Roman Polanski “blame[s] birth control pills for ‘masculinising’ women.” From AFP: Asked by a reporter how his views of women had changed over time, the filmmaker said he thought feminism and advances in contraception had blurred the distinctions between the sexes. “I think that now offering flowers to a lady becomes indecent, that’s how I…Continue reading Polanski needs to shut his trap
Ahhh … the glory of the week one weigh-in. It doesn’t get better than this (really, it doesn’t. Now the weight loss is going to be slooooooooow). “Healthy Living” with Mike has been awesome. It makes dieting a million times easier. The first couple of days were rough—you know, the usual headache from less caffeine…Continue reading End of week one
Two years after they sought bankruptcy protection to avoid more than 200 embarrasing civil sex abuse trials, the New York-based Irish Christian Brothers (ICB) have settled with more than 400 victims of child sexual abuse (in Canada and the United States) for $16.5 million. This marks the end of the first step for many ICB…Continue reading Victims settle with Irish Christian Brothers for $16.5 million
For immediate release: Monday, May 20 Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com) Six men who were sexually violated as kids by a widely-known Jesuit priest, Fr. Donald McGuire, have reached a settlement totaling nearly $20 million. We applaud their courage and strength.…Continue reading Victims of convicted predator priest reach $20 million settlement with Jesuits
It’s time for a new round of HEALTHY LIVING. (cue game show intro music!) It’s been a rough year for me health-wise, and all of the good strides I made last summer died in the exhaustion of a 3-month bout of shingles. Then there were the sinus infections. Followed by the flu. Basically, it sucked,…Continue reading And now for something completely different
Wade Robson has everything to lose: his career in Hollywood, his family, friends he has had in the industry since he was a child. He is opening himself up to criticism, accusations of “greed” and an onslaught of hate mail from Michael Jackson fans worldwide (and he will get it, because they have come after me…Continue reading Wade Robson’s truth: Worth the risk. But will Hollywood listen?
Let me get this straight: Lawyers for the Archdiocese of LA want six sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits against one of its former priests, Nicholas Aguilar Rivera, tossed out of court. Fr. Aguilar Rivera. Have passport, will molest Even though, according to the Associated Press: The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in 1988 filed 19…Continue reading LA Archdiocese lawyers want suits tossed because people CARE about cover-up
Michael D’Antonio, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of the new blockbuster Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime, and the Era of Catholic Scandal will be visiting the west coast for book signings and lecture events. He and a panel of experts, including Patrick Wall, Jeff Anderson*, Richard Sipe*, Irwin Zalkin*,and local survivors will discuss the history…Continue reading MORTAL SINS West Coast Book Tour
From yesterday’s Honolulu Star Advertiser: Catholic Church, priest named in lawsuit alleging molestation A New Jersey man filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that he was sexually molested when he attended St. Anthony’s parish and school in Kailua from 1978 to 1981 when he was about 10 to 13 years old. The suit filed by the man…Continue reading Second retired Honolulu priest sued for abuse: Bishop does … NOTHING
The Los Angeles Times just published this great story about Cardinal Mahony. Despite promises from Archbishop Gomez that Mahony would be removed from public ministry, the disgraced Cardinal is performing confirmations across Los Angeles. Fortunately, the commenters and Catholics are just as disgusted as I was last week when I first reported the problem.
Within the past few weeks, the Archdiocese of Newark has settled sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits with five men who charge that they were abused by convicted Newark priest Fr. Carmine Sita. Sita, who was convicted of child sex abuse in New Jersey in 1983, was later allowed to change his name to Fr. Jerry…Continue reading Newark’s name-changing predator priest makes headlines again …
After more than 30 years of upsetting, insulting and disgusting Catholics, passers-by and anyone with eyes, Boner Jesus—a mural on the wall of St. Joseph’s Church in Santa Ana—has finally been covered up. Put this one in the “tentative win” column for new Orange Bishop Kevin Vann. Let’s just hope that Vann doesn’t…Continue reading Buh-BYE Boner Jesus!
From today’s OC Register: Sexual abuse victims seek more time to sue BY SCOTT M. REID / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Charmaine Carnes still remembers the sick feeling she had the first time her gymnastics coach sexually molested her. “I was 8 or 9 years old the first time I felt dread. My coach, Doug Boger, was…Continue reading California Child Victims’ Act Passes Judiciary
Disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony will be officiating confirmations this evening at a local Los Angeles parish, despite promises from the new Los Angeles archbishop that Mahony and another bishop involved in sex abuse and cover-up would be relieved from public duties. Documents released in January showed that Mahony, who retired in 2011, personally managed the…Continue reading BREAKING: Cardinal Mahony presiding over confirmations at LA parish
It’s not surprising that new Orange County Bishop Kevin Vann has put the Marywood Center up for sale. The 15-acre site (sitting on prime property in the swanky hills above the City of Orange) is redundant now that the ink is dry on the diocese’s purchase of the Crystal Cathedral (now Christ Cathedral) in Garden…Continue reading Bishop Vann puts Marywood up for sale: Secrecy contract included!
It’s not like he stole money or anything … because then he would have gone to jail AND been excommunicated. Eleven years after the U.S. Bishops’ Conference promised to “Mak[e] prompt and effective response to allegations; Cooperat[e] with civil authorities; and Disciplin[e] offenders,” we are offered this charming nugget from the New Jersey Star-Ledger: Newark archbishop allows…Continue reading Zero Tolerance is for the little people
A teacher at Anaheim’s Servite Catholic High School is accused of posing as a girl to get teenage boys to send lewd pictures of themselves. He was arrested in February and faces numerous charges. In 2011, a teacher at JSerra High School in south Orange County was arrested on charges of lewd conduct with a 14-year-old…Continue reading Social media redeems itself in OC … twice
Just when you thought he was going away quietly … Sources say that disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony is embarking on a “mandatory attendence” PR campaign to convince local priests that he’s the good guy in cases of dozens of clerics who sexually abused hundreds of children during his tenure as Archbishop of Los Angeles. Although this information…Continue reading Mahony’s back to his favorite pastime
On April 5, The Wall Street Journal reported that: As the church’s most powerful official in Argentina, [Pope Francis] didn’t comply with a Vatican call to create guidelines for handling sexual-abuse allegations in the country. But then, in the next paragraph: On Friday, Pope Francis met with Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who heads the office…Continue reading If he didn’t care yesterday … why such urgency today?
I’m not good at predictions. If I were, I’d be in Vegas and this blog would be a money-generating machine. Despite this failing, I’ve been asked a lot by the media what I think of the new pope, his record, what I expect to see in the next few months. So I made a…Continue reading My first week to-do list for Francis I