Less than 48 hours after Spotlight nabbed the best picture Oscar, a grand jury report and an Australian cardinal are showing the world that the clergy sex abuse scandal is far from over. Yesterday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a grand jury released a 147-page report outlining sex abuse and cover-up in the Diocese of Altoona-Jonestown. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette:…Continue reading Spotlight wins … scandal continues
Hawai’i’s adult victims of child sexual abuse only have until the end of April to come forward and use the civil courts. The civil window, which was renewed in 2014, was an extension of a 2012 bill that gave victims of child sexual abuse the right to use the civil courts to expose their…Continue reading Hawai’i victims of abuse face deadline
The first step to transparency is being, well … transparent. And when your former bishop is a three-time-accused (that we know of) predator, that makes transparency even more important. Victims to Hawai’i Bishop: Make all predators’ names public Thirty other dioceses have exposed accused clerics Seattle list included abuser in hiding in Honolulu Former bishop…Continue reading Victims to Hawai’i Bishop: Make all predators’ names public
Yesterday’s LA Times told the story of Edward Courtney, former Irish Christian Brother who is accused of molesting upwards of 50 kids. He’s living “under the radar” in Hawaii. The bigger story is that EVERY cleric in Hawaii who has been accused of abuse (including former Bishop Joseph Ferrario) lives or has lived under the…Continue reading Hawaii Diocese knows who the predators are. They just won’t tell us.
Oh, Pope Francis. He’s got a good racket going. His fan base is huge. Recent trips to the U.S. and now Mexico show that people really like this seemingly humble and devout man. I mean, they “like him” like him. But a pioneer in the prevention, prosecution, and exposure of child sex abuse? Not so much. So,…Continue reading What to do when people say, “But Pope Francis is different.”
Peter Saunders was given a vote of no confidence by the Vatican commission on the prevention of child sex abuse. His crime? Demanding the prevention of child sexual abuse. Preventing child sexual abuse is uncomfortable and requires action. You can’t sit back and take the long view. Why? Because of the thousands of children who are…Continue reading “No matter what we do, we hit a wall with Francis, Vatican”
The Gallup Independent does not have an online edition. The entire article is posted here. Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, NM, Feb. 1, 2016 Advocate publishes parent’s guide on sex abuse By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola Independent correspondent GALLUP — As an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, Joelle Casteix has used…Continue reading Well-Armored Child Review in Gallup Independent
Click here to hear my interview with Timothy Spangler on KRLA 870 AM. We talk about abuse, cover-up, and the Vatican’s role in the continuing scandal. I start at 29:00
What made the Stubenville diocese take a potential seminarian that 45 other dioceses and religious orders had previously rejected? Joel Wright is the 23-year-old Catholic seminarian who has been charged with attempting to adopt or purchase (for cash) a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old. He didn’t want to be a father. He wanted them for…Continue reading “Baby-buying” seminarian rejected by 45 dioceses, orders
There are two very amazing and interesting aspects of today’s news about disgraced Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt. After national media attention and huge (and righteous) push back from Michigan Catholics, Nienstedt has been forced to leave a temporary position in a Michigan parish. If you’re just catching up to the story, Kalamazoo Catholic officials didn’t…Continue reading Catholics who stopped “sitting back and taking it”
60 sex abuse cases 29 settlements 1 stingy insurance company Things have been pretty quiet in Hawaii. And because of a new lawsuit, we now know why. The Diocese of Honolulu today sued one of its insurers, First Insurance Insurance of Hawaii, for refusing “to honor commitments made in liability policies it…Continue reading Hawaii Civil Window update
or … The proof is in the paper, but only if you can find it. And the monks at St. John’s want to make sure you never find it. Today, Minnesota Public Radio announced that St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville (MN) is releasing the secret sex abuse files of 18 predatory monks in…Continue reading St. John’s, document dumps, and child victims
What do you do with a disgraced bishop, whose involvement in the cover-up of child sexual abuse led to his being forced out (as well as a bankruptcy for his Archdiocese and criminal charges against the organization)? Put him in a parish, apparently. Yesterday, former St. Paul and Minneapolis Chancellor (and whistleblower) Jennifer…Continue reading How do you solve a problem like Nienstedt?
On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune ran a page-one piece about the case of Fr. Bruce Wellems, a Chicago priest who admitted to luring a seven-year-old boy from basketball games and then sexually abusing him multiple times during the course of a year. Wellems was an older teenager at the time. Did the Claretians (the…Continue reading Why can’t anyone tell the truth about Fr. Bruce Wellems?
NEWS EVENT: Victims to leaflet mass attendees LA Priest admits he repeatedly abused a child But Catholic officials let him work in parishes In 2014, they “quietly removed” him from LA church, misled parishioners about cause And they insisted that incriminating documents be destroyed Now, despite “zero tolerance” policy, he may be put back on…Continue reading News Event – January 3, 2016 – LA priest admits abuse, Archdiocese misleads parishioners
Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich has a lot of explaining to do about why he has allowed a priest—who has admitted to sexually abusing a child—to remain a priest and work with kids. In fact, in light of a Chicago Tribune article today, I think Cupich should step down for his blatant disregard for…Continue reading Cupich: Priest abused BEFORE ordination, so it’s okay
Note: it was the release of previously sealed depositions in the CIVIL case against Cosby that finally encouraged Montgomery County, PA prosecutors to file criminal charges. In 2004, when former Temple University employee Andrea Constand originally reported the sexual assault, prosecutors would not charge Cosby. But 49 women and a 2005 deposition later, the…Continue reading Bill Cosby arrested and charged with sexual assault
On the heels of proposed federal legislation and a CA ballot initiative to eliminate statutes of limitations for sex crimes, California State Sen. Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) is “seeking to introduce a bill in January that would eliminate the statute of limitations for rape and other related crimes.” According to the Vallejo Times-Herald:…Continue reading More moves to reform CA sex crime laws
Felicia Friesema is teaching me to live. Felicia is the wife of my friend Steve Julian. Steve and I met a number of years ago—when his former high school principal was exposed as a predator priest. Although Steve was not a victim, the priest and Steve had tangled over an editorial then-student Steve…Continue reading Finding grace in living and dying
This morning, I found out I was named one of Orange County’s “Most Influential” by the Orange County Register. I won’t lie: It’s pretty awesome. Read the whole thing here.
