Bishops are very quick divert attention from their role in the cover-up of sex abuse by pointing fingers at public schools, where there is another, very real child sex abuse crisis. But why haven’t the bishops helped to publicly fund or support any legislation that helps victims in public schools? Why haven’t they spoken out…Continue reading The victims’ movement doesn’t discriminate
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
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