ABUSE TRACKER

Number represents 50% increase on victim applications announced last month

So far 12 victims of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Portugal have applied for compensation, Group VITA – the group set up to implement the findings of an independent report on the subject – has announced.

The figure represents a 50% increase on the number announced a month ago.

According to a note sent to the press by Group VITA, “several people are undergoing regular psychological and/or psychiatric follow-up, and 12 are requesting financial compensation” – a matter that will be analysed in April by the plenary assembly of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP).

The group’s coordinator, psychologist Rute Agulhas, gave her progress update to Lusa in which she said VITA has now been contacted by 84 people in its 10 months of operation – this means another five people have come forward in the space of a month. 

“Fifty-two appointments…

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A priest who led an evangelical movement in the 1980s and 1990s has appeared in court to face multiple allegations of sexual offences against former members of a church congregation.

The Reverend Christopher Brain led the movement called the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995.

Brain appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court for a four-minute hearing on Monday where he faced a total of 34 charges in relation to 11 women.

The charges relate to allegations of sexual offences committed against women who had joined the movement, police have said.

Brain, now 66, of Park Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, is charged with one count of rape and 33 counts of indecent assault, alleged to have been committed between 1981 and 1995.

The Nine O’Clock Service was initially held at St Thomas’s Church, in the Crookes area of Sheffield, before moving to Ponds Forge sport complex in the city centre.

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When Sara Larson left her parish job after the Church’s 2018 scandals began to unfold, she knew that God was calling her to do something to help survivors.

At first she started locally, helping to launch the emerging non-profit Awake Milwaukee. But over time, the group’s work with abuse victims and survivors extended well beyond Wisconsin, through opportunities Larson sees as God’s Providence.

Earlier this year, Awake Milwaukee announced it would become Awake, changing its name to reflect a broadening scope of its mission.

Executive director Sara Larson talked with The Pillar about the name change, and about her organization’s work to support survivors, and work for change in the Church.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you tell us broadly about the mission of Awake?

Awake’s mission is to awaken our community to the full reality of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, work for transformation, and…

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A jury has awarded a local man more then $5 million after he said he was sexually assaulted 20 years ago by the principal of the former Siena Catholic Academy in Brighton.

The victim, who is now in his 30s, says the abuse happened when he was in middle school at Siena. He says the principal, Joseph Grasso, sexually assaulted him in St. Thomas More Church next door to the school.

This week, the jury verdict awarded the victim $5.4 million against Grasso. The priest denies the allegations.

Siena Catholic University closed in 2020.

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Deal had been held up by insurance concerns

A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved the Diocese of Camden’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan, allowing the New Jersey diocese to move ahead with a $87.5 million settlement of sex abuse lawsuits.

The diocese initially had agreed to settle with about 300 sex abuse victims in April 2022, but the deal had been held up in bankruptcy court over objections raised by the diocese’s insurers. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jerrold Poslusny said at a Thursday court hearing in Camden that recent changes to the deal had resolved all of the insurance-related issues.

The bankruptcy settlement was supported by more than 97% of the abuse claimants who voted on it.

Bishop Dennis Sullivan said in a Thursday statement that the approval would allow the diocese to move on from a “painful” three-year bankruptcy restructuring and “provide substantial reparations to survivors harmed by sinful priests…

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In our lives, we’re often faced with situations that demand clarity and specific answers. Imagine asking someone where they placed a particular item, only to receive an ambiguous “not around here” in response. Frustrating, isn’t it? This need for specificity isn’t just a preference in trivial matters, but a crucial expectation when the stakes are high, especially concerning safety and justice. This brings us to a disconcerting practice within the Catholic Church involving the handling of child molesting clerics, often shielded by the phrase “outside the diocese.”

The Demand for Specific Answers Concerning Scenarios

When it comes to serious concerns, vagueness isn’t just inadequate; it’s negligent. Let’s delve into a few hypothetical yet relatable scenarios:

Undesirable Answers to Important Questions

• The Missing Car Dilemma: Your spouse inquires about the whereabouts of your car, and you respond with “Not around here.” This answer is evasive and unhelpful, showing a disregard for…

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Notre Dame de Sion, once a sacred haven, now tainted with allegations of misconduct by priest Thiago Cardoso against five minors; mother of victim shares distressing experiences her son endured

Thiago Cardoso, a cleric volunteering at a monastery in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood, faces accusations of multiple instances of sexual misconduct involving minors from the Notre Dame de Sion community.

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Pope Francis encourages the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to continue helping the Church safeguard minors and vulnerable people by ensuring a climate of listening and respect.

As the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors holds its plenary assembly, Pope Francis took the opportunity to invite its members to continue strengthening the Church’s efforts to prevent abuse.

The Pope thanked the Commission’s members for their personal and collective witness, and acknowledged that many of them have dedicated their lives to caring for victims of abuse.

He called their work “a courageous vocation that comes from the heart of the Church and helps her to be purified and to grow.”

The Pontifical Commission, he added, has expanded its efforts over the past 10 years in response to his call to “make the Church an increasingly safe place for minors and vulnerable adults.”

Healing fabric of lives

Pope Francis…

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Pope Francis appoints Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrerra as Secretary, and Ms Teresa Morris-Kettelkamp as Adjunct Secretary, for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, Auxiliary Bishop of Bogota, as the new Secretary for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. At the same time, the Holy Father also appointed Ms Teresa Morris Kettelkamp as Adjunct Secretary of the Commission. Both have been serving as Members of the Commission.

The new appointments were announced on Friday by the Holy See Press Office. 

In a statement following the announcement, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, the President of the Commission, said the new appointments mark “a further important step in making our Church an ever-safer place for children and vulnerable persons.”

Cardinal O’Malley said that, while “coming from different backgrounds and possessing unique gifts in safeguarding,” the new Secretary and Adjunct Secretary “share…

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which announced in December that it planned to file for bankruptcy protection because of a crush of sexual abuse lawsuits, will file with the bankruptcy court on April 1.

“The faithful of the diocese are being notified of the filing date at this weekend’s Masses,” diocese spokesman Frank Lienert wrote Saturday in an email to The Bee.

Bishop Jaime Soto announced in December that the diocese would follow the same path as some other ecclesiastical districts in California, including the Diocese of San Francisco, Diocese of Oakland, Diocese of Stockton and Diocese of Santa Rosa.

Soto said in a statement in December that “it is now clear to me that this is the only way available to me to resolve these claims as fairly as possible.”

“There are many victim-survivors awaiting compensation for the reprehensible sins committed against…

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When entering the Kansas Statehouse, one often will be greeted by proponents of adding clergy to the list of occupations that are mandated by law to report abuse and neglect of children.

Some of that group of persistent citizens spoke during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that would add clergy as mandatory reporters of abuse, while maintaining some carveouts to uphold the confidentiality of confession.

Versions of the bill have been shopped around the Statehouse over the past five years, but the last time one got a committee hearing was in 2019. The bill has butted up against such religious practices as Catholic confessionals that are considered confidential between a priest and parishioner.

About half of all states designate clergy as mandator reporters of abuse, and six require it even if it’s learned during a religious rite, such as confession. In 18 states, any individual is required…

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Just more than a month after a Louisville Catholic grade school teacher was charged with using students’ pictures to create child pornography, a lawsuit has been filed against the archdiocese.

Jordan Fautz, 39, was arrested on Feb. 2 and is facing charges that include distributing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, distributing child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

He was a seventh and eighth-grade religion teacher at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic School.

Fautz is accused of using students’ photos to create and distribute child pornography between March 2022 and February 2024.

‘Breaks my heart’: Louisville religion teacher accused of creating child porn with student photos

The lawsuit, filed on March 7, by 11 parents and students, alleges that the school and Archdiocese possibly ignored signs that Fautz was acting inappropriately.

To begin, the lawsuit says that Fautz’s mother was business manager at the school,…

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A lawsuit filed last week against the Archdiocese of Louisville claims instances of misconduct by a teacher accused of distributing images of child porn were ignored for years.

Jordan Fautz, 39, was arrested and charged in February with distributing child pornography, distributing obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography between March 31, 2022, to Feb. 2, 2024. Federal investigators said those photos included edited images of faces taken from the school’s yearbook.

The United States Department of Justice said Fautz, a seventh and eighth grade religion teacher and maintenance employee at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic School, sent child sexual abuse materials to a law enforcement officer who was working undercover online.

According to court documents, Fautz used yearbook photos of students and at least one adult from the school. The distributed images had photoshopped faces of students and the adult onto other nude…

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A church teacher in Maryland who was arrested for allegedly assaulting four girls entered the United States illegally after having been deported twice, according to an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ervin Jeovany Alfaro Lopez, 33, of Germantown, was arrested on Monday after an investigation by the Montgomery County Department of Police, Special Victims Investigations Division.

A citizen of El Salvador, Alfaro Lopez had been arrested and deported in 2018 and then granted voluntary departure in 2019, following two instances of him unlawfully entering the country, reported the Washington, D.C.-based Fox 5.

In 2020, Alfaro Lopez was deported a second time when he was caught by border patrol agents in Texas, only to return to the United States under unknown circumstances.

Alfaro Lopez was arrested by Montgomery County police last August and charged with rape second-degree and two counts of sex offense third-degree. But when an…

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A ministry group leader is accused of using religion to groom and normalize the sexual abuse of a blind college student, a Texas lawsuit says.

Daniel Savala has a history of sexual abuse accusations dating back to the 1990s and has registered as a sex offender since 2013, according to the lawsuit filed this week.

Savala is currently in a Harris County jail facing sexual assault and indecency charges involving children, according to jail records. His attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

The lawsuit alleges ministry group Assemblies of God and religious fraternal organization Chi Alpha Campus Ministries created the “perfect haven” for Savala to sexually abuse people beginning in 2017.

“He used (religion) as part of his grooming process to normalize the sexual abuse, and he used religious text in order to make it seem normal and would say things like, ‘Nudity…

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A former New Orleans priest accused of rape and kidnapping a child in the 1970s will undergo a mental evaluation ahead of his trial.

New court records state after a motion for psychiatric evaluation was filed. The court will appoint the sanity commission in this matter. A mental competency hearing has been set for Lawrence Hecker this month.

This is just days before his trial, which is set to begin on March 25.

His attorneys said that Lawrence Hecker is in restraints and is on antipsychotic medication.

According to the filing, Hecker is currently in a continued care facility where records show he is “confused” and “in restraints for his own protection” after pulling out his IVs.

This comes after his attorneys said Hecker was “barely conscious” and questioned if he would be healthy enough for trial in March.

WDSU obtained records in the case. Prosecutors say…

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The Diocese of Camden is to pay $87.5 million to survivors of clergy sex abuse under a plan approved by a bankruptcy judge.

A trust intended to help some 300 abuse survivors will receive payments from the diocese and related entities over a five-year period, court records show.

The reorganization plan, confirmed about 3½ years after the diocese sought protection from creditors, also calls for “maintaining and enhancing the protocols for the protection of children,” Bishop Dennis Sullivan said in a statement.

He said the plan was “a just resolution for survivors, while also ensuring that the diocese is able to continue to provide its services and ministries to the people of South Jersey.”

The plan also allows for the assignment of the diocese’s insurance rights to victims, a provision “expected to yield additional millions,” said a statement from lawyers representing a creditors committee for survivors.

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Hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse by priests or church representatives have received financial compensation so far from France’s Catholic Church under a sweeping reparations program, an independent body in charge of the process said Thursday.

An annual report by the Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation said 1,351 victims came forward to claim compensation and seek psychological support in an effort to recover from childhood trauma.

The average age of victims who have come forwards is 61, Marie Derain de Vaucresson, the head of the body said during a news conference Thursday.

Of them, 66%, are men and 34% are women, she said. The claims process started in 2022.

So far, the reparations authority has approved compensation claims of 489 victims, the report said. Of those, 88 people were granted the maximum of 60,000 euros ($65,000). Last year, 358 victims’ compensation claims were approved, with each individual…

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A Jasper church has sent a letter to their congregation saying Aaron Lockman has been fired as Kids Pastor due to a “significant moral failure.”

The letter is from Redemption Christian Church. It reads:

“Parents,

We need to share some important information with you regarding our Kids Ministry. Based on information we have received this week, Aaron Lockman, because of a significant moral failure, has been terminated from his position as Kids Minister at our Jasper Campus.”

Lockman is no longer listed on the church’s website.

Officials with the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office confirm they assisted with the investigation, but it is a case from the Evansville FBI Office.

A Facebook page for Lockman and also a Facebook page for the church’s kids ministry have been deleted.

Redemption Christian Church provided this statement Friday afternoon:

“We are horrified, angry, and grieving the actions of, and allegations against, the church’s former…

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It is a quarter of a century since Fr Sean Fortune took his own life on the eve of standing trial for child sexual abuse charges.

Wednesday, March 13, is 25 years to the day when notorious priest, Fr Sean Fortune died by suicide at his home in New Ross.

Days before he was due before Wexford Circuit Court on 29 charges of sexual abuse against eight young males – between June 1981 and December 1987 in Co Wexford – the serial abuser took his own life.

The groundbreaking Ferns Report in 2005 detailed 26 separate cases of sexual abuse by Fr Fortune against specific individuals including rape, masturbation and oral sex.

The Inquiry concluded that there were inexcusable and dangerous failings in the handling of Fr Fortune’s career and the many complaints made against him and if guidelines for priestly training had been followed he would never have been…

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The Catholic Church in Hong Kong said on Friday (Mar 15) that confessions by devotees to priests would remain confidential under the city’s upcoming national security law.

Hong Kong is fast-tracking a homegrown national security law, following the one Beijing imposed in 2020 after quashing huge and sometimes violent protests.

The government Bill – expected to be put to a legislature vote within days – proposes a maximum jail term of 14 years for any person who knows that someone will commit treason but fails to report it to the police.

The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong said in a statement Friday that it “recognises that citizens have an obligation to ensure national security”.

But the security law “will not alter the confidential nature of confession”, the diocese added.

The diocese had “expressed its views” on the legislation, but told AFP that it did not intend to make those views…

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The leaders of Poland’s influential Catholic Church on Thursday chose moderate Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda to be their new principal, at a time when the church is still struggling to reckon with the abuse of minors by some Polish clergy, while the number of Poles going to church has fallen sharply.

At a two-day conference, bishops and archbishops elected Gdansk Archpishop Wojda, 67, to replace the conservative Archbp. Stanislaw Gądecki, of Poznan, as the head of the Polish Episcopate, for a five-year term, a communique said.

More than 90% of Poles, a nation of some 38 million, are still officially members of the Catholic Church, but figures from 2022 showed less than a third of Catholics attended mass, according to the church’s statistical institute.

For 27 years, from 1990 until 2017, Wojda served at the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelizations of Peoples, during the terms of three popes: Polish-born…

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A federal bankruptcy judge approved a plan Thursday that clears the way for the Catholic Diocese of Camden to finalize agreements to pay child sexual abuse survivors.

The deal comes nearly two years after the diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million in settlements to people who were abused by clergy members as children.

Judge Jerrold Poslusny signed off on the plan despite objections from several of the diocese’s insurance companies, attorneys for the survivors said in a news release.

“This moment comes after decades of survivors suffering, and it is their courage and their voice that is making the Diocese accountable and safer for kids,” said Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing the victims.

“It is the survivors deserving of credit, who courageously stand in Camden and across this nation,” he said. “From their courage and collective action, brings about real reckoning.”

In a letter addressed to…

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The committee representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case is seeking to give victims an opportunity to tell their stories in court.

In a legal brief filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore, attorneys for the group of survivors representing all of the diocese’s victims, known as the Creditors Committee, asked a judge to allow survivors to give testimony about their abuse over several hours during hearings in April and May.

The Baltimore diocese, America’s oldest, declared bankruptcy on the eve of Maryland’s Child Victims Act, which lifted a longstanding time limit for abuse survivors to sue perpetrators and the institutions that enabled their torment, taking effect Oct. 1. Survivor advocates had long fought to pass the law, eventually overcoming a strong lobbying effort from the church.

Bankruptcy was a strategic decision from the church to limit its liability and protect its assets. The move,…

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The Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, has responded to the arrest of two Catholic school employees who were involved in the reported sexual abuse of several students.

The diocesan statement refers to reports of sexual misconduct of Christopher Chell, a physical education teacher working at St. Patrick Interparish School in Gainesville. He was arrested on March 7. 

Assistant Principal Ryan Clemens was arrested shortly afterwards and was charged with child neglect and tampering with evidence regarding the reported sexual misconduct.

“The diocese, along with its school officials, continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation,” the diocese said in the statement. “We continue to keep the families who have been impacted by this case and the St. Patrick faith community informed and in our prayers.”

According to local news outlet WCJB, Clemens appeared in court Thursday and his bond is set at $60,000.

WCJB added that “Chell…

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Just over a month after being found guilty of sexually abusing his students through crimes dating back 65 years, a former Catholic teacher has died.

Peter Mervyn Samuel passed away on Christmas Day.

He was due to face a sentence hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on March 8 over the historical child sex offences.

At a jury trial in November, prosecutors said he had abused three boys between 10 and 13 years old between 1958 and 1972.

The assaults took place while Samuel was teaching year-six classes at two Patrician Brothers’ College campuses in Blacktown and Granville, and Marist Brothers Primary School in Mosman.

Samuel, who was in his mid-90s at the time, fought the allegations.

However on November 14, jurors found him guilty of eight counts of indecent assault on a male.

He was found not guilty of one count of buggery.

At the trial, jurors heard…

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A victim of childhood sexual assault has been awarded a $5.4 million jury verdict in a case brought against Siena Catholic Academy.

The victim is a Brighton man identified only as LG 55 Doe in court filings to protect his privacy.

Doe is now an adult in his 30s, but from 2002-to-2004 he attended Middle School at Siena Catholic Academy.

It was there he met Father Joseph Grasso, the Catholic Priest who served as the academy’s principal.

Grasso used his position to have Doe pulled out of his classes and sexually assault him in the sacristy of the adjacent Saint Thomas Moore Church.

He filed suit in 2020 after New York adopted the Child Victim’s Act.

His law firm says the jury verdict in Doe’s favor this week was unanimous.

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CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, has responded to the arrest of two Catholic school employees who were involved in the reported sexual abuse of several students.

The diocesan statement refers to reports of sexual misconduct of Christopher Chell, a physical education teacher working at St. Patrick Interparish School in Gainesville. He was arrested on March 7. 

Assistant Principal Ryan Clemens was arrested shortly afterwards and was charged with child neglect and tampering with evidence regarding the reported sexual misconduct.

“The diocese, along with its school officials, continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation,” the diocese said in the statement. “We continue to keep the families who have been impacted by this case and the St. Patrick faith community informed and in our prayers.”

According to local news outlet WCJB, Clemens appeared in court Thursday and his bond is set at $60,000.

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The Diocese of Camden, N.J., and related Catholic entities will fund a trust of $87.5 million for more than 300 survivors of sexual abuse in the diocese, in a plan confirmed March 14 to resolve the diocese’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The trust, which is to be paid over five years, is part of the diocese’s plan for reorganization approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jerrold N. Poslusny Jr.

“Once again, I express my sincere apologies and prayers to all those who have been affected by sexual abuse in our Diocese,” said Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan of Camden in a March 14 letter posted by the Catholic Star Herald, the diocesan newspaper.

“I pledge my continuing commitment to ensure that this terrible chapter in the history of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey never happens again,” he continued. “This settlement will enable the diocese to meet its obligations to the survivors of clerical abuse while we continue to serve the parishes, schools and those in need who utilize our…

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The leaders of Poland’s influential Catholic Church on Thursday chose moderate Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda to be their new principal, at a time when the church is still struggling to reckon with the abuse of minors by some Polish clergy, while the number of Poles going to church has fallen sharply.

At a two-day conference, bishops and archbishops elected Gdansk Archpishop Wojda, 67, to replace the conservative Archbp. Stanislaw Gądecki, of Poznan, as the head of the Polish Episcopate, for a five-year term, a communique said.

More than 90% of Poles, a nation of some 38 million, are still officially members of the Catholic Church, but figures from 2022 showed less than a third of Catholics attended mass, according to the church’s statistical institute.

For 27 years, from 1990 until 2017, Wojda served at the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelizations of Peoples, during the terms of three popes: Polish-born…

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John Lee Hua attended state-sponsored training to obtain a state certification

Jesuit priest John Lee Hua became the first Catholic priest in Taiwan to obtain certification from the civil authorities in Taiwan to investigate child protection cases.

Lee dedicated himself to the work of protecting children and young adults for years, and recently obtained qualification in the “Scholar and Experts Pool for Investigating Violations of Laws by Individuals Involved in the Protection of Children and Young People,” says a report from the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) on March 12.

Lee, 58, a member of the Chinese Jesuit Province, is the first priest in Taiwan to attain this certification, JCAP said.

Last July, Lee participated in a three-day training session organized by the Ministry of Education.

The training aimed to ensure that investigation procedures for suspected cases of child abuse within educational and protection service organizations are…

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An employee at ABM Ministries is accused of bloodying a boy’s face while boxing – the third person associated with the same school to be charged this month.

Caleb Sandoval, 22, was charged Monday, March 4, with abuse or neglect of a child. His initial court appearance was Thursday, March 7, for a probable cause hearing.

A probable cause statement said Sandoval is a teacher at ABM Ministries in Piedmont, which operated as Lighthouse Christian Academy. Sandoval, who is the son of Julio Sandoval, the school’s director, does not have a listed attorney.

ABM Ministries owners Larry Musgraves Jr., 57, and his wife, Carmen Musgraves 64, have been charged with first-degree kidnapping for allegedly locking a student in a small room.

The probable cause statement against Caleb Sandoval said a 15-year-old student suffered a bloody nose while boxing with him sometime between Sept. 1 and Jan. 1.

Sandoval initially told…

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A support group for abuse victims is writing to more than two dozen churches in Wayne County asking them for help in finding and consoling anyone who’s been hurt at Lighthouse Christian Academy, where three officials have recently been arrested.

 It also plans to hold two meetings in the Piedmont area in the weeks ahead.

“Now is not the time to be complacent.” SNAP’s letter reads. It wants to “find and help the ‘lost sheep’ – anyone who was hurt at Lighthouse, recently or in years past…so they won’t have to “suffer in shame, silence and self-blame.”

The group is urging ministers to preach about the Lighthouse scandal from the pulpit, give out and post leaflets about the situation to their members and ask anyone with knowledge or suspicions about the facility to contact law enforcement.

In the weeks ahead, SNAP plans to hold two meetings in Wayne County. “One…

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When entering the Kansas Statehouse, one often will be greeted by proponents of adding clergy to the list of occupations that are mandated by law to report abuse and neglect of children.

Some of that group of persistent citizens spoke during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that would add clergy as mandatory reporters of abuse, while maintaining some carveouts to uphold the confidentiality of confession.

Versions of the bill have been shopped around the Statehouse over the past five years, but the last time one got a committee hearing was in 2019. The bill has butted up against such religious practices as Catholic confessionals that are considered confidential between a priest and parishioner.

About half of all states designate clergy as mandator reporters of abuse, and six require it even if it’s learned during a religious rite, such as confession. In 18 states, any individual is required to…

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Pope Francis on March 15 appointed new leadership to his papal commission on clergy sexual abuse, naming a Colombian prelate and a former U.S. bishops’ conference official to run the group’s day-to-day operations.

The shake-up in leadership follows the resignation of one of the commission’s most prominent members and comes months after reports about the outgoing secretary’s previous financial dealings raised questions about his suitability to lead a group tasked with promoting best practices for preventing misconduct and abuse.

Oblate Fr. Andrew Small, a dual British and U.S. national, had served in an interim capacity as the No. 2 official at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2021. He will be succeeded by Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, currently auxiliary bishop of Bogotá, Colombia, who Francis appointed as the group’s new secretary.

Alí, a psychologist, has already served as a member of the commission. Since 2022, he…

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Wonder if Your Abuser is Obeying His “Restrictions?” He’s Likely Not.

When pain and betrayal stem from those meant to guide and protect, finding solace in the whispers of reassurance seems like the last beacon of hope. If you’ve ever reported a cleric who molested you to church authorities, you were likely comforted with the assertion that the accused is under some form of “restrictions.” These measures are presumed to make it harder for them to harm others. While this claim might provide a temporary sense of security, the unfortunate reality is that adhering to these “restrictions” is more of an exception than the norm. Let’s explore why authentic enforcement is rarely more than a facade, the implications, and the true avenue for justice.

→ The Illusion of “Restrictions”

The comfort provided by the church in times of crisis cannot be understated. However, when it comes to protecting the most…

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The diocese did not follow proper Church protocol in its handling of the controversy, Father DeOreo’s filing claims.

A priest in Indiana is suing his diocese for fraud and defamation after he was suspended over what the clergyman claims were false allegations of sexually abusing a minor. 

Father James DeOreo in a filing at Boone County Circuit Court earlier this month alleged that the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, along with its vicar general, Father Theodore Dudzinski, committed both defamation and fraud, respectively, against DeOreo in a yearslong conflict over accusations against the priest. 

The filing alleges that in January 2021, a parishioner alleged that Father DeOreo “abused the [parishioner] by encouraging him to fast and engage in other spiritual and ascetic practices,” which eventually led the individual to “suffer an eating disorder.”

A subsequent investigation found that “no abuse had occurred.” The diocese, however, “agreed to pay for the…

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Returning to Baptist Accountability

The path forward for addressing sex abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is deceptively simple: Baptist accountability.

By Baptist accountability, we mean the accountability that naturally flows from the biblical and historically Baptistic principles that undergird the cooperation of autonomous local churches while preserving their direct accountability to God.

This Baptist accountability, as G.K. Chesterton might say, hasn’t been tested and found wanting; rather, it has been deemed challenging and left unexplored. 

Our modest statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message, defines the theological commitments and parameters of our cooperation. Baptist churches form voluntary and advisory bodies designed to “elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner” for the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom. Baptists seek to be unified in “spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends.” But there is a limit. Cooperation cannot include “violation…

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The seven-episode series developed by three Italian journalists was unveiled at a press conference in Rome on March 11

A survivor of clergy sexual abuse said he hopes a new podcast detailing his case will shed light on the uphill battle victims in Italy face when seeking justice from the Catholic Church.

The podcast, titled “La Confessione” (The Confession) and premiering March 13, highlights the case of Antonio Messina, who at 16 was abused by Father Giuseppe Rugolo, a priest of the southern Italian Diocese of Piazza Armerina, as well as the attempt by church authorities to silence Messina. The abuse occurred when the priest was a seminarian.

The seven-episode series was unveiled at a press conference in Rome on March 11. It was developed by three Italian journalists who covered the case — Federica Tourn, Giorgio Meletti, and Stefano Feltri.

Father Rugolo was convicted on March 5 by an…

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Ervin Jeovany Alfaro Lopez, 33, was arrested Monday after a 10-month-long investigation. Detectives think there may be more victims.

DERWOOD, Md. — A man who worked as a teacher at a church in Derwood was arrested on sexual abuse charges, the Montgomery County Department of Police said Tuesday.

In May of 2023, detectives with the police department’s Special Victims Investigations Division opened an investigation after a victim reported being sexually abused by a teacher at a Derwood church located near the 15700 block of Crabbs Branch Way in Montgomery County.

Pastor Bernal Osorio with the Elim Giathersburg Church confirmed to WUSA9 that the alleged abuse happened in their Derwood location. 

After the first victim came forward in May, police say three more victims came forward between September 2023 and January 2024. All of the victims claimed to have been sexually abused by the same man at the same…

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A former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was featured in an Associated Press investigation into how the church protects itself from allegations of sexual abuse was arrested by police in Virginia this week after being indicted on charges he sexually abused his daughter while accompanying her on a school trip when she was a child, according to court filings.

Police and federal authorities had been searching for John Goodrich after a grand jury in Williamsburg on Jan. 17 found probable cause that he committed four felonies, including rape by force, threat or intimidation, forcible sodomy, and two counts of felony aggravated sexual battery by a parent of a child.

Those charges were filed weeks after the AP investigation revealed how a representative of the church, widely known as the Mormon church, employed a risk management playbook that has helped it keep child sexual abuse cases secret…

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The Catholic Church is pushing back against the High Court of Australia’s finding that it was vicariously liable for the 1971 sexual abuse of a five-year-old boy committed by a Ballarat priest.

The victim, who was brought up in a strict Catholic family, was found to have been sexually assaulted by Father Bryan Coffey at the home of his parents in Port Fairy in 1971.

Coffey was the assistant priest and taught at the victim’s primary school, Saint Patrick’s Catholic Parish Primary in Ballarat.

The presiding judge found the Diocese of Ballarat vicariously liable for the two 1971 sexual assaults.

The victim was awarded $230,000 in damages largely due to the psychological injuries, including complex post-traumatic stress disorder, that he sustained as a result of the abuse.

On Thursday, the Church began its legal battle in the High Court of Australia in Canberra, reiterating its previous defence that Coffey was…

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• In short: The High Court will hear a challenge to the Catholic Church’s liability over the abuse of a five-year-old boy by an assistant priest in regional Victoria in 1971.
• Lower courts have accepted that on the balance of probabilities, Father Brian Coffey assaulted the boy, but the Catholic Church is challenging its liability for the abuse.
• What’s next? The court will hear the case today.

The Catholic Church will launch a High Court battle today, over whether it was vicariously liable for the actions of an assistant priest who sexually abused a five-year-old boy in 1971.

The offences happened in the boy’s home at Port Fairy soon after he had started school.

Father Bryan Coffey is accused of molesting the boy on two occasions during family social gatherings when the assistant priest was visiting.

Father Coffey was later convicted in the Ballarat County Court in February 1999 of multiple…

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Christopher Saunders faces multiple sexual assault charges, although his lawyer has strenuously denied them all.

A court in Western Australia has lifted a suppression order in a criminal case against the former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders, revealing details of the sexual abuse allegations against him.

The 74-year-old served for decades a priest and then bishop in the Diocese of Broome, whose vast area covers the tropical north of Western Australia and includes remote aboriginal townships and communities in the Kimberley region.

After a long-running police investigation, Saunders faces multiple sexual assault charges, although his lawyer has strenuously denied them all.

Saunders was arrested on 21 February and released on bail. At his first court appearance on 1 March, a judge lifted a suppression order to allow the publication of the charges against him.

He will face 26 charges including two counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of indecent…

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In a legal showdown with high stakes, the Catholic Diocese of Trenton is fervently contesting a bold move by Century Indemnity Co. seeking an escape route from covering over 200 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by clergy members. The diocese and its affiliated parishes are urging a New Jersey federal court to dismiss what they deem a “premature, vague, and ambiguous” coverage dispute.

The Gambit: A Premature Clash?

The diocese, in a motion to dismiss filed on Monday, argued that Century’s attempt to extricate itself from indemnifying the diocese is premature. They assert that the ongoing suits are still in the discovery phase, and crucially, no damages have been awarded against the diocese. The diocese contends that Century’s request for speculative relief could lead to inconsistent rulings, potentially prejudicing the diocese in fulfilling its moral and legal obligations to survivors of child sexual abuse.

NJ Insurer’s Abuse Coverage Suit: The Child Victims Act…

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A controversial Philippine-born pastor accused of financial and sexual crimes has drawn support from the nation’s vice president Sara Duterte after he laid out 17 conditions to show up for a Senate investigation into his alleged crimes.

Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, 73, the founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect who claimed himself as the “appointed Son of God” made the demands in a video posted on social media in February-end.

“I stand in solidarity with the call for the implementation of law and justice in the future issue of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and Sonshine Media Network Inc. [SMNI],” the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte said in a statement on March 11.

“In the ongoing hearings, it seems that Pastor Quiboloy has been given a guilty verdict even though this hearing was based only on the allegations of witnesses who concealed their identity and could not prove their…

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The rise in cases of violence against women and children showed more victims have had the courage to seek help, activist says

A leading women’s rights group in Macau has called on the authorities to introduce tougher punishments to tackle rising number of cases of violence against women and children in the region.

Macau should “strengthen the deterrent effect” to ensure safety of women and children from violence including raising the limit of maximum sentence, removing the provision of suspended sentence, and reviewing the execution of coercive measures, said Loi I Weng, vice-president of the Women’s Association in a press statement.

Loi also demanded more comprehensive support for victims of domestic violence, Portuguese language daily Ponto Final reported on March 13.

She said that an increase in number of cases of violence against women and children showed that more victims have dared to seek help, however, “prevention and deterrence are always the best…

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Pope Francis sends a message to participants in a safeguarding conference in Panama, and calls on Church institutions to eradicate situations that protect abusers who hide behind their positions of authority.

“Humanizing relationships in any society, including the Church, means working tirelessly to form mature, coherent individuals who, firm in their faith and ethical principles, are capable of confronting evil, bearing witness to the truth in capital letters.”

Pope Francis offered that consideration on Tuesday in a message sent to participants in the 3rd Latin American Congress, taking place in Panama on March 12-14.

Promoted by the Center for the Protection of Minors (CEPROME), the event has gathered Church representatives from across the region to reflect on the theme: “Vulernability and abuse: Towards a broader view of prevention”.

Eradicating scourge of abuse

In his message, the Pope entrusted to the Lord the Church’s efforts to eradicate “the scourge of abuse…

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The work of protecting minors and other vulnerable people in the Catholic Church involves holding those in positions of power accountable for the abuse the commit, Pope Francis said.

The church’s safeguarding efforts “must undoubtedly aim at eradicating situations that protect those who hide behind their positions to impose themselves on others in a perverse way,” the pope wrote in a message to participants in a safeguarding conference.

In the message, released March 12, he also said the church must try to understand why such people are “unable to relate to others in a healthy way.”

The papal message was sent to a three-day conference in Panama City organized by the Research and Formation Center for the Protection of Minors, also known as CEPROME Latin America.

Titled “Vulnerability and Abuse: Toward a Wider View of Prevention,” the conference was designed to discuss “the handling of power and authority in the…

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The pope’s commission for advancing the Catholic Church’s efforts to prevent the abuse of vulnerable persons is due to submit its first annual report on the state of safeguarding in the church.

In a statement dated March 8 and sent to reporters March 11, the commission said it had approved the submission of its “pilot annual report” on safeguarding policies and procedures to Pope Francis, who had requested a report from the group in April 2022.

While focused particularly on safeguarding policies and procedures in the 13 countries whose bishops made their “ad limina” visits to Rome in 2023 and engaged with the commission staff as part of those visits, the report also offers an assessment of the trends at a regional level, pointing to areas for improvement and it offers recommendations.

The commission’s annual report will offer “recommendations on how to move forward in achieving the goals of truth, justice, reparation”…

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A County Tyrone priest is to stand trial on historical indecent assault charges against two males.

Canon Patrick McEntee, 69, from Esker Road, Dromore, faces a total of of five counts of indecent assault dating back to the 1980s.

The priest pleaded not guilty to each charge at Dungannon Crown Court.

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

He has been on a leave of absence from his ministry since last year.

Bail conditions

Canon McEntee is charged with four counts of indecent assault on one male between 1988 and 1989.

There is also a single count of indecently assaulting a second male between 1980 and 1981.

No details surrounding the circumstances of the alleged offences were disclosed during the short hearing on Tuesday.

Judge Fiona Bagnall remanded Canon McEntee on continuing bail until his trial in September.

As part of…

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A temple priest suspected of committing sexual offences against two male victims including a juvenile, was arrested at his house here yesterday.

The 40-year-old suspect was picked up by police several hours after both the victims, aged 16 and 21 years old respectively lodged a report against him.

Sources said one of the victims had been enduring the sexual harassment since he began working at the temple in 2022 but claimed he did not tell anyone of the incidents as the job at the temple was his only source of income.

“The suspect allegedly threatened the victim not to tell others about the incident and he (victim) continued to work in fear. He only came forward to lodge a police report after he quit the job.

“The other victim claimed he was sexually assaulted last month and lodged a police report as he was emotionally disturbed,” said the source, adding…

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When Joe Cheray wanted to escape the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of a relative, she said she turned to church leaders for help. And then nothing happened.

Cheray’s abuser was heavily involved in and a large financial contributor to a church located in northeast Kansas. But behind closed doors, Cheray said he was her worst nightmare.

Cheray said she suffered everything from emotional abuse and molestation – which she said would sometimes occur even in the pews during church services – to physical and financial abuse from ages 10 to 15.

But when she went to church leaders for help on two separate occasions, she was ignored.

“They didn’t have to do anything because they weren’t mandated at that time to do anything,” Cheray said. “I felt hopeless.”

A Kansas bill, advocated for months by Cheray, would designate clergymen as mandated reporters, thereby requiring them to report…

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More than three dozen people allege in two lawsuits filed Tuesday that they were sexually abused as children at a Maryland residential program for youths that closed in 2017 following similar allegations.

In the separate lawsuits, atorneys detailed decades of alleged abuse of children by staff members of the Good Shepherd Services behavioral health treatment center, which had billed itself as a therapeutic, supportive environment for Maryland’s most vulnerable youth.

The program was founded in 1864 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic religious order focused on helping women and girls. It began at a facility in Baltimore before moving to its most recent campus just outside the city.

Tuesday’s lawsuits add to a growing pile of litigation since Maryland lawmakers eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases last year.

Many of the plaintiffs — almost all of them women — reported being injected with sedatives that…

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Pope Francis has ordered the laicization of a North Dakota priest who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in that state. 

Diocese of Fargo Bishop John Folda said in a statement this month that former priest Neil Pfeifer “received a dispensation from the clerical state (laicization) from Pope Francis” effective March 8.

Pfeifer himself “sought the dispensation after adult women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct,” Folda said in his statement. 

“Mr. Pfeifer pleaded guilty on July 13, 2023, to a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault in Stutsman County,” the bishop said.

Laicization is the term for when a priest has been dismissed from the clerical state. An individual who is confirmed as a priest will always remain one, but laicization takes away his ability to licitly execute the functions of the priesthood, except in the extreme situation of encountering someone who is…

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Former seminarian Broderick Witt faces 15 criminal charges

A former seminary student used the IP address of the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati to repeatedly upload videos of naked children being sexually abused, according to police and court records.

Broderick Witt, 28, allegedly shared the material online from November 2023 to February 2024, according to his 15-count indictment.

“It’s extremely concerning,” Theresa Dinwiddie-Herrmann told the WCPO 9 I-Team.

Herrmann is a co-founder of the nonprofit Ohioans for Child Protection. The group pushes the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for more transparency.

“We continually hear that they are trying to make changes that protect our children, but these things come up again and again,” Dinwiddie-Herrmann said. “Until we clean it up, the Church is going to suffer and children are going to suffer.”

Catholic church records show Witt interned for at least three Catholic churches; Saint Ann of Groesbeck, Our Lady of the Rosary…

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Fr. Marko Rupnik, the disgraced religious artist and alleged serial sexual abuser, remains listed as an official consultant at a major Vatican department, despite his ongoing canonical process and past expulsion from the Society of Jesus.

According to the website of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the priest remains listed as an expert consultor to the Vatican department following his appointment to the post in 2022.

Consultants to Vatican dicasteries serve as officially appointed expert advisors to the Roman curia on issues central to the governance of the universal Church. The appointments are usually made for a set, renewable, term of five years.

However, despite the years of accusation and scandal over the allegations of sexual abuse brought against Rupnik by dozens of religious sisters, the Dicastery for Divine Worship has not terminated his appointment — according to its own website.

It is not…

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A North County assemblyman on Friday called on the New York state attorney general to launch an investigation into accusations of abuse at the former Academy at Ivy Ridge in Ogdensburg.

The allegations are being made by those who attended the Academy, which closed in 2009.

The Academy is the subject of a documentary airing on Netflix. In it, former students make a return trip to the school and enter abandoned buildings. They claim they found documents and videos that show mental, physical and sexual abuse.

Titled “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping,” it is now the number one watched show on the streaming service in all of the U.S.

In calling for the state investigation, Assemblyman Scott Gray released the following statement.

“The situation portrayed at the now-closed Academy at Ivy Ridge is very serious. The Academy at Ivy Ridge was shut down approximately 15 years ago. The reported…

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Warning: Explicit details in the article might be disturbing to some readers 

A Florida pastor accused of raping a 15-year-old girl drunk then sexually assaulting her while she was impaired recently lamented online that he was going through a difficult time with his wife of 40 years.

The pastor, 62-year-old Monte Lavelle Chitty of Marathon, who leads First Baptist of Marathon, and recently started a dockside ministry for a boating community in Boot Key Harbor, was charged with sexual battery of a minor, lewd and lascivious conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

In a post on Facebook on Jan. 9, Chitty revealed he was “going through some difficult times” with his sick wife.

“For the past month, my wife and I have been going through some difficult times….

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Complainant says she is speaking out about what happened in 1989 to protect others

A Vancouver Island woman is speaking out about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager while a member of an insular and secretive Christian sect that has no official name, but is most commonly called the Two-by-Twos, or 2x2s.

Lyndell Montgomery was 14 years old in 1989 when the alleged abuse happened. She claims her alleged abuser was 2x2s minister, Lee-Ann McChesney.

McChesney, 60, was arrested in January and charged with one count of sexual abuse and one count of sexual exploitation after an investigation by the Delta Police Sexual Offence Section and Vulnerable Sector Unit. 

According to court documents, the charges stem from incidents in 1989 in or around the B.C. communities of Terrace, Delta and Surrey.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Now 49, Montgomery says she wants to go…

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The clergy sexual abuse scandal is slowly gathering steam in Italy with increasing media coverage, criminal convictions and the launch Monday of an investigative podcast dedicated to a case that tangentially involved Pope Francis.

A Sicilian court last week convicted a priest of sexual violence and attempted sexual violence against three minors and sentenced him to four and a half years in prison. It also held his diocese, Piazza Armerina in Sicily, liable for separate civil damages and legal fees, a significant ruling given the influence the Catholic Church wields in all aspects of Italian society, particularly in small-town Sicily.

Piazza Armeria Bishop Rosario Gisana was recorded admitting to having covered up for the priest, the Rev. Giuseppe Rugolo. He was recorded saying he had covered up for another priest who did far worse and describing Rugolo’s actions as mere “stupidities” of a young man.

Victim Antonio Messina told his…

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The Vatican has announced the resignation of Andrzej Dziuba, the bishop of Łowicz, due to his “negligence in handling cases of sexual abuse against minors”. However, a leading Catholic commentator has criticised the church for allowing the bishop to go into retirement rather than facing real punishment.

Meanwhile, criminal proceedings against Dziuba are ongoing, after Poland’s state commission on paedophilia filed a notice to prosecutors on suspicion that the bishop had failed to notify law enforcement authorities of abuse committed by his subordinate.

On Saturday, the apostolic nunciature, the Vatican’s embassy in Poland, released two statements about Dziuba’s resignation. The first informed that Pope Francis had accepted Dziuba’s resignation and appointed a new bishop, Wojciech Osial, as his temporary replacement.

The second cited the reasons behind the decision as being “difficulties in the management of the diocese”, particularly “negligence in handling sexual abuse cases committed by some clergy against minors”, saying this had…

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An infamous cult leader and convicted paedophile has been arrested alongside his wife in Sydney’s CBD over allegations the pair groomed a woman from the age of six.

William Kamm, also known as Little Pebble, and a 58-year-old woman were taken into custody shortly after midday on Monday following a months-long investigation.

The pair are expected to be charged with child grooming offences, with Kamm, 73, also expected to be charged with failing to comply with an extended supervision order.

It comes days after specialist police swooped on the group’s headquarters in Bangalee on the NSW south coast on Thursday as well as a unit in Sydney’s CBD.

Police searched a home and two sheds at the remote property, where they located and seized a number of items.

In a statement, police said they established a strike force in September 2023 to investigate reports a woman had been allegedly…

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Great works created by bad people can still be venerated. The church mosaics made by Marko Rupnik may be an exception to this principle.

Picasso was a serial rapist, Caravaggio a murderer, Bach an antisemite, Ezra Pound a fascist. Michael Jackson had his own issues. The list of terrible people making beautiful art is disturbingly long.

The question that comes up every time is, what do we do with their works of art? Shall we remove them? Maybe set trigger warnings to preserve the valuable crafts while condemning their despicable authors?

In this contentious debate, I’ve always stood against any form of cancellation and emphatically argued for separating the artist from the art. In a way, the marvels created by morally repugnant individuals may even prove something profound about the elusive nature of artistic genius — a force so mysteriously powerful that it can manifest itself through the most unworthy…

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Following Pope Francis’ audience with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, the Commission’s President, says trust is necessary for the Church to succeed in evangelization.

In the ten years since its foundation by Pope Francis, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) has grown considerably, from a small group of dedicated volunteers and staff to a group of highly qualified men and women committed to safeguarding in the Church.

“We’ve been very blessed by the extraordinary commitment of the members of the Commission,” PCPM President Cardinal Seán O’Malley told Vatican News in an interview following the Commission’s audience with the Holy Father on Thursday.

The Cardinal emphasized the value of lay members of the Commission, especially women, as well as the important contributions of victims and their parents.

‘The Commission has accomplished a lot’

Reviewing the work of the PCPM in the past…

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ROME – Despite the fact Pope Francis continues to recover from a recent cold, it was a busy weekend around Rome as he resumed certain duties, removed a Polish bishop accused of coverup, and urged Ukraine to consider negotiations in its ongoing war with Russia.

Pope Francis, 87, at the end of last month was forced to cancel several days of scheduled meetings and audiences due to what the Vatican described at the time as a “mild flu-like state.”

Though he resumed his regular schedule Feb. 28, he made a quick hospital visit for a CAT scan of his lungs and has regularly had aides reading his prepared speeches.

However, he was back at it this weekend, reading his entire homily and even stopping to make some brief, off-the-cuff remarks during his Lenten “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative, which this year took place March 1 at the Roman parish…

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Falling numbers lead to discussion

With hundreds of members leaving and scores of volunteers severing ties amid criticism of the pastor’s handling of sexual abuse cases, Little Rock’s Immanuel Baptist Church is considering eliminating one of its two Sunday morning services, the pastor announced last week during what was billed as a “Family Gathering.” Asked how he planned to bring a divided congregation together, Lead Pastor Steven Smith suggested the move.

“The staff’s already been talking about that. I think that’s a good idea,” he said, noting that the combined choir would be larger and that it would be easier for people to see one another if they worshipped at the same time.

In addition, Immanuel needs “a vision that is bigger than just ourselves,” Smith said.

“We really honestly don’t have a way forward unless we have hearts for reconciliation,” he later said at the meeting.

Smith…

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Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the bishop of the diocese of Lowicz, in Poland , Monsignor Andrzej Franciszek Dziuba , after being accused of covering up sexual abuse against minors .

In the press bulletin published this Saturday by the Holy See, it is briefly stated that the Supreme Pontiff accepted the resignation from the pastoral government presented by Dziuba, 73 years old.

The Polish bishop was accused of negligence in the management of sexual abuse against minors in several complaints filed with the Vatican.

According to Italian media, the investigation at the diocesan level was carried out by the metropolitan archbishop of Lodz, Grzegorz Rys, who in 2020 presented the collected documents to the Holy See.

It is worth remembering that, in 2019, Pope Francis published the “motu proprio” document, also called “Vos estis lux mundi” (You are the light of the world), which requires reporting any alleged sexual or power abuse by a cleric, and establishes the procedure to be followed in the dioceses; it also requires speed in…

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A former priest from the Diocese of Fargo has been stripped of his duties after a ruling from the pope on Friday.

The announcement came from the Diocese of Fargo and Pope Fransis, saying Neil Pfeifer, formerly a priest in Jamestown and the Diocese, is officially unable to exercise priestly ministry. This includes being able to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, or administer sacraments under Canon Law. 

Pfeifer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault in Sutsman County on July 13th, 2023. You can learn more about the case by clicking here. 

The Diocese of Fargo says any sacraments performed by Pfeifer in the past are still valid.

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Pope Francis has asked the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to ensure that the measures adopted in recent years to combat abuse are properly applied throughout the world. During a meeting on March 7, 2024, in which the Pope was unable to read his speech due to his continuing ill health, his speech referred to the annual report on protection policies and procedures in the Church, that was commissioned in 2022. 

Still weakened by a cold that has prevented him from delivering most of his speeches for the past two weeks, Pope Francis’ message to the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was read by a monsignor. Created in 2014, the commission is chaired by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, and is made up of specialists – lay, clergy and religious – on abuse issues.

In…

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St. Stephen’s Catholic Church holding talks March 12 and 13 after mass

The first, on domestic violence, will be held March 12. Mass will be held at 6 p.m. Then at 7 p.m., Joe Carignan of the Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society (MVESS) and a retired RCMP officer, will speak about domestic violence.

The following night, March 13, a prayer service which will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Then Sundre-area resident Naomi Holland, who runs a website concerned about human trafficking called Redeemed With A Purpose, will speak at 7 p.m.

Sandra Boutwell, a spokesperson for the parish mission organizing committee which is a subcommittee of the local Catholic Women’s League, says the idea for these two topics was born when the committee decided to have a social justice theme to its activities this year.  

“I guess we wanted to have something that was connected to the local community…

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Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop for negligence in handling cases of sexual abuse committed by some clergy against minors, his representatives in the country said on Saturday.

Andrzej Dziuba, a bishop in Lowicz, had not informed law enforcement authorities about the case of a priest from his diocese who abused a 14-year-old boy, according to local media reports, which said Dziuba is facing charges in Poland.

“Difficulties in the management of the diocese were identified, in particular negligence in handling sexual abuse cases committed by some clergy against minors,” the Apostolic Nunciature in Poland said in a statement. Dziuba had been asked to resign by the Holy See, it added.

The Lowicz diocese said on its website that Dziuba was retiring, citing the Pope’s decision to accept his resignation without further elaboration. Dziuba did not immediately comment.

His departure comes less than a month…

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Pope Francis has dismissed the Bishop of Łowicz, Andrzej Dziuba, for failing to investigate allegations of abuse of minors by members of Poland’s Catholic clergy.

The pontiff accepted an offer of resignation from the 74-year-old, the Vatican announced in Rome on Saturday.

According to a statement from the papal nunciature in Poland, “difficulties in the administration of the diocese and, in particular, negligence in the handling of cases of sexual abuse committed by some clergy against minors” had been identified.

The diocese of Łowicz belongs to the archdiocese of Łódź in central Poland.

According to Polish media reports, Dziuba transferred a priest in his diocese from one parish to another, even though he knew about the allegations from victims’ statements. The priest has since been sentenced to three years in prison.

The Catholic Church in the homeland of Francis’ John Paul II, who was pope from 1978 until his death…

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The N.O. Archdiocese has been in bankruptcy for 4 years, trying to deal with almost 500 abuse claims against priests, deacons and lay employees.

As the Louisiana Supreme Court considers whether to strike down a state law that revived expired claims of child sexual abuse, the Legislature is preparing to double down on the so-called “lookback window.”

Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, pre-filed a bill for the legislative session that begins Monday in Baton Rouge. It would take the three-year lookback window that was enacted in 2021 and extend it to June 14, 2027. If adopted, it would give the alleged victims of decades-old child abuse an additional three years to file a civil lawsuit.

“We know from empirical data that most of the people that report these abuses are between the age of 50 and 70 years old and an average around 52 or 53 in males,” Luneau said. “And…

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Legislation that gives victims of child sex abuse more time to sue heads to the Louisiana state capitol.

The session starts on Monday.

It comes as a crucial three year look back window is about to expire. Survivors are waiting on the Louisiana Supreme Court to rule if the law is constitutional.

Survivors fear a massive number of claims could unravel.

“This is all about holding perpetrators of sexual abuse on children responsible,” Sen. Jay Luneau said.

Luneau said the look back window giving victims more time to sue was passed three years ago.

Luneau filed Senate Bill 246 he said it extends the deadline for sex abuse survivors to file from June 14, 2024, to June 14, 2027.

“It affects any institution that is involved with children where there is abuse of children that occurred and most of those times, a blind eye was turned,”…

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Neil Pfeifer was removed from active ministry on Jan. 14, 2023

A former Jamestown priest who was convicted of sexual assault was removed from the priesthood effective Friday, March 8, announced Bishop John Folda with the Diocese of Fargo.

Neil Pfeifer, 49, formerly a priest of the Diocese of Fargo, received a dispensation from the clerical state from Pope Francis.

“When members of the clergy or others representing the Church abuse someone, they violate a sacred trust,” Folda said in a press release. “Please join me in praying for healing for all those hurt in this situation.”

The decision to laicize a priest is determined by the Holy See. Laicization means that Pfeifer has been returned to the lay state and may no longer exercise priestly ministry.

As a result, in accordordance with Canon Law, Pfeifer may no longer celebrate Mass, hear confessions or administer other sacraments. Laicization does not…

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The Archdiocese of New York has declined questions regarding the future of a priest who was convicted last year of stealing several hundred thousand dollars from his suburban New York parish. 

An expert on theft perpetrated by clerics told The Pillar that without clear consequences for priests who steal, the problem of financial malfeasance in the Church is likely to continue.

Father Robert Henry, 75, was sentenced last year to five years probation, after he pled guilty to stealing $270,155 from his parish, St. Matthew & Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which has churches in Hastings on Hudson and Ardsley, New York.

The priest reached a plea deal in the case, leaving little court testimony to indicate the reason for the theft. But charging documents obtained by The Pillar indicate that the priest stole the money during a single week in March 2022, and that the theft was caught during an audit conducted by…

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A significant Maryland law that permits survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue regardless of how long ago the alleged assault occurred survived a constitutional challenge on Wednesday. We applaud Circuit Judge Robin D. Gill Bright’s ruling today. 

Institutions and the insurance industry have long lobbied against reforms that benefit child victims. We are elated for the many victim-survivors who deserve validation and justice. ‘The challenge to constitutionality alone tells us that the catholic church continues to deny accountability. Never should we trust twice what they have shown us once. I am thrilled survivors have again prevailed.’ Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director (mmcdonnell@snapnetwork.org, 267-261-0578) David Lorenz, SNAP Maryland leader (glydonct@gmail.com, 301-906-9161) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President (sdougherty@snapnetwork.org, 814-341-8386)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 35 years. We have more than 25,000…

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The status of a federal investigation into a leading Southern Baptist agency’s handling of sexual abuse is unclear.

But this much is clear — survivors of abuse and their advocates remain deeply skeptical of leaders’ intentions to address the scandal in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Recent events have deepened that distrust.

After the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee said Wednesday that the committee was no longer under federal investigation over its handling of sexual abuse in the church, several survivors and advocates say they’ve learned directly from Department of Justice officials that no part of the investigation has finished.

Further clouding the issue was an ambiguous phrase from the denomination’s official news service.

“Legal counsel for the SBC has since confirmed that the investigation into the SBC as a whole remains open and ongoing,” said an article Thursday in Baptist Press.

While it was long known that other SBC…

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A pastor in Butler County who is already facing charges amid accusations of sexually assaulting minors is now facing new charges. 

Herman Rushing Jr. is accused of inappropriately touching two young girls. 

Those new charges were filed on Thursday. 

RELATED: Butler County pastor arrested on charges of inappropriate sexual contact with two young girls

Back in December, Rushing was charged with similar offenses concerning two other young girls. 

The 67-year-old Rushing Jr. is a pastor at By His Grace Christian Ministries off North McKean Street in Butler.

He faces charges, including indecent assault, corruption of minors, and endangering the welfare of children in connection to incidents involving two girls, now ages 13 and 16.  

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Eighteen years in prison — that’s the sentencing fate of a former Olive Branch pastor charged with sex crimes against children.

According to the Desoto County District Attorney’s Office, Daniel Paul Harris, former pastor of Olive Branch Christian Church on New Craft Road, will have to serve this term without the possibility of parole or early release.

“If he’s touching little kids, yes he should be under the jail,” said Veterra Davis of Olive Branch.

FOX13 received strong reaction Wednesday from people who live in a nearby community following Harris’ sentencing.

“It’s really scary though because that’s right around the corner. I won’t have my kids outside,” Davis added. 

“Well he should have got more,” James Thompson told FOX13 about the sentence.

Harris is charged with sexual battery and fondling.

District Attorney Matthew Barton announced this week that Harris pleaded guilty to charges related to sex crimes against children as…

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Abuse in any setting is a profound violation of trust and safety, leaving scars that can last a lifetime. However, there’s a particularly insidious layer to abuse that occurs in parochial schools, making it not only profoundly damaging but also uniquely challenging to bring to light. This discussion aims to unwrap these complexities while offering insight into the difficulties survivors face in reporting abuse and the potentially transformational power of speaking out.

Is there any difference between being abused in a Catholic parish or a Catholic school?

Certainly, the environment in which abuse occurs can fundamentally alter the survivor’s experience and the aftermath of reporting. Parochial schools, with their intimate communities and intertwined relationships, create specific challenges for those who have been victimized within their walls.

The Greater Range of Harm in a School Setting

Abuse in a parochial school involves multiple forms of betrayal. Survivors often grapple with the…

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 Former students of a private boarding school in southeast Missouri are speaking out as we learn new details about the investigation that has the facility shut down and the owners facing felony kidnapping charges.

ABM Ministries covers roughly 250 acres south of Piedmont but on Thursday night, the school is closed and the students who stayed there are back home with their families.

Larry and Carmen Musgrave each face a single felony count of kidnapping.

School employee Caleb Sandoval is charged with felony abuse or neglect of a child.

Sandoval is still in jail, but the Musgraves are out on bond.

The investigation that shut down the school continues, and it’s being fueled in large part by former ABM students across the country who’ve put their faith in a sheriff they say is finally listening to them.

“Um, I feel very validated, right…

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Life moved on, and somehow I missed that two weeks ago the deacons of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., finally took a vote of confidence in Pastor Steven Smith. According to published reports, 59% of those voting supported the embattled pastor and 41% opposed him — but nearly a third of deacons didn’t vote.

In context, the church in January listed 61 deacons. Only 26 (43% of the total) voted to support the pastor while 18 voted against him and 17 did not vote at all. That’s effectively a 57% vote of no confidence.

Now, if you’re a Baptist pastor or have ever served as a lay leader in a Baptist church, you can read the handwriting on the wall here. A pastor can temporarily survive a bare-majority vote of confidence but no pastor can survive this kind of tepid endorsement for long — unless one other condition happens.

…

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The alleged victim said Father Dennis Peterson began abusing him in 1995 when he and his father were homeless and they sought help at a Catholic church.

A man who says he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in Houston is coming forward after nearly three decades. He’s filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, claiming they failed to protect him. 

The man, who spoke with us on the condition that we protect his identity, said he wants justice and closure. 

“It basically destroyed my life, it destroyed me in a million ways,” he told us.

The alleged victim said the abuse began in 1995 when he was 8 years old and he and his father were homeless. They went to the Saint Francis Cabrini Catholic Church in southeast Houston where he says Father Dennis Peterson befriended them and offered to help.

…

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This is not the first time Rev. John Stack has been temporarily removed due to an investigation into alleged abuse against minors.

A local Catholic priest has been reinstated by the Diocese of Davenport after allegations of “inappropriate conduct with a minor,” according to a press release. 

The Diocese says it was made aware of the allegations against Fr. John Stack in 2023. The alleged abuse stems from the mid-1990s, the release says.

In compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Diocese and County Attorney, the allegations were reported to the Scott County State’s Attorney and the case was then returned to the Diocese. According to the release, Stack was removed from ministry while the investigation took place.  

Here is a timeline of the investigation, according to the Diocese:

“Following a thorough investigation that was considered by the Diocesan Review Board, the case was sent in October of…

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A private Catholic high school in Seattle is paying more than $2.4 million to a former student claiming she was groomed, harassed and sexually abused by a teacher for years.

The unnamed former student also accused administrators at Seattle Preparatory School of ignoring the abuse throughout her four years there.

“The ongoing abuse I suffered at Seattle Prep has had a devastating impact on my life — then, after, now and will going forward,” she said in a press release. “Seattle Prep leaders did everything possible for years to bury the truth about the abuse and what they knew. They did all they could to destroy me just to protect their reputation.”

The teacher at the center of the settlement is Jeff Pietz, who also served as a coach and athletic director at the school beginning in 1992. According to documents from the Washington Office…

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The church has opened an inquiry into a “distressing” allegation of an historical offence against New Zealand’s emeritus Cardinal Archbishop of Wellington John Dew after a police investigation closed without any charges laid.

Cardinal Dew, 75, strenuously denies the allegation and will remain suspended from ministry during the Vox Estis Lux Mundi investigation.

He is accused of an instance of sexual abuse against a minor during his time as an assistant priest during the 1970s.

New Zealand police concluded their 10-month inquiry after determining the allegation is unsubstantiated.

In a 7 March statement Cardinal Dew said he was informed of the allegation on 6 May 2023, the day after submitting his retirement, and immediately stepped aside from ministry.

“I stated immediately, and state again now, that there have never been any instances of improper or abusive behaviour in my 48 years of priesthood,” he wrote.

The complaint was lodged with the Church’s…

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New Zealand’s Cardinal John Dew will face no charges after police ended a 10-month investigation into an abuse allegation that the retired Archbishop of Wellington firmly denies. 

Dew said March 7 that the police had informed him “that this investigation has now been concluded, their file has been closed, and no charges will be laid against me.”

The cardinal, who at 75 years of age is eligible to vote in a papal conclave, will now face a separate Church investigation.

In a statement, Dew said that he first learned of the abuse allegation on May 6, 2023, the day after his retirement as the Wellington archbishop was announced.

The claim dated back to 1977, when Dew was an assistant priest in Upper Hutt, a city in Greater Wellington. The website CathNews New Zealand said that the allegation related to an orphanage run by the Sisters of Mercy.

“I stated immediately, and…

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My retirement as Archbishop of Wellington was announced on 5th May last year. On Saturday
6th May, I was informed that an allegation of sexual abuse had been made against me which
dated back 46 years to when I was an Assistant Priest in Upper Hutt.

I stated immediately, and state again now, that there have never been any instances of
improper or abusive behaviour in my 48 years of priesthood.

I learned that the complaint made against me had been submitted to the Church’s National
Office for Professional Standards and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse. I followed
church protocols, and stepped aside from any ministry while the Police were investigating this.
Thirty weeks later I was interviewed by the New Zealand Police in the presence of my lawyer

From the moment, I was told of this alleged behaviour I have strenuously denied that the events
described ever happened.

This has now been thoroughly investigated…

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Pope Francis sought to encourage his child protection board on Thursday to continue helping victims, as new developments outside the Vatican underscored that the Catholic Church’s clergy sex abuse scandal isn’t going away anytime soon.

Francis met with his Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is expected to soon release the first-ever audit of safeguarding procedures and policies church-wide.

But as that report is being compiled, church officials in Switzerland reported a surge in victims coming forward since the September publication of a bombshell report that found over 1,000 cases of abuse since the mid-20th century in a country with a relatively small Catholic population.

The diocese in northwestern Basel, for example, reported that more than half of the suspected 183 cases in the last 13 years emerged in the last six months. Swiss news agency SDA-Keystone reported at least 70 other cases…

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Pope Francis encouraged the papal commission tasked with combatting clergy abuse to move forward in their efforts to make the Church a safer environment for both minors and vulnerable adults.

Acknowledging that it is easy to feel discouraged when confronting the realities of the sexual abuse crisis, the pope told the the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Thursday morning that “our commitment must not wane.”

“Indeed, I encourage you to move forward so that the Church will be, always and everywhere, a place where everyone can feel at home,” Pope Francis said. 

Underscoring the importance of listening “firsthand” to abuse victims, the pope stressed to the body that “we cannot help others to bear their burdens unless we shoulder them ourselves, unless we show genuine closeness and compassion.” 

“In our ecclesial ministry of protecting minors, closeness to victims of abuse is no abstract concept but a very…

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Francis meets members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, encourages them to continue “the work of protection and prevention”

Pope Francis has encouraged members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (“Tutela Minorum”) to continue their “courageous” efforts at helping the Catholic Church fight against sexual abuse within its ranks.

The pope met the group this past Thursday (March 7) at the Vatican where Tutela Minorum was holding a plenary assembly.

Francis tasked the commission back in April 2022 to work on an annual report for safeguarding policies and procedures in the Church. It is expected to be published later this year, probably in October. The document will survey how Catholic institutions worldwide are actively combating sexual abuse against minors. It will also determine how the rules to prevent child sexual abuse, which were drawn up in early the unprecedented Vatican summit Francis called in…

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Cardinal John Dew of New Zealand has been accused in a local news channel of allegedly abusing an underage boy in 1977.

Newshub, on New Zealand’s television channel Three, reported a 54-year-old man says Dew sexually abused him when he was seven years old.

Steve Carvell – who allowed his name to be used – told the television show memories of the alleged sexual abuse surfaced in recent years.

“The reason I’ve decided to share my story and come forward today is in the hope that other victims out there draw some strength from what I’m doing,” he told Newshub.

Carvell also alleges Father Noel Donoghue, another priest who has since died, and a nun also abused him.

The alleged abuse is said to have taken place at an orphanage in the Upper Hutt parish in the Archdiocese of Wellington in 1977.

Police told Newshub they have exhausted all available lines of enquiry…

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The Vatican is launching an investigation into a claim of historical sexual abuse against New Zealand Cardinal John Dew, according to a public letter published by the Archdiocese of Wellington on Thursday.

Addressing the Catholic community of the country in the Pacific Ocean, Archbishop Paul Martin, SM, of Wellington wrote on March 7 that the Church inquiry into allegations against Dew was launched after a police investigation concluded without charges. 

The allegations date back to the 1970s and involve an alleged incident at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Upper Hutt, roughly 20 miles northeast of Wellington, where Dew, then an assistant priest, is accused of abusing a 7-year-old boy.

Police investigated claims made by a man who alleges Dew sexually abused him — then an assistant priest — at St. Joseph’s Orphanage when he was 7 years old. 

Despite the absence of charges, Dew, who retired as archbishop of…

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Prominent Hungarian Catholics have defended their church’s record on tackling sexual crimes by clergy after a top-level government abuse scandal led to the appointment of a new national president of the country.

“This sin exists here, as everywhere in the world — we don’t see any specific pattern which would distinguish Hungary from other countries,” said Péter Zachar, co-president of the 3,000-member ecumenical Association of Christian Intellectuals, or KÉSZ.

“But our church is doing a lot in this area — with a centralized system initiated from the Vatican, careful handling of reports, and full cooperation with the investigating authorities according to canonical and local standards,” he said.

The lay Catholic made his comments as Tamás Sulyok, Hungary’s Constitutional Court chairman, assumed office as president after being elected by members of parliament Feb. 26 to replace Katalin Novák, who resigned for pardoning a man convicted in a child abuse case.

In…

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Twins are a bonanza for research psychologists. In a field perpetually seeking to tease out the effects of genetics, environment and life experience, they provide a natural controlled experiment as their paths diverge, subtly or dramatically, through adulthood.

Take Dennis and Douglas. In high school, they were so alike that friends told them apart by the cars they drove, they told researchers in a study of twins in Virginia. Most of their childhood experiences were shared — except that Dennis endured an attempted molestation when he was 13.

At 18, Douglas married his high school girlfriend. He raised three children and became deeply religious. Dennis cycled through short-term relationships and was twice divorced, plunging into bouts of despair after each split. By their 50s, Dennis had a history of major depression, and his brother did not.

Why do twins, who share so many genetic and environmental inputs, diverge…

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One of New Zealand’s most senior Catholics has failed in his last-ditch attempt to prevent a media company from detailing sexual abuse allegations against him.

Cardinal John Dew, a former Archbishop of Wellington who was made a Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015, is the subject of a yet-to-air Newshub story accusing him of sexual abuse.

He sought an injunction against Warner Bros Discovery NZ to prevent Newshub’s story going to air.

He first sought the injunction in the High Court, but failed.

He appealed to the Court of Appeal, again failing, and then took his case to the Supreme Court.

Today the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal.

The judgment says Newshub’s story detailed allegations from Steven and Linda Carvell.

They were aged 7 and 8 in November 1977 when the alleged conduct is said to have occurred at St Joseph’s Orphanage in Upper Hutt.

Cardinal Dew says the alleged…

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