How about some GOOD news out of a state legislature? Hawaii State Legislature has TWO ground-breaking, victim-friendly bills that have just passed committee. Why the legislative attention? The current Hawaii Civil Window, which closes in April, has opened lawmakers’ eyes to the problem of child sex abuse and cover-up across the state. Fortunately, these same…Continue reading Hawaii Legislative Update
According to the Riverside Press Enterprise, two victims of convicted priest Alejandro “Alex” Castillo settled their sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits against the Diocese of San Bernardino for $3.8 million. In a statement, the diocese called Castillo’s acts “sinful and unlawful.” They also added this: The diocese acknowledges and deeply regrets the sinful and unlawful…Continue reading Castillo victims settle with Diocese of San Bernardino
There have been a number of things about the recent UN committee report on (and the global response to) the Vatican’s role in clergy sex abuse that have given me pause. The first issue has been the one to which Vatican and global Catholic officials have clung : The report’s inclusion of language about the church’s…Continue reading The Battle of the Scandals, pt 1: The Nation-State
No matter your take on the recent UN committee report on the problem of sex abuse in the Catholic Church and no matter how you feel about the recent public argument involving Woody Allen and his daughter Dylan Farrow, two things are clear: The more we talk about sex abuse as a crime, the more…Continue reading If nothing else …
Every once in a while, I catch myself wondering why the child sex abuse awareness movement (especially in the Catholic Church) has never elicited support from Hollywood A-listers. Yesterday, Dylan Farrow gave us a painful and personal reminder. Her immensely brave open letter in the New York Times is raw. She openly accuses Woody Allen…Continue reading You read Dylan Farrow’s letter. Now what?