CA AB 218 is now law. Victims of child sexual abuse—no matter how old they are or when the abuse occurred (public or private institutions are both included, as well as victims in the family)—can come forward in the courts and expose what happened. For those of us from Mater Dei, the All-American Boys Chorus,…Continue reading A note to my friends about AB 218
Why Independent Compensation Programs are a Sham, Reason 3,298 It was a throwaway quote by Orange Bishop Kevin Vann that gave him away. Yesterday, six dioceses across the state of California launched what they are calling the Independent Compensation Program (ICP) for Victim-Survivors of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests. The programs, modeled after similar…Continue reading Orange Bishop Kevin Vann needs a History Lesson, or
This morning, New York’s Rochester Diocese became the 20th U.S. diocese to seek bankruptcy protection when faced with child sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits. Why did the diocese choose to seek bankruptcy protection? Bishop Matano (pictured above) is making this all about the Benjamins. He wants to elicit sympathy from parishioners, make the public think…Continue reading Diocese of Rochester Bankruptcy: Let’s Talk Turkey
You want a juicy scandal? Don’t go to Hollywood. Instead, look no further than State 48. And because of a new law, it’s time for a dive into the history of child (and vulnerable adult) sex abuse and cover-up across Arizona. I’ll talk about new law and why survivors can come forward at the end…Continue reading A Brief History of Child Sex Abuse and Cover-up in Arizona
Click here to listen to my entire August 28, 2019 interview with Phoenix’s KJZZ on how to prevent child sexual abuse.
I get SO MANY emails asking for help in this arena. Start here. You can always email me for suggestions and guidance, too. And no “helpful hints” on video production, please. I can’t take any more. My 13-year-old son is already overloading me how much improvement I need. Ugh. I told him that my videos…Continue reading Don’t go it alone: How to find a civil attorney for your child sex abuse case
Yesterday, the Diocese of San Diego issued a press release, calling an “all hands on deck” meeting about child sexual abuse. At the meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, “All diocesan employees will hear about the steps the diocese is taking to protect children and young people, and on the moral and legal…Continue reading The Diocese of San Diego: The Land of Smoke and Mirrors
Yesterday, six of California’s Catholic bishops announced an independent compensation program for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. I wrote an extensive series on these programs a while back. While the some of the details are different, the facts about these programs remain the same: This plan is not about helping survivors. This is about the…Continue reading Independent compensation programs hit California
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks in the child sex abuse survivors’ movement. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the news and the emotions involved (Heck, even I’m overwhelmed). After years of little action, it seems as if survivors and advocates have been thrown into a hurricane of news, reaction and emotion—lots and lots…Continue reading The New York Child Victims Act: How will you change the world today?
Part Four in a multi-part series ~ Previous post The enemy of sex abuse and cover-up is the light of truth: Statute of Limitation Reform. Why? Because civil justice—properly executed—demands that such behavior be uncovered and made public. Predators AND the institutional cover-up that enables predators to flourish are EXPOSED. Law enforcement can put bad…Continue reading Class Action Sex Abuse Lawsuits Part 4: Class Actions vs. IRCPs
~Part three in a multi-part series~previous post Settlement Class Actions Lawsuits are BAD for victims, BAD for justice, and a PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARD. And the opt-out? It’s every bishop’s dream. I talked about the opt-out a little in my last post. But in this post, I will talk about why settlement class action lawsuits in…Continue reading Class Action Sex Abuse Lawsuits Part 3: The Evil Opt-Out
~Part two in a multi-part series~previous post Settlement Class Actions Lawsuits are BAD for victims and BAD for transparency. But they are mighty good for bishops. Here is what we know about victims of child sexual abuse: It can take decades for victims to come forward, because child sexual abuse is a crime of shame…Continue reading Class Action Sex Abuse Lawsuits Part 2: Lessons from Covington
~Part one in a multi-part series~ Class Actions: BAD for Victims. BAD for Justice. BAD for Transparency Class action lawsuits are a bishop’s dream and a victim’s nightmare. Let me explain: Earlier this week, news reports discussed a federal class action lawsuit filed on Tuesday against the Vatican and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. (This…Continue reading A New Series ~ Settlement Class Action Sex Abuse Lawsuits
Michael Sean Winters has written an excellent piece on the Baltimore USCCB Bishops’ Conference. He called the entire conference—from DiNardo’s leadership to the proposed reforms—”amateur hour.” My take on his editorial goes a step further: Pope Francis and the Congregation of Cardinals may have saved the US Bishops from themselves. DiNardo and team never had…Continue reading Did the Vatican save the US Bishops from themselves?
UPDATED 5:14 pm: From the Washington Post: Instead, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo — the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference — told the group that the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops had asked the bishops not to take action until after a worldwide meeting of church leaders in February. This is very interesting. The congregation is the…Continue reading UPDATED: Francis put the brakes on Baltimore. Now what?
Spoiler warning: The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is taking us for a bunch of rubes. The bishops are relying upon two things: 1) the public’s lack of institutional memory; and 2) Catholics’ reliance upon the bishop’s artificial moral authority. #1 Lack of Institutional Memory Let’s start with #1. The best way to do this…Continue reading Some thoughts on this week’s Baltimore Bishops’ Meeting
While there has been no formal announcement of an investigation into clergy sex abuse and cover-up statewide, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sent this shot across the Twitter bow earlier today: If you believe you’ve been a victim of or have information regarding incidents of sexual abuse by clergy members in California, please report…Continue reading The CA Attorney General potential investigation is picking up steam
Joelle yacks about a lot of stuff in a lot more places than just this blog. So, for those of you who can’t get enough … The San Jose Mercury News interviewed me about J. Patrick Foley, one of the priests in “the San Diego Eight” list. The Pacific Daily News asked me about more…Continue reading Joelle said WHAT?
Today the Diocese of San Diego released a list of eight credibly accused priests who have worked in the diocese. The names are: Fr. Jose Chavarin Fr. Raymond Etienne SVD Fr. James P. Foley Fr. Michael French Fr. Richard Houck Fr. George Lally O.A.R. Fr. Mark Medaer Fr. Paolino Montagna This list is dangerously incomplete.…Continue reading San Diego Diocese holds back on abusive priests, public list tops 103
One of my dearest friends is a married deacon in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. In his position, he attended to Cardinal Wuerl. But after the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, he decided: No more. After James wrote and delivered the letter attached below, we talked. He told me that telling Cardinal Wuerl was one thing.…Continue reading D.C. Deacon Calls on Wuerl to Resign
