ABUSE TRACKER

ST. PAUL (MN)
The Catholic Spirit

January 28, 2019

By Joe Ruff

Susan Mulheron, chancellor for Canonical Affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, is gaining national attention with her experience and study of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in light of canon law.

She was the keynote speaker last September at a meeting of experts in Naples, Florida, discussing the abuse crisis, brought together by the Catholic-based International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family. Mulheron addressed the cultural, institutional and systematic roots of the crisis and ways canon law can be used to address it — or misused to exacerbate it.

Mulheron spoke in October at the national convention in Phoenix of the Canon Law Society of America, where she serves on the board, on canonical considerations in the Church’s response to scandals, particularly the abuse crisis.
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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

January 29, 2019

A top Vatican official has resigned after a former nun from his community publicly accused him of making sexual advances during confession, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The Vatican said that the Rev. Hermann Geissler denies the allegation and reserves the right to a civil suit.

Geissler, who said he wants the church to continue its investigation of the woman’s allegations, said he was resigning “to limit the damage already done” to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases and where he was chief of staff.

Doris Wagner, a former nun in Geissler’s German order known as “the Work,” publicly accused Geissler at a conference on women and clergy sexual abuse that was held in Rome in November. The allegations stem from 2009, and Wagner didn’t refer to Geissler by name but by his position as section leader at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Wagner’s allegations come amid a reckoning of religious sisters denouncing sexual abuse and harassment by clergy, an outgrowth of the (hash)MeToo movement and the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal. Pope Francis has convened a meeting of the presidents of all the Catholic bishops’ conferences in the world next month to discuss the issue sexual abuse scandals rocking the church.

Soliciting sex in a confessional is considered a grave crime in the church, given that the penitent is in a vulnerable state, asking for forgiveness for sin from a priest in a Catholic sacrament.

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post

January 29, 2019

By Timothy Cardinal Dolan

It’s been a rough time for faithful Catholics recently in our state government’s frantic rush for “progressive” ideas.

I’m thinking first of the ghoulish radical abortion-expansion law, which allows for an abortion right up to the moment of birth; drops all charges against an abortionist who allows an aborted baby, who somehow survives the scissors, scalpel, saline and dismemberment, to die before his eyes; mandates that, to make an abortion more convenient and easy, a physician need not perform it; and might even be used to suppress the conscience rights of health care professionals not to assist in the grisly procedures. All this in a state that already had the most permissive abortion laws in the country.

As if that’s not enough, instead of admitting that abortion is always a tragic choice, and that life-giving alternatives should be more vigorously promoted, the governor and his “progressive” supporters celebrated signing the bill. At the governor’s command, even the lights of the Freedom Tower sparkled with delight.

Those who once told us that abortion had to remain safe, legal and rare now have made it dangerous, imposed and frequent.

Then our governor insults and caricatures the church in what’s supposed to be an uplifting and unifying occasion, his “State of the State” address.

The bishops of this state have long supported a reform of the inadequate laws around the sexual abuse of minors. Yes, we and many others expressed reservations about one element, the retroactive elimination of the civil statute of limitations, but urged dramatic reform that, in many ways, was tougher than what was being proposed by legislators. A month ago we renewed that stance, and even dropped our objections to the “look-back” section if all victims would benefit. The governor was aware of all this.

Why, then, would he use his address to blame the church, and only the church, for blocking this bill? Why would he publicly brag in a political address about his dissent from timeless and substantive church belief? Why would he quote Pope Francis out of context as an applause line to misrepresent us bishops here as being opposed to our Holy Father? Why did he reduce the sexual abuse of minors, a broad societal and cultural curse that afflicts every family, public school, religion and government program, to a “Catholic problem?”

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NEW YORK (NY)
Esquire Magazine

March 2019

Melissa Herrington, artist
In 1917, Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain forever altered and scandalized the established art world, challenging the very definition of art. But what if the founding father of conceptual art was actually a woman? Recent speculation is that Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, the forgotten pioneering feminist, may be responsible for the most significant work of art of the 20th century.

Cynthia Herrup, history and law professor, USC
For duration, extent of damage, and betrayal of trust, no scandal matches the Catholic Church’s exploitation of authority over sexuality.

Jenna Glass, author, The Women’s War
Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse of more than 300 young gymnasts is a crime, not a scandal. But the massive cover-up; the length of time it went on; and the number of adults who made excuses, ignored complaints, and chose to protect institutions instead of the gymnasts? That’s the biggest sports scandal ever.

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TOKOYO (JAPAN)
The Diplomat

January 29, 2019

By Priyanka Borpujari

A Catholic nun has alleged that he [the bishop] had sex – natural and unnatural – with her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. Thirteen is believed to be an unlucky number… Billions of men and women copulate every day for reasons I do not have to explain. This has been happening right from the days of Adam and Eve. But a modern-day Eve finds it convenient to claim that she was raped when she is caught in the act.

These sentence, part of an article titled “Villains as Victims,” appeared in India Currents, a magazine run under the patronage of the Catholic Church in India. The sentiment within sums up the response of the Catholic Church toward a 44-year-old nun in Kerala, in India’s south, who has filed a complaint with the police against a bishop for raping her 13 times since 2014. Following a long-drawn process where the nun was first ignored and then threatened, the accused – Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the diocese of the northern Indian town of Jalandhar – was interrogated at length and then arrested. He was let out on conditional bail after three weeks.

A week later, on October 22, Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, who had testified against Mulakkal, was found dead in his room.

Now the rape survivor and five nuns who have been supporting her are facing threats from their own congregation, the Missionaries of Jesus, of being transferred away from Kerala. The five nuns have been asked to join different convents across the country in a move to weaken their case against Mulakkal.

Christian institutions in India have been hushing up crimes at their altar, leaving scores of believers disappointed with their spiritual institution. In a case dating back to 1992, a Catholic nun was found dead in a well in a convent in Kerala. The local police had closed the case back then, calling it a suicide. The case was reopened by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and nearly 16 years later, two priests were arrested on charges of having an illicit affair with the nun. Last year, several persons were arrested in the alleged cover-up of the rape and pregnancy of a 16-year-old girl, who had been raped by a priest in Kerala.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Catholic News Agency

January 29, 2019

By Ed Condon

New York state legislators yesterday passed the Child Victims Act. The new measure extends the period of time in which both civil suits and criminal charges can be brought in cases of child abuse. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will sign the act into law in the coming days.

The act, versions which had been passed by the state assembly six times over the last twelve years, was given approval by the state senate for the first time on Jan. 28, passing 63-0.

The act allows for victims of child abuse to bring civil charges against their abuser until the age of 55, previously this had been 23. Criminal prosecutions can be brought up to the age of 28.

The act also creates a one-year window for victims of any age to come forward.

Previous versions of the bill drew a distinction between private and public institutions, broadening the scope for the law for the former but shielding the latter. The most recent version eliminated this disparity, allowing lawsuits to be filed for allegations of abuse in public schools.

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SYRACUSE (NY)
Syracuse.com

January 28, 2019

This is in response to the many daily articles bashing our Catholic bishop. He has been complying with the minor victims’ parents request to keep the molesting accounts secret to prevent embarrassment and stigma. The guilty clergy were removed from contact with children; and in some cases they were expelled altogether from the priesthood.

It is now way beyond the statute of limitations. Also, the economy has increased far beyond that at the time of the molestations. But greed has obviously surfaced to change their original request for privacy to sue now for all they can.

Parishioners funded building many schools, provided modest housing for the nuns who taught, day care after school and summers (with meals) for children whose parents worked. Nowadays they are paying additional lay teachers with salaries, insurance and retirement benefits. Because of this, they have to charge tuition to cover the extra expenses. Plus they fund Catholic Charities and some nursing homes.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
Daily Mail

January 29, 2019

By Connor Boyd

A senior Vatican priest who oversaw sex abuse cases has resigned after being accused of making advances towards a nun during a confession.

Austrian Father Hermann Geissler, 53, a top official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said he was stepping down ‘to limit the damage already caused to the Congregation and its Community’.

He professed his innocence and asked that a canon trial – which has already started – should continue.

Geissler – whose office oversaw sex abuse cases – said he would consider legal action to protect his reputation.

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ALBANY (NY)
NBC News

January 28, 2019

By Corky Siemaszko

Alleged sex abuse victims would be able to sue the Roman Catholic Church and other groups for damages.

The long and bitter battle for legislation that would allow New York sex abuse victims to sue the Roman Catholic Church and other organizations for monetary damages ended with victory Monday when the state Senate passed the Child Victims Act.

The vote was 63 to nothing, a spokeswoman for one of the bill’s sponsors, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, said.

The new law does away with the statutes of limitations that have prevented some alleged abuse victims from going to court to seek damages. And it includes a one-year “look-back window” that will allow others who weren’t able to sue in the past to file fresh claims.

“Passage of the Child Victims Act is an exhilarating and empowering moment for those of us who have been waging this battle in Albany for a dozen years,” Stephen Jimenez, a sex abuse survivor and advocate for other victims, said after the vote.

The Democratic-controlled Assembly was also expected to pass the measure later Monday and Gov. Andrew Cuomo was expected to sign the bill, which was sponsored by Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, both Manhattan Democrats.

“Today, in passing the Child Victims Act, we are finally telling the survivors: The State of New York and the full force of its law is behind you, and you will not be turned away,” Hoylman said in a statement.

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ANNAPOLIS (MD)
Associated Press

January 28, 2019

By Brian Witte

A private school in Maryland confirmed Monday that 10 adults in positions of authority engaged in sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with students from the 1970s through the early 1990s, and that the school failed to protect students from them.

The Key School said at least 16 former students were subjected to the abuse. Officials there released the report on the school’s website after an investigation that began in April, initiated by the school.

School officials said in a statement the report’s findings “left us in shock” and described them as “inexcusable.”

The school’s administration and board of trustees said they took steps after becoming aware of social media posts discussing inappropriate interactions between former faculty members and students in the 1970s.

“Reading this report is incredibly difficult,” said a letter sent from Key to the school’s community along with the 41-page report. “Actions, and inaction, described within are hard to process and have left us in shock and dismay. It is clear that adults at Key in the past abused, mistreated and failed to protect children entrusted to them.”

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ALBANY (NY)
Anderson Advocates

January 28, 2019

The Historic Reform Legislation Will Change Lives

(Albany, NY) – By passing the Child Victims Act (CVA) today, the New York Legislature gave long-suffering survivors a chance to come forward and begin the healing process. It is a new day.

We applaud the New York Legislature for doing the right thing. Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal deserve credit for sponsoring and guiding the legislation.

Most of the credit goes to child sexual abuse survivors, who have endured years, sometimes decades, of trauma and suffering. Without their courage and support, this historic legislation is not possible. Under the CVA, child sexual abuse survivors in New York will have until age 55 (instead of age 23) to bring a civil lawsuit against abusers and institutions. And there will be a one-year window for child sexual abuse victims of any age to bring lawsuits for abuse that occurred even decades ago. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign the CVA into law.

The Child Victims Act is not perfect. There should be no statute of limitations for sexual abuse. We know that it can take survivors decades to be able to come forward. But this legislation is a great improvement and it gives many survivors a chance. Lawsuits allow survivors to secure information and secret documents from abusers and institutions that cover up for them. This results in more accountability and transparency, and helps protect the public. And the information and documents show survivors that they are not alone and no longer need to suffer in silent isolation.

By coming forward and seeking justice, survivors begin to take back power stolen from them when they were kids. They begin to heal. It takes a lot of courage and we greatly admire them for it. They can have a better life. Today in New York, they were given a chance.

Contact: Jeff Anderson: Cell: (612)817-8665; Office: (651)227-9990; Mike Reck: Cell: (714)742-6593; Office: (646)759-2551

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Medium

January 28, 2019

By Benjamin Sledge

One afternoon in late 2014, a friend told me that he’d been blocked on Twitter by The Gospel Coalition.

The sheer power and influence that The Gospel Coalition (TGC) holds is mind-boggling. The group is an online evangelical juggernaut that was co-founded by Tim Keller, a popular New York City pastor, respected by liberal and conservative Christians alike.

TGC’s online articles — which cover anything from Christian living to Bible and theology — generated 74.8 million page views in 2016. The group’s 2017 conference drew 10,000 attendees, paying roughly $200 a ticket.The TGC council boasts some of the most influential leaders in modern evangelicalism, including Al Mohler, Russell Moore, David Platt, and John Piper. We’re not talking about small fish. We’re talking about an organization with the financial means and influence to do whatever the hell it pleases.

So, if you’re Goliath, why block the ant on Twitter?

Intrigued, I asked my friend what he’d done to incur the wrath of TGC. “I asked them why they’ve been silent about the Sovereign Grace Ministries sexual abuse case. I told them we should listen to the victims.” Shrugging, he continued, “They seem to protect their buddies involved in the case and blocked me for asking. Blocked a ton of other people, too.”

Curious, I opened Twitter and found a number of users who had used the hashtag #IStandWithSGMVictims and then reported being blocked by TGC’s account. Over the next few years, this would become a common response from the organization whenever it was faced with questions about its practices, or criticized for posting articles like this one: “When God Sends Your White Daughter a Black Husband.”

“What happened at Sovereign Grace?” I mumble as I continue to scroll through tweets.

My friend waits until I look up from my phone. His face shows genuine concern. “How deep down the rabbit hole do you want to go?”

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KERALA (INDIA)
CNN

January 29, 2019

By Swati Gupta and Subhrangshu Pratim Sarmah

A group of nuns who spoke out about alleged sexual abuse by a bishop in the southern Indian state of Kerala claim the church is attempting to transfer them to other parts of the country, in an apparent attempt to silence them.

The nuns recently asked the chief minister of Kerala to intervene on their behalf, after they say church officials ordered them to leave the state.

All the women who received transfer notices had supported a fellow nun who alleged last year that Bishop Franco Mulakkal had raped her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. The incidents purportedly occurred in a guest house of the St. Franco Mission Home in Kerala.

“They want to split all of us and put into different locations in India,” the nuns said in a letter to Kerala authorities. “We will not be able to appear and give evidence before the court at the trial stage in such situations.”

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ARGENTINA
La Croix International

January 29, 2019

By Marie Malzac

The two men have long shared similar concerns, particularly for the poor. This is the first of a seven-part series profiling heads of bishops’ conferences.

Aged 72, Bishop Oscar Vicente Ojea has known Pope Francis for many years. Indeed, in 2006 he was appointed as auxiliary bishop to Jorge Bergoglio, the then archbishop of Buenos Aires.The two men have long shared similar concerns, particularly for the poor. In this sense, Bishop Ojea of San Isidro, not far from the Argentine capital, is a leading disciple of Pope Francis, who has complete confidence in him.

During the World Youth Day events in Panama, the two men were observed discussing informally for more than a quarter of an hour during an official event.

In another indication of their ties, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Ojea as a member of the pre-Synodal council responsible for preparing the Synod of Bishops special assembly on Amazonia, which will take place in October despite the fact that Argentina is not geographically involved.

Same wavelength as Pope Francis

Since his appointment as the head of the Argentine Bishops Conference (CEA) in autumn 2017, “all leaders of the Argentinean episcopate at national level are now on exactly the same wavelength as Pope Francis,” said Hernan Reyes Alcaide, a Vatican specialist with the archdiocesan Curia in Buenos Aires.

Bishop Ojea was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of San Isidro in 2009 prior to becoming its bishop in 2011.The same year he was appointed president of the Episcopal Commission for Caritas Argentina while Cardinal Bergoglio was still leading the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. In this capacity, Bishop Ojea began to acquire a good understanding of the situation of dioceses across the country.

A scandal on a large scale

In 2016, Argentina found itself facing a large scale sexual abuse scandal although this occurred prior to Bishop Ojea’s election as the head of the CEA.This was the scandal involving the Provolo Institute, an establishment for deaf-mute children located at the foot of the Andean cordillera in the Diocese of Mendoza.

A series of testimonies impugned two priests of rape and sexual abuse that took place over a period of several years and which were allegedly covered up by a Japanese nun. All three are now awaiting trial. According to several victims, the pope also neglected alerts dating from 2008.

In any event, the affair genuinely shocked the Argentine bishops. Under fire from critics, the Argentine Catholic Church responded by establishing a “Pastoral Council for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults.”

In June that year, a seminar on sexual abuse was also held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina at Buenos Aires.This provided an opportunity for the Argentine bishops to offer a mea culpa for their poor management of the matter.

The Bishop Zanchetta case

Recently, the Argentine Church was again rocked by the problem case of Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, who was appointed by Pope Francis to the Vatican in 2017 to a post specially created for him after he resigned from the Diocese of Orán in murky circumstances.This affair may also raise questions over the pope’s action since accusations of financial as well as sexual abuse have emerged concerning the bishop, who is now the subject of a preliminary investigation.

Like Pope Francis, Bishop Ojea knows Bishop Zanchetta very well, having taken part in his episcopal consecration.This affair somewhat resembles the case of Bishop Juan Barros, who was appointed by Pope Francis to the Chilean Diocese of Osorno despite accusations that he had covered up sexual abuse.

In January 2018, Pope Francis characterized the new accusations against Bishop Barros as “calumnies” before sending a special envoy to Chile to investigate the issue.

Soon after, in a letter addressed to the Chilean faithful, the pope recognize having “made serious errors in the evaluation and perception of the situation.”

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NEW DELHI (INDIA)
Economic Times

January 29, 2019

The stories spill out in the sitting rooms of Catholic convents, where portraits of Jesus keep watch and fans spin quietly overhead. They spill out in church meeting halls bathed in fluorescent lights, and over cups of cheap instant coffee in convent kitchens. Always, the stories come haltingly, quietly. Sometimes, the nuns speak at little more than a whisper.

Across India, the nuns talk of priests who pushed into their bedrooms and of priests who pressured them to turn close friendships into sex. They talk about being groped and kissed, of hands pressed against them by men they were raised to believe were representatives of Jesus Christ.

“He was drunk,” said one nun, beginning her story. “You don’t know how to say no,” said another.

One sister, barely out of her teens, was teaching in a Catholic school in the early 1990s.

It was exhausting work, and she was looking forward to the chance to reflect on what had led her — happily — to convent life.

“We have kind of a retreat before we renew our vows,” she said, sitting in the painfully neat sitting room of her big-city convent, where doilies cover most every surface, chairs are lined up in rows and the blare of horns drifts in through open windows. “We take one week off and we go for prayers and silence.”

She had traveled to a New Delhi retreat center, a collection of concrete buildings where she gathered with other young nuns. A priest was there to lead the sisters in reflection.

The nun, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on condition she not be identified, is a strong and forceful woman who has spent years working with India’s poor and dispossessed, from battered wives to evicted families.

But when she talks about the retreat her voice grows quiet, as if she’s afraid to be overheard in the empty room: “I felt this person, maybe he had some thoughts, some attraction.”

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Stateline.org

January 29, 2019

By Elaine S. Povich

When a Virginia 16-year-old told her parents that their church’s youth leader, Jordan Baird, had been sending her sexually suggestive text messages, they immediately confronted their pastor.

Pastor David Baird, the perpetrator’s father, said the church would investigate, but he did not tell law enforcement authorities — and he wasn’t required under Virginia law to report a suspected case of abuse or face criminal charges. The abuse became physical, and later other girls accused Jordan Baird of assaulting them.

Jordan Baird served eight months in prison after being convicted on five felony counts of indecent liberties with a minor. But church members want state law changed to force pastors like David Baird, who still leads the Life Church in Manassas, Va., to join the list of professionals specifically required to report such incidents.

They brought their story to Democratic Virginia state Del. Karrie Delaney, who was a sexual assault crisis counselor in Florida before moving to Virginia.

“Their church was really torn up by the allegation and the fact that the young man who was the perpetrator ended up doing the same thing to another person after the first one wasn’t reported,” Delaney said. “When I sat down with them and heard the story I knew this was something I had to do.”

She and others introduced legislation this year that would add clergy to the state’s list of “mandatory reporters,” people who work with children — such as teachers, counselors and athletic coaches — and who are required by law to report suspicions of child abuse to law enforcement authorities.

While most states have broad laws calling on anyone who learns of child abuse to report it, mandatory reporters can be charged with a crime for failing to do so.

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ROME (ITALY)
New York Times

January 28, 2019

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Pope Francis sought to downplay what he called “inflated expectations” for a global church summit on child sexual abuse next month, casting it as an educational workshop for bishops more than a definitive policymaking meeting.

“We have to deflate expectations,” the pope told reporters on the papal plane returning to Rome from an international event for Roman Catholic youth in Panama. “Because the problem of abuse will continue, it is a human problem.”

The summit is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in Francis’ nearly six-year papacy. As abuse scandals have spread beyond the United States and Europe to Latin America and Asia, the pope has faced pressure to prove that the church is capable of removing abusive priests and disciplining negligent bishops.

The pope said that the meeting, to be held at the Vatican on Feb. 21 through Feb. 24, was intended to help bishops and the heads of religious orders better understand the procedures to follow when faced with allegations of abuse, and to impress on them the terrible suffering of victims.

If expectations are high, it is — at least in part — the Vatican’s own doing. The summit was announced in September amid fresh reports that the Vatican had turned a blind eye to accused abusers in the hierarchy. In November, the Vatican ordered the United States bishops to hold off voting on new policies for keeping bishops accountable until the February summit could produce protocols that would apply to the church worldwide.

About 200 participants are expected at the summit. In recent weeks, Vatican officials have stressed that because it is a consultative meeting only four days long, the gathering should not be viewed as a panacea to the global abuse crisis.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune Review

January 28, 2019

By Deb Erdley

New York on Monday was poised to become the 10th state to temporarily suspend the statute of limitations to provide adult survivors of child sexual abuse an opportunity to sue their abusers.

Child protection advocates said the new law, passed only after a change of leadership in that state’s Senate, is the result of more than a decade of efforts. It will provide adults previously timed out of court by the statute of limitations with a one-year window to file civil suits against their abusers.

The law also extended the time for survivors to file lawsuits from age 23 to age 55 in the future and extended the statute of limitations for most child sexual abuse criminal prosecutions from five to 10 years after a victim turns 18.

In Pennsylvania, “window of opportunity” legislation has stalled in the state Senate twice in the last three years. Child advocates hope New York’s move will revive enthusiasm for change here. Victim advocates and abuse survivors worked relentlessly for change in Harrisburg last year after a statewide grand jury reported rampant allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy in Roman Catholic dioceses across the state over seven decades.

Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations caps lawsuits on child sexual abuse at a survivor’s 30 th birthday. That cap prevented scores of middle aged and older adult victims who came forward for the first time to the grand jury from filing lawsuits against their abusers.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, testified before the Pennsylvania grand jury about his personal abuse at the hands of a parish priest as a teenager. He has led the charge for change in Pennsylvania for several years. He commended New York lawmakers as he lamented the lack of progress in Pennsylvania, where state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Brookville, blocked a bill that passed the House last fall.

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HOUSTON (TX)
KTRK TV

January 28, 2019

By Nick Natario

Parishioners and church abuse survivors are anxiously awaiting a list of clergy accused of sexual abuse from the Houston area.

The Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston said it will release its list by the end of January. It’s a list that has been a work-in-progress since September.

That’s been four long months for Michael Norris.

“It’s very emotional for all survivors, because what a survivor really wants is to be heard, and to be believed and to see the name of your perp on a list is going to be fulfilling for some of these survivors,” Norris said.

Norris leads Houston’s Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP. It’s a group offering support to survivors across the globe.

Here in the United States, Norris said dioceses across the country have released lists. Sometimes he said the church’s list is below the actual number. He’s hoping the Houston-Galveston list is accurate.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic News Service

January 29, 2019

By Dennis Sadowski

Upon first hearing in August of the findings of a Pennsylvania grand jury about how Catholic clergy abused children and young people, veteran journalist Peter Steinfels was, like a lot other people – shocked and appalled.

Soon, Steinfels told Catholic News Service, he wanted to learn more about the grand jurors’ conclusion that the claims of “all” the victims were systematically brushed aside and covered up by church officials.

A former religion reporter at The New York Times and former editor of Commonweal magazine, Steinfels had little disagreement with most of the documentation on the abuse allegations.

Still, questions persisted in his mind. He wondered what prompted the grand jury to conclude that six of Pennsylvania’s eight Catholic dioceses acted “in virtual lockstep” to cover up abuse allegations and dismiss alleged victims over the course of seven decades beginning in 1947.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WBFO News

January 29, 2019

By Mike Desmond

As the Child Victims Act was being approved Monday, four victims were in an Amherst law firm conference room with their attorneys, talking about their cases and what the new law does for them.

Hogan Willig has long been involved in clergy abuse cases and some of the lawyers have lobbied heavily in Albany for what is called the CVA. Now approved by the New York State Legislature, the act allows abuse victims to re-open their cases in the court system and get a chance to tell their stories.

The law also extends re-openings far beyond the clergy, to private and public schools. Some local private schools have had highly-publicized sex abuse incidents involving teachers.

Victim Vanessa DeRosa said passage is not just about the cases of four victims.

“It’s a big deal because you can’t expect a child to help with an attorney. It’s okay to talk about it now. They can pursue it,” DeRosa said. “A lot of times, they need more time, mentally, to come forward. So it’s not just a big deal for everybody in this room. It’s a big deal for a lot of other people, too.”

Survivor Mike Eames said the Buffalo Catholic Diocese knew what a priest did to him.

“I know they knew,” Eames said. “For years, they knew them.”

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ROME (ITALY)
National Catholic Reporter

January 29, 2019

By Joshua J. McElwee

One of the department heads at the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation has resigned from his post, days after an NCR report noted he had been accused of soliciting a woman for sex in the confessional.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced Jan. 29 that Fr. Hermann Geissler, formerly the head of the office’s doctrinal section, had stepped down the day before in order to “limit the damage already done” to his employer.

The statement from the Vatican office also confirmed that Geissler’s case is being examined formally, stating the priest “affirms that the accusation made against him is untrue, and asks that the canonical process already initiated continue.”

The claim against Geissler was brought forward publicly two months ago by Doris Wagner, a German who recalled being approached by the priest during confession in 2009 at a Nov. 27 Rome event focused on giving voice to women survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

NCR reported the accusation Jan. 21, following Geissler’s listing by the Vatican Jan. 18 as a member of the doctrinal office taking part in an international meeting of Asian bishops’ conference officials in Bangkok.
Geissler is a member of the Familia spiritualis Opus religious community, known colloquially as “the Work.” Wagner was a member of the same community until 2010.

In a brief interview Jan. 29, Wagner expressed confusion over several points in the Vatican’s statement announcing Geissler’s resignation. She also wondered why the priest is resigning now, when she had reported his conduct to the doctrinal congregation with the help of a canon lawyer in 2014.

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MOUNTAIN HOME (ID)
Idaho Statesman

January 28, 2019

By Ruth Brown

A priest accused of raping an intoxicated man who was renting a room from him will not face a new trial for now, and the Diocese of Boise says he will not be given any new assignment, but his status within the Roman Catholic Church is still not decided.

The Rev. Victor Franz Jagerstatter’s trial in 2017 was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. At the time, prosecutors said that one juror refused to deliberate the verdict. After the mistrial, the alleged victim was deployed on military duty, and in July 2018, the charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning there won’t be an immediate retrial, but the possibility remains open down the road.

At the time of the rape charge, Jagerstatter was a priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mountain Home.

The airman at Mountain Home Air Force Base told police that he went home intoxicated after a party in July 2016, fell asleep fully clothed, and then awoke partially undressed, according to previous Statesman reporting. The airman told police that he did not give permission for any sexual contact, according to court documents.

Multiple calls by the Statesman to the Elmore County Prosecutor’s Office last week to ask about the case were not returned.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise still has Jagerstatter listed as being on administrative leave, and he no longer appears on the diocese website. Spokesman Gene Fadness said Jagerstatter is not living in church property.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

January 28, 2019

By Tom Precious and Jay Tokasz

Michael F. Whalen Jr. hadn’t even heard of the Child Victims Act last February, when he told reporters in Buffalo that the Rev. Norbert F. Orsolits had sexually abused him as a teenager nearly four decades ago.

But on Monday, Whalen traveled by train to Albany to be recognized for his role in getting the controversial legislation adopted by New York State legislators.

“For me, personally, if I helped it along in any way possible by stepping forward almost a year ago, then yeah, I’m so glad to see it,” Whalen said. “I’m sad to see it’s taken 12 years for it to happen.”

Whalen’s news conference across the street from the Buffalo Diocese’s headquarters led to Orsolits’ stunning admission to The Buffalo News later the same day that he had molested probably dozens of boys.

The Child Victims Act, which unanimously passed the Senate Monday afternoon and is expected to pass the Assembly later in the day, extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting child molesters. It also provides victims like Whalen – who are currently time-barred from filing civil suits – a one-year window to sue private and public institutions, like churches and schools, over abuse that may have occurred decades ago.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign into law the bill that changes the statutes of limitations for civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions over childhood sexual abuse from age 23 to 55 and 28, respectively.

Whalen joined other survivors of childhood sexual abuse victims in the Senate gallery to watch the bill pass, the culmination of a generation of pleading, cajoling and protesting.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press

January 28, 2019

By Marc Levy

Pennsylvania lawmakers have returned to the capitol but have yet to revisit legislation on child sexual abuse scandals since an October fight killed a bill that would have allowed long-ago victims to sue the Roman Catholic Church and other institutions.

In New York state, meanwhile, a bill to extend the statute of limitations on child molestation to give victims more time to seek justice was expected to easily pass the legislature Monday.

New York’s scheduled vote on the Child Victims Act in the Democrat-led Senate and Assembly comes after years of unsuccessful efforts to pass the legislation. While it’s been endorsed by the Assembly repeatedly, the act was blocked by Senate Republicans. Democrats won control of the chamber last fall, however, and say passing the act is one of their top priorities for 2019.

Republicans remain in control of both halves of Pennsylvania’s Legislature, although this issue does not necessarily follow partisan lines. A bill giving victims more time to sue passed the Pennsylvania House, then died in the Senate.

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Daily News

January 28, 2019

By Kenneth Lovett

The holy war between Gov. Cuomo and state Catholic leaders like Timothy Cardinal Dolan continued Monday over the issue of abortion and a bill to help victims of child sexual abuse.

Cuomo, surrounded by child sex abuse survivors, said he’s not surprised that there have been calls among some Catholic leaders in the state and nationally for him to be excommunicated from the Church.

He recalled that his father, the late former three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo, faced similar calls over his position on abortion.

“This is not a new issue for a governor named Cuomo,” he said. “It’s sort of a second chapter.”

He called the tensions with the church “an ongoing situation.”

But Cuomo also dug in, defending his positions on abortion and calling out the church for leading the opposition when it came the Child Victims Act. Days after signing into and celebrating and expanding the state’s abortion laws, Cuomo reiterated he agrees with Pope Francis, who has called for a crackdown on pedophile priests.

“To the Catholic Church, I am sorry about the situation,” Cuomo said. “I’m not sorry about my position. I’m sorry they have taken the position they’ve taken.”

Cuomo, a Roman Catholic and former altar boy,accused the church bureaucracy in New York of decades of cover-ups when it came to sexual abuse issues.

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MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
The Herald

January 29, 2019

IN 2010 Australian human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, QC, first raised holding the Vatican accountable for the global child sexual abuse scandal by viewing it as a human rights abuse issue.

In his book, The Case of the Pope, Robertson argued that unless the then Pope Benedict XVI divested the Vatican of its controversial statehood and devotion to canon law, the Catholic Church would remain a serious enemy to the advance of human rights.

Nearly a decade later Hunter survivor advocate Peter Gogarty has taken the matter a step further by asking the International Criminal Court to seriously consider whether it can prosecute a case against the church.

His submission to the ICC, based on more than two years writing and research, is notable, laudable and serious. Mr Gogarty believes that while there are significant hurdles to the ICC taking on such a case, there is also significant evidence to back it now.

The five-year Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, that ended with devastating findings against the Catholic Church in a December, 2017 final report, included evidence from the Vatican’s newly-appointed child protection commission about how the church, as a world organisation, was “struggling to come to terms with the safety of children and its responsibilities in that area”.

The evidence by two members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, established by Pope Francis, was staggering considering that church leaders, including the now sainted Pope John Paul II, were first warned of a looming child sexual abuse crisis in an internal report in the early 1980s.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
National Public Radio

January 27, 2019

By Sylvia Poggiolo

Investigations into child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests took a highly public turn last year. State prosecutors took the novel step of releasing the names of hundreds of accused priests, as well as those who covered up their crimes. As NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli reports, the revelations and the church’s response severely damaged the church’s credibility and Pope Francis’s reputation. In response, he has called for an extraordinary four-day summit on sex abuse next month.

SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Vatican acting spokesman Alessandro Gisotti recently told reporters the summit’s goal is that bishops understand that clerical sex abuse is a global problem that needs a global response. He added, Pope Francis insists that when the bishops return home…

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ALESSANDRO GISOTTI: They understand the laws to be applied and that they take the necessary steps to prevent abuse, to care for the victims and to make sure that no case is covered up or buried.

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WAUSAU (WI)
Wausau Daily Herald

Jan. 28, 2019

By Laura Schulte

At least two more Catholic dioceses in Wisconsin plan to open their archives in search of abusive clergy members throughout their history.

Representatives for the Diocese of Superior and the Diocese of La Crosse both said their organizations will review their files, following the release by the Diocese of Green Bay last week of a list of 46 priests who had sexually abused minors.

Neither Superior nor La Crosse provided a date that any list would be finished or made public.

Dan Blank, director of administrative services for the Diocese of Superior, said Bishop James Powers has conferred with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for advice on how to conduct an investigation of clergy abuse.

However, results of the investigation wouldn’t be available for months, Blank said, because the diocese will have to go back to the beginning of its 114-year history to check for names.

“We’d start with priests that are alive and then go further back,” he said.

The Superior diocese would also likely cooperate with a state Department of Justice investigation, Blank said, if Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul decides to order such a probe.

The diocese would release relevant documents if there is a state investigation, Blank said.

“We’re taking the approach that facts are facts,” he said.

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post

January 28, 2019

By Carl Campanile

Gov. Cuomo on Monday slammed Catholic bishops who covered up sex abuse for years and criticized his support for the Child Victims Act, saying “I’m with the Pope.”

The bill, being passed by the legislature Monday, will make it easier for adults who claimed they were sex abuse victim as kids to sue for damages.

“I feel so good about this. This is just a pure act of justice. These are people who were abused by the authorities and then authorities denied it, which aggravated the abuse,” Cuomo said on WAMC radio.

The governor discussed the bill, which has been kicking around for a decade, after being asked about the Catholic leaders attacking him for strengthening New York’s abortion law.

“Bishops attacks Gov. Cuomo. Let’s pull that headline up from 30 years ago,” Cuomo said, referring to similar broadsides against his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Cuomo said the Child Victims Act was “long overdue” and praised Pope Francis, who said abusive priests should be punished and not shuffled to other parishes and that victims should have recourse.

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ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE
Reuters

January 28, 2019

By Philip Pullella

Pope Francis warned on Sunday against excessive expectations for next month’s Vatican summit on the global sexual abuse crisis, saying it was human problem that would continue.

Francis has summoned the presidents of all of the world’s national bishops conferences to the Vatican Feb. 21-24.

The meeting offers a chance for him to respond to criticism from victims of abuse who say he has mishandled the crisis and not done enough to make bishops accountable for covering it up.

But the pope said the highly anticipated meeting would not end the problem.

“The preparatory work is going well but I permit myself to say that I have perceived that there is an inflated expectation,” he told reporters on a plane returning from Panama.

“We have to deflate the expectations … because the problem of abuse will continue because it is a human problem, and it is everywhere,” he said.

Francis said one of the aims of the summit was for the bishops to go back home with what he called “clear protocols” on how to prevent abuse and help victims.

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PANAMA CITY (PANAMA)
CBS News Videos

January 26, 2019

Pope Francis is in Panama celebrating World Youth Day. In a grand, newly-renovated bascilica in Panama City, Pope Francis directed his comments to clergy and spoke of “weariness” which can come from “seeing a church wounded by sin.” Seth Doane reports.

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UNITED STATES
TIME

January 15, 2019

By Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson is the bestselling author of several children’s and young adult books, including Speak and Chains, both of which were National Book Awards finalists. Her memoir, SHOUT, is due out in March 2019.

I started visiting schools two decades ago. It was after the publication of my novel, Speak, which tells the story of a teenage girl struggling through the emotional aftermath of being raped. It is commonly read in high school and college literature classes, and has proven to be a useful springboard to conversations about rape mythology, sexual violence and consent.

I thought I understood rape. It happened to me when I was 13 years old. I assumed my job was to model survivorship, and to show readers how to speak up after being abused, molested or attacked. I thought I was supposed to talk to the girls.

I had a lot to learn.

The girls heard me. I’d give these large talks, often in a high school auditorium, with a thousand students seated and me — a stranger — on stage. The girls would come up to me after the bell rang, in tears, and whisper what had happened to them. My job, after listening, was to find an adult in the building they trusted, an educator who could help them find the support they needed. That scene has been repeated after every single presentation I’ve ever given, at high schools, middle schools, colleges, bookstores, libraries and conferences across the country — thousands of victims.

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PITTSBURgh (PA)
YourErie.com

January 28, 2019

Friday, Father Hugh J. Lang was arrested and charged with the alleged sexual abuse of a 10-year-old child in 2001.

SNAP (Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests) says they “applaud this brave man for contacting law enforcement. We hope his courage inspires others to do the same.”

SNAP says they hope anyone who may have suffered, seen or suspected crimes by Fr. Lang, or any others associated with the Diocese of Pittsburgh, will call the police immediately. Victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers can also reach out to SNAP, or groups like ours, for help and support as they report.

To contact their organization, you can go to SNAPnetwork.org.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Tablet

January 28, 2019

‘It is terrible, the suffering is terrible. So first, they (the bishops) need to be made aware of this’

The primary goal of the Vatican’s February summit on clerical sexual abuse and child protection is to help bishops understand the urgency of the crisis, Pope Francis said.

During a news conference with journalists on his flight to Rome from Panama on 27 January, the pope said the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences have been called to the 21-24 February meeting at the Vatican to be “made aware of the tragedy” of those abused by members of the clergy.

“I regularly meet with people who have been abused. I remember one person — 40 years old — who was unable to pray,” he said. “It is terrible, the suffering is terrible. So first, they (the bishops) need to be made aware of this.”

The pope’s international Council of Cardinals suggested the summit after realising that some bishops did not know how to address or handle the crisis on their own, he said.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Commonweal

January 28, 2019

Does the clergy sex-abuse crisis make the Catholic Church a continuing criminal enterprise analogous to the Mafia or a drug cartel? Some people think it does. In the wake of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia launched an investigation that will consider whether charges should be brought against Pennsylvania dioceses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Practices Act (RICO).

Passed in 1970, RICO is a powerful federal law designed to target organized-crime syndicates by going after their leadership as well as the rank-and-file members who physically commit most of the crimes. Its provisions are harsh; RICO not only provides for hefty criminal penalties, but also authorizes civil lawsuits that may result in treble damages for victims of racketeering acts. In fact, several civil RICO suits have already been filed against church authorities and policymakers, including individual bishops, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and even the Holy See itself. One such civil suit brought in 1993 against the diocese of Camden was settled for a seven-figure amount.

A good lawyer may be able to fend off RICO suits against the church. In fact, it will likely be a challenge for prosecutors and plaintiffs’ lawyers to shoehorn the clergy sex-abuse crisis into the elements of a successful RICO suit. It will be difficult to show that the church engaged in acts of racketeering, which are modeled on mob activities such as violence, corruption, bribery or theft, fraud, drug trafficking, or money laundering. Moreover, civil litigants seeking monetary compensation need to demonstrate damage to their business or property, not simply personal injury, no matter how grave.

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ROME (ITALY)
Catholic News Agency

January 28, 2019

By Courtney Grogan

Pope Francis said Monday that he sensed “inflated expectation” surrounding the Vatican’s February sex abuse summit, and outlined his specific aims for the meeting.

Speaking on the papal flight returning from Panama, the pope said he wanted the world’s bishops to receive a “catechesis” on the suffering of abuse survivors, and understand better the urgent reality of combating sexual abuse. This understanding, he said, would lead into a penitential liturgy during the February meeting.

“There will be testimonies to help to become aware and then a penitential liturgy to ask forgiveness for the whole Church,” Pope Francis told journalists Jan 28.
The pope emphasized the importance of bishops meeting with victims of sex abuse to hear their testimonies directly to understand the lasting effects of sexual abuse.

Pope Francis said that he regularly meets with abuse victims. “I remember one … 40 years without being able to pray. It is terrible, the suffering is terrible,” he said.

Francis also said he sensed many were expecting too much from the three-day meeting being held Feb. 21-24, and that he had a particular vision for what would be achieved: understanding the experience of victims, prayer, and the establishment of “protocols” for handling abuse cases world-wide.

“I permit myself to say that I’ve perceived a bit of an inflated expectation. We need to deflate the expectations to these points that I’m saying,” he said. “Because the problem of abuses will continue. It’s a human problem.”

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[Third victim accuses Montserrat friar of abuse]

MADRID (SPAIN)
El País

January 28, 2019

By Íñigo Domínguez

El hombre, de 63 años, denuncia que el religioso se introdujo en su cama y le hizo tocamientos en 1971, igual que las otras dos víctimas en 1978 y 1998

Una tercera víctima acusa de abusos al fraile Andreu Soler, del monasterio de Montserrat, tras el primer caso revelado hace ocho días por EL PAÍS. J.R. Martínez, de 63 años, asegura que llegó al monasterio durante el verano de 1970, y que entre ese año y 1975 acudió a la abadía en la época estival para trabajar allí y ayudar a los monjes. Al igual que las otras dos personas que anteriormente denunciaron al monje, fundador del grupo scout del santuario, la víctima denuncia que una noche el religioso se introdujo en su cama y le hizo tocamientos en los genitales con la excusa de hablarle de la masturbación mientras le instaba a no caer en la tentación, según ha publicado El Periódico.

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[Girona bishop will investigate abuse accusations against parish priest of Vilobí d’Onyar]

GIRONA (SPAIN)
El País

January 28, 2019

By Marta Rodríguez

El Obispado de Girona, ante el presunto caso de abusos sexuales por parte del párroco de Vilobí d’Onyar (Girona) publicado por el diario Ara este domingo, ha emitido un comunicado en el que “condena rotundamente” cualquier tipo de abuso sexual realizado a menores y sostiene que no tiene constancia de ninguna queja. No obstante, de acuerdo con los protocolos vigentes, ha anunciado la creación de una comisión para investigar los hechos, cuyos resultados se mandarán a la Santa Sede. Pide perdón a las presuntas víctimas y a sus familias y ofrece total colaboración para esclarecer los hechos.

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[Priest Hasbún defends accused chaplain Renato Poblete: “Let him rest in peace”]

CHILE
El Mostrador

January 22, 2019

El controvertido sacerdote polemizó con el presidente ejecutivo de América Solidaria y exdirector del Hogar de Cristo, Benito Baranda, quien en una entrevista el fin de semana señaló que la imagen de Renato Poblete “quedará muy afectada, y va a quedar más afectada todavía cuando hable la víctima”. Hasbún recuerda que Baranda cargó el féretro de Poblete en sus funerales y lo critica porque “la presunción de inocencia, el derecho a la honra y al debido proceso no integran su horizonte mental”.

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[Dean of faculty praises professor who accuses a priest of sex abuse: “With her testimony, many can feel the courage to speak out”]

CHILE
Emol

January 28, 2019

By Leonardo Vallejos

Joaquín Silva comparte muy de cerca con Marcela Aranda Escobar, la primera mujer que acusó al fallecido sacerdote de abuso sexual.

Marcela Aranda Escobar, la primera en denunciar públicamente al sacerdote Renato Poblete por abuso sexual, se presentó como profesora de la Facultad de Teología de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

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[Mayor is open to renaming Renato Poblete Park after abuse accusations against the former chaplain]

CHILE
Emol

January 28, 2019

By Leonardo Vallejos

Tras las acusaciones de abuso en contra del fallecido sacerdote, Carmen Gloria Fernández explica que “amerita pensar la idea” de renombrar el recinto.

Ayer domingo Marcela Aranda Escobar rompió el silencio y en entrevista con “El Mercurio” hizo público que ella es la primera que denuncia al fallecido sacerdote Renato Poblete por abusos sexuales. Poco después, la Compañía de Jesús admitió que habían nuevas acusaciones contra el ex capellán del Hogar de Cristo.

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[Victims call for independent commission to investigate abuse allegations against Hogar de Cristo priest]

CHILE
BioBioChile

January 28, 2019

By Jonathan Flores and Beatriz Vallejos

La Red de Sobrevivientes de abuso eclesiástico llamó a conformar una Comisión investigadora de verdad, justicia y reparación, totalmente independiente de la Iglesia. La iniciativa resurgió luego de las declaraciones de la Congregación Jesuita, que confirmó ayer domingo nuevas denuncias por abuso sexual en contra del fallecido sacerdote Renato Poblete, excapellán del Hogar de Cristo.

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[PDI begins investigating sex abuse accusations against Penquista priest]

CHILE
BioBioChile

January 28, 2019

By Nicolás Parra and Tatiana Risso

Por orden de la fiscalía regional del Bío Bío, la Policía de Investigaciones comenzó a indagar los delitos de abuso sexual de que se acusa al sacerdote Hugo Márquez, expárroco de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes en el sector Pedro de Valdivia de Concepción. En las últimas dos semanas concurrieron hasta el cuartel de la PDI en Concepción los padres y un tío de Jonathan Garrido, quien se quitó la vida en octubre de 2017 ahorcándose en San Pedro de la Paz.

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[Jesuits receive new complaints against Renato Poblete]

CHILE
La Tercera

January 27, 2019

By María José Navarrete

Fuentes del caso señalan que esta semana se tomará declaraciones y pedirán documentos sobre el sacerdote.

La Compañía de Jesús informó hoy sobre la existencia de nuevas denuncias de presuntos abusos cometidos por el fallecido sacerdote Renato Poblete, quien fuera capellán del Hogar de Cristo entre 1982 y 2000.

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EASTON (PA)
Associated Press

January 28, 2019

Lawmakers are returning to the Pennsylvania Capitol, but they haven’t revisited a response to child sexual abuse scandals since the debate’s collapse on last year’s final voting day.

The Legislature’s new two-year session begins in earnest Monday, with little mention of legislation reflecting the state attorney general’s grand jury report on child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses.

Legislation proposed last year would give now-adult victims of child sexual abuse a two-year reprieve from time limits in state law that otherwise would bar them from suing perpetrators and institutions that covered it up.

The provision was recommended by the grand jury, and backed by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tom Wolf, the House of Representatives, Senate Democratic leaders and victim advocates. It was opposed by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and the Senate’s huge Republican majority.

“We need you to hear this,” the Pennsylvania grand jury wrote in its report finally released on Tuesday.

The provision passed the House overwhelmingly last month, but Republican senators said they considered it unconstitutional and warned that cash awards in such lawsuits carried serious consequences for church charities.

Scarnati says he has no plans to restart legislation and is satisfied by how Pennsylvania’s dioceses have moved to set up victim compensation funds.

That includes the Allentown diocese, which administers to 251,000 Catholics in a five-county area that includes the entire Lehigh Valley. Under the Allentown fund, victims will give up their right to sue the church, but they will not be silenced if they accept money from the fund.

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ROME (ITALY)
Crux

January 28, 2019

By Inés San Martín

Pope Francis has said he wants to “deflate” expectations for his Feb. 21-24 summit for presidents of bishops’ conferences on clerical sexual abuse, saying it’s mostly about transmitting a “catechesis” on the “drama” of abuse.

The pontiff also rejected the idea of optional celibacy for Catholic priests, though he did leave open the possibility of ordaining married men in remote locations and for specific sacramental purposes.

Asked about his expectations for the summit, Francis said the initiative was born in the C9, a group of cardinals that advise him on reform of the government of the Church. Three of those cardinals were removed late last year, two of them over allegations of either covering up abuse or of having sexually abused minors.

“We saw that some bishops didn’t know what to do, didn’t understand, did one thing good and another one bad,” the pope said.

Hence, he said, the C9 felt the need to offer a “catechesis” to bishops’ conferences that would make the “drama of children who’ve been abused” comprehensible.

The second scope of the meeting, Francis said, is to teach bishops how to respond when facing an allegation of abuse by a member of the clergy. Thirdly, he wants the February meeting to lead to “protocols” on how Church leaders should handle abuse cases.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WBFO Radio

January 28, 2019

By Marian Hetherly

Many have voiced the opinion that giving more laity – and, specifically, women – positions of leadership in the Catholic Church would help avoid sexual abuse scandals like the one now consuming the faith and its faithful. In the Buffalo diocese, there are a series of positions open to lay people, but ultimate power always remains with clergy. Even so, one empowering model may light the way to the future.

Bishop Edward Kmiec approved guidelines for what are called Pastoral Administrators in 2007, in the wake of a growing priest shortage. It was another six years before Bishop Richard Malone began to implement the model.

Sister Lori High was appointed Pastoral Administrator after the parish pastor retired and so the priest serving as temporary administrator could move into the sacramental role.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

January 28, 2019

By Dan Morris-Young

Has the onslaught of church sex abuse and authority exploitation disclosures of recent months given men who are actively discerning priestly vocations pause to step back, hold the church in contempt, even walk away?

Apparently not at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, according to students, faculty and staff there.

If anything, the crisis seems to have galvanized the resolve of many priesthood-seekers at the West Coast’s largest seminary to serve the church rather than stiff-arm it.

“I have noticed no decrease in zealousness for the priesthood” on campus, Anthony Rosas, a seminarian of the Diocese of Orange, California, told NCR. “Of course, we talk about it. You have to call a spade a spade. This has been awful.”

A convert, Rosas said his parents naturally wanted to know about the sex abuse crisis but they remain supportive of his vocation. After visiting with friends and priests of his home diocese as well as reflecting “on the need for strong, holy priests,” Rosas said he is more resolved than ever to reach ordination.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

January 28, 2019

By Michael Sean Winters

The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry has distinguished itself again at sentire cum ecclesia, thinking with the church, about an issue of enormous ecclesial importance, issuing a short, 10-page report entitled “To Serve the People of God: Renewing the Conversation on Priesthood and Ministry.” Like the two-way immersion network for Catholic schools run by Boston College’s School of Education and their groundbreaking research into Hispanic ministry in parish life, this recent study puts the university’s intellectual resources at the service of a pressing need for the church in the United St

The importance of seminary formation is evident in the pages of NCR. Peter Feuerherd recently reported on the scandal that is Sacred Heart seminary in Detroit, which has become a hotbed of opposition to Pope Francis. Feuerherd also reported recently on Jesuit formation at Boston College, and how that formation actually presages some of the features of this study. And our reporting on many of the discussions surrounding clergy sex abuse all focus, of necessity, in large part on priestly formation, such as Dan Morris-Young’s report on a panel at Santa Clara University last October.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

January 28, 2019

By Jay Tokasz

The Buffalo Diocese so far has offered more than $8 million to nearly four dozen people sexually abused as children by priests, according to victims and lawyers who represent them.

Diocese officials declined to comment on the number of offers to date that have been made or the overall dollar amount. They also would not say how many claims to the diocese’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program have yet to be decided upon or when the program will conclude.

But in interviews with lawyers and victims The News has learned that at least 47 victims have received offers that collectively amount to about $8.1 million. The offers ranged from $10,000 to $650,000.

Some victims already have been paid. Lawyers took a third of the offers for themselves in cases where they were retained. Other accusers are still deciding whether to accept the money and give up their right to sue the diocese, even as the State Legislature prepares to adopt legislation that will clear the way for more civil lawsuits in sexual abuse cases.

The State Assembly and Senate are scheduled to vote Monday on a Child Victims Act that includes a one-year “look-back” provision allowing abuse victims to sue even in cases that go back decades.

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Feminism in India blog

January 28, 2019

By Alice Abraham

Life has not been easy for the five nuns from Kerala who had protested against the inaction of the Church and police authorities in the aftermath of rape allegations against Bishop Franco Mullackal. The Missionaries of Jesus had asked the four nuns, Sister Anupama, Sr. Alphy, Sr. Josephine, and Sr. Ancitta to comply with a transfer order which was issued earlier and to move out of the Kottayam mission where they were residing to different places. Sr. Neena Rose who was staying with the survivor nun has now been issued transfer order and is asked to report to the Superior General of Jalandhar on January 26th,. All of them have refused to comply with the order and is staying together with the survivor.

In September, the five nuns from the Missionaries of Jesus mission had staged an indefinite hunger strike near the Kerala High Court premises in Kochi for weeks under the banner ‘Save our Sisters’. They demanded the arrest of Bishop Mullackal who is accused by the nun from the same missionary several times between 2014 and 2016. The protest was called off only after the arrest of the Bishop and his removal from his post as Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese in Punjab. He was arrested and was in jail for three weeks until he got bail.

These protests had begun a movement in the Catholic church history which have been silencing many sexual harassment cases all over the world. However, the situation of the nuns and the priests who participated in the protests are getting worse day by day as they are facing pressure and mental harassment from the church authorities.

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HOUSTON (TX)
Houston Chronicle

January 27, 2019

By Nicole Hensley

Brett Ligon has not been to Mass since the Sept. 11 arrest of Father Manuel La Rosa-Lopez.

A longtime Catholic, he was married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe in 1993 and moved in recent years to St. Matthias the Apostle in Magnolia.

Now the district attorney of Montgomery County, he can’t bring himself to go back.

“I haven’t been to Mass since we arrested the priest — but that’s a personal issue,” he said. “I’m a mad DA, which is what victims need. We don’t need a DA who’s looking for forgiveness.”

Ligon, 50, made no secret of his ties to the Conroe church where La Rosa-Lopez worked as more than 60 local, state and federal law enforcement officials descended on the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s headquarters on Nov. 28, looking for evidence linked to accusations that the priest molested two young parishioners over a three-year period.

And Ligon’s made it clear he won’t stop there — warning that other members of the clergy who may have done wrong will come under scrutiny from his office.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

January 27, 2019

The Catholic Church’s bishops in New York State made the right decision to change course and back passage of the Child Victims Act.

The Senate and Assembly are expected to approve the legislation on Monday that will expand the statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims and open a one-year “look-back” period for victims of any age to bring lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse.

The state Catholic Conference stated its support after legislators agreed to wording that ensures the bill applies to victims of alleged abuse from public schools as well as religious and private schools. That prompts the question: Why weren’t public schools included all along?

The church opposed previous versions of the bill, which were held up by the former Republican majority in the Senate. The church objected to being singled out for legal responsibility for incidents of child sexual abuse that have also taken place in other public and private institutions.

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WATERBURY (CT)
Republican-American

January 27, 2019

The Archdiocese of Hartford held the first of three Masses of Reparation Sunday in Manchester for the victims of the priest sexual abuse scandal, but it’s not only the victims who are suffering.

Catholics attending Mass in Torrington and Waterbury said the release of the list of credibly accused priests was painful, especially for those who knew those named.

“I knew a lot of the men on that list and I think what needs to be remembered is a lot of them aren’t around anymore to answer for it. You can’t buy into it,” said Shawn Pace of Waterbury.

”The men I did see and are gone were great men,” he said. “Your faith in God is your faith in God and Catholics need to stick with that faith.”

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MANCHESTER (CT)
Republican-American

January 27, 2019

By Aaron Joseph

More than 200 Catholics flocked to a Manchester church Sunday afternoon to pray for the victims of the priest sexual abuse scandal, the first of three such Masses planned in the Hartford archdiocese.

Archbishop Leonard Blair celebrated the Mass at the St. Bartholomew Church building of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Manchester to make spiritual amends to victims of sexual abuse by priests, providing solace for those who attended.

“It was a beautiful reparation mass, and it brought peace to a lot of people’s hearts,” said Dorothy Brindisi. “The church is trying to do the right thing and bring people together and hope for the future.”

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BATON ROUGE (LA)
The Advocate

January 27, 2019

The Diocese of Baton Rouge is expected on Thursday to release a list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. Ahead of the release, The Advocate tracked every known allegation of abuse involving a Baton Rouge priest. Here’s what we found.

How many known priests have been accused of sexual abuse?

At least 15 priests who have served in the Diocese of Baton Rouge were accused of sexual abuse. Half were named when the Archdiocese of New Orleans released its list, two more were on a list of accused Jesuit priests and the remaining five have been the subject of civil suits or criminal charges involving sexual misconduct.

How many known victims are there?

Upward of 60 victims say they were abused by priests who spent time in Baton Rouge, though we may never know the full number. Two priests accused of abuse especially drove up the victim count. At least 30 people accused through lawsuits one Baton Rouge priest, Christopher Springer, of abuse. And a lawyer who represented people who said they were abused by Gerard “Jerry” Howell estimated Howell had 25 to 50 victims.

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SOMERSET (PA)
Christian Broadcasting Network

January 27, 2019

By Heather Sells

John and Clara Hinton arrived in Somerset, Pennsylvania in 1972. Just two years into their marriage and with a young daughter, the young couple was eager to start their ministry at the Somerset Church of Christ, a small congregation in the rural community.

John had completed a Bible degree at Oklahoma Christian University and served as a youth pastor when he stepped into the pulpit.

“We were kids when we moved to Somerset, Pennsylvania. We were 22 years old,” said Clara. For her, years of dreams were coming together. “I had prayed from a young child up for a Christian husband. That’s all I ever wanted was a Christian husband and I wanted to be a Christian wife and mother.”

The two would go on to have eleven children and Clara considered John to be a model husband and father. She described him as soft-spoken and thoughtful, fixing her breakfast every morning.

“He was my spiritual leader. We would spend many hours talking about God and our faith and our service within the church,” she said.

He was also engaged with their children, never missing a game or a concert. “He played with them. He hung out with them. He was that person,” said Clara. “In fact, women in the church would often tell me ‘I wish my husband was like yours.'”

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

January 25, 2019

A priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City who was sued for sexual abuse in 2003 appears on the list of clergy with “substantiated allegations” released today by the Kansas City Kansas Archdiocese.

While Fr. David “Dave” Imming reportedly never worked in the KS Archdiocese, we know that he retired from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and moved to Kansas in 2001.

Fr. Imming was sued in 2003 in Oklahoma for alleged sexual abuse. At least six others came forward during the lawsuit.

We beg anyone who may have been abused by Fr. Imming, or anyone who saw or suspected such abuse, to contact law enforcement. SNAP, or groups like us, are also available to assist survivors, witnesses and whistle blowers as they come forward.

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post

January 26, 2019

By Susan Edelman

On his hospital deathbed, Stephen Erickson, 55, finally got a chance to testify under oath that the janitor at his Catholic middle school had repeatedly raped him as a boy.

He hoped a jury would hear his words of anguish from beyond the grave.

In a highly unusual move, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gerald Connolly last month granted an emergency request to let Erickson give a sworn statement to “preserve his testimony” for a lawsuit he wanted to file against the church.

Wasting away from terminal skin cancer, Erickson gave a videotaped sworn statement from his bed at Albany Medical Center on Dec. 12.

He died seven days later.

According to a transcript obtained by The Post, Erickson accused Eugene Hubert, a janitor at St. Teresa of Avila School in Albany, which he attended in 1977 to 1978, of sexually assaulting him “three times a week.”

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HARTFORD (CT)
Hartford Courant

January 27, 2019

The Courant would like to hear from people across Connecticut who are willing to share their personal stories about how the recent disclosure by the Archdiocese of Hartford that dozens of priests have been credibly accused of sexual assault have affected them — their faith, their fears, their views on organized religion, their hopes for moving forward.

For Catholics, the disclosures have raised questions about their relationship with the church and their own local parishes. For survivors of sexual assault, the disclosures can be both cathartic and painful. For many, the revelations have been emotionally wrenching and painful.

We are interested in personal stories and honest reflections from the deeply faithful and the estranged. We hope these stories will help provide context for anyone struggling with the repercussions of these revelations.

If you are interested, please send an essay of about 650 words to opinion@courant.com, or by mail to The Hartford Courant, Opinion Department, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115.

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FBUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

January 27, 2019

By Jay Tokasz

When the Buffalo Diocese offered childhood victims of clergy sex abuse a chance to be compensated for their pain and suffering, Jeffrey M. Shaw filed a claim.

He alleged the Rev. Joseph Rappl abused him in 1981, when he was 11 years old and Rappl was an associate pastor in Lewiston.

The diocese acknowledged that Rappl had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children.

But in December, Shaw received a letter stating that he wasn’t eligible for compensation.

The diocese has offered several dozen victims awards ranging from $10,000 to $600,000, but Shaw is among several other victims who were determined to be ineligible. Diocese officials stipulated last March when they announced the program that only victims already known to the diocese at the time would be eligible for compensation.

“I feel like I’ve been dismissed by the church,” said Shaw, who lives in Maryland. “It seems that an institution that talks about morals and ethics and doing the right thing would want to do the right thing.”

Shaw said he first reported his abuse to the diocese in April or May, but he had told other people years earlier, including a friend, his ex-wife and a therapist. He made a claim with the Buffalo Diocese with the help of Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney who represents more than 100 clients in similar compensation programs in other dioceses in New York.

Another client who accused Rappl of abuse prior to last March did receive an offer from the diocese, said Garabedian. So the diocese was using an arbitrary date to refuse to make Shaw an offer, despite knowing that the priest was credibly accused, he said.

“The Diocese of Buffalo has acted in a calculated fashion to exclude many claims,” he said. “It underscores how little the Diocese of Buffalo cares about childhood victims of clergy sexual abuse.”

Lawlor F. Quinlan, a lawyer for the diocese, would not comment on how many applicants to the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program were deemed ineligible due to the diocese’s time restriction. He also declined to answer questions from The News about how many awards have been offered so far and for how much.

“The diocese intends to provide a report on the IRCP after the program is concluded. At this point, the program is ongoing,” Quinlan said.

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PORTLAND (ME)
Press Herald

January 27, 2019

Both Cheverus High School in Portland and Scranton Prep in Pennsylvania, two relatively obscure Jesuit schools, served to house predatory men, as many as five at a time. When the Jesuits published the names, I knew several, including some who had been guests at my home.

Bill Nemitz illustrates this point in his Jan. 20 column, “Dangerous times at Cheverus High.” Indeed, the men of the class of 1979 would have been easy targets. Back in the day, I was a target, too, but somehow avoided such a fate.

When the grand jury impaneled by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office released the data on clergy abuse in the Catholic Church, I found the name that had been missing from the website BishopAccountability.org. As the grand jury’s report states, the Rev. Joseph F. Houston and “a minor female” – my sister – were seen leaving a motel late at night on several occasions in 1971, as reported to Bishop J. Carroll McCormick.

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[Whistleblower in Renato Poblete case speaks up: “I feel responsible to say that it was me”]

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Emol

January 27, 2019

Marcela Aranda Escobar, profesora de teología de la PUC, aborda por primera vez las denuncias en contra del fallecido ex capellán del Hogar de Cristo, por las que hay en marcha una investigación canónica.

“Soy Marcela Aranda Escobar, ingeniero mecánico y teóloga. Soy profesora de la Facultad de Teología de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, hago clases de teología y también en el programa de Pedagogía en Religión Católica de la UC. Soy mamá de una hija que quiero mucho y, además, vivo con mi padre ya anciano. Me siento sobreviviendo con gran esfuerzo, mucha ayuda especializada y el cariño de mis amigos por abusos horrorosos”. Revisa la entrevista completa en la edición de este domingo de “El Mercurio”.

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[Bishop Emiliano Soto on abuse cases in evangelical churches: “They occur on a smaller scale because the pastor is married”]

CHILE
La Tercera

January 27, 2019

By Juan Pablo Sallaberry

Para la autoridad de la Iglesia Evangélica Pentecostal Reformada, el celibato influye en que la religión católica registre más casos de abusos sexuales. Agrega que en las iglesias cristianas “no hay encubrimiento”.

El obispo Emiliano Soto, presidente de la mesa ampliada de entidades evangélicas y protestantes de Chile, señala que aunque los casos son más acotados que en la Iglesia Católica, el tema de los abusos sexuales también preocupa a las iglesias cristianas.

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[Renato Poblete: The heartbeat of the Jesuits]

CHILE
La Tercera

January 27, 2019

By Carla Pía Ruiz and Gloria Faúndez H.

La develación de la denuncia por delitos de abuso sexual, de poder y de conciencia en contra del sacerdote Renato Poblete generó un escenario totalmente incierto para la Compañía de Jesús, ya afectada por una nueva acusación -que se mantenía en reserva- en contra del exprovincial Eugenio Valenzuela.

Ocurrió entre fines de noviembre y principios de diciembre pasado. La cita era urgente, explicó el provincial de los jesuitas, Cristián del Campo. Habían sido convocados todos los jesuitas de Santiago. Tal era la gravedad de la situación, que incluso quienes estaban fuera del país participaron. Vía Skype intervinieron en la reunión los religiosos que estaban en Argentina, en Perú y hasta algunos que estaban en Roma. Eran 60 en total.

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[Sexual crimes in the Evangelical and Protestant churches]

CHILE
La Tercera

January 27, 2019

By S. Labrín and JP Sallaberry

Aunque se registran menos casos que en la Iglesia Católica, en la última década se han abierto causas penales contra 42 pastores de iglesias cristianas por abuso. Casi el 60% de ellas tiene condenas.

Trescientos días de cárcel, la imposibilidad perpetua para trabajar con menores de edad y una vigilancia por 10 años de la autoridad, fue la condena que el pasado 15 de enero recibió Leonardo Bustos Paredes, pastor evangélico de la comuna de María Pinto, en la Región Metropolitana, tras reconocer que abusó sexualmente de una menor de 13 años entre 2016 y 2017.

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[Montserrat, myth and reality]

SPAIN
El País

January 26, 2019

By Francesc Valls

En estos momentos la mejor noticia de esta esta crisis es la creación de una comisión de transparencia que indagará denuncias sobre supuestos abusos a menores que afecten a los benedictinos

La salida a la luz pública de la denuncia de presuntos abusos sexuales que sufrió Miguel Hurtado cuando tenía 16 años (1998) por parte del monje de Montserrat Andreu Soler, responsable del grupo scout del monasterio, ha sacudido el imaginario catalán. Eran muchos quienes cruzaban los dedos para no ver salpicada a la abadía por el escándalo de la pederastia. El encubrimiento de dos abades —Cassià Just y Sebastià Bardolet— trató de echar tierra sobre el asunto y llegar a un acuerdo con la víctima. Los actuales responsables del monasterio aseguraron que, de producirse ahora, llevarían el caso ante la justicia civil.

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RACINE (WI)
Journal Times

January 27, 2019

“The Church’s credibility has been seriously undercut and diminished by these sins and crimes, but even more by the efforts made to deny or conceal them,” Pope Francis wrote in a letter to U.S. bishops about abuse over the years. “This has led to a growing sense of uncertainty, distrust and vulnerability among the faithful.”

In recent years, more has come to light about abuse from the past with the release of lists of priests who are accused of abusing children.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese released a list of alleged offenders in 2004; earlier this month, the Diocese of Green Bay released the names of 46 priests who committed sexual offenses against minors dating back more than 100 years. But many secrets remain to this day.

In light of the substantial number of abusers and victims around the state and nation, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm called earlier this month for a statewide investigation of the church’s response to abuse allegations.

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PANAMA CITY (PANAMA)
Crux

January 27, 2019

By Christopher White

Pope Francis told an American pilgrim taking part in World Youth Day that clerical sex abuse is a “horrible crime” and that “even if it is just one person, the Church should not tolerate it.”

The pope’s words came in response to a question from 29-year-old Brenda Berenice Noriega from California who was one of ten young people selected to have lunch with Francis on Saturday.

The meal took place behind closed doors without any press or cameras, but in an interview with Crux following the lunch, Noriega stressed that the pope emphasized solidarity with victims and caring for their pain.

The pope’s remarks to Noriega marked the first time he addressed the issue of clerical sexual abuse. Earlier on Saturday, during a Mass with priests and religious women and men, the pope encouraged them to remain strong in the faith despite the Church being “wounded by sin.”

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PANAMA CITY (PANAMA)
Crux

January 26, 2019

By Inés San Martín

Young people, prisoners, politicians, and bishops have all enjoyed an opportunity to get a boost from Pope Francis so far during his visit to Panama, and on Saturday morning, it was the time for priests and religious women and men to receive one. While Francis told them it is understandable that they might feel weary at times due to the “sins” of the Church, he encouraged them to keep their hearts open to God.

“We know that not just any word can help us regain energy and prophecy in our mission,” Francis said in his homily during the Mass he celebrated in Santa Maria La Antigua cathedral. “Not just any novelty, however alluring it may seem, can quench our thirst. We know that neither knowledge of religion nor upholding past or present traditions, always makes us fruitful and passionate ‘worshipers in spirit and truth’.”

The pope’s homily was rooted in a passage from the Book of John where Jesus, tired from his journey, rests near a well and asks a Samarian woman to draw water and “Give me a drink.”

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[Apostolic visitor confirms appointment of new priests to replace those investigated for abuse]

CHILE
BioBioChile

January 24, 2019

By Gonzalo Cifuentes and Diego Barría

Cuatro sacerdotes de la Arquidiócesis de Puerto Montt están siendo investigados y fueron denunciados ante el Vaticano por el administrador apostólico Ricardo Morales. Se trata de: Dionisio Muñoz, Eugenio Céspedes, Dario Nicolas y Tulio Soto. Contra los 3 primeros pesan denuncias por abuso sexual y para el último, delitos administrativos.

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[Pope Francisco accepts resignations of two O’Higgins priests accused of sexual abuse]

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Emol

January 26, 2019

By Fernanda Villalobo

Héctor Fuentes y Freddy Gorigoitia habían presentado su renuncia en agosto pasado al administrados apostólico, el obispo Fernando Ramos.

La Diócesis de Rancagua informó que el Papa Francisco acogió la solicitud presentada hace unos meses por Héctor Galvarino Fuentes Aguilera y Freddy Gorigoitia González, dispensándolos de las obligaciones del sacerdocio. De esta forma, ambos religiosos quedaron excluidos del estado clerical, explicó el Obispado de Rancagua mediante un comunicado.

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[Ignacio Sánchez: The case of Renato Poblete “will be a very hard blow for the Church’s credibility”]

CHILE
La Tercera

January 26, 2019

By Carlos Said

Rector de la Universidad Católica cuenta que su plantel está apoyando a la denunciante y llama a la comunidad católica a involucrarse en la reconstrucción de la fe. “No podemos dejar a la jerarquía a cargo de esto”, afirma.

La semana pasada, la Iglesia Católica se vio golpeada nuevamente por una denuncia de abuso, esta vez contra el sacerdote jesuita Renato Poblete, uno de los hombres más importantes en la historia del Hogar de Cristo y quien falleció en 2010. Su congregación ya abrió una investigación, cuyos resultados se anticipa generarán un alto impacto. Así lo cree el rector de la U. Católica, Ignacio Sánchez, quien dice que es labor de todos los creyentes ocuparse de la crisis. La denunciante, cuya identidad La Tercera se reserva, es profesora de ese plantel y el rector cuenta que la están acompañando en el difícil momento que atraviesa.

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[The tepid ‘mea culpa’ of those responsible for sexual abuse of minors in the Spanish Church]

SPAIN
El País

January 24, 2019

By Héctor Llanos Martínez

La serie documental ‘Examen de conciencia’ intercala testimonios de víctimas con los de la Conferencia Episcopal, Maristas y los propios agresores

Para Miguel Hurtado, todos los casos de abusos a menores en la Iglesia Católica española, como el que él sufrió en 1997, acaban igual. “Las congregaciones nunca denuncian a la policía”, lamenta en la serie documental Examen de conciencia, que estrena Netflix este viernes 25 de enero. La semana pasada, con 37 años de edad, se atrevió por primera vez a dar el nombre de forma pública de su agresor: Andreu Soler, por aquel entonces monje del monasterio de Montserrat.

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BATON ROUGE (LA)
WAFB TV

January 26, 2019

By Mykal Vincent

The Bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge says they’ve set a date for the release of the names of priests credibly accused of abusing minors.

In a release sent out Saturday afternoon, Bishop Michael Duca said they’ve completed their review of the files and will release the list of names Thursday, January 31.

In what the Bishop called a “difficult decision,” he says he’s convinced that bringing more facts to light will help victims start to re-establish trust in the catholic church.

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ROME (ITALY)
Reuters

January 26, 2019

Pope Francis said on Saturday the Roman Catholic Church was weary and “wounded by her own sin,” in an apparent reference to the global sexual abuse crisis.

Francis made the comment in the homily of Mass for priests, nuns, and members of Catholic lay organisations in Panama City’s newly renovated cathedral of Santa Maria Antigua, the first in mainland America, which was completed in 1716.

The pope has called a summit of the heads of national Catholic churches at the Vatican from February 21-24 to discuss what is now a global sexual abuse crisis.

The meeting offers a chance for him to respond to criticism from victims of abuse that he has stumbled in his handling of the crisis and has not done enough to make bishops accountable.

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WILKES-BARRE (PA)
Times Leader

January 26, 2019

What to make of the Diocese of Scranton’s new “Independent Survivors Compensation Program”?

On the face of it, ignoring past actions both within this diocese and throughout the United States Catholic hierarchy, and ignoring outside pressures for stronger action in the long-standing sex abuse scandal that has plagued the Church, this feels right.

It makes sense to hire an outside group to administer a compensation program. It’s laudable and logical that the program is open to all victims, whether victimized by a priest of the diocese proper (there is an important distinction between a diocesan priest and priest practicing within the diocese), as well as by someone from a religious order or a lay employee of the diocese.

The program includes the critical caveat that even victims who have not yet reported past abuses can participate after reporting abuse in writing to a District Attorney’s Office.

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KANSAS CITY (KS)
The Leaven

January 25, 2019

By Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann

Today’s Leaven makes public a list of all Catholic clergy with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors for whom we have files in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas dating from the 1940s to the present.

To assist the archdiocese with this effort, we engaged the services of Husch Blackwell, a law firm with expertise and experience conducting similar types of reviews for many entities, organizations, and public and private educational institutions. We asked Husch Blackwell to provide us with an objective and comprehensive understanding of more than a thousand files of Catholic clergy dating back more than 75 years.

Each name on this list represents a grave human tragedy. Each name represents a betrayal of trust and a violation of the innocent. The sexual abuse of children and youth by Catholic priests contradicts our church’s teaching on authentic love, the beauty of human sexuality and the dignity of the human person. What was done to victims by those who were called to be spiritual fathers is cause for great shame. On behalf of the church, I apologize to each victim and pledge our commitment to do all that we can to assist with your healing.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
The Tribune-Review

January 25, 2019

By Megan Guza

Allegheny County police Friday arrested a retired Catholic priest for the alleged assault of a 10-year-old boy in 2001, authorities said.

The Rev. Hugh J. Lang, 88, was a priest at St. Therese in Munhall at the time of the alleged assault, said police Inspector Andrew Schurman.

Schurman said the alleged victim, who he did not identify but lives in another country, saw the media coverage of the statewide grand jury report alleging decades of abuse and cover-ups within six Catholic diocese, including the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Schurman said the individual called the Attorney General’s abuse hotline after seeing the coverage, and the complaint was forwarded first to the Childline program and then to county police.

Lang retired in 2006, and the diocese acknowledged the newfound allegations against him in August, placing him on leave. A diocesan spokesman said at the time it was the first allegation leveled against the clergyman.

The alleged victim told police the abuse happened during alter server training, during which Lang pulled him away from the other boys and took him to a room in the basement of St. Therese, according to the criminal complaint.

He told police Lang called him a troublemaker and told him to take off his clothes, according to the complaint. Lang allegedly took a Polaroid photo and told the victim he would show the photo to others if he didn’t behave.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

January 25, 2019

By Pat Perriello

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore has taken unilateral action to address the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. He should be commended for doing so. While his efforts are unlikely to resolve many of the problems associated with the crisis, it is at least a decision to act rather than waiting for permission.

Thanks for helping us exceed our goal during the Winter Member Drive. If you’re not yet an NCR Forward member, join now.

However, the church is faced with a crisis that goes even beyond the sex abuse atrocities. There is a fracturing within the church of historic dimensions. Pope Francis himself has lost credibility, as members of the hierarchy feel emboldened to criticize him directly. They not only question his actions on the crisis but go after his leadership and commitment to what they see as unchangeable doctrines.

Bishops have accused the pope of lacking clarity in his statements on homosexuality and divorce. According to the Times, less than half of U.S. bishops attended the January retreat which Francis had encouraged the bishops to hold back in September.

Should the bishops act on their own? How does Francis and the church reestablish unity — or can they? Certainly, prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance is in order, but what can be done?

I agree with Pope Francis when he says that credibility “cannot be regained by issuing stern decrees or by simply creating new committees . . . as if we were in charge of a department of human resources.”

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MANCHESTER (CT)
Journal Inquirer

January 26, 2019

By Chris Powell

At the admirable direction of Archbishop Leonard Blair, the Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford this week more or less came clean about the sexual abuse perpetrated by its priests during the last six decades.

The archdiocese identified 48 priests who had been credibly accused and reported that it had paid more than $50 million in the resulting damage claims. About half the priests cited are dead and most of the misconduct seems to have occurred prior to 1990, though it wasn’t acknowledged and its victims compensated for many years. The archdiocese has commissioned a retired Superior Court judge to investigate and report on the scandal.

Some of the victims seem to want to be victims forever, but the biggest victim here is the church itself, having betrayed the trust of parishioners for so long and covered up until recently and then suffering a devastating financial penalty. Institutional charity and spirituality itself have been gravely damaged just when they are most needed, what with the country and Connecticut falling apart in hateful politics and incompetence.

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NEW ORLEANS (LA)
Times-Picayune

January 25, 2019

By Kim Chatelain

Three priests in the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi were removed from ministry after they were credibly accused of sexual misconduct of minors, the Biloxi Sun Herald reported.

In a release on Thursday (Jan. 24), the Diocese identified them as former priests Jose Vazquez Morales, Jerome J. Axton and Vincent The Quang Nguyen. In all three cases, the Diocese notified the District Attorney’s Office, the newspaper reported.

The list does not include alleged abuse reported to have happened outside the Diocese by extern clergy who served in the Diocese, or allegations from before the Diocese was founded in 1977, the Sun Herald reported. The Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, is expected to release names of priests credibly accused of abuse this spring.

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EMPORIA (KS)
KVOE TV

January 26, 2019

By Chuck Samples

The Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City has announced 22 priests have had substantiated allegations of sexually abusing minors over the past 75 years as similar investigations continue in Catholic dioceses across the country.

On the list are two late priests that served Lyon County parishes during their careers. Lambert Dannenfelser, a Franciscan, served Emporia’s Sacred Heart Church from 1969 to 1974. He also served Olpe’s St. Joseph Church. The diocese says there was more than one allegation against Dannenfelser, although it does not specify how many. It also lists his estimated abuse timetable as 1989. Dannenfelser, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, spent time in missions in New Mexico and also served around the Cincinnati area before he died in 2006.

Another Franciscan, Steven Lamping, served at St. Joseph Church in the 1940s and 1950s, according to online archive information. The diocese says his estimated time frame of abuse was the 1950s, and there are multiple allegations of sex abuse against Lamping, who has since died. St. Joseph was his only church assignment, according to information provided by the archdiocese. Additional information about Lamping is not immediately available.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann says “each name on this list represents a grave human tragedy” and that “each name represents a betrayal of trust and a violation of the innocent.” None of the priests on the list are currently in ministry, according to the archdiocese.

The abuse of children by priests has been in headlines periodically since the late 1980s, but the most recent batch of headlines hit last summer when a grand jury in Pennsylvania found that church leaders had covered up abuse by hundreds of priests dating back decades.

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KANSAS CITY (KS)
Fox 4 News

January 25, 2019

By Shannon O’Brien

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas released a new report Friday, naming more than 20 priests accused of sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese newspaper, The Leaven, lists 22 priests who the Archdiocese believes have substantiated claims of clergy sexual abuse with a minor.

The Archdiocese of KCK enlisted Chicago-based law firm Hush and Blackwell to look at over 1,080 files dating back to the 1940’s through today, to help determine what sexual abuse may have taken place in the diocese over the past 75 years.

The list of 22 names is the result of that review. Read the report and entire list of names here.

Some of them are known abusers. Other names are new. According to the list, none of the 22 men are currently ministering in the archdiocese.

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LONGVIEW (TX)
Longview Nwqa Journal

January 25, 2019

By Gayle Raif

I find it really disheartening, but unfortunately not surprising, to read about sexual abuse perpetrated by Christian leaders. The most prominent news is about the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has addressed the rampant sexual abuse among Catholic clergy, citing a Pennsylvania grand jury report that showed more than 300 predator priests in that state had raped and molested more than 1,000 victims during a 70-year period. It also happened in Washington, D.C., where an abusive cardinal resigned, and in other places in the U.S. and every country where there is a Catholic church.

Protestants are not off the hook, because it’s also happening with them. Unfortunately, many of our Christian leadership — pastors, other ministers, even church office workers — forget to whom and for whom they are responsible. It seems they have come to believe that if they can hide their private thoughts, desires and actions but function publicly in a “spiritual” way, then all is right with God and their leadership.

Alas, that attitude permeates our society, but also excuses actions of adults, even pastors and religious leaders. The most prominent pastor to be accused of sexual abuse of women is Bill Hybels, now former pastor of Willow Creek Community Church just south of Chicago. He, as well as all the church staff and other ministers, have resigned.

It is happening in other churches, even in Longview. A recent series in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram alerted us to rape and indecency of pastors in the Fundamental Baptist Church, as well as another pastor who is now in prison for having sexual relations with a teenager.

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FAIRFIELD (CT)
Daily Voice

January 25, 2019

By Zak Failla

Fairfield University and four other religious and charitable organizations have reached a $60 million settlement regarding alleged sexual abuse from a graduate.

In a statement released on Friday, the university announced that it has “agreed to a second and concluding legal settlement with a group of individuals who came forward with allegations that they were sexually abused in Haiti in the late 1990s and early 2000s by Douglas Perlitz, a Fairfield University alumnus.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Haitian minors by Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston-based lawyer, who has made a name for himself representing hundreds of clergy sexual assault victims.

According to Fairfield University, the announcement relates to Project Pierre Toussaint, a charity that was established in 1997 by Perlitz, designed to support underprivileged boys in Haiti. The multi-phase program fed, clothed, provided shelter and educated the young boys. In 2008, Perlitz was found to have been “grossly abusing his position, sexually assaulting some of the young men in his car.”

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FAIRFIELD (CT)
The Patch

January 25, 2019

By Vincent Salzo

The settlement is in connection to sexual abuse claims against a Fairfield University graduate’s charity in Haiti.

Fairfield University, along with four other defendants, have reached a $60-million settlement in connection to sexual abuse claims against a Fairfield University graduate’s charity in Haiti. Douglas Perlitz established the charity known as “Project Pierre Toussaint” in 1997 aimed at helping underprivileged young men in Haiti.

“Many of our community members were inspired by this effort and gave generously to support it,” according to a joint statement from Frank J. Carroll III, chairman of the board of trustees, and Mark Nemec, president of Fairfield University, to the campus community announcing the settlement. “Eleven years later, in 2008, the University learned that Mr. Perlitz had grossly abused his position, sexually assaulting some of the young men in his care.

“Though some members of our community donated time and resources to the project. Fairfield University played no role in the management or governance of Project Pierre Toussaint. The University was not aware of Mr. Perlitz’s crimes before they were publicly reported. Regardless, our community was shaken by these revelations.”

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HARTFORD (CT)
Fox 61 TV

January 25, 2019

More than 130 people who say they were sexually abused as children at a now-defunct charity school in Haiti would receive $60 million in a legal settlement with a Connecticut Jesuit school and other religious organizations, lawyers and school officials announced Friday.

The class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Hartford involved poor and often homeless boys who attended the Project Pierre Toussaint School in Cap-Haitien over a period of more than a decade beginning in the late 1990s. A founder of the school, Fairfield University graduate Douglas Perlitz, is serving a nearly 20-year prison sentence for sexually abusing boys there.

The defendants include Fairfield University, the Society of Jesus of New England, the Order of Malta and Haiti Fund Inc., which financially supported the Haiti school. The lawsuit alleged they were negligent in supervising Perlitz and failed to prevent the abuse.

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HARTFORD (CT)
Associated Press

January 25, 2019

By Dave Collins

More than 130 people who say they were sexually abused as children at a now-defunct charity school in Haiti would receive $60 million in a legal settlement with a Connecticut Jesuit school and other religious organizations, lawyers and school officials announced Friday.

The class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Hartford involved poor and often homeless boys who attended the Project Pierre Toussaint School in Cap-Haitien over a period of more than a decade beginning in the late 1990s. A founder of the school, Fairfield University graduate Douglas Perlitz, is serving a nearly 20-year prison sentence for sexually abusing boys there.

The defendants include Fairfield University, the Society of Jesus of New England, the Order of Malta and Haiti Fund Inc., which financially supported the Haiti school. The lawsuit alleged they were negligent in supervising Perlitz and failed to prevent the abuse.

“What we learned in these cases is that impoverished Haitian children were sexually abused and then left in pain, agony and without hope,” said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston lawyer representing the 130 plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit.

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MANKATO (MN)
KEYC TV

January 25, 2019

A priest who had served in the Diocese of New Ulm from 1983 to his retirement in 2016 is accused of sexual abuse of two minors in 1976.

At that time, Fr. William Sprigler served in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas.

The Diocese of New Ulm said it has not received any allegations of sexual abuse of minors against Fr. Sprigler during the time he served its parishes.

Texas law enforcement is handling investigation into the 1976 allegations believed to be credible. Since 2016, Fr. Sprigler has filled in at parishes in Florida.

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SHAWNEE MISSION (KS)
Shawnee Mission Post

January 25, 2019

By Jay Senter

The Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas today published a list of 22 priests who it says are credibly accused of sexual abuse against minors.

In a special issue of The Leaven, the archdioceses’ newspaper, Archbishop Joseph Naumann said the list was being released after an extensive investigation conducted by the law firm Husch Blackwell, whose Chicago office reviewed approximately 1,080 clergy files from the past 75 years.

The information included in the archdioceses’ report shows that 11 of the priests were assigned at one point or another to a parish in the Shawnee Mission area, and another was credibly accused of abuse during a visit to Roeland Park. The report does not indicate at which parishes specific incidences of abuse may have taken place.

Some of the priests implicated in sexual abuse served at St. Agnes in Roeland Park; St. Ann in Prairie Village; Queen of the Holy Rosary in Overland Park; Holy Cross in Overland park; St. Joseph in Shawnee; Holy Trinity in Lenexa; and Good Shepherd in Shawnee.

In a column accompanying the publication of the names, Naumann apologized and said the church stood ready to assist victims:

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BOISE (ID)
Idaho Statesman

January 25, 2019

By Ruth Brown

The Mountain Home priest accused of raping an intoxicated man who was renting a room from him will not face a new trial, but his future with the Roman Catholic Church remains unclear.

The Rev. Victor Franz Jagerstatter’s trial in 2017 was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. At the time, prosecutors said that one juror refused to deliberate the verdict. After the mistrial, the alleged victim was deployed on military duty, and in July 2018, the charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning there won’t be an immediate retrial, but further litigation is possible.

At the time of the rape charge, Jagerstatter was a priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in

The airman at Mountain Home Air Force Base told police that he went home intoxicated after a party in July 2016, fell asleep fully clothed, and then awoke partially undressed, according to previous Statesman reporting. The airman told police that he did not give permission for any sexual contact, according to court documents.

Multiple calls by the Statesman to the Elmore County Prosecutor’s Office this week to ask about the case were not returned.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise still has Jagerstatter listed as being on administrative leave, and he no longer appears on the diocese website. Spokesman Gene Fadness said Jagerstatter is not living in church property.

“Technically, he remains a priest at this moment, but he has not been given a new assignment, nor will he be in the future,” Fadness told the Statesman in an email.

A decision on whether Jagerstatter will be disciplined within the church has not been made, but the Diocese of Boise sought advice from the Vatican.

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ROME (ITALY)
AFP

January 25, 2019

The Vatican said Friday that next month’s meeting of Church leaders in Rome was a unique chance to tackle the “terrible plague” of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy.

“This will be an unprecedented occasion to face the problem and really find the concrete measures so that when the bishops will come back from Rome to their dioceses, they will be able to face this terrible plague,” Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said.

Gisotti played down questions over why Pope Francis failed to speak out against clergy sex abuse during his ongoing visit to Panama.

The pope addressed hundreds of bishops from across Central America on Thursday, the first full day of his five-day visit to Panama for World Youth Day, but never mentioned the scandals.

It was the largest gathering of bishops since he announced the February summit with Church leaders from around the world to discuss the biggest crisis facing his papacy.

Gisotti said the Church was under “incredible pressure” and that the issue was never far from Francis’ mind.

“What I want to underline is that it is not necessary that every speech with every bishops conference — or every situation where there are young people — he has to face this problem,” Gisotti told a news conference on the sidelines of the giant meeting of Catholic young people, where he faced questions on the omission.

He said the issue “is really very very present” for the 82-year-old pontiff.

e said the 21-24 February meeting with the presidents of bishops conferences had been called amid an “extraordinary situation”.

“You can understand how important this meeting is for the pope,” said Gisotti.

“This is not the beginning of this battle, it is a painful journey. Probably the most painful journey we can imagine. And this has been said by Pope Benedict and now Pope Francis. So we understand there is an incredible pressure.”

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MONTEREY (CA)
Monterey Herald

January 25, 2019

By James Herrera

When the Diocese of Monterey published the results of its review of clergymen’s personnel files a few weeks ago, it listed 30 who had been credibly or plausibly accused of sexual misconduct with a child going back to the 1950s.

Yet critics are quick to say this is not a complete picture because of the criteria the review used to determine whose names would be listed.

At the outset of the review, Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Monterey, outlined the objectives of the review, saying: “We want to assure people that any priest who has a credible accusation of child abuse against him is no longer in ministry. Our hope is that an outside firm brings transparency and assurance that this is a true and accurate account.”

But an organization that tracks clergy sex abuse cases says the Diocese of Monterey failed at that.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has compiled a list of 18 names it feels should be included on a complete list. To compile this list, the organization used information from Bishop Accountability, an organization that aims to facilitate the accountability of bishops in the United States.

SNAP is a self-help group of more than 25,000 members for clergy sex abuse victims. Its support groups meet in over 60 cities across the globe. Its response to the Diocese of Monterey’s Report of Credible Allegations immediately after it was published Jan. 2, can be found at bit.ly/2sOEjYI.

Paul Gaspari, a lawyer with Weintraub Tobin, the outside law firm the Diocese of Monterey tasked with conducting the review, responded to assertions made by SNAP by saying: “I trust you recognize that Bishop Accountability is not independent and the ‘database’ is far from accurate.”

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WASHINGTON, DC
WTOP TV

January 25, 2019

By Neal Augenstein

With the past two archbishops of D.C. — Cardinals Donald Wuerl and Theodore McCarrick — at the center of the national discussion on clergy sex abuse, the District’s attorney general is proposing legislation to add clergy to the list of “mandatory reporters.”

“We’re not targeting the archdiocese, or any other religious entity,” Attorney General Karl Racine told WTOP. “What we’re doing is seeking to protect young people.”

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington, Ed McFadden, told WTOP that the archdiocese has “trained and required all priests, religious employees and all volunteers of the archdiocese to serve as mandated reporters,” and suggested that the District is now catching up with the church.

“We, of course, have met with the archdiocese lawyers,” said Racine. “We also have a faith-based council, which is an informal group that we meet with from time to time” to discuss laws that may affect religious institutions, he added.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
WTAE TV

Jan 25, 2019

A retired Catholic priest who came under investigation in the wake of last year’s state grand jury report was arrested Friday on charges that he assaulted a 10-year-old boy during altar service training in 2001, Allegheny County police said.

The Rev. Hugh Lang, 88, was released on nonmonetary bond after turning himself in for arraignment by District Judge Thomas Torkowsky. Police said Lang was charged with sexual abuse of children, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, indecent assault and indecent exposure.

Lang, of Castle Shannon, was serving at Saint Therese of Lisieux in Munhall when the alleged assault happened in June 2001, police said.

The alleged victim, identified as John Doe, told police that Lang removed him from the other boys in training and took him to a CCD room in the church basement, according to the criminal complaint.

“After Father Lang and John Doe entered the room, Father Lang locked the door. Father Lang then told John Doe that Doe was a troublemaker and instructed Doe to remove his clothes,” the complaint said. “After John Doe removed his clothes, Father Lang took a Polaroid photograph of John Doe while he was standing naked. Father Lang showed the photo to John Doe and warned him that if he didn’t behave, he would show the photo to others.”

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BUFFALO (N.Y)
WIVB TV

January 25, 2019

By Chris Horvatits

Another big vote is expected in Albany next week, as lawmakers are scheduled to take up the Child Victims Act. The measure, which has passed the Assembly previously, has stalled in the Senate several times in recent years.

It’s a bill which victims of child sex abuse have been fighting for, especially those involved in the clergy sex abuse scandal. In part, it extends the statute of limitations for both civil and criminal cases concerning abuse.

With Democrats taking control of the Senate from Republicans this year, it faces a much more optimistic future than it did in previous years.

James Faluszczak, an abuse victim who now advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse, will be in Albany when the vote is taken on Monday.

“I’m going to Albany on Monday to, first of all, thank the members of the Senate and Assembly who are supporting this legislation. I’m going to celebrate with victims,” Faluszczak said.

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ALLEGHENY (PA)
Trib Live

January 25, 2019

By Megan Guza

Allegheny County police Friday arrested a retired Catholic priest for the alleged assault of a 10-year-old boy in 2001, authorities said.

The Rev. Hugh J. Lang, 88, was a priest at St. Therese in Munhall at the time of the alleged assault, said police Inspector Andrew Schurman.

Schurman said the alleged victim, who he did not identify but lives in another country, saw the media coverage of the statewide grand jury report alleging decades of abuse and cover-ups within six Catholic diocese, including the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Schurman said the person called the Attorney General’s abuse hotline after seeing the coverage, and the complaint was forwarded first to the Childline program and then to county police.

Lang retired in 2006, and the diocese acknowledged the newfound allegations against him in August, placing him on leave. A diocesan spokesman said at the time it was the first allegation leveled against the clergyman.

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