Sorry it’s been quiet around here. I have been a full-time parent/taxi-driver/cook/cleaner/referee all summer, so the blog has had a short vacation. But just because I have been slacking, doesn’t mean that the world stood still (if only my laundry would stand still …). Guam From the Pacific Daily News: In a 13-0 vote, lawmakers Monday…Continue reading Guam, Michael Jackson, and Cosby … oh my!
Eric Johnson’s 1995 correspondence with the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Claretian Order. Letters from the Claretian order to members about the status of Bruce Wellems, and the instruction to destroy evidence and emails. Eric Johnson’s June 8 questions to the Claretians and the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, CA, Western Regional Director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org) Our hearts ache for Doris Concepcion, who has so bravely spoken out about the abuse her son endured. Parents of sexual abuse victims carry an awful and painful burden. Ms. Concepcion only wanted the…Continue reading Mother of second alleged victim of archbishop speaks, Victims respond
From the Pacific Daily News: An Agat youth who served as an altar boy in the village church was molested in the late 1970s by Father Anthony Apuron, according to his mother, Doris Concepcion, who said her son, Joseph A. Quinata, revealed his secret shortly before he died 11 years ago. My heart aches for…Continue reading Mother of second alleged victim of Guam archbishop speaks
Fr. Bruce Wellems: the man everyone wants to protect. Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Chicago Archdiocese and the Claretian Fathers have barred Catholic priest Father Bruce Wellems from ministry. To be honest, they made that decision in March, but didn’t tell anyone until May. Were they ever going to tell anyone? That’s a big…Continue reading Once again: Why won’t anyone tell the truth about Bruce Wellems?
BREAKING: A Hawaii man who says he was sexually abused by Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron spoke out at a press conference today in Agana. You can read more here, here, and here. More soon …
If you are in the San Francisco area May 27, be sure to check out this screening of the award-winning documentary Call Me Lucky, with a special Q&A afterward with comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait. From Variety: A tribute to an underappreciated comedic talent that takes a startling midpoint shift toward much graver material, “Call…Continue reading San Fran: An Evening with Bobcat Goldthwait
But where is he now? That’s an important question … From NewsOK: Tuesday, in a prepared statement, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said the Rev. Jose Alexis Davila was removed from his pastoral work in the archdiocese after more investigation was conducted into the priest’s past. Considering the archbishop…Continue reading Convicted priest booted from OKC
In an attempt to mislead parishioners and the public and clear them of wrongdoing in hiring a priest who plead guilty to a sexual offense, the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is circulating the priest’s “expungement document.” In this document, Fr. Jose Alexis Davila’s record of unlawful sexual touching is expunged. It is dated in…Continue reading Archdiocese of OKC circulates Davila’s expungement record, misleads press/parishioners
Let’s play a game of “Who to believe …” In 2012, Fr. Jose Alexis Davila plead guilty to unlawful sexual touching. We learned this week that Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley put Davila back in a parish. Let’s see what Coakley had to say: While Father Davila’s actions with an adult parishioner five years ago occurred…Continue reading Cops vs. Coakley: You be the judge
What exactly does it take to get a priest removed? What does it take to get OKC Archbishop Paul Coakley to warn parishioners about a priest’s past? What does it take to get a religious community to stop minimizing a guilty plea to a sex crime? Fr. Jose Alexis Davila has now been exposed across San…Continue reading Oklahoma City: Where Zero Tolerance Means Zip …
So we can assume that OK City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley doesn’t bother with that whole “background check” thing. Why? A former San Diego priest who vanished after he pled guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery and “engaging in unlawful sexual touching” in 2012 has resurfaced in parishes in Oklahoma. Fr. Jose Alexis Davila was sentenced to three years’ probation…Continue reading Convicted Priest Resurfaces in Oklahoma
Finally there is some good news. A reauthorization bill in the US Senate has a new provision that extends the federal civil rights of victims of child sex crimes, including child sexual abuse and child pornography. Last week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to reauthorize the Adam Walsh Act, a federal program…Continue reading Feds move to extend civil rights for sex abuse victims
The answer is simple: they thought no one would notice. When Indian priest Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul pleaded guilty in 2012 to child molestation in the Diocese of Crookston, MN, Jeyapaul’s victims and their supporters (including SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) believed—at first—that they had won a huge victory. Not only had Jeyapaul fled the…Continue reading Why did the Vatican reinstate a convicted priest?
Of all of the abuse and cover-up that have been exposed as a result of Hawaii’s civil window for victims of sexual abuse, few things are as explosive as a report released yesterday that states the Vatican knew Hawaii’s former bishop was a sex predator before he was appointed ordinary. The report, written by Fr. Thomas…Continue reading Report: Vatican knew bishop was a predator
Joel Wright, the Steubenville seminarian caught trying to buy children in order to sexually molest them, pleaded guilty to federal charges of trying to entice a minor. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Authorities released some of the emails Wright exchanged with undercover agents. You can read some of them here. But a…Continue reading “Baby-buying” Ohio seminarian pleads guilty
Click here to listen to my interview/discussion today on a California bill that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for sex crimes. AirTalk with Larry Mantle on KPCC, 89.3 FM, Southern California Public Radio.
Yeah, even I was surprised. Parishioners at Los Angeles Archdiocese’s St. Kateri Church were not pleased when they were informed that disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony was going to perform their parish confirmations. From the Santa Clarita Valley Signal: Brooke Bambrick is among the outraged. Growing up Catholic, her father was a deacon at St. Monica’s. When…Continue reading Local parish says, “No Mahony!” And the response is ….
My friend Manny Vega and I had the opportunity to make a video for Buzzfeed about our experience as survivors of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Thanks to producer Ricky Sans for the amazing end product.
Clergy sex abuse and cover-up … or the sale of breast milk? The jury is still out. You can read my article on the breast milk market in Orange County here. There is enough in this article for a book … and I may just be the person to do it.
