I knew I wasn’t crazy to propose a book on child safety.
I am very proud of how the completed proposal for THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER FROM ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION has turned out. I received help from some extraordinary folks, who pushed me to go further and create a book that will—I believe—change lives. Fortunately, other people think so, too.
As more news breaks, you’ll read about it here first.
If you would like more information or want to review the completed proposal, feel free to contact me.
Sexual Abuse Survivors Settle with Los Angeles Archdiocese
Archdiocese used therapy scam to defraud victims of civil rights
Cardinal, Bishop thwarted police, helped criminal priest escape US
What: At a news conference Wednesday sexual abuse survivors and their attorneys, Anthony DeMarco and Jeff Anderson will:
Announce a landmark, $13m settlement on behalf of 17 survivors who were sexually abused by five different perpetrators in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, including Fr. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera.
Discuss how the Archdiocese paid for survivor’s therapy but did not inform survivors of their legal rights to sue, as required by law.
Demonstrate and discuss how an international conspiracy between Cardinal Roger Mahony and a Mexican bishop allowed a child-raping priest to be dumped in LA’s Spanish-speaking neighborhoods and how Cardinal Mahony and Bishop Thomas Curry defrauded survivors by misleading the police in the case of Fr. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera.
Play excerpts from Cardinal Mahony’s video deposition taken in 2013 where he claims he and his deputies “did nothing wrong” in handling cases of child sexual abuse. Copies of the sworn testimony excerpts will be available for press.
WHEN: Wednesday February 19, 2014 at 11:00 AM PST
WHERE: Westin Bonaventure Hotel – Palos Verde Room
404 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
WHO: Attorneys Jeff Anderson and Anthony DeMarco along with several sexual abuse survivors, including survivors abused by the five perpetrators named in this settlement.
Documents and additional information will be posted to our website www.abusedinsocal.com under “Case Resources.”
Speakers will include John L. Allen, Jr., Associate Editor for Catholic news at The Boston Globe and founder of the Vatican beat for National Catholic Reporter, and Fr. Thomas Reese, NCR’s Senior Analyst and author of The Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church.
I did an MSNBC interview with Reese last month and he is a great advocate for truth.
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.
Fr. Alex Castillo
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 actions of Castillo, while noting it took immediate action to remove him from ministry and notify police as soon as the allegations … were known.
Why do I have doubts? Hopefully, a third outstanding lawsuit will expose the truth.
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.
Even I had some issues with it. When I was asked for a comment by CNN International, I declined, saying that the focus of victims is clergy sexual abuse. And, really, it is. It is not the victims’ movement’s place to comment on other issues, because victims come from all beliefs. But personally, I believed that the committee had overstepped.
But late last night, it dawned on me: I’m wrong.
As far as the UN is concerned, the Code of Canon Law is not a religious document. It’s a constitution. The church’s teachings about abortion, homosexuality, etc., aren’t religious views—THEY ARE THE LAWS OF A NATION-STATE.
I was clouding my views on the report with American thinking about religious freedom. And that’s exactly what the Vatican wants.
If the Vatican is going to scream “religious rights,” they should not be a nation-state, immune from civil liability. If they truly want to continue to reap the rewards and benefits of their nation-state status, they should openly state, “Yes, these are our laws” and not claim “religious persecution.”
