Lesson of the day for the Diocese of Orange: Don’t lie to the press and public when I can prove you wrong with your own paperwork. Last week, Fr. Richard T. Coughlin, the founder of The All-American Boys Chorus, (who—despite dozens of credible accusations and lawsuits in two states—is still a priest), was sued again in […]
Confused about the Canonical Trial of Archbishop Apuron? Wondering about the secrecy or why Apuron is able to hide out in California while Vatican investigators are asking victims on Guam for depositions? Patrick J. Wall is an advocate and world renowned author/lecturer on the history of child abuse and cover-up in institutional organizations. He began his […]
The era of secret child sex abuse settlements in California is over. I am usually quick to beat up on California Governor Jerry Brown for his poor record on protecting institutions who cover-up child sex abuse. But a new law enacted January 1, 2017, slipped under my radar— and organizations who harbor men and women who […]
It’s been a roller coaster ride for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. For those of you who are not familiar with the group, this is an organization where I donate a ton of time, and an organization that’s responsible for whom I have become as an advocate. Lately, SNAP has been in the news […]
Schools need to rethink how they handle cases of teachers who are busted with child pornography and/or who molest. Imagine if you received a letter from your child’s school like this: Dear Parents: Today, Mr. John Doe, a long-term substitute teacher and math tutor at our school, was arrested for murder. We learned that he […]
All I wanted to do this week was scream NO! at sportswriters and pundits. The Rose Bowl Game and the Pox of Jerry Sandusky You can’t compare a wide-spread criminal child sex abuse scandal to a free apartment for a running back. You can’t. Sports writers and talking heads said that both Penn State’s and USC’s […]
From the October issue of OC Family, now online: Stopping Predators: Straight talk, honest, trust: tools for proving childhood sexual abuse You can read my whole essay here.
For the second time in four years, a San Diego priest credibly accused (and later criminally charged) with sexual assault was allowed to stay in a parish while parishioners were kept in the dark. Apparently, Bishop Robert McElroy doesn’t think that’s a big deal. He’s wrong. Priest charged under Minnesota Law Fr. Jacob Andrew Bertrand is […]
Yesterday, NY Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced the The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, a plan to compensate victims of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of New York. There are great articles discussing the neutral and negative aspects of the plan, but before any survivor begins the process of working with the committee, there are a few details […]
Read the whole thing here: Opinion: What survivors of clergy sex abuse should know
In what can be called the “pleasant surprise of the decade,” I just got word that CA Governor Jerry Brown just signed SB 813 into law, which eliminates the criminal statute of limitations for rape going forward. From Senator Connie Leyva’s press release: Co-sponsored by San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos and the California […]
Today, Guam Governor Eddie Calvo “signed a bill that allows victims of child sexual abuse to sue their abusers as well as anyone who helped them and the institutions with which they are affiliated.” I am overjoyed for Guam’s victims of sexual abuse and Catholics as a whole. They have fought long and hard for […]
There is a huge chance that the history of the Catholic Church on Guam will be rewritten … by Catholics. And it’s pretty awesome. All it will take is a small change in the law that will give victims of sexual abuse the opportunity to use the civil courts to expose their abusers and the […]
Back in December, I wrote about a US Senate bill that that would give states money if they enacted legislation that extended or eliminated unexpired statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse. Now, the House of Representatives has put together a bipartisan bill that “harmonizes the statute of limitations for sex abuse victims and sex trafficking […]
As I stated in my previous post, little has changed in the Diocese of Orange since 2005, when church officials settled sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits with 87 child victims. I’d thought I share a little Facebook proof with you. Now I will admit, I have been sitting on this information for a while. The […]
That big BOOM you heard this morning in Southern California? That was my head exploding after reading the cover story in today’s Orange County Register. From the article: Though the diocese’s growth was exponential, there was also a period of turmoil when the nationwide Catholic Church sex abuse scandal erupted. Bishop Tod Brown, who took […]
I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday who had just read a pretty expansive article on child sexual abuse and civil laws. What struck her was the author’s (correct) assertion that most child predators are NOT pedophiles. Of course, I said. True “pedophiles,” that is, adults who are sexually attracted to prepubescent children, […]
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 […]
Read my latest article in OC Family here.
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.
