ABUSE TRACKER

NEW JERSEY
CentralJersey.com

Two individuals who allegedly forced a child into commercial sex acts at multiple hotels throughout Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties appeared in court on April 10 with one of their alleged customers to face federal sex trafficking charges.

Richard Ortiz, 22, and Gabriella Colon, 18, both of the Bronx, New York, are charged by complaint with two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution, according to information provided by U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

Aryeh Goodman, 35, of East Brunswick, is charged in a separate complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a child.

According to the complaints, Colon allegedly used her friendship with a 17-year-old girl from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to convince her to visit Colon in New York in January. Colon allegedly was prostituting herself to support herself and her boyfriend, Ortiz.

Shortly thereafter, Colon and Ortiz allegedly transported the victim to a hotel in New Jersey, where they allegedly took sexually explicit photographs her. Colon and Ortiz then allegedly posted those images and advertised the sexual services of the child on Backpage.com, according to officials.

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NEW JERSEY
Patch

By Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — An East Brunswick rabbi accused of patronizing a 17-year-old girl for sex appeared in court Tuesday, April 10, on a federal sex trafficking charge.

Rabbi Aryeh Goodman, 35, of East Brunswick, is one of 30 men accused of patronizing the 17-year-old Lancaster, Pennsylvania girl, federal prosecutors charge. Goodman is already a registered sex offender for a prior conviction. In 2013, Goodman was accused of several incidents of a sexual nature with a 12-year-old boy, who Goodman met when he worked as a counselor at Camp Menachem, a Chabad summer camp in Lackawaxen Township, Pa. The incidents allegedly occurred almost 12 years prior to his arrest.

Goodman tried to make a name for himself among Central New Jersey’s Hasidic Jewish community: He operates a Jewish religious center out of his East Brunswick home, and is affiliated with another center on Lexington Avenue in the Township. He was the director of the East Brunswick Chabad. According to New Jersey Jewish News, Goodman grew up in Highland Park, the son of Rabbi Boruch and Sarah Goodman. The elder Goodman is the campus director at Chabad House at Rutgers University.

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NEW JERSEY
MyCentralJersey

Suzanne Russell, @SRussellMyCJ

NEW BRUNSWICK – An East Brunswick rabbi accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is now being held in federal custody on charges of sex trafficking of a child and was scheduled to be arraigned in Newark before a federal judge, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey.

The status of Rabbi Aryeh Goodman, 35, was announced Tuesday by a Middlesex County assistant prosecutor during a brief hearing before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Michael Toto.

Goodman and co-defendants Gabriella Colon, 18, and Richard Ortiz, 23, both of the Bronx, were taken into federal custody.

Colon and Ortiz are accused of allegedly forcing a child into commercial sex acts in multiple hotels throughout Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties, according to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

They have been charged with two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution. Colon and Ortiz also were scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.

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VATICAN CITY/CHILE
America

Gerard O’Connell
April 11, 2018

In what has the appearance of the beginning of an earthquake in the Chilean church, Pope Francis has sent a strong letter to the Chilean bishops in which he speaks of his “pain and shame” on receiving the report on the abuse scandal in Chile from Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta. He had sent Archbishop Scicluna to listen to the victims of abuse last February.

In the three-page letter, he admits his own “serious mistakes” in dealing with this scandal and asks for forgiveness and goes on to take two dramatic steps: He summons the entire Chilean hierarchy to meet him in the Vatican and invites the three main accusers of Bishop Barros to meet him there too at a different time.

The pope admitted that he had badly misjudged the situation, or as he put it: “I fell into serious errors in the evaluation and perception of the situation, due especially to the lack of true and balanced information.”

He said, “From here on, I ask pardon of all those that I have offended, and I hope to do so personally in the coming weeks, in the meetings that I will have with representatives of the persons interviewed” by his envoys—Archbishop Scicluna and Father Jordi Bertomeu Farnos.

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CALIFORNIA
TMZ

2:37 PM PT — The L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. released a statement, saying, “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau began an investigation into allegations of a sexual assault involving Mr. Kevin Spacey on December 11, 2017. The events were reported to have taken place in October of 1992 in West Hollywood involving a male adult.”

“The investigation was completed and presented to the District Attorney’s Office Entertainment Industry Sex Crimes Task Force on April 5, 2018, for review and filing consideration.”

Kevin Spacey is in the crosshairs of the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, but TMZ has learned that won’t be the case for long, because the case is going to be a reject.

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CALIFORNIA/MASSACHUSETTS

BY RACHEL DESANTIS
NANCY DILLON

Los Angeles County prosecutors are reviewing a sex crimes case against fired “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey, a source said Wednesday.

The case was brought to prosecutors Thursday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the alleged encounter is currently under review by the District Attorney’s Office Sex Crimes Task Force.

The events in question allegedly took place in October 1992 in West Hollywood, and involved an adult male, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department — thus placing it outside the statute of limitations, reports TMZ….

Former Boston news anchor Heather Unruh also told the Daily News that a criminal investigation had begun against Spacey after he allegedly grabbed her teenage son’s genitals at a Nantucket club in 2016.

“I want to see Kevin Spacey go to jail. I want to see Kevin Spacey have the hand of justice come down on him, not just for my son, but for the many others who have yet to speak their truth,” she said.

Unruh family lawyer Mitchell Garabedian told the Daily News on Wednesday that his client’s case is under review now by prosecutors in Massachusetts.

“My understanding is that the district attorney of Nantucket is currently investigating the matter,” Garabedian said. “My client is cooperating.”

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CHILE
Pagina 12

[The accusations against the Bishop of Osorno are not for abuse but for cover-up. On March 3, 2015, Juan Carlos Cruz sent a letter to the Pope telling him that Barros (who at the time of the abuses against him was a young pupil of Karadima) not only covered up the abuses as Barros ascended in his ecclesiastical career in the 1990s, but he witnessed them in the parish of an affluent neighborhood of Santiago where both grew up under the priest’s tutorship.]

Las acusaciones contra el obispo de Osorno no son por abuso sino por encubrimiento. El 3 de marzo de 2015, Juan Carlos Cruz le envió una carta al Papa en la que le cuenta que Barros (que en la época en que se producen los abusos contra él era un joven pupilo de Karadima) no sólo encubrió los abusos a medida que ascendió en su carrera eclesiástica en los años 90, sino que fue testigo de ellos en la parroquia de un barrio acomodado de Santiago, donde ambos crecieron bajo la tutoría del sacerdote.

“Más difícil y fuerte era cuando estábamos en la habitación de Karadima y Juan Barros, si no se estaba besando con Karadima, veía cuando algunos de nosotros, los menores, éramos tocados por él y nos hacía darle besos diciéndome: ‘Pon tu boca cerca de la mía y saca tu lengua’. Él sacaba la suya y nos besaba con su lengua”, escribió Cruz. “Juan Barros era testigo de todo esto y lo fue incontables veces, no solo conmigo sino con otros también”, aseguró en otro pasaje. Y denunció: “Juan Barros ha encubierto todo lo que le cuento”.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Catholic Herald

by Christopher Altieri

Those who misled the Pope ‘no doubt felt they were protecting the institution’, says Marie Collins

Pope Francis has made a general apology to the victims of sexual abuse and clerical cover-up in Chile and called on the bishops of the country to come and meet him in Rome to discuss the crisis in the Chilean Church.

While the Holy Father did not apologise specifically to the victims he accused of calumny while visiting their country — accusations he repeated to journalists several days later on the return trip to Rome — he did say: “I recognise, and so I ask that you faithfully convey, that I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, owing especially to a lack of truthful and balanced information.”

The Archbishop-Emeritus of Santiago de Chile, Cardinal Francisco Errázuriz, who was involved in several mishandled abuse cases, including that of the disgraced former celebrity priest, Fernando Karadima, is a member of the Pope’s “C9” Council of Cardinal Advisers. Correspondence between Cardinal Errázuriz and the current Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati, stongly suggests the two men were determined to block the nomination of abuse survivor Juan Carlos Cruz to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Cruz is one of the survivors Pope Francis accused of calumny in connection with the case of Bishop Juan Barros, whom Cruz accuses of having witnessed, enabled and covered up Karadima’s abuse of him and many other young people.

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SWEDEN
New York Times

By CHRISTINA ANDERSON

STOCKHOLM — A sexual abuse and harassment scandal roiling the committee that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature deepened on Wednesday, as the king of Sweden and the foundation that finances the prize warned that the scandal risked tarnishing one of the world’s most important cultural accolades.

A schism in the Swedish Academy, which has awarded the prize since 1901, erupted into the open last week, the culmination of a scandal that stretches back to November, when the newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported that 18 women had accused Jean-Claude Arnault, a major cultural figure with close ties to the academy, of sexual assault and harassment.

Mr. Arnault is married to the poet Katarina Frostenson, a member of the academy, and together they run a private cultural club, called the Forum, that has received money from the academy.

The newspaper reported that Mr. Arnault had mistreated women at the club and at academy-owned properties in Stockholm and Paris over a 20-year period. It also reported that Mr. Arnault had leaked information about the prize committee’s confidential deliberations seven times since 1996.

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LOUISIANA
American Press

Lisa Addison

A man on trial for manslaughter took the stand Tuesday in state district court and told a jury about shooting a pastor nearly five years ago during a church service, saying the pastor raped his wife and was “treacherous.”

Woodrow Karey Jr., 58, told jurors he walked into Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center during a revival service on Sept. 27, 2013, and shot Ronald J. Harris, 51, twice with a shotgun.

The prosecution has said Harris was having an affair with Karey’s wife; the defense has said Karey’s wife was raped by Harris for years.

Before testimony began, there was a discussion between the judge, defense, and prosecution regarding information the defense wanted included at trial. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said some things could be included while others could not. Judge Clayton Davis had earlier ruled against the evidence being included.

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NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

CATRIN OWEN

Pastor Neil Rischbieter has been jailed for historical sexual abuse charges.

A pastor sexually abused a young girl while her mother was dying of cancer.

Auckland man Neil Rischbieter​ also abused another young girl. Both victims cannot be identified for legal reasons.

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PENNSYLVANIA
ABC News

[with video]

By CHRIS FRANCESCANI BILL HUTCHINSON

A woman who accuses Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her lashed out at the comedian in a Pennsylvania court on Wednesday in an apparent attempt get him to acknowledge what she claims he allegedly did to her in a Las Vegas hotel room more than 30 years ago.

Chelan Lasha, one of six women scheduled to testify for the prosecution that Cosby drugged and assaulted them, told the court that Cosby allegedly molested her in 1986 when she was just a teenager.

In a dramatic moment that veered from the prosecution’s script, Lasha attempted to address the 80-year-old Cosby directly. Staring at him from the witness stand, she said, “You remember, don’t you, Mr. Cosby?”

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PENNSYLVANIA
NPR

Editor’s note: This post contains graphic descriptions that some may find disturbing.

Heidi Thomas — the first of several women expected to take the stand against Bill Cosby in his criminal retrial – described to the court on Tuesday how the comedian lured her to his Nevada ranch in 1984, drugged her and then forced her to perform oral sex.

Thomas’ testimony against the 80-year-old Cosby on charges that he sexually assaulted Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004 was meant to bolster the prosecution’s case that the defendant has a long history of such assaults. Besides Constand, at least four other women are expected to provide similar testimony.

On the trial’s opening day on Monday, prosecutors revealed that Cosby paid a $3.4 million civil settlement to Constand in 2006.

Thomas, a 24-year-old aspiring actor at the time, said Cosby enticed her to fly to Reno on the pretext of giving her career advice.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Associated Press

By MICHAEL R. SISAK

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Women who say comedian Bill Cosby knocked them out with intoxicants and sexually assaulted them decades ago are finally getting a chance to confront him — and they aren’t holding back.

Janice Baker-Kinney will return to the witness stand on Thursday after punctuating her first two hours of testimony at Cosby’s sexual assault retrial in suburban Philadelphia with a firm declaration: “I was raped.”

One woman testifying on Wednesday pointedly called Cosby a “serial rapist,” while another choked back tears as she asked him, “You remember, don’t you, Mr. Cosby?”

The charged rhetoric irritated Cosby’s lawyers, who lost two bids for a mistrial, as prosecutors built a case that the man once revered as “America’s Dad” was one of Hollywood’s biggest predators long before he met Andrea Constand, the chief accuser in his retrial.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Washington Post

By Michael R. Sisak 

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Decades after they say Bill Cosby knocked them out with intoxicants and sexually assaulted them, three of his accusers confronted the 80-year-old comedian in court Wednesday, with one woman pointedly calling him a “serial rapist” and another asking him through her tears, “You remember, don’t you, Mr. Cosby?”

The women’s charged rhetoric prompted several mistrial requests from Cosby’s lawyers — which were denied — as prosecutors built their case that Cosby was one of Hollywood’s biggest predators long before he met Andrea Constand, the chief accuser in his sexual assault retrial.

Now well into middle age, the accusers spoke of entering Cosby’s orbit as starstruck young women seeking career help or, in the case of a casino bartender from Reno, Nevada, simply looking for a fun time. All of them testified they wound up unconscious from the pills or alcohol he gave them, unable to say no or resist as he had his way with them.

“I was raped,” declared the former bartender, Janice Baker-Kinney, who was 24 when she says Cosby gave her pills she suspected to be quaaludes and had sex with her in 1982.

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PENNSYLVANIA
New York Times

By GRAHAM BOWLEY and JON HURDLE

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Chelan Lasha was 17 in 1986 when she went to Bill Cosby’s suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, after, she said, he told her he could help with her modeling career.

She wet her hair to pose for modeling shots at Mr. Cosby’s request. Then he offered her what he said was an antihistamine to help her cold, and some almond liqueur. She took both, Ms. Lasha told a courtroom on Wednesday, because “I trusted him.”

Then, she said: “He laid me on the bed; I could not move any more after that. He kept pinching my breast and humping my leg. Waking up, I was naked.”

She said she heard him grunting, and with that, she imitated from the stand the sounds she said Mr. Cosby had made.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Australian Associated Press

Wed 11 Apr 2018

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has declared under oath that two former altar boys never told him they had been sexually abused by a fellow priest.

Wilson, who has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, gave evidence in his defence in Newcastle local court after magistrate Robert Stone rejected the clergyman’s bid to have the case thrown out.

The 67-year-old is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse.

Wilson told the court on Wednesday he had known one of the former altar boys, Peter Creigh, and his family when he was an assistant priest in the NSW Hunter region in the mid-1970s.

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AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury

SAM RIGNEY

ADELAIDE Archbishop Philip Wilson says he doesn’t remember a conversation at the heart of his landmark hearing into allegations he concealed sexual assault allegations against another priest and doubts it ever took place because he wouldn’t have forgotten such “graphic” claims.

After his legal team on Wednesday failed for the fourth time to have the case against him thrown out, the Archbishop took the stand in Newcastle Local Court to give evidence for the first time since he became the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse.

Under questioning from his barrister, Stephen Odgers, SC, Archbishop Wilson unequivocally denied having any memory of a conversation in 1976 with Peter Creigh about Father James Fletcher subjecting Mr Creigh to acts of punishment and sexual abuse five years earlier.

When asked if he was able to say whether such a conversation took place, Archbishop Wilson said he thought it was doubtful.

“I think it is unlikely because the nature of the evidence was so graphic,” he told Magistrate Robert Stone.

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AUSTRALIA
Catholic News Agency

Newcastle, Australia, Apr 11, 2018 / 02:46 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- During court proceedings in Australia this week, Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide maintained his innocence, denying allegations that he concealed a serious sexual abuse offense allegedly disclosed to him in the 1970s.

The local court in Newcastle heard Wilson’s defense April 11. The archbishop confirmed under oath that he had no memory of being told of sexual abuses involving two altar boys and a fellow priest in the Hunter region of New South Wales.

“From the time this was first brought to my attention last year, I have completely denied the allegation,” said Wilson in March 2015. He took a leave of absence during the initial charges.

“I would again like to express my deep sorrow for the devastating impact of clerical sex abuse victims and their families, and I give assurance that despite the charge, I will continue to do what I can to protect the children in our care in the Archdiocese of Adelaide,” he continued.

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AUSTRALIA
InDaily

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has revealed he had an “awkward” conversation with a pedophile priest about to face trial in NSW for repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy.

Wilson, the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse, told the Newcastle Local Court today he met James Fletcher in late 2004 in the Hunter region a day after a family told him their son had been abused by the priest.

Wilson, who’d worked in the same parish as Fletcher and lived with him briefly in the 1980s, said he visited the priest’s mother to offer her support given the anguish she was suffering after Fletcher was charged.

The archbishop, now 67, said he been there for about 20 minutes when Fletcher appeared unexpectedly. They then talked for a few minutes.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Giselle Wakatama

The Archbishop of Adelaide has told a court he may have empathised with a victim’s father, who said he “wanted to kill” a paedophile priest.

Archbishop Philip Wilson is accused of covering up the child sexual abuse of Father Jim Fletcher in the New South Wales Hunter Valley in this 1970s.

At Newcastle Local Court today, prosecutors alleged Archbishop Wilson spoke with the father of one of Fletcher’s victims, who said: “If I had a gun, I would kill him.”

The court was told the Archbishop replied: “I wouldn’t blame you.”

That exchange is alleged to have taken place in 2004, a year before Fletcher was sentenced to 10 years in prison for child sexual offences. He died in jail.

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MICHIGAN
NBC 25

by Amanda Chodnicki/Madeline Ciak

BAY CITY, Mich. –The local Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests chapter, or SNAP, will hold its first meeting since the sexual abuse investigation into the Saginaw Diocese next Wednesday, April 18 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Bay City.

The investigation follows the arrest of former priest Bob DeLand, who is facing sex crime charges in relation to three young men.

Survivors, advocates and loved ones of survivors are all welcome to attend.Madeline Ciak\\

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MICHIGAN
Michigan Radio

Father Robert DeLand was the priest entrusted with recruiting and guiding young men thinking of becoming Catholic priests. He was also the pastor of a parish in the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. Now, he stands accused of sexual assault and gross indecency based on the accusations of a 17-year-old high school student and a 21-year-old man.

Local law enforcement says his bishop, Joseph Cistone, and the diocese are not cooperating with the investigation. That led to police raiding the bishop’s home last month, as well as the offices and the cathedral rectory of the Diocese of Saginaw.

This is not the first time a priest sex abuse scandal has been connected with Bishop Joseph Cistone.

He was an auxiliary bishop in Philadelphia when that archdiocese, and its late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, came under immense scrutiny for an apparent effort to cover up sexual abuse committed by its priests. A grand jury report strongly condemned the archdiocese for its handling of sexual predator priests.

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SCOTLAND
Irvine Times

DISGRACED priest was today jailed for nine years for the historic sexual abuse of three young boys and a trainee priest.

Eighty-two-year-old Father Francis Moore was told by judge Rita Rae that he had abused his position as a parish priest.

And one of his victims 49-year-old Paul Smyth urged other victims of historic abuse to come forward.

Moore, who was also known as Father Paul, was found guilty after trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

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KANSAS
Topeka Capital-Journal

By Katie Moore
katie_reports

A man who as a child served as an altar boy at St. Matthew’s Parish in Topeka alleges a priest began sexually abusing him when he was 9 years old.

“Father M.J.,” whose full name wasn’t disclosed in a lawsuit filed in August 2017, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City are listed as defendants in a civil case.

A motion to dismiss the lawsuit was denied Tuesday in Wyandotte County District Court.

The alleged incidents occurred in the mid-1980s.

According to the court petition, the priest invited the boy to spend the night at the Topeka church’s rectory and watch a movie. The priest allegedly fondled the boy, performed oral sex and forcibly performed anal sex on the boy. Similar events occurred on multiple occasions in the rectory and at other locations, the lawsuit claims, with the abuse continuing for about three years.

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VATICAN CITY
First Post

Vatican City: Pope Francis has admitted he made “grave errors” in judgment in Chile’s sex abuse scandal and invited the victims he had discredited to Rome to beg their forgiveness.

In an extraordinary public letter, Francis also summoned all of Chile’s bishops to the Vatican for an emergency meeting in the coming weeks to discuss repairing the damage from the scandal, which has badly tarnished his reputation and that of the Chilean church. The Vatican orders up such emergency visits only on rare occasions, such as when American bishops were summoned in 2002 after the clerical sex abuse scandal exploded in the United States (US) and in 2010 when Irish bishops received a comprehensive Vatican dressing down for their botched handling of abuse cases.

Francis blamed a lack of “truthful and balanced information” for his missteps in judging the case of Bishop Juan Barros, a protege of Chile’s most notorious predator priest, the Reverend Fernando Karadima. He strongly defended the bishop during his January visit to Chile despite accusations by victims that Barros had witnessed and ignored their abuse.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
The Hill

BY BRETT SAMUELS – 04/11/18

President Trump on Wednesday signed a sex trafficking bill that reduces legal protections for websites that enable sex trafficking.

Joined by lawmakers and victims of sex trafficking, the president praised the legislation and told victims he was signing the bill “in your honor.”

“You have endured what no person on earth should have to endure,” he added.

The legislation, called the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), but also referred to as SESTA after the original Senate bill, cuts into the broad protections websites have from legal liability for content posted by their users.

The bill passed easily in both the House and Senate, but faced some opposition from lawmakers who worried that smaller internet companies would face frivolous lawsuits or lack the resources to police content they shouldn’t be held liable for.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
The Hill

BY LYNDON HAVILAND, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 04/11/18

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

Congress and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), in particular, want to make it easier to go after human traffickers who engage in illegal activities online using the “ruthless efficiency of the internet.” Sen. Portman is rightfully addressing the current crisis of online sex trafficking, and that’s an important move in the right direction. But until we address the root cause, the legislation signed into law Wednesday is simply a small step in protecting women and children.

Sen. Portman’s Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) aims to revoke immunity currently granted to online websites such as Backpage.com where human trafficking allegedly takes place. Backpage.com was seized last week by federal authorizes, but immunity for these sites is protected under the Communications Decency Act (CDA). Congress was urged to amend the CDA when a California court dismissed pimping charges against Backpage.com in a case just last year. Sen. Portman’s bill, now law, seeks to do just that to, in his words, “fix this injustice.”

It’s lunacy that our legal system allows the predators who operate these sites to hide behind this law as a shield from prosecution. We owe it to children to do everything we can to hold these criminals accountable and bring them to justice. And lawmakers were right to support this legislation, so that we can remove these prosecutorial impediments and take human traffickers off the streets.

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VATICAN CITY
BBC News

The Pope has said he made “serious mistakes” over a case of alleged child abuse by Catholic clergy in Chile.

In a letter to the South American country’s bishops, Francis said he felt “sadness and shame” over comments earlier this year in which he accused the victims of committing slander.

The letter, released by the Church in Chile, said the Pope would invite some of the victims to Rome.

A Chilean bishop, Juan Barros, is accused of hiding abuses by a priest.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Agency

Vatican City, Apr 11, 2018 / 04:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a letter addressed to Chile’s bishops, Pope Francis admitted to making “serious mistakes” in handling the nation’s massive sex abuse crisis and asked for forgiveness. The pope summoned Chile’s bishops to Rome to address the issue, and invited victims to meet with him as well.

Referring to a recent investigation of abuse cover-up in Chile carried out by Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, Pope Francis said that after a “slow reading” of the report, “I can affirm that all the testimonies collected speak in a stark manner, without additives or sweeteners, of many crucified lives and I confess that this has caused me pain and shame.”

Francis admitted to misjudging the severity of the affair, telling Chile’s bishops that “I have made serious mistakes in the judgement and perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information.”

Please find below CNA’s translation of the full text of Pope Francis’ April 8 letter:

Dear brothers in the episcopate: The reception last week of the final documents which complete the report delivered to me by my two special envoys to Chile on March 20, 2018, with a total of more than 2,300 pages, moves me to write this letter. I assure you of my prayers and I want to share with you the conviction that the present difficulties are also an occasion to re-establish trust in the Church, a trust broken by our errors and sins and in order to heal the wounds that do not cease to bleed in the whole of Chilean society.

Without faith and without prayer, fraternity is impossible. Thus, on this second Sunday of Easter, on the day of mercy, I offer you this reflection with the desire that each one of you accompany me on the inner journey that I have been traveling in recent weeks, so that it would be the Spirit who would guide us with his gift, and not our interests, or even worse, our wounded pride.

Sometimes when so many evils frighten the soul and throw us listlessly into the world buttoned up in our comfortable “winter palaces,” the love of God comes out to meet us and purifies our intentions in order to love as free, mature, and judicious men. When the media shames us, presenting a Church almost always in the darkness of the new moon, deprived of the Sun of justice, we have the temptation of doubting the Paschal victory of the Risen One. I believe that like Saint Thomas the Apostle we must not fear doubt but rather fear the pretension of wanting to see without trusting the testimony of those who heard from the lips of the Lord the most beautiful promise.

Today I want to speak to you not of assurances, but rather of the one thing that the Lord offers us to experience every day: the joy, the peace of forgiveness of our sins and the action of his grace.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh

The Diocese of Pittsburgh continues to work for the protection of children and young people and will not tolerate any behavior that puts them at risk. May we all dedicate ourselves to rooting out the evil of sexual abuse from our society.

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PENNSYLVANIA
CBS Pittsburgh

[with video]

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A deacon with the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has been arrested and is facing child pornography charges, accused of trying to contact a minor over the internet.

Investigators say the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested 73-year-old Rosendo “Ross” Dacal at his home on Tuesday.

Dacal is facing charges of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a communication facility.

Bishop David Zubik, of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, says Dacal has been put on administrative leave and suspended from active ministry following his arrest. He was assigned to All Saints Parish in Etna and was also a chaplin at the Allegheny County Jail since 2011.

“You know, it’s a tragedy, because you have a man who was married, children, grandchildren, an attorney since he’s been a deacon was assigned at the Allegheny County Jail, and has served there in the chalpin’s office,”, Bishop Zubik said. “So, when you take a look at all of that, you say, this is just amazing. It’s such a tragedy because I think it shows what a terrible addiction pornography really is.”

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PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review

MEGAN GUZA | Wednesday, April 11, 2018

A deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is accused of having inappropriate contact with a police officer posing online as a minor, the diocese said Wednesday.

A North Strabane police officer conducting undercover work for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force charged Deacon Rosendo “Ross” Dacal, 73, with three felony counts, including unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of communications, court records show.

According to a criminal complaint, Officer Gary Scherer was monitoring a chat room in December and posing as a 14-year-old boy. The complaint said a man later identified as Dacal exchanged hundreds of messages with Scherer in the chatroom and via other social media between Dec. 20 and Monday.

“Many of these messages were sexually explicit and graphic in nature,” including ones in which Dacal solicited naked photographs, Scherer wrote in the complaint.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PETER SMITH
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
petersmith@post-gazette.com

APR 11, 2018

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has suspended a deacon after he was arrested Tuesday on charges including unlawful contact with a minor after he allegedly sent and solicited obscene images from an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old boy.

Rosendo F. Dacal, 73, of McCandless, was arraigned late Tuesday, according to Magisterial District Court records in Washington County, where the police investigator is based.

Mr. Dacal was immediately suspended from his positions as a chaplain at the Allegheny County Jail and on staff at All Saints Catholic Parish in Etna, according to Bishop David Zubik. The jail, where he worked as a contractor, has revoked his security clearance, said spokeswoman Amie Downs.

“The charges against Deacon Dacal are disturbing,” Bishop Zubik said in a statement. “I have pledged to civil authorities the full cooperation of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in their investigation. We had no previous knowledge of his alleged activities.”

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ALABAMA
AL.com

By Greg Garrison ggarrison@al.com

Acton Bowen horizontal.PNGActon Bowen, founder of Acton Bowen Outreach, spoke at AtlantaFest, an event organized by Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association in 2014.Greg Garrison | ggarrison@al.com

Evangelist Scott Dawson, a Republican candidate for governor, said that he did not know he was listed on the board of advisers for an Etowah County evangelist who was arrested for child sexual abuse.

Dawson said he knows Acton Bowen, and used him as a speaker in 2014 at one of his evangelistic events, AtlantaFest.

“I never noticed anything that caused concern – but I was not on his board,” Dawson said in a text message to AL.com.

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UNITED STATES
Reuters

(Reuters) – The U.S. Senate will hold a hearing next week into how the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics and other sports organizations handled sexual misconduct allegations.

A Senate Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on April 18, with a number of athletes expected to testify.

Several U.S. sports organizations have been criticized for not acting on complaints of abuse by former sports physician Larry Nassar and others.

“As part of the subcommittee’s ongoing investigation, we have invited athletes representing multiple sports to testify at our first hearing,” said Republican Senator Jerry Moran, who chairs the panel that will hold the hearing. “We appreciate the willingness of these athletes – who share in our determination to root out abuse in youth sport governing bodies – to share their stories.”

In recent months, several congressional committees have asked the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and 48 national governing bodies of various sports and Michigan State University for answers to questions about sexual abuse within organized sports.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

Elise Harris/CNA/EWTN News

VATICAN CITY — In a letter addressed to Chile’s bishops, Pope Francis admitted to making “serious mistakes” in handling the nation’s massive sex abuse crisis and asked for forgiveness.

The Holy Father summoned Chile’s bishops to Rome to address the issue, and invited victims to meet with him, as well.

Referring to a recent investigation of abuse cover-up in Chile carried out by Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Pope Francis said that after a “slow reading” of the report, “I can affirm that all the testimonies collected speak in a stark manner, without additives or sweeteners, of many crucified lives and I confess that this has caused me pain and shame.”

Francis admitted to misjudging the severity of the affair, telling Chile’s bishops that “I have made serious mistakes in the judgement and perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information.”

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CHILE/VATICAN CITY
Reuters

SANTIAGO/VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis acknowledged on Wednesday that he had made “serious mistakes in judgment and perception” of the sexual abuse crisis in Chile, and would meet with victims and bishops in an attempt to heal wounds the scandal caused to the Catholic Church.

“I apologize to all those I have offended and I hope to be able to do it personally in the coming weeks, in the meetings I will have” with victims, he said in a letter to Chilean bishops that followed a visit to Chile by the Vatican’s top sexual abuse investigator.

Chile has been shaken by the case of Bishop Juan Barros, appointed by the pope in 2015 despite accusations that Barros had covered up sexual abuse of minors by his mentor Father Fernando Karadima.

Francis, who visited Chile in January, at first strongly defended Barros, saying he was the target of slander. Then the pope dispatched Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican’s top sexual crimes investigator, to Chile and New York to interview victims.

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ROME
National Catholic Reporter

by Joshua J. McElwee

ROME — Pope Francis has admitted making “serious mistakes” in his handling of clergy sexual abuse cases in Chile, telling the country’s bishops in a lengthy letter that he feels “pain and shame” for the “crucified lives” of those who suffered abuse.

Check out our newest column, The Gospel of Sports.

But Francis has not revealed whether he will sack a Chilean prelate accused of covering up abuse, whom he has previously defended to the outrage of abuse survivors. Instead, Francis has asked the country’s bishops to come to Rome en masse for a meeting at some point soon.

In a letter released late April 11, Francis is reporting to the bishops about the mission of Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, whom the pope sent to Chile in February to interview abuse victims and look into the case of Bishop Juan Barros Madrid.

“I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and my perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information,” Francis says in the letter.

Revealing that Scicluna’s team took 64 testimonies from sexual abuse victims during its visit, the pope says the testimonies speak together “of many crucified lives, and I confess that it causes me pain and shame.”

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CHILE
RBN

[Pope apologizes but keeps Barros in his post.]

Esta tarde se conoció la carta enviada por el Papa Francisco a la conferencia episcopal de Chile, pero dejó un sabor amargo para quienes piden la salida de los obispos ligados a Fernando Karadima.

64 testimonios recibió Schicluna en sus reuniones tanto en Nueva York como en Santiago.

Schicluna aseguró que fueron varios asistentes quienes llegaron con madurez, respeto y amabilidad.

Francisco siente verguenza y dolor por quienes fueron “crucificados” en los abusos.

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CHILE
Radio UChile

[Pope Francis invites Hamilton, Murillo and Cruz to the Vatican as an act of redress.]

Las tres víctimas de Fernando Karadima habrían recibido la invitación papal luego que Francisco I revisara el informe elaborado por el arzobispo de Malta, Charles Scicluna, enviado a Chile examinar las denuncias contra el obispo Juan Barros.

En un acto de desagravio, el Papa Francisco invitó al Vaticano a las tres víctimas de Fernando Karadima, James Hamilton, Juan Carlos Cruz y José Andrés Murillo, en el marco de una reunión “fraternal (…) y con el solo objetivo de hacer resplandecer la verdad en nuestras vidas” , según expresa en la carta que dio a conocer hoy en Conferencia de Prensa el Presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal de Chile, Monseñor Santiago Silva.

El Sumo Pontífice expresó en la misiva su impacto por las revelaciones contenidas en el informe elaborado por monseñor Charles Scicluna. El arzobispo de Malta visitó nuestro país mandatado a redactar un documento dando cuenta de la situación de los abusos sexuales de la iglesia católica en nuestro país, específicamente en el caso del sacerdote de El Bosque y del presunto encubrimiento del hoy obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros.

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CHILE
BioBio

[Lay opponents of Barros about the letter of Pope Francis: “It’s more than we expected”.]

Publicado por: Manuel Stuardo

El vocero de los Laicos de Osorno, Mario Vargas, señaló a Radio Bío Bío que la carta enviada por el papa Francisco a los obispos chilenos tras recibir los informes de la investigación del arzobispo Charles Scicluna, es más de lo que esperaban, por lo que se encuentran contentos y agradecidos.

Esto luego que el sacerdote Fernando Ramos, secretario general de la Conferencia Episcopal de Chile, diera a conocer la misiva en la que el líder de la Iglesia Católica convoca a los obispos a Roma, para analizar los resultados de las indagatorias por casos de abusos cometidos en nuestro país, y los encubrimientos de estos.

En este sentido, Vargas señaló que ha sido importante el escenario que ellos como movimiento han instalado, luego de las denuncias en contra del obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros Madrid, acusado de encubrir los abusos de Fernando Karadima.

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CHILE
Conferencia Episcopal de Chile

[After hearing the report of Bishop Charles Scicluna, the Pontiff summoned the bishops to Rome to discuss their conclusions. He acknowledged that he has “made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of accurate and balanced information.” He asked forgiveness of the offended and he will do it personally with representatives of the people interviewed by Bishop Scicluna and his collaborator Fr. Bertomeu.]

Tras conocer el informe de Mons. Charles Scicluna, el Pontífice convocó a los obispos a Roma para dialogar sobre sus conclusiones. Reconoció que él ha incurrido “en graves equivocaciones de valoración y percepción de la situación especialmente por falta de información veraz y equilibrada”. Pidió perdón a los ofendidos y lo hará personalmente con representantes de las personas entrevistadas por Mons. Scicluna y su colaborador el P. Bertomeu.
Miercoles 11 de Abril del 2018

A través de una carta dirigida a los Obispos de la Conferencia Episcopal del Chile, el Papa Francisco da cuenta de su honda impresión tras haber recibido el informe realizado por Mons. Charles Scicluna , arzobispo de Malta, Presidente del Colegio para el examen de los recursos (en materia de delitos más graves) en la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, y Mons. Jordi Bertomeu, oficial de dicha Congregación, luego del proceso de escucha realizado en Nueva York y en Santiago durante el mes de febrero.

En este documento el Pontífice señala que, luego de una lectura pausada de las actas de este proceso de escucha, “creo poder afirmar que todos los testimonios recogidos en ellas hablan de un modo descarnado, sin aditivos ni edulcorantes, de muchas vidas crucificadas y les confieso que ello me causa dolor y vergüenza”.

En la misiva, el Santo Padre se dirige al plenario de obispos de la CECh para invitarlos a trabajar juntos, en restablecer la confianza en la Iglesia chilena: “escribo a ustedes, reunidos en la 115ª asamblea plenaria, para solicitar humildemente vuestra colaboración y asistencia en las medidas que a corto, medio y largo plazo deberán ser adoptadas para restablecer la comunión eclesial en Chile, con el objetivo de reparar en lo posible el escándalo y restablecer la justicia”. Para estos fines, el Papa ha convocado a los Obispos chilenos a Roma, para “dialogar sobre las conclusiones de la mencionada visita y mis conclusiones”.

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CHILE
La Tercera

[Chilean church admits that “we have not done enough” in the case of Barros.]

Autor: Claudia Soto

El presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal, el obispo Santiago Silva, se refirió a la carta en la que el Papa Francisco pidió perdón a quienes “ofendió” por sus dichos de apoyo a Juan Barros, quien es acusado de encubrimiento de los abusos sexuales cometidos por el ex párroco de El Bosque, Fernando Karadima.

El Pontífice reconoce en la misiva, no haber contado con información veraz, y asegura que cometió “graves equivocaciones de valoración” en torno al caso del obispo de Osorno.

Tras esto, Silva manifestó que tal como Francisco, “sentimos dolor por los abusos de menores y la manipulación de conciencias”.

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VATICAN CITY
Crux

Inés San Martín
VATICAN CORRESPONDENT

Pope Francis acknowledged that he has made “serious errors of assessment and perception” in the case of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros Madrid, who has been accused of covering up for a pedophile priest and whom the pontiff has repeatedly defended.

“I recognize and I want you to communicate this accurately, that I have made serious errors of judgement and perception of the situation, especially due to lack of truthful and balanced information,” Francis wrote in a letter to the Chilean bishops.

In the following weeks, Francis will meet with some victims of clerical sexual abuse from Chile, who will travel to Rome and individually ask for forgiveness, according to the spokesman for the Chilean bishops’ conference.

Ahead of those meetings, announced by spokesman Jaime Coiro via Twitter as the letter was being read out in Chile, Francis said that “from this moment, I apologize to all those whom I offended and I hope to be able to do it personally, in the coming weeks, in the meetings that I will have with representatives of the people interviewed.”

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CHILE
La Tercera

[Pope Francis announces that he will meet with victims interviewed by the Scicluna mission in
Chile.]

Autor: Sebastián Rivas

En uno de los párrafos de su carta a los obispos, aseñaló que tendrá encuentros “en las próximas semanas” con representantes de quienes dieron su testimonio. De acuerdo a versiones de prensa, el listado podría incluir a quienes denunciaron abusos de Fernando Karadima.

“Ya desde ahora pido perdón a todos aquellos a los que ofendí y espero poder hacerlo también personalmente, en las próximas semanas, en las reuniones que tendré con representantes de las personas entrevistadas”.

Con esa frase de su carta relacionada con el informe entregado por el arzobispo de Malta, Charles J. Scicluna, sobre el caso del obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros, el Papa Francisco hizo un anuncio especial: recibirá a parte de las víctimas chilenas que entregaron su testimonio a la misión encabezada por el sacerdote.

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CHILE
Bishop Accountability.org

[Ver también el banco de datos en español.]

BishopAccountability.org has examined news and court archives and identified nearly 80 clergy in Chile publicly accused of sexually abusing minors.

The database reveals the distinctive aspects of the Catholic abuse crisis in Chile, and the degree to which much remains hidden. Most of the cases detailed below involve abuse that has occurred since 2000 and was reported to law enforcement quickly — within just a few years of occurrence. We know from Catholic abuse data published elsewhere that such cases comprise a small fraction of the total scope of the problem.

It is worth noting that the factors that have caused significant disclosure elsewhere of secret church files and abusive priests’ names – widespread litigation by victims, investigations of church entities by prosecutors, and inquiries by government commissions – have not so far occurred in Chile.

This list, then, is a fraction of the total number of accused clerics who would be known if Chile’s church leaders were required to report to law enforcement, if its legal system allowed victims more time to bring criminal and civil charges, or if dioceses and religious orders were investigated by prosecutors or state commissions. In Australia, which has half as many Catholics as Chile and a comparable number of active priests and brothers (around 5,000), a recently concluded government inquiry counted child sex abuse allegations against more than 1,100 male clergy.

The lack of external pressure allows Catholic church leaders in Chile to act with impunity. They openly reinstate, for instance, priests who have faced multiple allegations of abuse. Chile’s senior churchman, Santiago archbishop Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, announced in December 2016 that Cristián Precht Bañados had fulfilled his canonical sentence of five years’ suspension from ministry. A church investigation had uncovered 20 victims of Precht, ranging from age 15 to 35. Yet Precht is now allowed again to say Mass publicly, Ezzati said; he has regained “his fundamental exercise of the rights he has as a presbyter.”

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
Vatican Information Service

A los Señores Obispos de Chile.

Queridos hermanos en el episcopado:

La recepción durante la semana pasada de los últimos documentos que completan el informe que me entregaron mis dos enviados especiales a Chile el 20 de marzo de 2018, con un total de más de 2.300 folios, me mueve a escribirles esta carta. Les aseguro mi oración y quiero compartir con Ustedes la convicción de que las dificultades presentes son también una ocasión para restablecer la confianza en la Iglesia, confianza rota por nuestros errores y pecados y para sanar unas heridas que no dejan de sangrar en el conjunto de la sociedad chilena.

Sin la fe y sin la oración, la fraternidad es imposible. Por ello, en este 2º domingo de Pascua, en el día de la misericordia, les ofrezco esta reflexión con el deseo de que cada uno de Ustedes me acompañe en el itinerario interior que estoy recorriendo en las últimas semanas, a fin de que sea el Espíritu quien nos guíe con su don y no nuestros intereses o, peor aún, nuestro orgullo herido.

A veces cuando tales males nos arrugan el alma y nos arrojan al mundo flojos, asustados y abroquelados en nuestros cómodos “palacios de invierno”, el amor de Dios sale a nuestro encuentro y purifica nuestras intenciones para amar como hombres libres, maduros y críticos. Cuando los medios de comunicación nos avergüenzan presentando una Iglesia casi siempre en novilunio, privada de la luz del Sol de justicia (S. Ambrosio, Hexameron IV, 8, 32) y tenemos la tentación de dudar de la victoria pascual del Resucitado, creo que como Santo Tomás no debemos temer la duda (Jn 20, 25), sino temer la pretensión de querer ver sin fiarnos del testimonio de aquellos que escucharon de los labios del Señor la promesa más hermosa (Mt 28, 20).

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CHILE
Infobae

[Pope Francis apologized for underestimating the sexual abuse scandal in Chile and invited the victims to the Vatican]

El papa Francisco reconoció este miércoles “graves equivocaciones de valoración” sobre el caso de presunto encubrimiento de abusos sexuales del que acusan al obispo chileno, Juan Barros, al que defendió, y convocó al clero de ese país para analizar la situación.

“En lo que me toca, reconozco y así quiero que lo transmitan fielmente, que he incurrido en graves equivocaciones de valoración y percepción de la situación, especialmente por falta de información veraz y equilibrada”, señaló en una carta a los obispos chilenos.

“Ya desde ahora pido perdón a todos aquellos a los que ofendí y espero poder hacerlo personalmente, en las próximas semanas, en las reuniones que tendré con representantes de las personas entrevistadas”, agregó el documento.

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CHILE
Publimetro

[Pope acknowledges errors in Barros case and summons Chilean bishops to Rome: “I have incurred serious errors of assessment and perception”]

Por Felipe Betancour

Esta tarde se dio a conocer una carta que envió el Papa Francisco al episcopado tras recibir los informes de la investigación sobre el caso Barros, indagaciones que llevó a cabo el Monseñor Charles Scicluna tanto en Nueva York como en Santiago.

En la misiva, leída por el Monseñor Fernando Ramos, el Papa asume que “equivoco” las valoraciones sobre las denuncias y la situación del Obispo Barros. Durante su paso por Chile, Francisco desestimó las acusaciones al sacerdote al decir que “no hay ninguna prueba en contra del él (Barros), sólo hay calumnias”.

“En lo que me toca, reconozco y así quiero que lo transmitan fielmente, que he incurrido en graves equivocaciones de valoración y percepción de la situación, especialmente por falta de información veraz y equilibrada”, dice Francisco en el texto enviado a los obispos chilenos, en el que además pide perdón a aquellos que se sintieron afectados. “Desde ya pido perdón a todos aquellos a los que ofendí y espero poder hacerlo personalmente, en las próximas semanas, en las reuniones que tendré con representantes de las personas entrevistadas”.

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CHILE
La Teercera

[Pope Francis asks for forgiveness and acknowledges having committed “serious misjudgments” in the case of Barros. The Pontiff sent a letter to the Chilean bishops in which he summoned them to Rome to discuss the conclusions that Archbishop Charles Scicluna drew during his stay in Chile and after meeting with different parts of the Church and with victims of Karadima.]

Autor: Claudia Soto

El Pontífice envió una carta a los obispos chilenos en la que los convoca a Roma para dialogar sobre las conclusiones que monseñor Charles Scicluna sacó durante su paso por Chile y tras entrevistarse con distintas partes de la Iglesia y con víctimas de Karadima.

Esta tarde la Conferencia Episcopal de Chile dio a conocer la carta que envió el Papa Francisco a los obispos chilenos, luego de que recibiera el informe elaborado por monseñor Charles Scicluna en su paso por Chile, para indagar en las acusaciones contra el obispo Juan Barros.

En la misiva – que fue dada a conocer por los monseñores Santiago Silva y Fernando Ramos- el Pontífice admite haber cometido errores en el marco del obispo de Osorno, que es acusado de haber encubierto los abusos sexuales de Fernando Karadima.

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ILLINOIS
Jeff Anderson and Associates

Chicago News Conference Thursday

Sexual Abuse Survivor Sues Augustinian Order
For Maintaining Hazardous Public Nuisance

Lawsuit Implicates Prominent Augustinian Fr. Richard J. McGrath,
High-Ranking Official and Principal at Providence Catholic High School,
for Sexual Abuse and Possession & Destruction of Child Pornography

Sexual Abuse Survivor to Appear Publicly to Call on the Augustinians to
Come Clean and Release its List of Accused Offenders

What: At a news conference on Thursday in Chicago, a sexual abuse survivor and his attorneys Jeff Anderson and Marc Pearlman will:

• Speak publicly for the first time about sexual abuse by prominent Augustinian priest Fr. Richard J. McGrath, O.S.A. while Plaintiff was a student at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, Illinois;
• Announce the filing of a lawsuit alleging a serious ongoing hazard created by the Augustinians by keeping secret from the public the names and histories of all accused offenders;
• Disclose the identities of Augustinian priests and brothers accused publicly accused of child sexual abuse and demand a full disclosure of the identities and histories kept secret.

WHEN: Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 1:00PM CST

WHERE: Marriott Residence Inn Chicago – Downtown/Loop
Madison Room
11 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60603

NOTES: Watch the event live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AndersonAdvocates/ and our website www.andersonadvocates.com

Contact Jeff Anderson: Office/651.964.3473 Mobile/612.817.8665
Contact Marc Pearlman: Office/312.261.4550 Mobile/773.368.0142

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VATICAN CITY
Associated Press

By NICOLE WINFIELD and EVA VERGARA

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Chile’s Catholic Church is bracing for revelations from a letter from Pope Francis to the country’s bishops following a scandal over his strong defense of a bishop accused of witnessing and ignoring sex abuse by Chile’s most notorious predator priest.

Jaime Coiro, spokesman for the Chilean bishops’ conference, said the letter would be released later Wednesday in both Chile and at the Vatican. In a tweet, Coiro said the pope wrote it after receiving a report by Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s longtime sex abuse prosecutor.

Francis sent Scicluna to investigate allegations of sex abuse cover-up by Bishop Juan Barros, a protege of the Rev. Fernando Karadima.

Karadima was a charismatic preacher who was removed from ministry by the Vatican for sexually abusing minors and sentenced in 2011 to a lifetime of penance and prayer. Karadima had long been a darling of the Catholic hierarchy, and his victims have accused church leaders of covering up his crimes to protect the church’s reputation.

Scicluna and his colleague, the Rev. Jordi Bertomeu, spent nearly two weeks in Chile and New York earlier this year interviewing Karadima’s victims, who for years have denounced Barros’ silence and were stunned by Francis’ strong defense of him during his January visit to Chile.

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CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
Diario de Yucatan

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (AP) — La Iglesia católica chilena se está preparando para las revelaciones de una carta del papa Francisco a los obispos, tras el escándalo provocado por su enérgica defensa de un obispo acusado de presenciar y pasar por alto los abusos sexuales cometidos por el cura depredador más conocido de Chile.

El vocero de la Conferencia Episcopal de Chile, Jaime Coiro, dijo el miércoles que se difundirá la carta en las próximas horas en Chile y el Vaticano. En un tuit, Coiro indicó que el papa escribió la misiva después de recibir un informe del arzobispo Charles Scicluna.

Francisco envió a Scicluna a investigar las denuncias de que el obispo Juan Barros había encubierto al reverendo Fernando Karadima. Este predicador carismático fue expulsado del sacerdocio por abuso sexual de menores y sentenciado en 2011 a una vida de penitencia y oración. Karadima había sido un favorito de la jerarquía católica y sus víctimas han acusado a varios jerarcas de encubrirlo para proteger la reputación de la Iglesia.

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CHILE
Cooperativa

[The Bishop of Malta, Charles Scicluna , special envoy of the pope to hear complaints of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Chile, delivered last March a full report to Pope Francis on the Chilean Catholic reality within which he suggested accepting the resignation presented by the questioned Bishop of Osorno, Juan Barros.]

El obispo de Malta, Charles Scicluna, enviado especial del papa para conocer las denuncias por abusos sexuales dentro de la Iglesia Católica en Chile, entregó en marzo pasado un informe completo al papa Francisco sobre la realidad católica chilena dentro del cual sugirió aceptar la renuncia presentada por el cuestionado obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros.

Según consignó La Tercera, Barros presentó por tercera vez su dimisión al pontífice, ya que las dos anteriores fueron rechazadas, pero en esta oportunidad Scicluna recomienda aceptar esta solicitud.

Para Juan Carlos Claret, vocero de los laicos de Osorno, esta sugerencia vuelve a dejar la decisión en manos del papa Francisco.

“Para nosotros vuelve a poner el centro de la responsabilidad en el papa Francisco quien ahora más que nunca tendría por tanto un deber de responder y mirar a los ojos si va a aceptar esa renuncia o no, recordemos que el mismo papa reconoció públicamente que Juan Barros le había presentado la renuncia en dos ocasiones, pero que él las descartó”, dijo Claret.

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CHILE
Cooperativa

El papa Francisco envió a los obispos chilenos una carta con sus conclusiones tras la conocer el informe del obispo de Malta, Charles Scicluna, enviado especial del pontífice para indagar las acusaciones en contra del obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros.

Hoy a las 15:00 hrs. en Punta de Tralca se dará a conocer carta del papa Francisco @Pontifex_es dirigida a los obispos chilenos tras recibir el informe de Mons. Charles Scicluna @BishopScicluna.

Scicluna estuvo en Santiago en febrero pasado reuniendo antecedentes y tomando testimonios respecto de las acusaciones contra el jefe de la Diócesis de Osorno de encubrir los abusos sexuales del ex párroco de El Bosque Fernando Karadima.

Previo a su arribo a Chile, se había reunido en Estados Unidos con Juan Carlos Cruz, quien le entregó su testimonio sobre Barros.

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MAINE
Portland Press Herald

BY JOE LAWLOR
STAFF WRITER

The Maine House voted Tuesday to rescue a $2.2 million child abuse prevention program in an attempt to overturn efforts by the LePage administration to terminate it.

The bill to save the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children has attracted bipartisan support, with Democratic lawmakers joined by Republican Senate Majority Leader Michael Thibodeau and Republican Sen. Amy Volk of Scarborough. The measure was approved on a voice vote and will now go to the Senate.

The state is considering reforms in its child abuse protection system after a public outcry following the recent deaths of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy of Stockton Springs and 4-year-old Kendall Chick of Wiscasset. The parents or caregivers of both children have been charged with depraved indifference murder in their deaths.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services officials announced in February that the child abuse prevention program would end in September. The bill would extend funding through Jan. 31 to give the incoming administration time to evaluate the program. Gov. Paul LePage is finishing his final term, and a new governor will take over in January. Democratic, Republican and independent candidates will vie in November to succeed LePage.

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MAINE
WABI

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The Maine House has voted to save a child abuse prevention program that the governor planned to eliminate.

The Portland Press Herald reports the bill to save the $2.2 million Community Partnerships for Protecting Children program passed Tuesday with bipartisan support. The bill will continue funding through Jan. 31 after the new governor takes over.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s office had planned to end the program in September, saying the state’s existing child abuse and neglect councils provide similar services. The governor had experienced abuse as a child.

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SCOTLAND
BBC News

A man who was sexually abused by Catholic priest Paul Moore when he was just five years old has said the ordeal “poisoned my life”.

Andi Lavery, who was Moore’s youngest victim, has given BBC Scotland permission to publish a picture of him which was taken in May 1977.

He said: “I was assaulted that day. Moore was present when the picture was taken.”

Mr Lavery said the impact of the attacks was incalculable.

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ALABAMA
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Crystal Bonvillian, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

HOOVER, Ala.
An Alabama evangelist, public speaker and author was arrested Tuesday, accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Paul Edward Acton Bowen, 37, of Southside, was booked on charges of sodomy, sexual abuse and enticing a child for immoral purposes, according to Jefferson County Jail records. He was released early Wednesday morning on $90,300 bail.

AL.com reported that an investigation into Bowen by the Hoover Police Department began about three weeks ago. An arrest warrant was issued on Monday.

The victim in the case is a family acquaintance between the ages of 13 and 15.

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UNITED STATES
New York Daily News

CARRON J. PHILLIPS

Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar were just the beginning.

Because the discussion surrounding the sexual assault and abuse that takes place in sports is nowhere near a conclusion.

On Tuesday, a report by the North Jersey Media Group detailed how Bergen Catholic School officials worked together to cover up a sexual abuse scandal inside the wrestling program at the all-boys school.

And according to reports, the abuse included coaches watching student-athletes as they stripped naked, the sharing of pornographic images, and inappropriate texts from coaches sent to athletes.

According to the 29-page, 12-count lawsuit, the school and Newark Archdioceses worked together to protect the coaches and not the students.

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VIRGINIA
Loudoun Times

By Veronike Collazo, vcollazo@loudountimes.com

Rev. Michael R. Duesterhaus, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington who previously served at churches in Loudoun County, was placed on administrative leave in March pending investigation of an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Duesterhaus is on leave from his assignment as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Winchester.

The alleged incidents occurred between 2001 and 2004, and Duesterhaus denies the accusation, according to a statement by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

The Diocese is fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to do so.

According to the statement, Duesterhaus — like all priests, diocesan employees and volunteers who work with children in the Diocese of Arlington — underwent criminal background checks during his service.

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ILLINOIS
Washington Post

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Prominent pastor Bill Hybels announced Tuesday he is stepping down from his Chicago-area megachurch Willow Creek, just weeks after the Chicago Tribune published allegations of misconduct from several women. Hybels, who with his wife co-founded one of the nation’s largest churches in 1975, was a spiritual adviser to President Bill Clinton around the time of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

He told the church publicly last year that he was planning to step down in October, but he resigned Tuesday, saying he would be a distraction to the church’s ministry. Some members of his congregation shouted “No!” and gave him a standing ovation following his address.

In March, the Chicago Tribune published allegations that he made suggestive comments, extended hugs, an unwanted kiss and invitations to a staff member to hotel rooms. The newspaper also reported allegations of a consensual affair with a married woman, and the woman who said she had an affair later retracted her allegations. Hybels has denied all the allegations and said on Tuesday again that the church’s investigations found no evidence of misconduct. However, he told his congregation he felt attacked and wished he had responded differently.

“I apologize to you, my church, for a response that was defensive instead of one that invited conversation and learning,” he said.

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

Manya Brachear Pashman and Jeff Coen
Chicago Tribune

Forty-two years after founding one of the nation’s most influential evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Bill Hybels told his congregation Tuesday night that he would step down from the helm of Willow Creek Community Church six months ahead of schedule.

His departure comes less than a month after a Chicago Tribune investigation disclosed that Hybels had been the subject of inquiries by church leaders into claims that he ran afoul of church teachings by engaging in inappropriate behavior with women in his congregation — including employees — allegedly spanning decades. The inquiries had cleared Hybels.

At times choking back tears, Hybels told the somber crowd at a hastily called meeting at the church’s main campus in South Barrington that, while he continued to enjoy support from within his congregation, the controversy was proving to be a distraction from the church’s mission and work.

Referring to his wife, he said, “It has been extremely painful for Lynne and I to see this controversy continue to be a distraction.”

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ILLINOIS
WGN

BY MEGHAN DWYER AND MELISSA ESPANA

SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. — A pastor at an Evangelical megachurch announced he is resigning six months ahead of schedule. The announcement comes after a Chicago Tribune investigation disclosed that the pastor had allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with women in his church.

Rev. Bill Hybels told his congregation on Tuesday that he would be stepping down from his position at Willow Creek Community Church, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“The leaders of both our church and the Willow Creek Association need the freedom to get on with the task of carry out the important missions that God has given to them. Therefore, I have decided to accelerate my planned retirement date from October of this year to tonight,” he said to his congregation Tuesday evening.

According to the investigation, the alleged behavior included suggestive comments, extended hugs, an unwanted kiss, and invitations to hotel rooms.

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CALIFORNIA
NBC Los Angeles

A former pastor at a Carlsbad church who pleaded guilty to repeatedly molesting a child over the course of nearly two years was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday.

Prosecutors said that 44-year-old Matthew Tague, a pastor at the North Coast Calvary Chapel at the time of his arrest, only turned himself in because his wife caught him abusing the young girl.

Tague was arrested on May 31, 2017, on 14 counts of lewd and lascivious acts on one minor victim. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) said Tague called deputies on Monday and reported the crimes himself.

He pled guilty to two counts of committing a lewd act on a child in February.

“This is very shocking to me,” Karen Graham told NBC 7 last June. She said the pastor mentored her son. “It’s like losing a close friend to my son, to my family. To have a man of this stature do something like that, it’s just unbelievable.”

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CALIFORNIA
San Diego Union-Tribune

Pauline Repard

A former assistant pastor at a large Carlsbad church got a 15-year prison sentence Tuesday for molesting a 13-year-old relative over the span of about a year.

Before hearing his sentence, Matthew Tague, 44, of San Marcos, once an assistant pastor at North Coast Calvary Chapel, apologized for his behavior. Reading a statement, said he was ashamed and remorseful.

“He said that he brought shame on his church and family and damage to the girl,” recounted his attorney, Richard Muir. “He said he will spend the rest of his life trying to rehabilitate from this.”

Tague was fired from North Coast Calvary Chapel last year when church officials learned of the allegations. Tague had ministries to families and to church members ages 30 to 40.

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ALABAMA
WSFA

MOBILE, AL (WALA) –
A Mobile County jury convicted pastor on rape and sex abuse of a child charges Tuesday.

Alvin McNeil was the pastor at Open Door True Worship Church in Mobile when he was indicted in 2016. He was arrested after a mother went to police after McNeil raped her 16-year-old daughter and she became pregnant. The mother also said McNeil molested her 11-year-old daughter.

McNeil’s bond was revoked and he was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail. He will be sentenced on May 24.

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ALABAMA
News 5

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) – The jury has found Pastor Alvin McNeil guilty of rape and sex abuse of a child under 12.

Judge Lockett revoked his bond and took the defendant into custody, the District Attorney’s office said.

56-year-old Alvin McNeil was a pastor of Open Door True Worship Apostolic Church.

The Prichard resident was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail back in September 2016. He was charged with child sexual abuse, first-degree rape, and first-degree sodomy, according to the jail log.

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AUSTRALIA
Armidale Express

Mark Russell

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has told a NSW court he lived with a pedophile priest but had no idea he was abusing young boys.

Wilson, who’s the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse, on Wednesday revealed he lived with James Fletcher, two other priests and the local bishop in the NSW Hunter region in 1983.

That was seven years after two former altar boys allegedly told Wilson they’d been abused by Fletcher.

Wilson told Newcastle Local Court he was never friends with Fletcher but thought he was a good bloke.

“I had no reason to suspect he wasn’t,” the 67-year-old said.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has declared under oath that two former altar boys never told him they had been sexually abused by a fellow priest.

Wilson, who has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, gave evidence in his defence in Newcastle Local Court after magistrate Robert Stone rejected the clergyman’s bid to have the case thrown out.

The 67-year-old is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse.

Wilson told the court today he had known one of the former altar boys, Peter Creigh, and his family when he was an assistant priest in the NSW Hunter region in the mid-1970s.

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AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

Mark Russell

ADELAIDE Archbishop Philip Wilson has declared under oath that two former altar boys never told him they had been sexually abused by a fellow priest.

Archbishop Wilson, 67, who has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, gave evidence in his defence in Newcastle Local Court after magistrate Robert Stone rejected the clergyman’s bid to have the case thrown out.

Archbishop Wilson told the court on Wednesday he had known one of the former altar boys Peter Creigh and his family when he was an assistant priest in the NSW Hunter Region in the mid-1970s.

But Archbishop Wilson said he had no memory of Mr Creigh telling him in 1976 how he had been sexually abused by priest James Fletcher five years earlier, when he was 10.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Australian Associated Press

Wed 11 Apr 2018

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has declared under oath that two former altar boys never told him they had been sexually abused by a fellow priest.

Wilson, who has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, gave evidence in his defence in Newcastle local court after magistrate Robert Stone rejected the clergyman’s bid to have the case thrown out.

The 67-year-old is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse.

Wilson told the court on Wednesday he had known one of the former altar boys, Peter Creigh, and his family when he was an assistant priest in the NSW Hunter region in the mid-1970s.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

By Jolene Toves – April 11, 2018

Guam – Yesterday, a lawsuit filed in the District Court of Guam detailed accusations of sexual abuse against former Chancellor Father Adrian Cristobal, naming him for the first time as an alleged sexual predator.

In a statement from Archdiocese of Guam, Spokesperson Tony Diaz, he confirms, “Father Adrian is still a priest of the Archdiocese of Agana. However, he is off-island in mission at the Diocese of Phoenix.”

In light of the allegations, Diaz says Father Cristobal is being called back to the island.

Cristobal was the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Agana appointed by Archbishop Anthony Apuron. However, when Apuron was placed on leave in 2016 as a result of sexual allegations against him, the Vatican not only appointed Archbishop Michael Byrnes as a temporary administrator but Cristobal was also replaced as chancellor.

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GUAM
Radio New Zealand

Another Catholic priest is facing child sexual abuse allegations on Guam.

Adrian Cristobal, who is now a priest in Arizona, is accused in a lawsuit of molesting an altar boy at a parish from about 1995 to 1997.

In one case, the plaintiff claims he was abused right after a funeral mass.

Guam’s Archdiocese told the Pacific Daily News that it’s recalling Mr Cristobal to the island.

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NEW YORK
The Journal News

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, jfitzgib@lohud.com

Alleged victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests have until April 15 to file their final claims with the Archdiocese of New York as part of a victims compensation program set up by the church.

The deadline is for individuals who filed an initial claim with the Archdiocese prior to Nov. 1, the end of the second phase of the compensation program.

Those individuals were given a packet that included a form to request financial compensation for the abuse. Those are the forms due by Sunday.

To date, more than 200 claims of abuse by priests have been filed under the diocese’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, launched by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in 2016.

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SCOTLAND
BBC News

A Catholic priest has been jailed for nine years for sexually abusing three children and a student priest in crimes spanning more than 20 years.

Father Paul Moore, 82, committed the crimes in various locations in Ayrshire between 1977 and 1996.

The court heard how he abused one boy at a school, another at a leisure centre and a third on the beach at Irvine in the 1970s.

He was also found guilty of indecently assaulting a student priest in 1995.

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AUSTRALIA
Border Mail

Mark Russell

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson had acted in a way “designed to protect the reputation of the Catholic Church” in not reporting a fellow priest’s historical sexual abuse of altar boys, a NSW court has heard.

The claim was made as magistrate Robert Stone was preparing to rule on a last-ditch bid by Wilson, who’s accused of covering up child sex abuse, to have the case against him dropped.

Mr Stone told the Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday he hoped to decide on a submission by defence barrister Stephen Odgers SC that Wilson had “no case to answer” by noon on Wednesday. But the ruling could come as late as Thursday.

Mr Odgers made the submission after prosecutor Gareth Harrison formally closed the crown case against Wilson on Tuesday.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

The most senior Catholic official charged with concealing child abuse is awaiting his fate as a NSW magistrate decides whether to proceed with the case against him.

Two former altar boys claim they told then assistant priest Philip Wilson in 1976 that priest James Fletcher sexually assaulted them.

Fletcher was found guilty of child sexual abuse and died in jail in 2006.

The defence barrister for Wilson, now the Archbishop of Adelaide, said the case was circumstantial and there was no evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Wilson had been told about the abuse, believed it was true or remembered being told about it.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Reuters

David DeKok

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) – One of 50 women to accuse comedian Bill Cosby of sexual molestation told a jury on Tuesday he gave her spiked wine that kept her stupefied for four days in 1984, and she awoke to find him naked and attempting to force himself on her.

Heidi Thomas, an aspiring actress who met Cosby for career coaching, testified in a Pennsylvania courthouse in Cosby’s retrial on charges of sexually assaulting another woman 20 years later.

Thomas was reading a monologue of a character who was drunk, so Cosby persuaded her to drink white wine. She said she recalled “only snapshots” of the next four days.

“The next thing, I remember waking up on a bed. I have clothes on, he did not. I was lying down. He was forcing himself in my mouth,” Thomas said.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Hollywood Reporter

Associated Press

Armed with a couple key rulings that could help the defense, the actor’s lawyer, Tom Mesereau, told jurors that Andrea Constand is a “con artist” who framed his client because she was after “money, money and lots more money.”

As Bill Cosby stands trial a second time over allegations he sexually molested a woman in 2004, his new, high-powered Hollywood lawyer took a far more aggressive tone toward the accuser in his opening statement Tuesday.

Armed with a couple key rulings that could help the defense, Tom Mesereau told jurors that Andrea Constand is a “con artist” who framed his client because she was after “money, money and lots more money.” Mesereau made the point repeatedly as he sought to cast Constand as the villain, and Cosby her victim.

Cosby’s lawyer for his first trial, by contrast, tried to undermine Constand’s credibility by focusing on what he said were her shifting accounts to police.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Variety

Emilie Lounsberry

NORRISTOWN, Pa. – After a defense opening that portrayed Bill Cosby as the victim of phony sexual assault accusations, a Colorado music teacher testified Tuesday that Cosby molested her back in 1984 when she was a struggling actress and he had agreed to mentor her.

The woman, Heidi Thomas, took the stand in Cosby’s retrial here in suburban Philadelphia as prosecutors sought to show that Andrea Constand – the woman whose accusation is at the heart of the criminal case against Cosby – was not the only woman assaulted by the entertainer.

Thomas testified that she traveled to Reno to meet Cosby and ended up staying with him at a ranch outside of town. He gave her a script and asked her to play an intoxicated woman, she said, eventually offering her some white wine. She then became woozy, she said, and woke up in bed with a naked Cosby “forcing himself” into her mouth.

Thomas, then about 24, said she felt sickened yet also felt that she must have done something to lead Cosby to believe she would engage in sexual activity. “I must have given some signal,” said Thomas, who said she later consulted a psychologist. “I did feel like I must have said something that was misunderstood.”

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AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury

Sam Rigney

Magistrate Robert Stone has rejected a defence application to call two witnesses during the landmark hearing of Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson, which the defence said showed he had a tendency to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the authorities.

Mr Stone found the evidence, two statements from people who had dealings with Archbishop Wilson during his time at Wollongong and Adelaide, didn’t have “significant probative value” because it did nothing to assist Mr Stone in understanding what the Archbishop’s personal belief was in relation to reporting matters of child sexual abuse.

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson leaving Newcastle courthouse on Tuesday after his defence made a ‘no case to answer application’ at the conclusion of the prosecution case. @newcastleheraldpic.twitter.com/nWeanBFJqT

At the conclusion of the crown case, Archbishop Wilson’s defence barrister, Stephen Odgers, SC, moved to have the case against him dismissed, making a ‘no case to answer’ application and handing up detailed written submissions.

If successful that would mean Archbishop Wilson would not be required to run a defence and the charge would be dismissed.

The case will resume at 2pm on Tuesday for argument on the application.

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NEW JERSEY
CBS News

ORADELL, N.J. — A former wrestler has sued his Catholic high school, claiming the New Jersey school and church officials conspired to cover up sexual and verbal abuse in its nationally recognized wrestling program, CBS New York reports. The suit filed Monday alleges Bergen Catholic High School wrestling coaches shared pornographic images with team members, watched wrestlers strip naked and sent athletes inappropriate text messages.

The lawsuit also claims school and Archdiocese of Newark officials worked to shield the coaches.

In a statement, Brother Brian Walsh, who is president of the school in Oradell, said the suit was “based on allegations that are unfounded, frivolous and untrue.” He said the school would vigorously defend itself.

School and archdiocese officials say they reported the abuse allegations to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office when they learned about them.

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MICHIGAN
National Catholic Reporter

Apr 10, 2018

by James Dearie

The Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, canceled two events last week as it continues to deal with the fallout from sex abuse allegations against former priests, one of whom was arrested for the second time.

Local NPR affiliate Michigan Radio reported that Fr. Robert DeLand, the priest whose arrest in late February began the troubles in the diocese, was arrested again April 5 and charged with four new crimes, including two counts of felony sexual misconduct and one count of felony manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance.

DeLand had previously been arrested after two people came forward claiming to have been sexually assaulted by the priest. One of them, a 17 year old boy, cooperated with police in a sting operation that ultimately resulted in DeLand’s arrest.

Three of the new charges are related to claims of the 17 year old, while the other comes from a new person, an 18 year old who claims he was assaulted by DeLand last May. His family claims to have reported the abuse to diocese, which never took subsequent action.

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NEW JERSEY
The Daily Beast

OLIVIA MESSER
04.10.18

A former wrestler claims that he was sexually and verbally abused by wrestling coaches at a Catholic high school in New Jersey—and that when he reported the misconduct to administrators, he was kicked off the nationally recognized team.

Coaches at Bergen Catholic High School shared pornographic images, watched students undress, and sent inappropriate messages to up to 100 athletes, according to a 29-page lawsuit filed by John Doe. The 12-count civil complaint was first reported on Monday by NorthJersey.com. It was filed on March 26 in state Superior Court in Bergen County.

The other 99 possible victims, who have not been identified, were mentioned in the complaint in the event other plaintiffs join the suit, Doe’s attorney told the news site. He said he expects “additional victims and witnesses to come forward” once the case receives media coverage.

The counts include sexual abuse of a minor, retaliation, emotional distress, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent hiring, breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, defamation, and civil conspiracy to endanger children, among other charges. Doe, who has demanded a jury trial, is requesting compensatory and punitive damages.

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UNITED STATES
Friendly Atheist

BY DAVID G. MCAFEE

This could certainly be a case in which the Catholic Church did the right thing regarding child sex abusers, but given their record, I’m skeptical.

A Catholic monsignor was arrested by Vatican police on suspicion of possessing child pornography, but that only came after the Vatican first denied a request to waive diplomatic immunity so the offender could be charged in the U.S.

Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella was finally arrested after being recalled by the Church in August after the U.S. brought evidence of child porn abuse to the attention of Vatican authorities.

The State Department first notified the Holy See in August of a possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images by a member of the Holy See’s diplomatic corps accredited to Washington, the Vatican said in September.

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NEW YORK
Buffalo News

By Dan Herbeck

A priest who taught students at two Buffalo-area Catholic high schools for more than a decade was suspended from any public ministry in 2014 after he was accused of sexually abusing a minor, The Buffalo News confirmed this week.

The Rev. Michael M. Lewandowski, now 71, was suspended after the allegation was made in May 2014, according to the Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Pa.

The Franciscan priest lived in the Buffalo area and taught at St. Francis High School in Hamburg and at Cardinal O’Hara High School in the Town of Tonawanda at various times from 1976 to 1991, according to directories published by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. While the complaint made against Lewandowski alleges that the misconduct occurred during the period of time when he was at the two Buffalo area high schools, Buffalo Diocese officials declined to say whether the alleged abuse took place in the Buffalo area.

“While it does appear that Fr. Lewandowski spent all of the 1980s here in WNY, I can not elaborate on any specifics as it relates to whether (or when) accusations were brought to our attention, and where any alleged activity would have occurred,” diocese spokesman George Richert told The Buffalo News in an email.

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NEW YORK
WGRZ

Author: Emily Lampa

While the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has recently released names of accused priests, it has still been largely “hands off” when it comes to acknowledging sexual abuse by religious order brothers, sisters and lay people. But now, a 2014 accusation made against a Franciscan friar prompts response from Catholic leaders.

The Buffalo News was the first to report Monday on 71-year-old Fr. Michael Lewandowski. In 2014 he was accused of sexually abusing a minor some time in the 1980’s.

A review of the official Catholic directories found that in the 80’s and early 90’s Lewandowski was assigned to Saint Francis High School in Hamburg, and Cardinal O’Hara High School in the Town of Tonawanda.

The Buffalo Diocese declined an on camera interview with 2 On Your Side, but a spokesperson sent us a statement which reads, in part:

“While it does appear that Fr. Lewandowski spent all of the 1980’s here in WNY I can not elaborate on any specifics as it relates to whether (or when) accusations were brought to our attention, and where any alleged activity would have occurred.”
The president of St. Francis High School also sent a statement by e-mail:

“I’m unable to comment because the allegation regarding Friar Michael Lewandowski did not involve a student or other person from Saint Francis High School.”

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MARYLAND
NBC Washington

By Scott MacFarlane

Maryland legislators ended their 2018 session without passing a high-profile bill to protect against child sex abuse in schools.

The bill would make it a criminal offense if educators fail to report suspected child abuse, punishable by up to six months in jail.

Although the bill was approved by the Maryland Senate, it did not clear the state House of Delegates before the end of the 2018 session Monday night. The bill was derailed in part by disagreements among supporters about the language it should include and the standards it should set for prosecutors to file a case.

Administrators with the Baltimore Child Abuse Center and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks advocated for new legislation to order criminal penalties for failure to report abuse. They cited the case of Deonte Carraway, a former Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School aide who pleaded guilty to sex offenses against students. A civil suit filed against the school system alleged the district missed warning signs Carraway was abusing children. The school district declined to comment on the suit.

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NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Matthew Stanmyre and Patrick Lanni

A 12-count lawsuit filed Monday in state Superior Court in Bergen County alleges coaches from the powerhouse Bergen Catholic High wrestling team engaged in sexual and verbal harassment of at least one wrestler while the school administration conspired to keep the abuse under wraps.

News of the lawsuit was first reported by northjersey.com.

The lawsuit alleges Bergen Catholic head coach Dave Bell “inappropriately undressed with minors and watched wrestlers, including Plaintiff, change in the locker room, which they were completely nude or partially nude.” It also claims assistant coach Dominick “Donnie” Spataro “showed pornographic and nude photographs of himself and others on his mobile phone to Plaintiff and other minor wrestlers, including photographs of his own nude body including his depictions of his penis.”

The complaint goes on to allege that members of the Bergen Catholic administration, including the school’s president, Brother Brian Walsh, principal Timothy McElhinney and athletic director Jack McGovern “knew or should have known about the harassment, abuse, intimidation and bullying of Plaintiff, especially after Plaintiff’s parents raised these concerns, which were expressed both verbally and in writing, on numerous occasions.”

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NEW JERSEY
Paramus Daily Voice

Cecilia Levine

The Bergen Catholic Wrestling program is being accused of sexual and verbal assault in a lawsuit filed in Bergen County Superior Court.

The complaint was filed on behalf of one former wrestler and 100 other unnamed victims, according to the suit , posted in an article by NorthJersey.com.

The 29-page suit says that head coach Dave Bell made inappropriate comments to the athlete, saying he was “shredded” and in emails and texts told him he loved him “as well as other highly inappropriate and sexual predatory behavior on a minor child,” the article says.

Bell’s lawyer, Sean Pena, allegedly sent a letter to The Record and NorthJersey.com threatening to take legal action if a story about the lawsuit was published, the outlet reports.

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NEW JERSEY
NorthJersey.com

Keldy Ortiz and Abbott Koloff, NorthJersey

Bergen Catholic High School officials conspired to cover up sexual and verbal abuse in its nationally recognized wrestling program that included the sharing of pornographic images, coaches watching wrestlers strip naked and inappropriate text messages sent to athletes, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a former wrestler.

The 29-page, 12-count lawsuit, which was filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County, also alleges that school and Newark Archdiocese officials worked to shield the wrestling coaches from “criminal detection” in a “conspiracy to endanger children.”

A former wrestler and his parents allege that the school’s president, Brother Brian Walsh, threw him off the team after he complained of abuse during this past wrestling season, according to the suit. The complaint alleges that the school did only a cursory investigation and never contacted authorities.

However, Newark Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness said Monday that the Oradell-based school notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. He couldn’t say when the notification was made.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Janela Carrera – April 10, 2018

Guam – Another sexual abuse lawsuit has been filed against the church, this time naming former Chancellor Father Adrian Cristobal.

The alleged victim is now 35 years old and is only known by the initials L.J.C. He alleges that Cristobal molested him when he was between the ages of 12 to 14 years while an altar boy at at the San Vicente Church in Barrigada.

According to the complaint, Father Cristobal grabbed his genitals when he was showing the teenager how to properly tuck in his shirt for mass and began to fondle him, asking him, “Do you like that?”

The inappropriate conduct continued, according to court papers. L.J.C. alleges that Father Adrian would hug and caress his ear. He also suspected that Father Adrian was sexually abusing other altar boys, noting that during a retreat at a private beach the boys were being summoned one by one into his tent and L.J.C. would overhear some of them yelling at Father Adrian, telling him, “Stop! You’re hurting me!”

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GUAM
KUAM

By Krystal Paco

A new priest stands accused of clergy sexual abuse. Father Adrian Cristobal is named in the latest filing in the District Court of Guam. The victim, 35-year-old L.J.C. is identified only by his initials to protect his privacy.

The former Barrigada parish altar boy alleges he was sexually molested and abused by Father Adrian on several occasions from 1995 to 1997. One incident occurred after mass.

Though the teen thought he would be scolded for not tucking in his shirt, he alleges Father Adrian told him to undo his pants so he could show him the proper way. Instead, the priest allegedly grabbed his penis and asked “Do you like that?” That’s when the priest allegedly masturbated the teen boy and continued to ask “Do you like that?”

The boy was able to push the priest off him and run home. In a separate incident, during a retreat at a private Ipan Beach, the teen reports Father Adrian called the altar boys one by one into a big tent.

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UNITED STATES
United States Department of Justice

note: To view the indictment click here.

The Justice Department today announced the seizure of Backpage.com, the Internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads, including ads depicting the prostitution of children. Additionally, seven individuals have been charged in a 93-count federal indictment with the crimes of conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, facilitating prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, conspiracy to commit money laundering, concealment money laundering, international promotional money laundering, and transactional money laundering.|

The seven defendants charged in the indictment are Michael Lacey, 69, of Paradise Valley, Arizona; James Larkin, 68, of Paradise Valley, Arizona; Scott Spear, 67, of Scottsdale, Arizona; John E. “Jed” Brunst, 66, of Phoenix, Arizona; Daniel Hyer, 49, of Dallas, Texas; Andrew Padilla, 45, of Plano, Texas and Jaala Joye Vaught, 37, of Addison, Texas.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange for the District of Arizona, U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna of the Central District of California, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell and Chief Don Fort of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Liam Heylin

A 79-year-old priest who got a suspended jail term last month for sexually assaulting a girl throughout her First Confession in West Cork pleaded guilty yesterday to carrying out similar assaults on three other girls in the mid-1970s

ohn Calnan who is now living at The Presbytery, Roman St, Cork, was formally arrested and charged yesterday by Detective Garda Maurice Shanley.

As soon as Calnan was charged and cautioned by the detective, he replied “guilty” to each of the charges.

Inspector Daniel Coholan then told Judge Olann Kelleher at Cork District Court that the DPP had directed that all cases should be dealt with by indictment at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Joseph Cuddigan, defence solicitor, said there would be no requirement for the preparation of a book of evidence as the accused was prepared to enter signed pleas of guilty to the charges.

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OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Watch

By Jennifer Palmer

A Catholic priest is accused of sexual misconduct on the campus of St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee and former students and faculty have questioned whether officials at the now-shuttered college failed to properly investigate complaints.

Two women have filed a lawsuit against the university, which closed and filed bankruptcy in December, and St. Gregory’s Abbey, where the priest resides.

The university investigated complaints of sexual misconduct involving the Rev. Nicholas Ast, and he was cleared of wrongdoing, according to an attorney for the abbey and the former university board president. No criminal charges have been filed.

The women, Dana Bucko and Cara Judd, allege in the lawsuit the university and the abbey were indifferent to their complaints and failed to properly investigate the allegations.

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PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive

By Ivey DeJesus idejesus@pennlive.com

Advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse are bracing for what they say is certain to be stunning findings out of the most current investigation into abuse across six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania.

One of those advocates, Shaun Dougherty, himself a childhood victim of sexual abuse by a priest, warned that the findings expected out of the grand jury investigation could be extremely troubling.

“There’s some graphic things coming,” Dougherty told PennLive during a phone interview from his home in New York. “If they report reflects the reports I’m hearing, yes some parts are going to make the Altoona-Johnstown report look like Disney World. This is huge.”

Dougherty, who is part of a social media network of victims of clergy sex abuse, has met with scores of victims, including individuals who have testified before the current grand jury investigation.

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Guardian (UK)

Ed Pilkington in Norristown, Pennsylvania @edpilkington

Bill Cosby paid $3.4m to buy the silence of a young woman he had previously drugged and then sexually assaulted, a prosecutor alleged on Monday as the comedian’s retrial got underway in Pennsylvania in the first major courtroom drama of the #MeToo era.

Kevin Steele, the district attorney for Cosby’s home county of Montgomery, revealed a secret that has remained hidden for the past 12 years – the amount of money that the TV star formerly known as “America’s Dad” was prepared to pay to keep his detractor quiet. The $3.4m was allegedly paid in 2006 to Andrea Constand, a Canadian massage therapist, to bring to a close a civil suit she had brought against him claiming he had persuaded her to take relaxant drugs before molesting her while she was unconscious.

The disclosure of the settlement amount came in Steele’s opening statement to the jury in Montgomery county court of common please in Norristown, a small, run-down Pennsylvania community struggling from industrial decline. For the second time in 10 months the town has become inundated with media and protesters drawn to the trial of one of America’s most famous – and once beloved – comedians.

Before the trial proper began, the courthouse was momentarily engulfed in drama of another sort: a black woman protester who ran towards the entrance of the building topless, with “Women’s Lives Matter” scrawled in red paint across her chest. Nicolle Rochelle, 39, had appeared on The Cosby Show in several episodes when she was a teenager, but now was streaking in solidarity, she said, with the star’s victims.

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