ABUSE TRACKER

Belgium’s secular community has criticised plans for the Pope to visit the official residence of the royal family and deliver a message “to the nation” later this month, calling it an “unprecedented” erosion of the separation of Church and State.

The Central Secular Council (CAL), which represents both French and Dutch speaking non-denominational communities across Belgium, has sharply criticised the invitation extended to Pope Francis by the Belgian monarchy.

The Pope is scheduled to visit Belgium from 26 to 29 September, at the invite of KU Leuven and UCLouvain as the universities mark their 600th anniversaries.

‘Flouting’ principle of separation

Whilst the visit will be historic for Belgian Catholics (as the first papal visit in almost 30 years), CAL has emphasised that the event “does not justify flouting the principles of separation of Church and State and of neutrality”.

Specifically, CAL is critical of an invitation extended by King…

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Boys from Joplin and Carthage and a boy and a girl from Neosho are among 11 alleged victims of past sexual abuse by Catholic Church officials cited in a lawsuit filed last week against the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.

The diocese and Bishop Edward Rice are listed as defendants in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield regarding purported abuse of children dating back as far as the late 1960s by six named and three unnamed priests, a monsignor, an unnamed youth pastor and an unnamed deacon.

The lawsuit states that the victims — all adults today — were children at the time of the abuse and suffered “shame, guilt, self-blame and depression” as a consequence. The plaintiffs are eight boys and three girls identified only by initials in the court petition.

Rice is being sued solely in his capacity as the chief executive officer and director of…

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The Child Victims Act of 2023 and its provisions were tested during a three-hour Maryland Supreme Court hearing to determine whether a past legislature could prohibit the actions of future lawmakers. 

The Maryland Supreme Court heard arguments related to the Child Victims Act last Tuesday. As previously covered on Conduit Street, the question of constitutionality was anticipated to come up following the passage of the original legislation in 2023. The arguments went on for over three hours, well longer than usual according to court administrators.

From a Maryland Matters article:

During more than three hours of oral arguments, the justices repeatedly asked about the ability of the General Assembly to pass a law that allowed for lawsuits on older allegations. They also asked if a 2017 law that preceded the Child Victims Act barred future legislatures from revisiting the issue.

Opponents of the law argued…

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A judge Thursday postponed a hearing on settlement negotiations between the Catholic Church on Long Island and hundreds of clergy sex abuse survivors, though attorneys indicated a resolution, after years of court battles and delays, could finally be near.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan put the hearing off until next week at the request of attorneys for the Diocese of Rockville Centre and more than 500 clergy sex abuse survivors.

Attorneys for both sides indicated in court last week they were close to a settlement, with issues regarding one insurance company — Interstate — being the only remaining obstacle.

Glenn last week expressed irritation with Interstate and ordered a lawyer representing the company to get its leaders to New York this week to resolve the issue.

On Wednesday, the attorneys suggested in a letter to Glenn that the issue was nearly resolved, but the postponement would give them time to wrap up the…

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The indefatigable Pope Francis willbe on the road again Sept. 26-29, less than two weeks after finishing a marathon voyage to Asia and Oceania. His destination this time is closer to home: the northern European countries of Luxembourg and Belgium.  

Western Europe has hardly been the focus of attention for Pope Francis, the first pope from the Global South, who has preferred to reach out to developing countries and the non-Catholic world. Yet this trip will qualify, in another sense, as a visit to the “peripheries” that he has always identified as his mission field.  

Once a bastion of Catholic culture, Belgium, where the Pope will spend most of his time, increasingly exemplifies the post-Christian, secular West. Fifty percent of Belgians identified as Catholic in 2022, a drop of 16% from a decade earlier, according to the country’s bishops’ conference. Only 8.9% of those attend Mass even once a month. 

…

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Lawmakers ask Department of Financial Services to act

New York lawmakers are urging the state Department of Financial Services (DFS) to investigate allegations that insurers are neglecting claims tied to the Child Victims Act (CVA).

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal have formally requested DFS to address concerns that survivors of child sexual abuse are being denied compensation by insurance companies.

In a letter to DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris, the two cited the ongoing complaints from abuse survivors who allege that insurers are failing to process their claims.

Separately, it was pointed out that despite the grievances being raised with DFS for months, the agency has yet to take meaningful action.

Rosenthal and Hoylman-Sigal wrote: “As authors of the Child Victims Act law of 2019, we are writing regarding disturbing reports we have received from survivors who say their claims are not being properly processed by insurers regulated…

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A pair of recent lawsuits filed under the state’s “Lookback Window” law accuse the Catholic Church of turning a blind eye decades ago when two ex- Baton Rouge priests sexually abused underage parishioners.

Both lawsuits, filed in the 19th Judicial District Court, name the Society of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge as the chief defendant. The two civil claims were filed separately by two plaintiffs who kept their respective identities confidential under a state law that shields sexually abused minors from revealing themselves publicly.

In 2021, the Louisiana Legislature created a “lookback window” that gave such victims three years to sue their perpetrators no matter when the abuse occurred. Before that, survivors had until their 28th birthday to sue.

Lawmakers revived causes of action for decades-old claims of sex abuse that previously would have been time-barred in court. In doing so, Louisiana joined 27 other states and…

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Let’s grant that Tom De Cock, a 41-year-old Flemish radio DJ, television personality and author, who’s gay and married, isn’t necessarily representative of the entire population of Belgium, a complex nation of 11.7 million people set to host Pope Francis for a three-day visit this coming weekend.

On the other hand, De Cock’s popularity suggests he doesn’t speak just for himself – and, to say the least, he’s not exactly over the moon about the looming papal visit.

In July, De Cock announced that he was renouncing a fellowship at the Catholic University of Leuven, which the pope is scheduled to visit on Friday, and would not take part in celebrations of the university’s 600th anniversary, despite being an alumnus, in protest over its welcome for the pontiff.

In a piece for the newspaper De Morgen, he said he objects to rolling out the red carpet for the head of a church which,…

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A north Texas church has fired its pastor for allegedly looking at “inappropriate materials,” despite the pastor’s denials of wrongdoing.

Lake Country Church in Fort Worth fired Senior Pastor Scott Crenshaw for allegedly viewing “inappropriate materials” during an Instagram search, according to WFAA 8, a Fort Worth television station.

Crenshaw’s lawyer, Mark Lane, says the claims are false, the station reported.  Email messages left for Lane were not returned, and the law office did not have an answering service.

Crenshaw assumed the pastor role in 2018, according to the church’s website. His name has since been removed from the church’s official webpage, and a message left for church officials was not returned.

Crenshaw’s Facebook page says “I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a father of four, husband of one. I am a seeker,…

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Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s documentary is all the more powerful for its measured telling

[Includes the movie trailer.]

This is what generational trauma looks like. This impactful, multistranded documentary weaves together a dogged investigation into the horrific crimes perpetrated against generations of Indigenous children at a residential school run by the Catholic church in Canada, with accounts of the trickle-down of damage, from grandparents to parents to children. It’s a remarkably courageous and exposed work, particularly for co-director Julian Brave NoiseCat and his father, Ed Archie NoiseCat, whose painful journey together in search of healing is the film’s spine. The sickening facts of the case are presented with a respectful restraint but it’s impossible to watch this and not feel a cold, hard rage on behalf of the victims.

• In UK and Irish cinemas

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Efran Menny tackles a difficult question his family wrestles with as their young children grow in the Catholic faith.

One of the proudest moments I have had as a Black Catholic parent is when my two boys received the sacrament of baptism. As a convert along with my wife, who entered the Church in 2020, transmitting the sacredness and beauty of our faith was a remarkable moment. 

When I crossed the Tiber, my thought thereafter was, “What’s next for me in the Church?” When I think about the future of our children and their faith, I wonder the same. I have always been one to think of the long road. “Begin with the end in mind” is what I tell my students at my school, but using this same logic, what ends are we potentially creating for our children so that they might have a vocation in the Catholic faith?

…

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Despite possible evidence of hundreds of graves at former schools for Indigenous children, challenges in making a clear conclusion have given rise to skeptics.

The revelation convulsed all of Canada.

Ground-penetrating radar had found possible signs of 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school in British Columbia run by the Catholic Church that the government had once used to assimilate Indigenous children forcibly taken from their families.

It was the first of some 80 former schools where indications of possible unmarked graves were discovered, and it produced a wave of sorrow and shock in a country that has long struggled with the legacy of its treatment of Indigenous people. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered flags to fly at half-staff, as many Canadians wore orange T-shirts with the slogan “Every Child Matters.”

Three years later, though, no remains have been exhumed and identified.

Many communities are struggling with a difficult…

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An order of Catholic monks in Quebec is facing a class action lawsuit filed by more than 80 victims, accusing the Brothers of Christian Instruction of widespread sexual assaults spanning decades. The alleged abuses, dating back as far as 1940, occurred in more than 20 schools run by the congregation, with most incidents reported between the 1950s and 1970s.

An order of Catholic monks that once ran up to 80 schools in Canada‘s Quebec province was hit Friday with accusations of sexual assaults over decades.

In a class action, more than 87 victims have come forward with allegations against the Brothers of Christian Instruction that date as far back as 1940. Several of the monks are now deceased.

In court documents, the accusers detail assaults at more than 20 schools run by the Brothers across the province of Quebec.

Most occurred between the 1950s and 1970s, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs…

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Belgium’s bishops unveiled their new point man on clerical abuse this week, days before Pope Francis begins a four-day visit to the country.

Archbishop Luc Terlinden, the 55-year-old Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, succeeds Bishop Johan Bonny, the 69-year-old Bishop of Antwerp, who stepped down in July, citing an excessive workload that he said was taking a toll on his health.

Bonny had served in the role for the past 15 years, a time of great upheaval in the Belgian Church amid clerical abuse and cover-up scandals.

The last papal visit to Belgium was in 1995, when Pope John Paul II beatified Fr. Damien De Veuster, the Apostle of Molokai. That was long before the abuse crisis overwhelmed the country, tarnishing a generation of Catholic leaders, and accelerating the local Church’s already steep post-Vatican II decline.

The motto for Pope Francis’ Sept. 26-29 visit is “En route, avec Espérance” (“On the way, with Hope”) — a notably forward-looking…

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‘If anyone could undo … the will of Louisiana … the Catholic church can and will,’ says survivor whose case is targeted

Months after Louisiana’s supreme court upheld the constitutionality of a state law that let child molestation victims sue for long-ago abuse, despite arguments to the contrary by a Roman Catholic diocese, another church organization is asking the federal government to strike the statute down.

Behind the request in question are the Dominican Sisters of Peace and a law firm that boasts about having represented Catholic institutions in Louisiana courts for more than a century. Another of the law firm’s clients in question, the archdiocese of New Orleans, is offering clergy molestation victims less than 10% of what they are requesting in a bankruptcy settlement, in part by arguing the so-called “lookback window” law doesn’t apply to more than 600 abuse claims.

The law that the Dominican Sisters and their…

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette challenged the constitutionality of a state law that let child molestation victims sue for long-ago abuse. The Louisiana Supreme Court rejected it.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is offering abuse victims less than 10% of what they are requesting in a bankruptcy settlement, in part by arguing the so-called “lookback window” law doesn’t apply to more than 600 abuse claims filed. 

And now, a third Roman Catholic organization is taking another bite at the apple, asking a federal judge to strike down the same Louisiana law.

Behind this latest effort are the Dominican Sisters of Peace in Baton Rouge and a law firm that boasts about having represented Catholic institutions in court for more than a century. 

The law which the sisters and their Denechaud and Denechaud attorneys are targeting doesn’t exclusively apply in cases of Catholic clergy abuse. But the…

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[See also the lawsuits against the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau and the Diocese of Jefferson City.]

Two lawsuits filed this month are accusing the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau and the Diocese of Jefferson City, both in Missouri, of covering up and enabling decades of sexual abuse against minors dating back to the 1960s through the 1990s.

The two suits, filed in U.S. District Court and employing identical language in many cases, claim that diocesan officials “knowingly enabled, covered up, and concealed for multiple decades” sexual abuse perpetrated on minors, what the suits call a “shameless cover-up” that “spanned decades and allowed various bishops and other employees to access and sexually abuse numerous children.”

The suits were filed on behalf of numerous unnamed individuals identified only by their initials. The alleged victims were almost all minors at the time of the reported abuse; one plaintiff in the Jefferson City…

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The Diocese of Rockford was recently informed that Father Matthew DeBlock
is under investigation for an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor, which
allegedly occurred while Father DeBlock served at Boylan Central Catholic High School
from 2012 to 2014. According to Diocese of Rockford policies, Father DeBlock was
immediately removed from all ministry while the investigation by civil and church
authorities takes place.

Bishop David Malloy issued a statement Sept. 19 to St. John Neumann Parish, where
Father DeBlock was assigned as parochial vicar (associate pastor) as well as to Boylan
Central Catholic High School. Statements regarding Father DeBlock’s status were also
issued to all other parishes and schools where Father DeBlock had been assigned since
his ordination as a priest for the diocese in 2008.

Bishop wrote “Accordingly, and in fulfillment of the commitment of the Bishops of the
United States articulated in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,
Father DeBlock has resigned as parochial…

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Some families of students who attended Boylan Catholic High School receive an email regarding an ongoing investigation involving a priest who taught and served as assistant principal at the school.

The letter was sent to families Sept. 19 by the Diocese of Rockford. A news release was also published Friday on the Diocese of Rockford website.

The diocese says it was “recently informed Father Matthew DeBlock is under investigation for an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor.” The diocese says the alleged misconduct reportedly happened at the time Father DeBlock served at Boylan, between 2012 and 2014.

No criminal charges have been filed against the priest at this time. Local law enforcement agencies either openly denied an investigation or shared that they would comment only if charges were announced.

According to the letter, the diocese says Father DeBlock resigned from his assignment as parochial vicar at…

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Catholic church sex abuse victims and their lawyers are speaking out after the way the Norwich Diocese tried to change a compensation plan.

The Diocese said it is actually the victims who walked away from the existing plan, but the changes- and the delays- have victims angry.

“I was lied to,” said one victim, who asked not to be identified. “I was betrayed.”

They are one of dozens saying they were sexually abused by members of the Catholic Church in the Norwich Diocese.

They say the betrayal started with the abuse. Much of that happened years ago at the Mount Saint John School for troubled boys in Deep River.

Facing all those abuse claims three years ago, the Norwich Diocese filed for bankruptcy. But the bishop at the time made a promise to abuse survivors.

“The bankruptcy court will oversee a settlement that ensures that all survivors are included and…

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On September 12, 2024, a lawsuit was filed against myself and the Diocese of Jefferson City concerning five allegations of misconduct that reportedly occurred decades ago. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and investigating the allegations.

As always, our goals are to support healing and peace for any survivor of abuse, to bring abusers to justice and to implement safeguards to prevent harm.

It is important that everyone in our community is aware that none of the five priests named in the lawsuit are currently active in ministry in the Diocese of Jefferson City.

Two of the priests named — Thomas Duggan and Gerald Howard (formerly Carmen Sita) — are deceased. Both had previously been listed on our public registry of clergy credibly accused of misconduct. This list is available on our website at www.diojeffcity.org/safe-environment.

The lawsuit also names Fr. Francis Gillgannon, who died…

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The Jefferson City Catholic Diocese and Bishop Shawn McKnight are facing a lawsuit from victims, who alleged abuse happened at churches in the Capitol city.

In the last week, five survivors sued the group, accusing anywhere from four to five church officials of sexual abuse over the past few decades. In a statement to KRCG 13, Bishop McKnight said those accused includeThomas Duggan, Gerald Howard (formerly Carmen Sita),Fr. Francis Gillgannon,“Fr. Darr” and “Fr. Dave.”

According to the diocese, Duggan, Howard and Gillgannon are all deceased. Prior to the recent allegations, both Duggan and Howardhad committed other offenses, and had been listed on the diocese’s public registry of clergy credibly accused of misconduct.

Additionally,Bishop McKnight said there is no record of a “Fr. Darr” ever serving in the Diocese of Jefferson City. The diocese is currently working to identify a “Fr. Dave.” However, the church confirmed the allegation…

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A dozen Missouri priests and clergymen are accused of sexual abuse in two new federal lawsuits filed this week.

The priests are from two Dioceses: Jefferson City and Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Both of these lawsuits are asking for a jury trial, but no court date has been set.

In one of the two lawsuits filed September 13, seven priests and clergymen from the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic Diocese in the 1980s and ‘90s asked for $75M in damages. The lawsuit alleges Diocese leadership knowingly covered up abuse allegations, leading to prolonged suffering for the victims.

The men accused are:

• Fr. Leonard Chambers
• Fr. John Harth
• Fr. Reeker
• Fr. Thomas McCarthy
• Fr. Thomas Reidy
• Msgr. John Westheus
• Fr. Michael McDevitt

Three plaintiffs could not recall the name of their abuser. Another plaintiff said their abuse was committed by an unnamed youth pastor.

In a statement, the diocese outlines its policy for investigating claims and says…

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The funeral of Bishop Eamonn Casey in 2017 seemed to draw a line under his scandalous affair years before. But this summer, disturbing new allegations emerged.

The funeral Mass for Eamonn Casey seemed to befit one of the best-known Catholic bishops in all of Ireland. The pageantry on that cool March day in 2017 included 11 bishops and five dozen priests, all in white, gliding as if airborne up the center aisle of the pew-packed cathedral in Galway.

Incense and awkwardness commingled. Bishop Casey, who was 89, had once been the charismatic and progressive leader of the Galway Diocese, in western Ireland. But the disclosure in 1992 that he had fathered a child with a distant American cousin, and then refused to have anything to do with the boy, had rocked the Catholic-dominant country and sent him into the wilderness.

At the funeral, a fellow bishop referred to…

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Documentary details horrific cruelty towards and abuse of First Nations children in residential schools and discovery of unmarked graves

This gripping account of the abuse of First Nations children at Catholic residential schools in Canada rightly won the jury prize for documentary direction at Sundance in January and is now an early Academy Award favourite.

Early in the film, a group of volunteers ventures into a barn on the grounds of St Joseph’s Mission residential school near the Sugarcane Reservation in British Columbia. They find heartbreaking inscriptions from desperate children. Investigators Charlene Belleau and Whitney Spearing uncover more than 50 unmarked graves nearby.

Founded in the late 19th century, St Joseph’s was one of many state-supported Catholic institutions intended to counter “the Indian problem”. The grandmother of Julian Brave NoiseCat, the film’s codirector, who was himself born in mysterious circumstances in the institution, says, “Before we went to residential school…

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The prefect for the Dicastery of Bishops, Cardinal Robert Prevost, has been publicly accused of never having opened a canonical case into alleged sexual abuse carried out by two priests in the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, which he led from 2014 until 2023, when he was called to Rome. 

As previously reported by The Pillar, the Diocese of Chiclayo has been accused of mishandling allegations made by Ana Maria Quispe and two other women, who say they were abused by Fr Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles. Allegations were also made against Fr Ricardo Yesquen. 

It has since emerged that the other two alleged victims are Ana Maria Quispe’s younger sisters, Aura Teresa and Juana Mercedes.

In a new statement, the alleged victims claim that Prevost failed in 2022 to open an investigation into the accusations of sexual abuse dating back to 2007. They say that any documentation that may have been sent…

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The ongoing Synod on Synodality, the plight of migrants and refugees and continued efforts to safeguard minors and vulnerable groups from abuse will be prominent topics discussed during the Canadian bishops’ 2024 Plenary Assembly in Beaupré, Que., from Sept. 23-27.

Seventy-nine bishops from Latin and Eastern churches will convene to dialogue, discern and deliberate on the issues affecting the credibility and vitality of the Canadian Catholic community.

Cardinal Mario Grech, the Synod on Synodality’s secretary-general, will deliver the keynote address virtually, just days before the resumption of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome from Oct. 2-27. The Maltese prelate is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. EST on Sept. 23.

French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, the Archbishop of Marseille and Pope Francis’ special envoy for the Archdiocese of Quebec’s 350th anniversary, and Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, the apostolic nuncio to Canada, are other dignitaries speaking on…

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Assorted charges were dropped against Christopher Chell, but he has pleaded no contest to charges of felony battery and an offense against a student by an authority figure.

Chell was a physical education teacher at Saint Patrick Interparish School.

Judge David Kreider withheld adjudication and sentenced Chell to six months jail time and five years probation.

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A professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium has claimed the university is intentionally downplaying a looming visit by Pope Francis, driven by anger over sexual abuse scandals as well as “shame” about Catholic identity and a “business and marketing logic” which views being identified with the institutional church as potentially detrimental to enrollment.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the university on Sept. 27 to help celebrate its 600th anniversary, as part of a broader three-day trip to Luxembourg and Belgium.

Yet Bart Maddens, a professor of political science at the university, charged in a recent piece for the Flemish magazine Doorbraak that the papal visit is being “covered up,” noting that there’s no mention of it on the home page of the university web site, even under the “events” tab, nor is there any reference on a page dedicated to the anniversary celebrations.

Moreover, Maddens writes, the pope’s meeting…

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Testifying for the first time in a trial that has transfixed and horrified France, Dominique Pelicot said on Tuesday that he had “nothing but love” for his wife but a sex addiction controlled him, and he couldn’t stop himself from drugging her and raping her, and bringing other men into their home to rape her along with him while she was unconscious.

Mr. Pelicot, 71, added that his “perversion” was created by traumatic episodes in his childhood, notably a sexual assault he said he suffered at age 9, when he was admitted to hospital with a head injury and a nurse sexually assaulted him. His wife, he said, had saved him from that horror for a long time.

“She didn’t deserve this, I recognize that,” he said in tears sitting on the stand, his voice so weak that the court strained to hear him.

“I regret what I did and…

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Former wife of Dominique Pélicot, who allegedly recruited strangers to assault her, calls accused men ‘degenerates’

The former wife of a French man accused of recruiting strangers to rape her while she was drugged has told a court she never consented and the men who allegedly assaulted her were “degenerates”.

Appearing at the trial of her former husband, Dominique Pélicot, and 50 men he allegedly invited to rape her, Gisèle Pélicot, 72, said: “I never, even for a single second, gave my consent to Mr Pélicot or those other men.”

Dominique Pelicot, 71, has admitted drugging his then-wife with sedatives and anti-anxiety medication to render her unconscious so that he and dozens of strangers who he recruited in online chatrooms could allegedly rape her between 2011 and 2020.

The 50 men, aged between 26 and 74, with professions ranging from fire officer to journalist, are alleged to have been recruited…

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Eight area catholic churches are named in a federal civil lawsuit filed last week by 11 plaintiffs who say they were sexually abused by clergy members more than 20 years ago.

The plaintiffs, who are adults now, say that when they were children in the ’70s and ’80s — they were subjected to sexual abuse by priests, and that the diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau turned a blind eye to the abuse.

Catholic churches listed in the lawsuit are St. Peter’s and St. Mary’s in Joplin, St. Ann’s in Carthage, Sacred Heart in Webb City, St. Canera’s in Neosho, along with Catholic churches in Mount Vernon, Pierce City, and Wentworth.

Plaintiffs are listed only by initials in the civil suit but include one girl and two boys from Neosho, a boy from Joplin, and one from Carthage.

Six men who formerly served as parish priests are named in the suit along…

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In a federal lawsuit filed by 11 individuals, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau and its Bishop Edward Rice in his official capacity are accused of enabling and concealing sexual abuse of minors by employees that took place over decades.

Filed Sept. 12 in U.S. District Court’s Western District of Missouri, the lawsuit demands $75 million for the victims, who allege they experienced sexual abuse in the 1980s and 1990s. The lawsuit names seven different priests and clergy, only one of whom appears on the diocese’s published list of clergy with allegations of abuse, which was last updated September 2023.

“The Diocese and Bishop did not act in any manner to protect the young children of its parishes, churches, community, and other organizations within its (area of operation),” the complaint filed in court reads. “To the contrary, the Bishop and Diocese engaged in several decades of intentional misconduct…

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Michael O’Keeffe, a former pupil of a school for the visually impaired, has chosen to speak out after the recent scoping inquiry revealed a high level of abuse in special education schools

Michael O’Keeffe first witnessed the beating of a child when he was a boy attending St Joseph’s School for the Visually Impaired in Drumcondra on the northside of Dublin.

The retired academic who specialised in lecturing students in special and inclusive education was born with a mild visual impairment in 1959 and sent to the Dublin school from his home in rural Limerick at the age of eight.

Doctors had “constantly said to my mother that this child should be ‘sent away’”, he recalled. And so he was.

He and his mother took the train to Dublin and St Joseph’s in Drumcondra, run by the Rosminian religious congregation. He said he “settled into this new…

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In July, Johan Bonny resigned after 15 years as the Belgian bishops’ commissioner for abuse. Now another bishop is taking over. Meanwhile, the Pope is planning a symbolically important meeting during his upcoming visit to the country.

The new abuse commissioner of the Belgian Bishops’ Conference is its chairman, Archbishop Luc Terlinden. He provisionally succeeds Bishop Johan Bonny, who stepped down from this position in July after 15 years, the bishops announced on their website. Terlinden admitted that there had been a “culture of secrecy and silence” in the Church in the past, which made each of these tragedies even more difficult to bear.

It was also said that Pope Francis wanted to meet 15 victims of sexual abuse during his visit to Belgium. At the express request of several victims, the meeting will take place in complete discretion. Therefore, neither the place nor the time of the meeting will be disclosed,…

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans has proposed a bankruptcy settlement as part of its plan for addressing sexual abuse by clergy, offering a $62.5 million payout to victims of abuse even as the victims themselves are demanding hundreds of millions more. 

The archdiocese’s Chapter 11 plan of reorganization, filed last week in U.S. bankruptcy court, proposes a $50 million cash transfer from the archdiocese to a settlement trust, along with a $12.5 million payment from affiliated “non-debtor Catholic entities,” mostly parishes within the archdiocese itself. 

In a statement announcing the plan, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said the archdiocese’s “main priorities are to assist the abuse survivors on a path towards healing that includes fair and equitable compensation for them” while “creating a more financially sustainable archdiocesan ministry for the future.”

Acknowledging that there is “still much work to do,” Aymond said the proposal will nevertheless “allow…

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Dungannon Crown Court was informed that further charges involving three other males has been added

A Co Tyrone priest charged with two counts of historic sex offences involving two males has had a further three charges added.

Canon Patrick McEntee (70) from Esker Road, Dromore requested a leave of absence in 2022 while a serious safeguarding investigation was carried out.

Last year he was charged with sexual offences against two males which allegedly occurred in the Co Fermanagh area.

Canon McEntee is a former teacher, governor and college president at St Michael’s College in Enniskillen.

He was also college president between 1994 and 2000, moving on to take up the post of parish priest at St Davog’s Church in Dromore, in 2001, where he has remained until his recent leave of absence.

He faced a total of of five counts of indecent assault dating back to the 1980s.

However after…

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Three women accused the Chiclayo Diocese of failing to punish two priests for sexually abusing them as minors

Three women have alleged a Peruvian diocese failed to punish a pair of priests, who they accuse of sexually abusing them as minors.

The Diocese of Chiclayo denied the accusations of a coverup, saying in a Sept. 10 statement the victims were personally attended to by the then-bishop, Cardinal Robert Prevost — now prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops — in April 2022.

Their accusations and the findings of a local investigation, the diocese said, were sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which investigates accusations of clerical sexual abuse, in July 2022. The Vatican investigation found insufficient evidence, according to the diocese.

Peruvian prosecutors also investigated but found insufficient evidence and ruled the statute of limitations had passed. The accusations were reported Sept. 8 by the television news…

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Jose Alcides Vasquez served as a pastor and volunteer for several churches

A Southern California pastor has been arrested for sexually assaulting multiple young girls.

Jose Alcides Vasquez, 47, was arrested “without incident” on September 5 at his home in Menifee, the Ontario Police Department said in a press release. He faces eight charges, according to public records, including aggravated sexual assault of a minor, continuous sexual assault of a child under 14, and lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 14.

He is being held in the West Valley Detention Center and will appear in court on Monday, according to public records.

Police began investigating Vasquez in August 2021, when a student in Ontario told an administrator at their high school that they were sexually assaulted.

Then, in July, an additional survivor came forward, giving police additional evidence they say links Vasquez to the assaults.

…

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The Diocese vowed to investigate the claims and said it continues to ‘pray for all those who have been injured by abuse’

Eleven plaintiffs — one of whom is a former Springfield resident — filed a federal lawsuit last week against the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau claiming they were sexually abused as children by church employees and that the diocese covered it up.

The suit, filed on Sept. 13, also names Bishop Edward M. Rice, who has led the diocese since 2016. The suit alleges Rice, in his official capacity, “knowingly enabled, covered up, and concealed for multiple decades” that church employees sexually abused minors. 

“Moreover, Defendants have covered up and concealed their own intentional misconduct in enabling this sexual abuse by exploiting the trusting and confidential relationships the Defendants (the Dioceses and Rice) encouraged and established with Plaintiffs while they were impressionable young children,” the suit alleges. “This shameless…

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Malaysian authorities have frozen almost 100 bank accounts linked to an Islamic business group being investigated for suspected child abuse, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

Authorities are investigating Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) for allegedly running charity homes from which police last week rescued more than 400 children and youth. Police said many showed signs of sexual abuse and neglect.

The bank accounts held a total of more than 580,000 ringgit ($136,000) and the company is now being investigated for alleged money laundering as well as religious offences, the Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain told reporters.

“We are conducting our investigation transparently and fairly while protecting the rights of those concerned,” Razarudin said.

GISB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company had initially said it did not run the charity homes and denied all allegations of abuse, but then its chief executive said…

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Authorities froze US$124,000 from almost 100 accounts of a conglomerate linked to child abuse in care homes

Malaysian authorities have frozen close to 100 bank accounts belonging to a conglomerate accused of running care homes where hundreds of children were allegedly abused, police said on Sept. 17.

In what is believed to be the worst such case to hit Malaysia in decades, police arrested 171 suspects including religious studies teachers and caregivers and brought to safety over 400 children after storming 20 charity shelters.

At the heart of the investigation is the Global Ikhwan Service and Business (GISB) group, which has long been controversial for its links to the now-defunct Al-Arqam sect.

On Sept. 17, Malaysia’s police chief Razarudin Husain said authorities have frozen 96 accounts linked to the group containing approximately $124,000.

“We have also seized eight vehicles linked to the company,” he said.

In the immediate…

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Note: This story discusses self-harm. If at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support at 1-800-273-8255 or text the Suicide and Crisis Line at 988 to connect with help.

A case involving an aggravated sexual battery charge of a minor against long-time Columbia pastor David M. Baker, 57, has been abated due to the pastor’s death on Sept. 11.

Baker died by apparent suicide just a day after he was arrested and charged by the Maury County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 10. An arrest affidavit obtained from Mt. Pleasant General Sessions Court shows Baker was charged with aggravated sexual battery involving a minor family member between the estimated timeframe of Dec. 9, 2013 and Dec. 9, 2015.

Mt. Pleasant General Sessions Judge J. Lee Bailey, III dismissed the case on Sept. 13 due to the death of Baker.

More:Columbia pastor dies of apparent suicide a…

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A Southern California pastor is out on a $500,000 bond after being arrested and charged with several child sex abuse offenses. Juan Barrios, 51, has been accused of abusing two underaged boys at his home in Riverside over the course of several years. 

Barrios had been serving as pastor of Iglesia De Dios Israelita in Fullerton, California, a small, Spanish-speaking congregation. 

ChurchLeaders has reached out to Iglesia De Dios Israelita for comment and will update this article in the event of a response. 

Barrios was arrested on Sept. 8 following a months-long investigation conducted by the Riverside Police Department. He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and later released on bond. 

RELATED: Southern California Pastor Charged With 8 Counts Relating to Child Sex Abuse

Barrios has been accused of sexually abusing two brothers between 2009 and 2015 while the boys’ family was staying at Barrios’ home. Barrios was…

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A Michigan pastor has been arrested and fired after admitting to placing a hidden camera in a church bathroom, according to a church official, The Detroit News reported.

Will Johnson, 37, the former worship pastor director at 2|42 Community Church in Brighton, was arrested last Friday, according to The Detroit News. A church staffer discovered a hidden camera in “a non-public, unisex bathroom in the (Brighton church’s) backstage area,” 2|42 Community Church’s executive pastor of ministry operations Eric Rauch said, the outlet reported. Rauch reportedly alleged that Johnson confessed to installing the camera after being confronted by church leadership. He was immediately dismissed from his position, the executive pastor added, according to the outlet.

Johnson allegedly admitted the same to Livingston County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) detectives following his arrest, The Detroit News reported. He reportedly said he had intermittently installed the camera over the past two…

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A Michigan pastor has confessed to hiding a camera in a church bathroom for years, according to an email from church leadership.

Will Johnson, the former worship pastor director, made the confession after a staff member discovered the camera in a unisex bathroom in the backstage area at 2|42 Community Church in Brighton, Michigan. 2|42 is a non-denominational church with seven campuses across the state.

Church leadership immediately fired 37-year-old Johnson, the email said. They then contacted the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, who arrested Johnson that same night.

Johnson, was arraigned Sunday in the 53rd District Court and charged with tampering with evidence, surveilling an unclothed person, a felony, and using a computer to commit a crime, according to court records.

Police told Livingston Daily News that Johnson admitted to placing the camera in the bathroom on and off for more…

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Thousands of pages of documents, millions of dollars in legal fees and dozens of contentious court hearings have finally brought the Archdiocese of New Orleans to the central questions of its four-year-old bankruptcy case: What compensation is due to people who were raped or molested by clergy decades ago? And how will the church come up with the money?

On Friday, in dueling legal filings, attorneys for the local Roman Catholic

church and the committee that represents nearly 550 survivors of clergy sex abuse laid out competing visions for how the nation’s second-oldest diocese should settle the claims against it.

Nearly $900 million separates the two sides. Under the archdiocese’s plan, people who have credible claims of sexual abuse by clergy would receive

$62.5 million, or roughly $114,000 each. The settlement plan proposed by court-appointed attorneys of abuse survivors called for a $994 million settlement, which would translate to…

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In October, the pontiff will preside over a penitential celebration asking forgiveness for abuse, sins against migrants and the environment and sins against women and young people.

A newly released schedule for the second and final session of the Vatican Synod on Synodality underlines the Catholic Church’s plan to promote dialogue with other Christian denominations, enhance transparency and take responsibility for past mistakes.

During a news conference Monday, organizers of the synod, centered around the theme “How to be a synodal church in mission?,” presented the next steps of the summit of bishops, which is scheduled for Oct. 3-27 at the Vatican.

The synodal process will soon open to the entire church, said the general secretary of the synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, adding that after a three-year journey, “it is reaching its climax.”

Pope Francis initiated the synod in 2021 asking all Catholic faithful to weigh in on the most important…

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The head of the French bishops’ council has admitted that several of its officials were aware of Abbé Pierre’s alleged sexual abuse of women for decades. And while “measures” had been put in place to address the priest’s behaviour, it continued until his death in 2007.

In an open letter published Le Monde on Monday, Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, the current head of the French bishops’ council, said that “at least some bishops” were aware as early as 1955 of Abbé Pierre’s “seriously bad behaviour” towards women.

Some measures had been taken, including “psychological therapy” and the appointment of an assistant, whose surveillance Abbe Pierre “did his best to [evade]”.

These were considered strong measures at the time, according to Moulins-Beaufort, who reiterated that the French church is committed to making sure the “truth is revealed on the facts of violence and sexual violence”.

Sexual assault accusations

Abbé Pierre, whose…

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Workers removed a statue of late French charity icon Abbe Pierre from its pedestal in a small village of eastern France on Tuesday, marking his dramatic fall from grace after a slew of abuse allegations spanning five decades.

“There was no debate” about removing the life-size resin statue, mayor Denis Mailler of Norges-la-Ville north of Dijon said.

He added that a vote last week on the village council had been “unanimous”.

Abbe Pierre, a Capuchin monk since 1932 and an ordained Catholic clergyman since 1938, died in 2007 aged 94.

Born Henri Groues, Abbe Pierre (whose name means Abbot Pierre) was an icon in France — a friend to the poverty stricken and the founder of the charities Emmaus and the Abbe Pierre Foundation.

But salvoes of abuse allegations have blackened his name in recent months, with women publicly reporting assaults ranging from groping to rape and “sexual contact with…

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The Houston Chronicle’s “Abuse of Faith” newspaper series about sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention likely would not have been possible without an earlier expose of the Roman Catholic Church published by the Boston Globe, that paper’s former editor said.

Martin Baron, former editor of the Boston Globe and the Washington Post, was keynote speaker for a 90th anniversary gala dinner sponsored by Religion News Service in New York City Sept. 10. He spoke in dialogue with RNS National Reporter Adelle Banks at Fordham University, a Catholic school.

The Globe’s 2002 series that unraveled decades of coverups of sexual abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic Church set the stage for investigations and reports into other systems of abuse, he said. “It has had a significant effect on holding other institutions accountable. The Southern Baptist Convention is an example of one institution. … It had an impact on other institutions like the Boy Scouts and Penn State, and it…

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Eliminating the statute of limitations in civil cases could deter institutions like universities or churches from covering up for the criminals among them.

Sometimes the political is personal.

In the case of Senator Joan Lovely, her efforts to eliminate the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse in civil cases have their roots in her own childhood trauma. She has spoken openly about being abused at age 6.

And so when her bill was up for a final vote in the Senate in July — after 10 years of effort — she wept.

“It’s usually much later in life that someone will get up the courage to face their abuse,” Lovely told the Globe editorial board. “Usually [survivors] bury this. I know I did. So there shouldn’t be any reason for anyone not to be able to…

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Father Anthony Odiong was arrested in July after the police found him with child pornography while investigating a sexual assault claim, according to the Waco Police Department.

A Catholic priest was indicted in Texas on felony sexual assault charges after several victims accused him of sexual and financial abuse, according to court documents and investigators.

The priest, Father Anthony Odiong, was indicted on Thursday by a grand jury in McLennan County, Texas, on two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of first-degree sexual assault.

He was arrested in July in Ave Maria, Fla., when investigators found him in possession of child pornography while looking into sexual assault claims reported to the police, according to a Facebook post from the Waco Police Department. He was not indicted on possession of child pornography, but could be in the future, Detective Bradley DeLange said.

The police had…

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A former Catholic priest who worked in Waco and West who was arrested in Florida two months ago was indicted Thursday in two alleged McLennan County sexual assaults.

A McLennan County grand jury indicted Father Anthony Odiong, 55, on three counts of second-degree felony sexual assault in two separate indictments alleging he sexually assaulted two women. If convicted, Odiong faces up to life in prison on one indictment because the victim is someone he was prohibited by statute from marrying. On the two counts in the second indictment he faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.

Odiong, who is alleged to have taken advantage of women during their weakest times, remains in the McLennan County Jail under bonds totaling $2.5 million. He also has a pending possession of child pornography charge.

At least eight women have come forward since his arrest saying he used his position as…

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A former seminary student who pleaded guilty to charges tied to child sexual abuse materials he uploaded using the IP address of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary has been sentenced to probation.

Judge Jennifer Branch sentenced 28-year-old Broderick Witt to five years probation; Prosecutors were seeking 12 years in prison.

In addition to the probation, Witt has been ordered to have no access to children, no access to internet or electronic devices and he must serve six months of his probation at River City Correctional.

Witt also now must register as a tier two sex offender.

He pleaded guilty on Aug. 9 to eight counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor; he’d initially faced 15 counts.

In court on Thursday, Witt addressed the court himself before Branch handed down his sentence, claiming his actions were fueled by depression.

“For most of my life, I felt that something was missing,” he…

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Pontiff admits the Vatican was aware of allegations that Abbé Pierre was a sexual predator

The Vatican is facing questions over its handling of sexual abuse allegations involving the French priest who founded the Emmaüs charity.

For the first time, Pope Francis has addressed the scandal that rocked France after seven women accused the late Abbé Pierre – often hailed as a modern-day saint – of sexual abuse, in a report published this summer.

During an in-flight press conference on his return from Asia, the Pope admitted that the Vatican was aware of allegations that Abbé Pierre was a sexual predator.

The pontiff called the founder of the anti-poverty charity Emmaüs “a terrible sinner”.

“What did the Vatican know about Abbé Pierre? I don’t know, because I wasn’t there at the time,” said Pope Francis, who was elected in 2013.

“What is certain is that after his death,…

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Belgium’s Roman Catholic bishops have chosen 15 victims of sexual abuse that will meet Pope Francis during the Pontif’s visit to Belgium at the end of the month. Around 80 people that had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy had requested an audience with the Pope. Those that have not been selected to meet Pope Francis in person will be able to write a letter that will be passed on to him. 

In 2 weeks, Pope Francis will visit Belgium to mark the 600th anniversary of the foundation of Leuven University (KUL and UCL). Since the visit was announced they has been much discussion about a possible meeting between the Pontif and victims sexual abuse at the hands of Roman Catholic clergy. 

Earlier, it was announced that the Pope would meet (some of) the victims. It was up to the Belgian bishops to decide…

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Pope Francis will meet with 15 victims of clerical sexual abuse during his visit to Belgium at the end of the month, the Bishop’s Conference of Belgium has confirmed.

The Pope is scheduled to visit Belgium from 26 to 29 September, at the invite of KU Leuven and UCLouvain as the universities mark their 600th anniversaries.

The visit of the head of the Catholic Church comes almost exactly a year after the explosive documentary Godvergeten (which roughly translates to ‘Godforsaken’) was aired by Flemish broadcaster VRT.

The documentary exposed years of sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in Flanders, sending shockwaves through the community and giving a voice to victims of abuse perpetrated by religious figures within parish, school and family settings.

It shone a fresh light on historic abuses within the Belgian Catholic Church, and led to both the Federal and Flemish Parliaments establishing separate committees of…

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Five people claiming Catholic priests abused them in Mid-Missouri accused the diocese of covering up and sometimes encouraging their assaults over decades.

The five victims, identified only by their initials, sued the Jefferson City Diocese and Bishop Shawn McKnight in federal court on Thursday. The five plaintiffs and their attorney, Rebecca Randles of Randles Mata, accused the diocese of a “shameless cover-up” throughout the last 50 years and said it “hindered Plaintiffs from discovering their causes of action against the Defendants for their negligent and intentional conduct.”

A diocese spokesman declined to comment on the substance of the allegations while the lawsuit is in the courts.

“The Diocese of Jefferson City is aware of this lawsuit,” Jacob Luecke said in response to questions from ABC 17 News. “Out of respect for the judicial process, we will decline to comment at this time.”

The lawsuit details abuse by several members of…

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The state’s largest religious denomination, having already paid out more than $30 million in settlements, is the subject of at least 16 more cases alleging sexual misconduct by since-defrocked priests.

Vermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese, having spent more than $30 million to settle some 40 priest misconduct lawsuits dating as far back as 1950, faces another wave of court cases alleging more past child sexual abuse. 

The state’s largest religious denomination is the subject of at least 16 more civil actions, records show. Collectively, they could prove even more costly for the diocese, whose $12.5 million budget for the 2023 fiscal year included more than $1 million for ongoing settlements and $691,000 in legal fees, according to its most recent public financial statement.

“Management cannot reasonably estimate the amount of the liability that may result,” the statement noted about the newest cases. “However, the settlement of these additional lawsuits could have…

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Catholic church says it will open its records on the once-revered Emmaüs founder, who died in 2007

France’s Catholic church has said it will open its records on allegations of sexual abuse and harassment made against a priest whose campaigning for the poor and homeless resulted in him being venerated as a modern-day saint.

The Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) said their records on Abbé Pierre, the founder of the charity Emmaüs, who died in 2007, would be made available without the usual delay of 75 years from the time of death.

Seven women accused Abbé Pierre of sexual assault in July, and Emmaüs said since then it had received a further 17 testimonies including “very serious” accusations of sexual abuse on a number of victims, including at least one who was a child at the time of the alleged offences.

In a joint statement, the Abbé Pierre Foundation,…

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Anthony Odiong is accused of sexual assault by at least eight women whom the priest had been counseling

The criminal case that authorities are building against a Roman Catholic priest accused of preying on women whom he met while working in south-east Louisiana and Texas is progressing, with a grand jury in the latter state indicting him on three felony sexual assault charges.

Anthony Odiong, 55, faces two counts of second-degree sexual assault as well as one of first-degree sexual assault in the charges handed up against him recently in the McLennan county, Texas, state court.

The charges against Odiong – who was first arrested in July – involve two women. He could receive up to life imprisonment if convicted of the first-degree charge, a stiffer penalty that stems from the fact that the alleged victim in the case was a woman whom Odiong was prohibited from “marrying or purporting to…

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Special to The Seattle Times

The Seattle Times’ July 28 editorial, “Survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy deserve transparency, closure,” implied that the Archdiocese of Seattle does not understand the needs of victim-survivors and that it is shirking its responsibility to them. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Since the mid-1980s, before any requirements were in place, the Archdiocese has worked with a group of independent, community-based experts on survivors and offenders to improve the response to victims and implement a comprehensive Safe Environment program to prevent sexual abuse.

Since 2002, the independent Review Board has met regularly, with the serving archbishop also in attendance. Each of the archbishops since 2002 has supported an expanded role for the board that also encompasses review of allegations of sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults by clergy, employees and volunteers. 

We know from survivors that their definition of justice and…

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The two sides are worlds apart, with the survivors asking for $2 million average per claimant, church offering $125,000

[SEE VIDEO]

NEW ORLEANS — With a self-imposed deadline looming to file a plan to reorganize New Orleans’ bankrupt Roman Catholic archdiocese, a committee representing about 500 survivors of clergy sexual abuse on Friday proposed that the church, its affiliated parishes, ministries, schools and their insurers should pay more than $1 billion to settle their claims.

The archdiocese quickly answered with its counterproposal: $62.5 million, or more than $900 million less.

Looking at it another way, the survivors are seeking $2 million per claim – the church is offering $125,000 on average.   

The vast majority of the money in the abuse claimants’ proposal – roughly $800 million – would come from insurance companies. Meanwhile, the archdiocese should pay $84 million and its affiliates – known as apostolates – should chip in $133 million,…

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To the Clergy, Religious, and Laity of the Archdiocese of New Orleans:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Survivors of abuse remain in our concern and prayers daily. As I shared with you when we filed for Chapter 11 Reorganization, our main priorities are to assist the abuse survivors on a path towards healing that includes fair and equitable compensation for them while creating a more financially sustainable archdiocesan ministry for the future. Our focus is to reach a settlement agreement that accomplishes this goal.

Today, we reached a milestone in this process. It is with great hope that I share with you that we have filed the CHAPTER 11 PLAN OF REORGANIZATION FOR THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW ORLEANS, DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 13, 2024. While there is still much work to do, this will allow us to move forward and begin to bring conclusion to these proceedings. I…

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More than four years after filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid a growing number of childhood sex abuse claims against local priests and other clergy, the Archdiocese of New Orleans filed a reorganization plan Friday that seeks to compensate abuse survivors for their decades of suffering while keeping the nation’s second-oldest diocese financially afloat.

The plan came just hours after abuse survivors submitted their own proposal, one requesting monetary compensation far greater than the amount offered by the church, highlighting the gulf that has persisted between the two sides since the case was filed in May 2020.

The church’s plan would create a $62.5 million trust for survivors, with $50 million coming from the archdiocese and $12.5 million coming from its parishes and charitable organizations, which are not technically in bankruptcy themselves.

The trust would get additional money from the sale of church-owned properties, though there is no estimate in the…

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EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — Edward J. Slattery, a retired Catholic bishop who apologized for reinstating a priest who later admitted to sexually abusing an Oklahoma boy, has died, the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma said Saturday. He was 84.

Slattery died at his home in the Tulsa area late Friday following “a series of debilitating strokes,” Vicar General Fr. Gary Kastl said in a statement from the diocese.

In 2002, amid a Catholic Church sex abuse scandal involving clergy, Slattery apologized for reinstating the Rev. Kenneth Lewis in 1995 following allegations against him. Slattery said at the time that when allegations emerged in 1994, Lewis was initially removed from the ministry but was reinstated after receiving psychiatric treatment.

“I have made mistakes along the way, and I feel terrible about it, but I do not feel guilty about it,” Slattery told the Tulsa World. “The mistakes are probably part of…

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Emmaus International, Emmaus France, and the Abbé Pierre Foundation reveal other serious offences committed by Abbé Pierre and announce several measures related to Abbé Pierre’s role within their organisations.

Last 17 July, our three organisations (Emmaus International, Emmaus France, and the Abbé Pierre Foundation) publicly shared the stories of several women who reported actions by Abbé Pierre, occurring between the 1970s and 2005, that fall into the categories of sexual harassment or sexual assault. These revelations gave rise to tremendous outrage within our organisations. Employees, volontariat workers, and volunteers from some of our member organisations were affected by Abbé Pierre’s behaviour, as were some young women outside of Emmaus.

Following these revelations, the Emmaus movement set up a support structure managed by the group Egaé. This structure received many personal accounts of inappropriate behaviour by Abbé Pierre. Seventeen of them are presented in a summary drawn up by Egaé, and concern sexual violence committed by…

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Abbé Pierre campaigned for decades against homelessness and poverty. Revelations about his treatment of women have destroyed his image as a symbol of virtue in France.

Abbé Pierre, a Roman Catholic priest who crusaded against homelessness in France, is such a celebrated figure in the country that television viewers once voted him the third-greatest French person of all time. Streets, schools and public parks are named for him. He was seen as a steady moral compass for the nation, even after he died at age 94 in 2007.

But over the past two months a much darker image has emerged: that of an accused sexual predator.

Years after his death, Abbé Pierre is facing a sudden profusion of sexual harassment and assault accusations — a stunning fall from grace that has prompted soul-searching at the social justice movement he started; raised uncomfortable questions about who knew about his…

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A McLennan County grand jury indicted a former Catholic priest this week on multiple charges.

Anthony Odiong faces three counts of second-degree felony sexual assault. He was arrested in Florida back in July and transferred to the McLennan County Jail last month.

He served as a Catholic priest at St. Peters Catholic Student Center in Waco, and St. Mary’s of the Assumption in West from 2007 to 2012.

Following his arrest this summer, Waco Police encouraged any survivors of Odiong to come forward.

25 News reported on Odiong’s arrest in July. You can see more on the case by clicking here.

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A Philippine televangelist, who calls himself the “anointed son of God” and once claimed to have stopped an earthquake, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of abuse of minors and human trafficking in a court arraignment that’s the latest mark of his reversal of fortune.

Apollo Carreon Quiboloy and four of his co-accused were brought under heavy security to the regional trial court in Pasig city in metropolitan Manila for the human trafficking charges and was later arraigned by video from police detention by another court handling a separate non-bailable case of child abuse.

Lawyer Israelito Torreon told reporters his client Quiboloy entered not guilty pleas before the two courts because he’s innocent of the charges. Quiboloy, 74, also asked the court to allow him to be detained in a hospital due to unspecified illnesses but no immediate decision was made.

Quiboloy, the preacher and founder of the Kingdom of…

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Pope Francis will meet with fifteen victims of clerical sexual abuse in Belgium during his planned visit to the country at the end of the month, the Belgian Bishops’ conference said Friday.

Francis has made combating sexual assault in the church one of the main missions of his papacy, and insisted on a “zero tolerance” policy in the wake of multiple wide-reaching scandals.

In March, the bishops’ conference revealed the pontiff had defrocked a disgraced Belgian bishop, Roger Vangheluwe, 87, who 14 years ago had admitted to years of child abuse.

Vangheluwe was not prosecuted due to statute of limitations, but thousands of victims came forward after he resigned in 2010.

The scandal resurfaced in autumn 2023 when a documentary was broadcast, denouncing the Church’s decades-long silence on sexual assaults by clergymen.

Some of the people who spoke in the documentary will meet the pope during the visit, a source…

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After recent sexual abuse revelations concerning the Abbé Pierre, one of France’s most revered public figures,  Pope Francis said the Abbé was “a man who did so much good, but he’s also a sinner”. He added:  “Abuse is in my judgment is something demonic, because every type of abuse destroys the dignity of the person.”

Pope Francis called sexual abuse “demonic” on Friday as he weighed in on the latest sex assault revelations against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre, who devoted his life to advocating for the homeless.

Abbé Pierre, who died in 2007, was one of France’s most beloved public figures. The founder of the international Emmaus Community for the poor, Abbé Pierre had served as part of France’s conscience since the 1950s, when he persuaded Parliament to pass a law — still on the books — forbidding landlords to evict tenants during winter.

Emmaus International this week revealed that…

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The bishops of France have decided to release archive files related to the famous priest Abbé Pierre nearly six decades ahead of schedule amid multiple claims of sexual abuse involving the late cleric. 

Famed for his resistance work in World War II and later his founding of the poverty ministry Emmaus, Pierre died in 2007. In recent months, numerous allegations have surfaced regarding alleged sexual misconduct by the priest. 

A July 17 report released by the Emmaus Movement detailed claims from several alleged victims largely consisting of Emmaus employees and volunteers as well as young women in Pierre’s social circle. Multiple new allegations were revealed this month.

Numerous groups and organizations connected to Emmaus and to Pierre have been scrambling to address the fallout from the bombshell claims. 

The French bishops, meanwhile, are making available documents related to the priest that would otherwise not…

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The two sides are worlds apart, with the survivors asking for $2 million average per claimant, church offering $125,000

With a self-imposed deadline looming to file a plan to reorganize New Orleans’ bankrupt Roman Catholic archdiocese, a committee representing about 500 survivors of clergy sexual abuse on Friday proposed that the church, its affiliated parishes, ministries, schools and their insurers should pay more than $1 billion to settle their claims.

The archdiocese quickly answered with its counterproposal: $62.5 million, or more than $900 million less.

Looking at it another way, the survivors are seeking $2 million per claim – the church is offering $125,000 on average.   

The vast majority of the money in the abuse claimants’ proposal – roughly $800 million – would come from insurance companies. Meanwhile, the archdiocese should pay $84 million and its affiliates – known as apostolates – should chip in $133 million, according to the plan filed Friday…

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A Tennessee pastor, who worked to restore pastors caught in sexual sin, took his life hours after being released from jail on an accusation he molested a child.

Tennessee authorities said David Mark Baker, Sr., took his life on Sept. 11. The day before,  the 57-year-old married pastor was arrested on an accusation he molested a child under the age of 12, Fox 17 Nashville reported.

An affidavit filed in Baker’s case accused the minister of aggravated sexual battery by touching a child’s breasts underneath her clothing between 2013—2015.  

Missy Wray, an employee of Maury County Sheriff’s Department, said the sexual abuse allegation remains under investigation, and she could not comment on specifics.

Baker served as lead pastor of Family Baptist Church in Columbia. His name has been removed from the church’s website. Social media sites, including the church’s Facebook and YouTube, and…

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San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone responded Friday to what he heard in hours of testimony this week in bankruptcy court from survivors of Catholic clergy abuse. 

More than a year into the archdiocese’s bankruptcy case, the court, for the first time, spent two days this week hearing directly from alleged victims, with Cordileone and church lawyers in the room.

Cordileone has repeatedly declined interview requests from NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit over the past few years to discuss more than 500 child sexual abuse lawsuits that recently hit the archdiocese. Cordileone, however, released a statement Friday apologizing for “the sins of some Church ministers.”

“I attended two in-court listening sessions for survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by priests and lay people exercising ministry in the Catholic Church,” Cordileone said in the statement. “Sadly, the sexual abuse of children and young people remains horrifically rampant in society today, and hearing such…

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With a self-imposed deadline looming to file a plan to reorganize New Orleans’ bankrupt Roman Catholic archdiocese, a committee representing about 500 survivors of clergy sexual abuse in south-east Louisiana on Friday proposed that the organization, its affiliated churches, ministries, schools and their insurers should pay more than $1bn to settle their claims.

The archdiocese quickly answered with its counter-proposal: $62.5m, or more than $900m less.

Looking at it another way, the survivors are seeking $2m per claim – the church is offering $125,000 on average.

Archdiocese’s proposal comes as survivors of sexual abuse by clergy request ‘very reasonable’ $1bn to settle claims

The vast majority of the money in the abuse claimants’ proposal – roughly $800m – should come from insurance companies, according to the plan filed on Friday in US bankruptcy court by a negotiating committee representing the abuse creditors. Meanwhile, the archdiocese should pay $84m and…

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Sunday, 15 September 2024, 12:12 am
Press Release: SNAP

Catholic Church leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have refused to fully disclose an independent report on how they have handled abuse complaints.

Survivors of abuse by Catholic priests say the Church’s refusal to release the independent GCPS assessment report into its complaints process is another coverup.

Earlier this year, at the request of survivors of child sexual assault by Catholic priests in New Zealand, senior clerics of the New Zealand Catholic Church, Bishop Stephen Lowe and Rev. Thomas Rouse, committed to having the Church’s complaints process and compliance with policy independently assessed.

In late July this year, the GCPS assessment report called Te Aromatawai mo nga Paerewa Tiaki Tikanga, An Assessment of the Implementation of the Safeguarding Culture Standards of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand, was given to the church group Te Rōpū Tautoko which coordinated the New Zealand Catholic Church’s…

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KING 5 reveals the Renton Police Department has reopened a three-year-old criminal case into allegations of sexual abuse by a former pastor at a Renton-based church.

RENTON, Wash. — The KING 5 Investigators have found that in a report released last year, 37 people told Highlands Community Church investigators that they either experienced or witnessed the pastor grooming, manipulating, or sexually abusing boys and young men for two decades. The former youth pastor from the church in Renton denies engaging in any illegal activity. 

Church records show, the pastor has been fired, but to date – no one’s been held criminally accountable.

“It was just normalized because it was talked about. In many places this is happening in the dark but it was just hiding in plain sight,” said another former Highlands Church Pastor Alex Johnson, who was one of the first on record to demand accountability.

Four years ago, he…

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JACKSON COUNTY, MI – A former Jackson Lumen Christi High School priest convicted on multiple sexual assault charges died in prison this week while serving his sentence.

James Francis Rapp, 84, died of heart failure Friday, Sept. 6, at the Michigan Department of Corrections’ Duane Waters Health Center outside Jackson, MDOC Public Information Officer Jenni Riehle confirmed Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Rapp was in prison serving a 20- to 40-year sentence after pleading no contest in 2016 to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. As part of a plea agreement, 13 charges of criminal sexual conduct were dismissed.

Rapp, who was charged by the Michigan Attorney General Cold Case Sexual Assault Project investigating abuse by clergy, was accused of sexually abusing multiple children while serving as a priest, teacher, maintenance supervisor and coach during his time at Lumen Christi…

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Summary

• Quiboloy pleads not guilty to string of criminal charges
• Victim’s lawyer says truth will come out
• Police building up more cases -spokesperson

MANILA, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Philippine celebrity pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who calls himself the “Appointed Son of God”, pleaded not guilty on Friday to several criminal charges including sexually abusing a child during arraignments in two separate courts, his lawyer said.

Quiboloy, leader of the Philippine-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church which says it has six million followers worldwide, arrived at the heavily guarded Pasig court in a bulletproof helmet and vest.

He told his followers to “stay strong” before police took him into the courtroom.

“He is innocent,” his lawyer, Israelito Torreon, told reporters after his client’s first arraignment. Quiboloy also pleaded not guilty to the sexual abuse charges at a Quezon city court via teleconferencing.

Quiboloy, a longtime friend of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is…

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Sept. 6, 2024

Dear St. Josaphat Parish and School Family,

I write to you with difficult news. The Archdiocese has been notified that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has opened an investigation into allegations they termed child exploitation and child molestation during a public penance service against Father Martin Nyberg. Father Nyberg, who has served your parish as associate pastor from July 1, 2024, strenuously denies the allegations.

In keeping with our policies, we reported the allegations to civil authorities and offered assistance to the accusers. I asked Father Nyberg to step aside from ministry until civil authorities have completed their investigations and our Independent Review Board has presented its recommendations to me. Father Nyberg agreed to cooperate fully with this process, and we will provide him with pastoral assistance as he awaits its outcome.

We appreciate your understanding that only with an impartial and thorough effort…

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Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty has assured the public that “our schools today are safe places” following the publication of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders.

The Bishop said he is “appalled at the depravity of abuse outlined” in it.

“Like everyone, I have been reading through the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders and I am appalled at the depravity of abuse outlined in that report.

“It is not easy reading. Behind every sentence, paragraph and page is someone who as a child suffered hugely in the very place where they should have felt safe. I commend the survivors and their families who showed extraordinary courage in coming forward to share their story.

“While we have become accustomed to reports in recent years, it is…

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The Diocese of Buffalo, New York, this week revealed the final list of parish closures and mergers it will undertake in order to address years of shrinking budgets and declining church attendance.

Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher had announced in May that an estimated 34% of the diocese’s parishes would be merged in a process of “rightsizing and reshaping.”

The bishop said the mergers — part of the diocesan “Road to Renewal” program — were necessitated by a shortage of priests, declining Mass attendance, aging congregations, and financial difficulties brought on by clergy abuse lawsuits.

In a press release this week, the diocese said it would see “a total of 118 worship sites remain open” following the merger review. 

“The diocese currently has a total of 196 worship sites that include 160 parishes and 36 secondary worship sites,” the release said. “Going forward the diocese…

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THERE were at last 10 Limerick victims who made allegations of abuse against schools to the just published Scoping Inquiry into abuse of children in schools run by religious orders.

And half of that number were pupils at one Limerick school – Scoil Iosagain CBS Primary School, Sexton Street – the Limerick Post can reveal.

51 allegations relate to seven alleged abusers at the CBS primary school on Sexton Street.

The Limerick Post has learned their were 10 individuals involved in making complaints against six of the schools listed in the report.

Figures for the number of accusers in the remaining 10 schools were not available at time of going to press.

Of the 2,395 allegations of historic child rape and sexual abuse in religious-run schools nationwide revealed in the shocking Scoping Inquiry report, 158 allegations were revealed relating to 47 abusers in 16 Limerick schools.

Gardaí have been briefed…

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Amid accusations of sexual abuse against late priest Abbé Pierre, France’s Catholic church has decided to open its archives on the once venerated figure decades earlier than planned.

The Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) announced on Thursday that it would make its archives on Abbé Pierre public without waiting the usual 75 years after his death.

The priest, who died in 2007, stands accused of sexual assault by multiple women.

While the church had not been due to open its records on him until 2082, it decided to make them available sooner to investigators, journalists and researchers – in particular the independent experts commissioned by Abbé Pierre’s charity Emmaus to look into how its founder’s alleged abuse went unchallenged for more than 50 years. 

The archives consist of “a fairly thin file” with “a few letters” which show that the Central Office of Cardinals at the time “took note of the behaviour” of the…

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A man who while studying to be a priest had videos of children being “kidnapped, handcuffed and raped” was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to spend six months in a lockdown sex offender treatment program.

Broderick Witt, 29, was led out of the courtroom Thursday by a sheriff’s deputy after Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Branch imposed the sentence.

Branch listed numerous conditions Witt will have to follow once he completes the six months at River City Correctional Center. Among them: He has to continue undergoing sex offender treatment, he must wear a device that monitors his location, and he is prohibited from possessing or living in a home with any device that can access the internet.

Also during his probation term, he has to stay away from all children in his family.

Branch told Witt that if he violates any of the terms,…

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The Diocese of Rockville Centre and hundreds of survivors of clergy sex abuse are close to reaching a settlement, nearly four years after the church declared bankruptcy, sparking a lengthy court battle, officials said Wednesday.

Neither side disclosed details of the potential deal during a hearing Wednesday in federal bankruptcy court in Manhattan but both said the only obstacle to an agreement is receiving a final offer from one insurance company.

James Stang, the main lawyer representing the survivors, said he was elated that a deal was close to completion.

“I cannot overstate how extraordinary it is” that the diocese and survivors “have reached agreement on the financial terms,” he said. “I’m just flabbergasted that I can say that, and extremely pleased.”

Corrine Ball, the lead attorney for the diocese, said that “after nearly four years … we have the cornerstone of a resolution of this case and providing relief…

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Amid ongoing revelations of sexual abuse, often involving prominent clergy members, the Catholic Church must intensify its pursuit of truth, as the temptation to maintain secrecy remains strong within the institution.

“A bad conscience is easier to cope with than a bad reputation,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche. The statement is terribly true.

So much so that every human being and every human institution prefers to save face at the expense of truth rather than tarnish its reputation. If we all walked around with our sins stamped on our foreheads, if families revealed their secrets in full light, or if businesses advertised their legal violations on billboards, life would be unbearable and absurd.

It’s appropriate that our errors, betrayals, and failures aren’t exposed without cause. And it’s only when someone else accuses us of wrongdoing that our reputation can rightfully be damaged. If we are indeed guilty, justice for the victims demands…

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For immediate release: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024

Trial against ‘Missouri’s most notorious female predator’ is off

Over victims’ protests, she’s apparently reached a plea deal with prosecutors

In July, attorney general’s office met with victims and promised them ‘no deal’

“Once again, we’re being betrayed by those who claim to care,” one young victim says

In July, a top aide to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey reportedly promised abuse victims that an October trial against their perpetrator would happen and that no plea deal would be offered to her.

Now apparently, Bailey’s office has done an about face.

Victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at largely unregulated Christian boarding schools in Missouri are “outraged” that a criminal trial against the state’s most notorious Christian boarding school abuser has been cancelled because of Bailey’s move.

For years, Stephanie Householder and her recently deceased husband worked at two Christian boarding schools…

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Warning: This story contains references to sexual abuse of children

A New York Times story details the Catholic Church’s so-called geographic solution to problematic priests – hiding them on remote Pacific islands

The legacy of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and the tactic of moving abusers to new dioceses without addressing the problem has been well-documented for decades. But the latest story is close to home – Catholic clergy or missionaries accused of sexual abuse, who were transferred to the Pacific Islands.

Some went on to abuse more victims.

New Zealander Pete McKenzie is a freelance journalist who broke the story for the New York Times, and in today’s episode of The Detail he explains a pattern of using the Pacific as a “dumping ground” for accused or even convicted abusers.

His reporting covers the cases of 34 men from New Zealand, Australia, the US and the UK. Of those,…

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Several Hoosier women on Tuesday detailed horrific cases of rape and child molestation as they asked lawmakers to take up legislation ending the statute of limitations for some sexual assault offenses.

“I deserve the right to face my perpetrators, and a jury of my peers,” Carissa Siekmann told an interim committee.

Most sex crimes have a five-year statute of limitations in Indiana. There are exceptions for newly discovered DNA evidence, a recording of the crime or a confession. Child victims have until age 31.

The limits act as deadlines for prosecutors filing criminal charges and for victims filing civil lawsuits.

Last session’s proposal nixing such limits passed the Senate unanimously, but died when it didn’t get a committee hearing in the House. That could change in the upcoming session.

Arbitrary or necessary?

For Dr. Amber Davis, the abuse began at four years old.

A family friend from church babysat her…

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Federal lawsuit filed by 18-year-old claims she was physically, mentally, and sexually abused

The lawsuit is brought under the pseudonym Jane Doe DA, who is currently 18, against Stephanie and Boyd Householder and Circle of Hope, the Springfield News-Leader reported. It also names Jeff Ables, the pastor at Berean Baptist Church in Springfield as a defendant.

The boarding school for troubled girls closed in September 2020 after former students and even the daughter of the school’s founders reported an atmosphere of abuse. Stephanie Householder’s felony trial for child abuse and neglect is currently scheduled for October 28. Boyd Householder died in June from cardiac arrest, according to KSMU.

Jane Doe DA claims in the lawsuit that she was subjected to physical, mental, and sexual abuse in 2019 and 2020, starting when she was only 13 years old. She is seeking…

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The Messianic Jewish network Tikkun Global has commissioned a third-party investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and cover-up at the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC), Tikkun leaders announced today.

IHOPKC has not endorsed the investigation, but a group of advocates supporting alleged victims of IHOPKC Founder Mike Bickle has.

“With many other leaders in the Body of Messiah, we have felt that only a third-party independent investigation, where the results would be made public, could bring clarity and justice,” Tikkun said in its statement. “(W)e are entering this process in the hope that when the facts are verified, much healing could come to the Body of Christ.”

Starting last October, multiple women came forward and accused Bickle of sexually abusing them, beginning when some were just teenagers. The alleged victims also accused IHOPKC of mishandling their reports of abuse. And several refused to cooperate with a third-party investigation commissioned…

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The Roman Catholic Church played an important part in East Timor’s independence struggle. But one of its heroes from that time has been accused of sexual abuse.

Banners of Pope Francis had been unfurled across Dili, the capital of East Timor, its streets scrubbed and its walls freshly painted. Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to try to catch a glimpse of the man, who arrived on Monday. But in some corners of the city, the excitement had turned into misery.

Joana Fraga Ximenes stared at rubble in the district of Bidau that had been her home and a street stall, from which she sold sundries. Earlier this year, she said, the authorities had given her three days to move because the pope was going to be driven down her street. Eventually, they sent bulldozers.

“Why do we have to hide the poverty?” Ms. Ximenes, 42, said over…

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The law, which underpins several civil suits against Sean Combs, is the only remaining tool for reviving older claims in New York.

In New York, where state laws that extended the time to file sex abuse suits have lapsed, plaintiffs have found one remaining tool: Section 10-1105 of New York City’s administrative code.

The provision, known as the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, has provided the basis for recent lawsuits against the Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler; the luxury real estate agents Tal and Oren Alexander; New York City’s Department of Correction; and the hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, who is a defendant in four.

“This statute continues to provide an avenue of relief for survivors,” said Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for a woman who sued Mr. Combs under the gender-motivated violence law, accusing him and two other men of gang-raping her in a New York recording…

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