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…Continue reading VOTF National Assembly – April 5, 2014
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
Former Hilo farmer Jay Ram, who is accused of sexual abuse by five of his sons, has been found living outside of Tampa, where he was finally served with the civil lawsuits. From the Hawaii News-Tribune: One of Ram’s neighbors in Odessa, who spoke to the Tribune-Herald on the condition of anonymity, said Ram…Continue reading Jay Ram found in Florida
The Diocese of Stockton announced today that they are going to seek bankruptcy protection in federal court on Wednesday. They had announced their “intentions” to file last year. The first goal of the filing, according to Bishop Stephen Blaire in the Lodi News is to “provid[e] a process to compensate victims of sexual abuse, particularly those…Continue reading Stockton makes its grand entrance to the Bankruptcy Ball