I am sitting in Chicago at the SNAP national conference. And I can’t get the notion of spirituality out of my mind. One of the more common questions I get from reporters is: How are you doing spiritually? For years, I didn’t know how to answer that. Friends like William Lobdell wrote books about it,…Continue reading The Ruby Slippers Worked All Along: Spirituality in Spite of Religion
This weekend marks the five-year anniversary of the 2007 Los Angeles Archdiocese’s $660 million settlement with more than 500 victims of child sexual abuse by priests, religious, employees and volunteers. While the financial settlement has allowed many Los Angeles victims to get therapy, healing and a sense of justice, the real reason many of these victims…Continue reading A Bittersweet Anniversary
There is little time left: Victims of the Irish Christian Brothers or victims abused at Irish Christian Brothers schools only have until August 1, 2012 to come forward and get justice in the courts. Last year, the Irish Christian Brothers (ICB), a Catholic religious order based in New Rochelle, New York, sought bankruptcy protection after…Continue reading Deadline Looming for Victims of Irish Christian Brothers
What we know is bad. What we don’t know is scary. Last week, family members of Matthew Carrigan gathered outside of Corpus Christi Parish in Aliso Viejo to warn parishioners about Fr. Tim Ramaekers. According to a lawsuit filed by Carrigan, Ramaekers allegedly molested Carrigan when he was a young student at St. Justin Martyr…Continue reading The Troubling Case of Timothy Ramaekers
Business and moral ethics textbook writers need to find a new hero, and FAST. Joe Paterno just isn’t going to cut it anymore. I’m about halfway through a course in business ethics, which is a part of my track for an MBA. What I found absolutely startling is the fact that in more than half of…Continue reading The Clay Feet of an Ethics Idol
On a lark, I looked up the Wikipedia entry for Orange County Bishop Tod Brown. I was inspired after I saw that Bishop Accountability had just completed a newer edition of Brown’s assignment history. Bishop Accountability included details of the sex abuse allegation against Brown, as well as the fact that Brown had refused to disclose…Continue reading Wikipedia or PR? You be the judge
Penn State must have something to hide. And it’s bad enough that they’re trying to bamboozle victims into gag orders. From the Philadelphia Enquirer: … School president Rodney Erickson said in a statement released just after the 45 guilty verdicts against Sandusky were brought in Friday night, “The purpose of the program is simple. The university…Continue reading Penn State already trying to gag-order victims?
UPDATE July 5, 2012: William Lynch was acquitted on all charges. He plans on starting a nonprofit to help victims and eliminate statutes of limitation on child sexual abuse. William Lynch has been on my mind quite a bit lately. For anyone who doesn’t know, Lynch is accused of beating up Fr. Jerold Lindner,…Continue reading ** Updated July 5, 2012 ** A few thoughts about William Lynch
After years of litigation and on the eve of what was going to be a blockbuster trial, the Diocese of Orange has settled its most recent case against notorious former priest and Mater Dei/Santa Margarita High School principal Michael Harris for $2 million. The victim is a decorated Air Force pilot. He risked a…Continue reading Breaking: Michael Harris case settles for $2 million
When Vatican officials selected a bishop to head the effort to go after the American nuns of the LCWR and accuse them of wrongdoing, you might guess they’d be very careful to pick a prelate who is clearly beyond reproach. Guess again. The church hierarchy – taking the suggestion, some insiders say, of disgraced Cardinal…Continue reading Sartain and the monumental log in his eye … investigating the LCWR?
The Michael Harris trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 18 at 9am. Barring any last-minute settlements, you’ll see me at Dept. CX103, Orange County Supreme Court. It should be a barn burner. Get ready to see some diocese dirty laundry. Even Bishop Tod Brown concedes Harris is a monster. The victim is an active…Continue reading Michael Harris trial is a go …
For immediate release: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Hawaii bishop accused of molesting boy New sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit is filed This is the 2nd victim to name Ferrario as offender Diocese knew and covered up allegations, lawsuit says New state law lets victims expose abusers & protect kids In a new civil lawsuit using…Continue reading BREAKING: Former Hawaii bishop accused of molesting boy
I mean, c’mon. Fr. Davila pled GUILTY. He wouldn’t pass the diocese background check, yet he’s in a parish: Bishops Robert Brom and Cirillo Flores say that they have addressed all of the pastoral concerns. Really? How about the concerns of the victim? ************************************ For immediate release: Tuesday, June 12 For more information: David Clohessy…Continue reading Call me crazy, but priests who admit to sexually assaulting ANYONE need to find a new job …
Victims? We don’t care about no stinkin’ victims! San Diego, California: Fr. Jose Alexis Davila was arrested in January 2012 and pled guilty in April for battery and “unlawful touching of an intimate part of a victim’s body.” He is serving three years’ probation. Parishioners tried to accost the victim’s mother at prayer group in an…Continue reading Cue Angry Mob
If you are in the Sacramento area, I hope you can join us. I think that Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto has said, “Report abuse to the Diocese,” so many times, that he thinks it’s the right thing to do. (P.S. Even the Pope says to call the cops first) For immediate release: June 6,…Continue reading Bishop Jaime Soto has some explaining to do about Uriel Ojeda
**Updated with correction and Diocese Reponse** File this under: “What the hell are they thinking?” Diocese of San Diego priest Fr. Jose Alexis Davila, who in April pled guilty to to battery and “engaging in an unlawful touching of an intimate part of the victim’s body,” is back at work at his old parish. You know, the one…Continue reading Plead guilty to sexual assault? No worries! Brom has got your back!
A sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit against former priest Msgr. Michael Harris, Mater Dei High School and the Diocese of Orange is slated to go to trial in Orange County Superior Court on June 18. Harris, the former principal of Mater Dei and Santa Margarita High Schools, has been smack in the center of the clergy sex…Continue reading Notorious former OC priest Michael Harris headed to court on more abuse charges
From The Daily Breeze: Superintendent John Deasy of the LA Unified School District “told principals at 900 campuses to scour 40 years’ worth of personnel files for allegations of sexual wrongdoing, inappropriate behavior, violence or drugs, and gave them until May 30 to complete the arduous task.” They found 600 possible cases and forwarded 331…Continue reading LAUSD Finds 600 Cases of Possible Abuse
Documents recently exposed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee showed that NY Cardinal Timothy Dolan paid predator priests $20,000 to quietly leave the priesthood. Yeah, really. The response from Dolan? Cue the crickets. But that doesn’t mean that Dolan’s apologists have also clammed up. In fact, they have been very loud in defending Dolan, saying,…Continue reading Dissecting Dolan’s Apologists
However, the irony of the name of the brewery will not be lost on some …