather than appear in person, citing health reasons.

A two-page medical report was handed up to support the application a flight to Australia from Rome could pose a serious risk to his health.

David Ridsdale, victim and nephew of disgraced priest Gerald Ridsdale, said there was a “mental health emergency” in Ballarat and victims had been thrown into limbo again, only adding to their turmoil.

“If a fire ripped through Ballarat and burnt down 20 per cent of houses it would be deemed an emergency and a fund would be set up to help everybody involved,” he said.

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ROME
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Feb. 6, 2016

ROME
The clergy sexual abuse survivor who the Vatican has said will be taking a leave of absence as a member of Pope Francis’ commission to confront the abuse crisis says he did not accept such a leave and is now seeking a meeting with the pontiff.

“I have not left and I am not leaving my position on the commission,” said British children’s advocate Peter Saunders. “I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis and I will only talk to him about my position.”

Saunders was speaking in a press briefing in Rome late Saturday, after the Vatican released a statement that day saying “it was decided” by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors that he would be taking a leave from his position as one of its 17 members.

The British child advocate is the founder of the UK’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood. He has served on the commission since December 2014 but has also been highly critical of what he characterized as a slow process of reform of the church’s practices on sexual abuse.

The commission has been meeting in Rome this weekend.

Saunders said Saturday that commission members had taken a vote of no confidence in him that morning, but had said the vote was meant for him “to consider what my role should be with the commission.”

“I did not make a decision to take or accept any decision on a leave of absence,” he said. Saunders said it was his understanding that after the vote he would be given time to consider his role with the group, but that afterwards the Vatican released the statement reporting his leave of absence.

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ROME
BishopAccountability.org

By Peter Saunders
Member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
February 6, 2016

From: Peter Saunders
Sent: 06 February 2016 19:05
Subject: Press Conference

Rome
February 6, 2016
16:30 GMT

Thank you very much for joining Juan Carlos [Cruz]and myself.

I am going to read a short statement which isn’t something that I generally do, but my experience as of the last few days on the commission has included some accusations concerning things that I have said when, in fact, I have not said those things. It is very hard to repudiate, especially if you haven’t got it there in black and white. I am going to make a short statement if you will bear with me and then Juan Carlos will say what he needs to say and then we are happy to take any questions.

My name is Pete Saunders and I am currently a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. I am the Founder of NAPAC in the UK.

I went to a meeting of the commission this morning to continue to ask the commission many hard questions about what is not being accomplished to protect children. I specifically was going to ask the commission to meet with Juan Carlos Cruz, who arrived in Rome last night, who has letters for Pope Francis from the clergy and the people of Osorno, Chile. Juan Carlos was kept off the commission after powerful cardinals in an email scandal made clear they were going to block him. Indeed, under oath one of those cardinals swore that he had prevented Juan Carlos from becoming a member of the commission.

Juan Carlos and we as commissioners were told after this that he was kept off because he was in litigation with the Church. I have presented questions that have not been answered about why this does not make sense. Juan Carlos was abused by a priest who the Vatican took action against based on his credibility and others. The same survivors accused Bishop Juan Barros of Osrono Chile of enabling and watching the abuse by this priest. Yet Pope Francis elevated Barros to bishop of Osorno. Myself and a number of other commissioners said this was wrong and that this bishop should be removed. This would be a test of the Pope’s seriousness on stopping child sex abuse, which was stated by a number of observers in the media.

Then Francis was recorded calling the people of Osorno “dumb” and “leftists”, which he has never answered for and which I have never stopped speaking out about. I said the Pope needs to come to the commission and explain this and other things, such as why there was no Tribunal set up yet to hold bishops accountable for enabling child sex abuse. The people of Osorno and of Chile from parishioners to the the government have been outraged by this situation, as they should be. I have criticised the pope often before on these vital issues, and have given him credit for having a survivor like me on the commission who would do so. But today, commission members reacted to my criticisms in a frightening way, acting as if dissent and free speech would make their work more difficult. This is exactly what created the child sex abuse crisis in the first place.

I was asked to consider what my role should be with the commission. I did not make a decision to take or accept any decision on a leave of absence. I said I would reflect on what I would do. I may well have been back in the meeting shortly. However, I then heard that the Vatican had made a statement about my taking a leave of absence. I was never told in advance of any such statement and I find it outrageous that I was not told, much less that the statement occurred before I had made had any time to reflect on what I might do next.

I have not left and am not leaving my position on the commission. I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis and I will talk only with him about my position.

Yesterday, as an example of why I am reading this statement is because this is so important. I am so grateful for you being here. Yesterday one of my proposals to the commission was that we looked at how we could work with more openness and transparency as a body. Perhaps by having open meetings or at the very least making transcripts of our discussions public. The response of the commission was that they want to remain in secret with discussions behind closed doors for reasons I am sure they are more than happy to share with you. But as I said the reason the vile crime of abuse and rape of children persists is because too many people and too many institutions, including our church our willing to brush these matters under the carpet and to try and silence anybody who wishes to speak out of such matters.

Before I turn this over to Juan Carlos, one of the most disturbing things that happened with the commission this week was a report that two priests from Italy recently discovered that one of their colleagues is abusing children. The priests did the courageous thing and did what they should do and went to their bishop to report this criminality. The bishop instructed they remain silent. That is itself rips my heart apart, that a bishop would tell his priests to remain silent and sadly this happens all over the world. Those brave priests went to the police, the police response was, what did your bishop say?

Here is my dear friend, Juan Carlos Cruz from Chile.

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VATICAN CITY
International Business Times

BY ISMAT SARAH MANGLA @ISMAT ON 02/06/16

A key member of Pope Francis’ advisory commission on protecting children from sexual abuse has taken a leave of absence, dealing a blow to the credibility of the panel itself.

Peter Saunders, a sexual abuse survivor from the U.K., served on the commission, raising a critical voice in the debate on protecting children and punishing bishops who helped hide the behavior of pedophile priests. Formed in 2014, the commission’s purpose is to offer advice to the Vatican on how to protect children, keep pedophiles out of the priesthood and raise awareness about sexual abuse.

But at a meeting on Saturday, “it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” the Vatican said.

As a result, only one abuse survivor, Marie Collins, is still on the panel.

One of the commission’s major proposals — that the Vatican form an in-house tribunal to address cases of bishops who failed to protect their parishioners from abuse — was successfully enacted last year. But the Vatican has not announced any updates on the tribunal since the pope agreed to its formation.

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VATICAN CITY
Orange County Register

By NICOLE WINFIELD / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory committee voted Saturday to sideline one of its members, a high-profile abuse survivor who had clashed with the commission over its mission.

Peter Saunders, a British advocate for victims, had been highly critical of the Vatican’s slow progress in taking measures to protect children and punish bishops who covered up for pedophile priests. He also wanted the commission to intervene immediately in individual cases, rather than just craft long-term policies to fight abuse.

During a commission meeting Saturday, “it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” the Vatican said.

The decision is a blow to Francis’ efforts to show that he is tough on abuse, since the presence of Saunders and another abuse survivor, Marie Collins, had given the commission credibility.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Saunders said commission members, with one abstention, asked had him to step aside after concluding they could no longer trust him to work within the scope of the commission’s mandate. …

The commission had been highly critical of Francis’ decision to appoint a Chilean bishop despite allegations from abuse survivors that he had covered up for the country’s most notorious pedophile, the Rev. Fernando Karadima.

One of Karadima’s victims, Juan Carlos Cruz, joined Saunders on Saturday in Rome in hopes of speaking to the commission but was refused. Cruz had been proposed as a possible commission member but emails published in the Chilean media showed how the Chilean church hierarchy worked to keep him off the panel.

The head of the commission, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, said after Saturday’s vote that Saunders had been asked to consider forming an external group of survivors to help advise the commission.

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CANADA
Global News

By Jennifer Ivanov Global News

EDMONTON- Edmonton police have charged an Anglican priest with several historical sexual assaults.

The charges date back to an investigation that was launched last September involving reports of sexual assaults. The incidents allegedly occurred at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre during the 1980s.

Police allege Father Gordon William Dominey sexually assaulted five complainants, who were youths at the time of the alleged incidents. The incidents allegedly took place while Dominey was employed at the incarceration facility from 1985 to 1989.

Gordon William Dominey, 63, is facing five charges of sexual assault and five charges of gross indecency.

The accused was arrested without incident in Coquitlam, B.C. on February 4.

Police believe there may be additional victims and witnesses. Investigators are asking anyone with information about “Father Gord” to come forward and contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone.

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VATICAN CITY
Deutsche Welle

Peter Saunders, an abuse survivor, has been dumped from Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory committee. The victims’ advocate had been highly critical of the Vatican’s sluggish progress in protecting children.

A high-profile British sexual abuse survivor and member of a papal sex abuse committee was voted off the panel, the Vatican said.

“It was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” the Vatican said following a commission meeting on Saturday.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Saunders said the commission members voted, with one abstention, against his further participation in the group. He said the members concluded that they could no longer trust him to work within the scope of the commission’s mandate.

“I do not want to prevent the work of the commission, the good work that the commission is doing, from going ahead, so I had no choice but to step aside,” Saunders said.

The outspoken critic, who had been abused by a priest as a child, said the Vatican’s lack of immediate action to protect children in the face of continuing rape and molestation cases, “made me lose faith in the process and lose faith in Pope Francis.”

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

A prominent British member of a papal advisory commission on sexual abuse by the clergy who has been outspokenly critical of the Vatican has left the group, the Vatican said on Saturday.

A statement said that at a commission meeting “it was decided” that Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence. Saunders, head of Britain’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood, would now “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”.

In a separate statement, commission president Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston said Saunders had been asked to advise the commission on the possible establishment of a victim survivor panel.

Saunders, a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, did not immediately reply to a telephone message requesting a comment.

His departure leaves only one victim of sexual abuse by a cleric, Marie Collins of Ireland, sitting on the commission, which has been slowed down by internal disputes.

Saunders had been increasingly critical of the commission, which was set up in 2014. Made up of clerics and lay people from around the world, its task is to help Pope Francis establish “best practices” in dioceses around the world to root out sex abuse in the Church. Eight of the 17-member commission are women.

The U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said it shared Saunders’ frustration with Vatican officials.

“Pete has been a brave, honest and tireless voice for kids and victims,” it said in a statement.

On the eve of the current meeting, Saunders was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that the previous meeting last year was a “non-event,” and demanded that the pope attend the current meeting.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

We share Pete Saunders’ justifiable frustration with Vatican officials. They refuse to take quick, simple, common sense steps to protect kids and deter cover ups by punishing clerics who conceal abuse. Instead, they do what church officials have done for decades: shrewdly fixate on and discuss meaningless internal policies on paper that give the impression of progress while changing virtually nothing.

[USA Today]

Contrary to considerable sloppy reporting, Francis has NOT sent us a church panel to judge bishops who enable or hide abuse. Last June, he said he would. But he has NOT done so. It’s inaccurate to claim otherwise. And it leads to more complacency about kids’ safety in a church where more vigilance is crucial.

Pete has been a brave, honest and tireless voice for kids and victims. We especially applaud him for speaking out about the Pope’s callous promotion and defense of the corrupt Chilean Bishop Juan Barros and for speaking up for courageous victims of Fr. Fernando Karadima (like Juan Carlos Cruz).

[National Catholic Reporter]

The Pope’s abuse panel will issue recommendations. The Pope will adopt them. And nothing will improve. Why? Because there will be no enforcement. Why? Because the church hierarchy is an entitled, rigid, secretive, all-male monarchy. No new protocols or policies or procedures will radically undo a centuries-old self-serving structure that rewards clerics who keep a tight lid on child sex crimes and cover ups.

Here are 20 easy abuse prevention steps we proposed three years ago. As best we can tell, they’ve been ignored.

[SNAP]

The clear answer to this crisis remains outside of the church hierarchy – with victims, witnesses and whistleblowers speaking up and with police, prosecutors and secular authorities stepping up.

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VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

Peter Saunders nimmt sich bei der Päpstlichen Kommission zum Schutz von Minderjährigen eine Auszeit. Das hat die Kommission an diesem Samstag bekannt gegeben, nachdem der englische Anti-Pädophilie-Aktivist den australischen Kurienkardinal George Pell öffentlich kritisiert hatte und ihm „Abneigung“ gegenüber Missbrauchsopfern vorwarf. Saunders wolle während der Auszeit darüber nachdenken, wie er am besten der Kommission künftig helfen könne.

Der englische Aktivist ist selber ein ehemaliges Missbrauchsopfer. Bei dem Treffen der Päpstlichen Kinderschutzkommission ging es um eine Klärung über Ziel und Zweck dieser vatikanischen Einrichtung, so eine Note des Vatikans von diesem Samstag.

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VATIKAN
Kristianstadtbladet

Britten Peter Saunders, medlem av Vatikanens rådgivande kommitté rörande sexuella övergrepp, lämnar gruppen. Saunders har varit en av de mest frispråkiga kritikerna av Vatikanen. Enligt ett uttalande beslutades det under ett utskottssammanträde att “Saunders skulle ta tjänstledigt”.

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CITTA’ DEL VATICANO
Secolo d’Italia

di PAOLO LAMI
sabato 6 febbraio 2016 – 17:52

Si apre un caso imbarazzante nella Commissione internazionale voluta dal Papa contro gli abusi sessuali del clero, la Pontificia Commissione per la Tutela dei Minori.
Il laico Peter Saunders, da ragazzo vittima di abusi, lascia per un periodo la Commissione per una sorta di conflitto di interessi. L’impegno di Saunders in difesa delle vittime di abusi e promotore di campagne in tal senso, – in Cile, e in particolare in Australia relativamente al cardinal Pell, – ha recentemente creato frizioni con il suo ruolo di membro della Commissione pontificia.
Saunders nei mesi scorsi aveva anche minacciato di dimettersi dalla Pontificia Commissione per la Tutela dei Minori relativamente ai casi di abusi del clero in Cile.

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
20 Minutos

AP

La comisión asesora del papa Francisco sobre abusos sexuales votó el sábado separar a uno de sus miembros, un conocido sobreviviente de los abusos, quien había expresado diferencias sobre la misión del organismo.

El británico Peter Saunders, quien aboga por los sobrevivientes, había criticado con dureza la lentitud de la Santa Sede para tomar medidas de protección a los niños y de castigo a los obispos que encubrieron a curas pedófilos.

También quería que la comisión interviniera en casos individuales en lugar de limitarse a elaborar políticas a largo plazo contra los abusos.

El Vaticano dijo que en una reunión de la comisión el sábado, “se resolvió que el señor Peter Saunders se tome licencia para estudiar la mejor manera de apoyar el trabajo de la comisión”.

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
Diariode Pernambuco

Por: Agência Estado
Publicado em: 06/02/2016

Os esforços do Papa Francisco para mostrar que é rigoroso quando o assunto é abuso sexual clerical sofreu um golpe neste sábado, depois que um sobrevivente de alto perfil tirou uma licença da comissão consultiva do pontífice.

Peter Saunders, um advogado britânico para os sobreviventes, tem criticado duramente o ritmo lento do progresso do Vaticano em tomar medidas para proteger as crianças e punir bispos que encobriram padres pedófilos.

Durante reunião da comissão deste sábado, o Vaticano disse que “foi decidido que Peter Saunders tiraria uma licença de sua função como membro para avaliar como ele poderia melhor apoiar o trabalho da comissão”.

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VATICAN CITY
The Guardian

Rosie Scammell
Saturday 6 February 2016

A British survivor of clerical sex abuse has left the Vatican’s inquiry into paedophilia within the Catholic Church, adding to pressure on Pope Francis to take concrete action.

Peter Saunders, who was abused by two priests as a teenager and has been a vocal critic of the church’s response to child abuse scandals, was attending the advisory body’s weekend meeting when it was agreed that he should step down.

“It was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” said the advisory board, officially known as the pontifical commission for the protection of minors.

The president of the commission, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, said Saunders had been asked to advise on “the possible establishment of a victim survivor panel to work with the commission”.

Saunders, along with Marie Collins, another victim from Ireland, was chosen by the pope to join the commission in 2014, to advise the Vatican on how to respond to historic clerical abuse.

He was described as a “brave, honest and tireless voice for kids and victims” by David Clohessy, director of the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (Snap). He accused the Vatican of inaction.

“They do what church officials have done for decades: shrewdly fixate on and discuss meaningless internal policies on paper that give the impression of progress while changing virtually nothing,” he said.

Saunders criticised the Holy See’s response to paedophilia within the church, calling on the Vatican to sack its financial chief, Cardinal George Pell, over his alleged involvement in covering up abuse. The Australian cardinal turned to his lawyers, while the commission sought to distance itself from Saunders’ “personal views”.

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VATICAN CITY
New York Times

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FEB. 6, 2016

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory committee voted Saturday to sideline one of its members, a high-profile abuse survivor who had clashed with the commission over its mission.

Peter Saunders, a British advocate for victims, had been highly critical of the Vatican’s slow pace of progress in taking measures to protect children and punish bishops who covered up for pedophile priests. He had also wanted the commission to intervene immediately in individual cases, rather than just craft long-term policies to fight abuse.

During a commission meeting Saturday, “it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” the Vatican said.

The decision is a blow to Francis’ efforts to show that he is tough on abuse, since the presence of Saunders and another abuse survivor, Marie Collins, had given the commission credibility.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Saunders said commission members, with one abstention, asked had him to step aside after concluding they could no longer trust him to work within the scope of the commission’s mandate.

“I do not want to prevent the work of the commission, the good work that the commission is doing from going ahead, so I had no choice but to step aside,” he said.

He said the Vatican’s inaction in the face of continuing cases of children being raped and molested “made me lose faith in the process and lose faith in Pope Francis.”

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VATICAN CITY
Sky News

A British member of the Pope’s advisory commission on sexual abuse has left the group, the Vatican has revealed.

At a commission meeting “it was decided” that Peter Saunders, who has been an outspoken critic of the Vatican, would take a leave of absence, a statement said.

The commission said Mr Saunders, who himself was a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, would now “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”.

Mr Saunders made headlines last year when he said that Australian Cardinal George Pell should be dismissed over claims he failed to take action to protect children years ago.

Cardinal Pell is now the Vatican’s economic minister.

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VATICAN CITY
NPR

CAMILA DOMONOSKE

One of the Vatican’s most prominent critics, who pushed for greater protections for children and harsher punishments for pedophile priests, has taken a leave of absence from the pope’s advisory commission on clerical sex abuse.

Peter Saunders, a British survivor of sexual abuse by a priest, was appointed to Pope Francis’ Commission for the Protection of Minors in 2014. The commission, which first met in early 2014, includes both clergy and lay people.

A Vatican statement Saturday said “it was decided” that Saunders would take a leave of absence to “consider how he might best support the commission’s work,” The Associated Press and Reuters report. The announcement came halfway through the commission’s three-day meeting, scheduled for Friday through Sunday.

His departure is a blow to the pope’s efforts to show he’s tough on sex abuse, the AP writes. With Saunders gone, one survivor of clerical sexual abuse remains on the 16-person commission.

Saunders has openly criticized the Church hierarchy for failing to prevent or punish sexual abuse by priests. He was unafraid of challenging even the highest-ranking cardinals: last year he called for the resignation of Australian Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s economic minister, over the decades-long abuse of Australian children.

“Saunders has also been outspoken about a case of an alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in Chile and threatened to resign from the commission over the Vatican’s handling of that case,” Reuters reports. “The Vatican says the commission is an advisory group and members should not make comments on individual cases.”

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CITTA’ DEL VATICANO
Vatican Insider

TORINO
Peter Saunders, da ragazzo vittima di abusi sessuali da parte di preti, lascia per un periodo la Commissione pontificia per la protezione dei minori, per una sorta di conflitto di interessi. Lo comunica la Commissione, che oggi ha discusso con l’interessato la posizione dello stesso Saunders, il cui impegno di attivista in difesa delle vittime di abusi e promotore di campagne in tal senso – in Cile, e in particolare in Australia relativamente al cardinale Pell – ha recentemente creato frizioni con il suo ruolo di membro della Commissione pontificia. Saunders aveva anche minacciato di dimettersi dalla Commissione relativamente ai casi di abusi del clero in Cile. La nota informa che egli «prenderà un periodo di aspettativa dalla sua partecipazione come membro per riflettere come egli possa contribuire nel modo migliore al lavoro della Commissione». Dopo questo periodo, ha spiegato padre Lombardi, si deciderà se tornerà nella Commissione, o se vorrà contribuire dall’esterno ai suoi scopi.

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ROME
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Feb. 6, 2016

ROME One of the most outspoken members of the commission advising Pope Francis on issues relating to clergy sexual abuse is no longer actively working with the group, the Vatican has announced.

Following a meeting of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors this week in Rome, a statement Saturday said “it was decided” that British sexual abuse survivor and children’s advocate Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from the group.

Saunders, the statement said, would take time “to consider how he might best support the Commission’s work.”

Saunders is the founder of the UK’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood. He had served on the Commission since December 2014 but had been highly critical of what he characterized as a slow process of reform of the church’s practices on sexual abuse.

The commission member had particularly said he was “gravely concerned” about the appointment last year of a bishop in Chile who is accused of covering up abuse. He also told the Los Angeles Times Friday that he had asked Francis to attend the commission’s meeting this week in Rome and that it would be “outrageous” if the pope did not come.

In a separate statement Saturday, commission president Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said the group’s members had asked Saunders to advise them on possibly creating a victim/survivor panel to help with their work.

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VATICAN CITY
Daily Mail (UK)

By KATIE LOUISE DAVIES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:08 EST, 6 February 2016

A British campaigner who said he would be outraged if the Pope did not attend meetings to protect children from sex abuse abuse in the church has left the Vatican.

Peter Saunders, who was abused by a priest as a child, was selected by Pope Francis to serve on the Vatican’s sex abuse commission in 2014.

This week the abuse campaigner, who said he had invited the Pope to a three-day meeting of the commission, told The Times it would be ‘outrageous if he didn’t attend’.

The Vatican said it was decided at a commission meeting that Saunders would take a leave of absence.

Saunders did not immediately reply to a telephone message requesting a comment on the circumstances of his departure.

It said Saunders would now ‘consider how he might best support the commission’s work’.

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CITTA’ DEL VATICANO
la Repubblica

CITTA’ DEL VATICANO – Peter Saunders, attivista inglese nella lotta contro la pedofilia, egli stesso vittima di abusi da parte di un sacerdote cattolico, lascia per ora la Commissione vaticana per la protezione dei minori nella quale lo aveva inserito Papa Francesco.

“La Commissione Pontificia per la Protezione di minori – si legge in una nota diffusa dal portavoce della Santa Sede, padre Federico Lombardi – nell’incontro di oggi ha discusso l’orientamento e gli scopi della Commissione stessa. Come risultato della discussione si è deciso che il signor Peter Sunders prenderà un periodo di aspettativa dalla sua partecipazione come membro per riflettere come egli possa contribuire nel modo migliore al lavoro della Commissione”.

La decisione, assunta all’interno dell’organismo, arriva a seguito ad affermazioni dello stesso Saunders che ha criticato il cardinale George Pell, superministro vaticano dell’Economia, per aver risposto con certificati medici alle richieste di essere interrogato dalla Commissione governativa australiana che deve far luce sugli abusi nel grande paese, riguardo alla gestione dei sacerdoti colpevoli o sospettati di abusi nella diocesi di Melbourne, quando il porporato ne era l’arcivescovo.

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VATICAN CITY
Channel News Asia

A British member of a Vatican advisory commission on sexual abuse who has been among the most outspokenly critical of the Vatican, has left the group, the Vatican said on Saturday.

VATICAN CITY: A British member of a Vatican advisory commission on sexual abuse who has been among the most outspokenly critical of the Vatican, has left the group, the Vatican said on Saturday.

A Vatican statement said that at a commission meeting “it was decided” that Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence. Saunders, himself a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, did not immediately reply to a telephone message requesting a comment on the circumstances of his departure.

It said Saunders would now “consider how he might best support the commission’s work”.

Last year, Saunders made waves when he said that Australian Cardinal George Pell should be dismissed over allegations he failed to take action to protect children years ago.. Pell is now the Vatican’s economic minister.

The 17-member commission, which is advising Pope Francis on how to root out sex abuse in the Church, later distanced itself from Saunders comments.

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SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Kevin McKenna / Friday 5 February 2016

IF THE testament of my friends who have already seen Spotlight is to be trusted, I can expect an enthralling if deeply uncomfortable cinematic experience when I go to see it next week. The film is about the investigation conducted by the Boston Globe newspaper in 2001 into widespread and systemic child sex abuse by Catholic priests in the city and the how the church tried to cover it all up.

For a small but growing group of men and women in Scotland the film carries a wretched resonance. When they were children, they were sexually abused in locations around Scotland by Catholic priests and in Catholic primary schools, yet they are still waiting for the Church in this country and the Holyrood Government to take their cases seriously.

A handful of them, representing abuse survivors’ groups from all over Scotland, have been granted an audience next Thursday with Angela Constance, the Education Secretary. They will be given an hour and expenses of no more than £100, significantly below the going rate for qualified legal representation, and the group face being without a lawyer at their meeting.

Allocating just one hour for this meeting and refusing to meet each of the groups represented separately suggests that this will be another box-ticking exercise as the Government and the Catholic Church in Scotland seek to continue their mission to bury this out of sight.

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UNITED STATES
Palm Beach Post

“Spotlight,” best picture contender at this year’s Oscars, has earned massive critical praise for its retelling of The Boston Globe’s investigation into sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

It even got the praise of the Boston Globe’s staff for the film’s accuracy in depicting the real-life players in the story. (Video via Open Road Films / “Spotlight”)

But Thursday, “Spotlight” probably got the highest praise of all. It was screened at the Vatican for a commission on clerical sex abuse.

The commission is meeting for a three-day conference to find better ways to protect children and prevent abuse by priests. The group was founded in 2014 as part of Pope Francis’ pledge to fight child abuse within the church.

One member of the commission, who was abused by a London priest as a child, told the Los Angeles Times, “The film is extremely worrying about the cover-up of abuse in the Catholic Church, and I think it would be a good moment for the pope to see it.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.