TOP STORIES
Bishop: Albany diocese covered up priest abuse for decades
“The longtime former head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany says the diocese covered up sexual abuse by priests for decades and protected clergy by sending them to private treatment instead of calling police. Bishop Howard Hubbard, who ran the diocese in New York’s Capital District from 1977 to 2014 and has himself been accused of sexual abuse, made the admission in a statement issued through his lawyer to the Albany Times-Union in response to questions from the newspaper.” By Associated Press
Defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick charged with sexually assaulting teenager in 1970s
“Defrocked former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was charged Wednesday (Jul. 28) with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception at Wellesley College in the 1970s, making him the highest-ranking Roman Catholic official in the United States to face criminal charges in the clergy sexual abuse scandal. McCarrick, 91, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., who fraternized with popes and presidents before he was expelled from the priesthood over sexual abuse allegations, is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 in a criminal complaint filed by Wellesley Police in Dedham District Court.” By Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe
- Ex-cardinal McCarrick faces milestone charges in Catholic sex abuse crisis, By Elizabeth Dias, Ruth Graham and Liam Stack, The New York Times
Vatican trial opens into financial scandal rocking papacy
“A cardinal who allegedly induced an underling to lie to prosecutors. Brokers and lawyers who pulled a fast one over the Vatican No. 2 to get him to approve a disastrous real estate deal. A self-styled intelligence analyst who bought Prada and Louis Vuitton items with the Vatican money that she was supposed to send to rebels holding a Catholic nun hostage. Vatican prosecutors have alleged a jaw-dropping series of scandals in the biggest criminal trial in the Vatican’s modern history, which opens Tuesday (Jul. 27) in a modified courtroom in the Vatican Museums. The once-powerful cardinal and nine other people are accused of bleeding the Holy See of tens of millions of dollars in donations through bad investments, deals with shady money managers and apparent favors to friends and family. They face prison sentences, fines or both if convicted.” By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press
- Vatican shows $78 million budget deficit, releases report on investments, By Catholic World News
- Vatican reports $78 million deficit, also releases APSA report, By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, in National Catholic Reporter
- Vatican real estate deal trial gets underway with defense on attack, By Claire Giangravé Religion News Service
The Vatican revealed its real estate portfolio for the first time – and it includes over 5,000 properties
“On the eve of a trial for financial malfeasance connected to the Vatican’s purchase of a property in London, the office that handles most of the Vatican’s investment portfolio, including real estate, made public a summary of its annual budget for the first time. The Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, known by its Italian initials APSA, released its budget synthesis July 24, and its president, Bishop Nunzio Galantino, described it as ‘a step forward in the direction of transparency and sharing.’ APSA directly administers 4,051 properties in Italy and entrusts to outside companies the administration of some 1,200 properties in London, Paris, Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland, the report said.” By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service
ACCOUNTABILITY
Catholic Church approved legal fees from fund meant for residential school survivors: documents
“New details have emerged about the Roman Catholic Church’s controversial multimillion-dollar legal bill paid from a fund intended for residential school survivors. In documents obtained Friday (Jul. 30) by CBC News, one of the church’s lawyers admits that the money came from that fund and said everything was done with full approval of all 50 Canadian ‘Catholic entities’ contributing to the fund. Legal and ethics experts interviewed Friday (Jul. 30) say they’re horrified, calling it another example of the Catholic Church’s betrayal of survivors.” By Jason Warick, CBC News
Canadian priest banned after downplaying residential school abuse
“A Catholic priest in Canada has been banned from speaking publicly by the Archdiocese, after accusing Indigenous residential school survivors of physical and sexual abuse, of lying to get money in federal court settlements. Father Rheal Forest made the comments on July 10 during a sermon in St Emile Roman Catholic Church in Winnipeg where he was reportedly filling in for the church’s regular pastor. ‘If they wanted extra money, from the money that was given to them, they had to lie sometimes – lie that they were abused sexually and, oop, another $50,000,’ Forest said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC). ‘It’s kind of hard if you’re poor not to lie,’ he reportedly said.” By Aljazeera.com
- Catholic priest in Winnipeg accuses residential school survivors of lying about abuse to get money, By Dave Baxter, Winnipeg Sun
Millions meant for residential school survivors spent on Catholic Church lawyers, administration: documents
“The Roman Catholic Church spent millions of dollars that were supposed to go to residential school survivors on lawyers, administration, a private fundraising company and unapproved loans, according to documents obtained by CBC News. The documents include a host of other revelations. They appear to contradict the Catholic Church’s public claims about money paid to survivors. ‘There are also a large number of serious accounting discrepancies that are alarming to Canada,’ states one document, a 53-page federal government ‘factum’ summarizing the evidence in a 2015 court matter.” By Jason Warick, CBC News
As Cardinal Becciu goes to court, Francis’ financial reforms also on trial
“The Vatican is opening criminal proceedings on July 27 against Giovanni Angelo Becciu, a once-powerful cardinal demoted by Pope Francis last fall, and nine other defendants. They are charged with embezzlement and other crimes linked to a 2013 investment of a purported $240 million in a London real estate venture that kept swallowing money until it went bust, leaving an approximate $415 million Vatican loss. The trial marks an emboldened turn in Francis’ papacy, likely to surpass other forensic dramas in the chain of scandals since ‘Vatileaks’ … In the current trial, the prosecution’s web work of links among defendants has attacked the leaders of both the Vatican bank (formally, the Institute for the Works of Religion) and the Vatican’s wider financial watchdog apparatus.” By Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter
U.S. churches reckon with traumatic legacy of Native schools
“The discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential schools for Indigenous children in Canada have prompted renewed calls for a reckoning over the traumatic legacy of similar schools in the United States — and in particular by the churches that operated many of them. U.S. Catholic and Protestant denominations operated more than 150 boarding schools between the 19th and 20th centuries, according to researchers. Native American and Alaskan Native children were regularly severed from their tribal families, customs, language and religion and brought to the schools in a push to assimilate and Christianize them.” By Peter Smith, Associated Press, in Longview News-Journal
POPE FRANCIS
Pope Francis agrees: Equal pay for women is long (long) overdue
“For modern interpreters of Catholic social teaching, there is little question that women deserve equal pay and a chance to build prosperous careers that align with their desires for family and home life. It has not always been so. ‘Rerum Novarum,’ the seminal 1891 papal encyclical on the dignity of work, explicitly said that women should be working primarily in the home, but Catholic thinking has evolved, Kate Ward, a professor of theology at Marquette University, told me. ‘Pope Francis even talks about how it can be O.K. for women to work and men to stay home,’ she said.” By John W. Miller, America: The Jesuit Review
Pope Francis’ Reforms to Canon Law On Sexual Abuse: True Change Or Wishful Thinking?
“‘Every time there is a single incident of abuse in the Catholic Church it is a scandal. And I’m glad it is a scandal’ – Cardinal Vincent Nichols’ response to questions on the Catholic Church’s continued association with rape and abuse of children was, in many ways, an understatement … Against this background, the latest changes in canon law on sexual abuse, enacted by Pope Francis, represent a conscious and significant drive to remedy the ills that have marred the history of the Church. The reforms make some key changes: it is now a crime under canon law to omit the reporting of abuse; furthermore, the Church now recognizes that vulnerable adults are susceptible to abuse from members of the clergy, and that laypeople who hold church office can now be sanctioned for similar sex crimes.” By Raef Murphy, The Oxford Student
CARDINALS
Cardinal urges religious to join local preparation for Synod of Bishops
“Consecrated virgins, hermits and members of religious orders, individually and as communities, should take part in the consultations for the Synod of Bishops, because ‘to ensure that the synodal church is not a mirage, but rather a dream to be realized, it is necessary to dream together, to pray together and to work together,’ said Cardinal João Braz de Aviz. The cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, asked consecrated men and women to participate in the diocesan-level listening sessions scheduled to begin in October as the first step of preparation for the 2023 assembly of the Synod of Bishops, discussing the theme, ‘For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission.’” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, on Cruxnow.com
Prosecution of Cardinal Becciu shows Francis’ reforms will be hard to reverse
“Cardinals are not called ‘princes of the Church’ for nothing, and (Cardinal Giovanni Angelo) Becciu had acquired more power than most: In his previous role as sostituto at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, he functioned somewhat like a White House chief of staff. On paper, both roles do not appear as consequential as they are, but in practice, both serve at critical choke points for virtually all decision-making. In previous pontificates, Becciu’s cardinal’s hat would have been enough to shield him from prosecution. If, before Francis, Becciu had been caught doing something illegal or even terribly wrong, he might have been posted to a different job, and given a sinecure, the way Cardinal Bernard Law was named archpriest of Santa Maria Maggiore after he resigned as archbishop of Boston in 2002.” By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter
BISHOPS
Libasci allegations part of a wave in New York brought on by temporary elimination of statute of limitations
“A lawsuit alleging the bishop of Manchester abused an altar boy in the early 1980s is part of a wave of clergy abuse suits in New York, where a law passed in 2019 opened a temporary exemption from the statute of limitations. The exemption allows survivors of abuse decades ago to come forward with their claims, and seek recompense. The look-back window will close Aug. 14. Thousands of survivors of abuse in New York have come forward, including more than 200 lawsuits against the Diocese of Rockville Centre, where Bishop Peter A. Libasci served as a priest in the 1980s. The diocese filed for bankruptcy in September 2020.” By Josie Albertson-Grove, New Hampshire Union Leader
- New Hampshire bishop denies allegations of past sexual abuse, By Associated Press
PRIESTS
Remembering why I became a priest
“The priesthood of the Catholic Church has always lived with the trappings of a kind of mystique, perhaps because of the celibacy. When the sexual abuse crisis in the church arose, that mystique was tarnished or even eroded. Parishioners no longer put priests on pedestals, and there may be something very good in that. I keep reminding myself that we’ve been called to walk with the people rather than to lead from on high. The result has become remembering why it was that I became a priest.” By Joe Juknialis, National Catholic Reporter
VATICAN
Historic Vatican trial may change Catholic Church’s finances forever
“Ten Catholic clergymen and laypeople will answer charges of corruption and fraud from Vatican judges on Tuesday (July 27) in preparation for the largest trial ever held in the city-state and the first in memory to put a cardinal in the dock. But the trial is in many ways as much a test of Pope Francis’ ambitious effort to overhaul the Vatican’s financial and judicial system. For the first time ever, the Vatican released on Saturday (July 24) the annual report outlining the expenditures of its bureaucracy, known as the Curia, and its real estate and financial operations, known by its Italian acronym, APSA.” By Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service
CHURCH REFORM
McCarrick Case Could Begin ‘A New Era’ For Going After Church Leaders, Says Lawyer
“Defrocked ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick last week became the highest-ranking Catholic church official to be criminally charged for sexual abuse, for assault and battery on a 16-year-old boy in Wellesley in the 1970s. Meanwhile, in unrelated cases, the archdiocese of Boston settled six lawsuits last week with former leaders accused of assaults across the state ranging from 1966 to 1990. Jim Braude was joined on Greater Boston by attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented hundreds of victims of church abuse to talk about the church’s longstanding problem with sexual abuse in its ranks. Garabedian said the McCarrick case could represent ‘a new era’ for going after powerful leaders in the church, as more victims keep coming forward.” By WGBH-TV News, Boston
New survey shows most Catholics have no idea who Cardinal McCarrick is. That’s a problem.
“When the news broke on Thursday (July 29) that the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick had been criminally charged with sexual abuse of a minor, many Catholics likely felt justice was one step closer to being served. Others may have wondered anew how the former archbishop of Washington had been allowed to abuse seminarians and minors for decades. But a new survey shows that perhaps the likeliest response to the McCarrick news among Catholics was: Who?” By Kerry Weber, Religion News Service
CHURCH FINANCES
N.J. Catholic diocese sets up line to gather tips about suspected theft, fraud in parishes
“Two months after one of its priests admitted in court to pocketing $516,000 in parish funds, a New Jersey Catholic diocese is introducing a multi-step system that will allow people to anonymously report financial misconduct in their parishes. The Diocese of Metuchen — which includes churches in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties — is partnering with an ethics consulting company to set up a telephone and online system to gather reports of ethics violations in its parishes, schools and cemeteries, church officials said.” By Kelly Heyboer, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
FUTURE OF THE CHURCH
How limiting the Latin Mass may become the defining moment for Pope Francis
“People have wondered whether Francis will cause a permanent division in the church with his new ruling. That seems like the wrong question. The divisions were already there. — Pope Francis took sudden steps on July 16, 2021, to curtail the traditional Latin Mass, in an abrupt reversal of his predecessor’s policy. To non-Catholics — and many Catholics — the decision may seem on first glance to be a technical, even obscure action not worth very much attention. But it sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic Church. As a scholar who studies the Catholic Church’s relationship to the world, I believe the move may be the most important action Francis has taken in an eventful papacy.” Commentary by Steven P. Millies, Chicago Sun-Times
Tabloids, scandal and spying: The U.S. Catholic Church has hit a new, dangerous low point.
“On July 20, a Catholic online news commentary site, The Pillar, published a report alleging that Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill of the USCCB ‘engaged in serial sexual misconduct, while he held a critical oversight role in the Catholic Church’s response to the recent spate of sexual abuse and misconduct scandals’ … Rare is the story that manages to be so depressing in so many ways. Unpacking and analyzing Monsignor Burrill’s story, and how it came to light, is difficult because so many complicated issues are involved, each with distinct troubling threads with unclear implications. But when the story is broken down, as I have tried to do here in five points, it suggests a troubling thesis: The U.S. Catholic Church has entered a dangerous new reality.” By Zac Davis, America: The Jesuit Review
VOICES
Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Former Cardinal Could Encourage Victims To Seek Help
“Next month, a former Catholic Cardinal will face criminal charges in Massachusetts for alleged sexual molestation. Theodore McCarrick is the highest ranking member of the U.S. Catholic clergy to be criminally charged with sex abuse. The charges stem from an alleged incident involving a teenage boy that happened more than 45 years ago. Many of the sex abuse cases involving boys and young men are not reported until the victims are adults, and in the past many such reports have been disbelieved.” By Harrison Patiño and Maureen Cavanaugh, WPBS-FM Public Media
A living Catholic tradition
“July 16, 2021 was a great day for the Roman Rite and for the legacy of the Second Vatican Council. Finally, after years of accommodating those who dislike or actually reject the liturgical reforms of the Council, the Catholic Church’s highest authority took a definitive step to re-establish the reformed rites as normative for the whole Latin Rite Church, without exception. Pope Francis, in his motu proprio Traditionis custodes, not only firmly abrogated Pope Benedict’s motu proprio Summorum pontificum (2007) which had ‘freed’ the older rites, allowing them to be celebrated by any priest at any time, he also declared and established that the reformed liturgy is ‘the unique lex orandi [law of prayer]’ of the Church today.” By Rita Ferrone, Commonweal
Editorial: Another big step in Johnstown man’s mission on behalf of abuse victims
“Shaun Dougherty’s quest to support victims of child sexual abuse has reached a new level with his appointment as board president for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The Westmont man is the face of the push for justice on behalf of adult victims in Pennsylvania, and now takes his knowledge, energy and passion to the national and international levels with his SNAP appointment, where his fierce lobbying efforts can have an even greater impact.” By Dave Sutor, The Tribune-Democrat
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
Two suits filed under new law that expands time for sex abuse claims
“Two lawsuits have been filed under a new Louisiana law that gives child abuse victims a chance to file suits for old claims. The bill took effect Sunday (Aug. 1), and allows victims of sex abuse to file suits against anyone involved for the next three years. If someone was convicted in connection with the abuse, there is no limit on filing suits. Previous law allowed people to file suit for ten years after their 18th birthday.” By KATC-TV3 News
PA Supreme Court ruling sets back victims, spares Erie diocese from slew of lawsuits
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to create a way for child sexual assault claimants to sue in old cases, further hindering victims’ search for justice while sparing Roman Catholic dioceses statewide millions of dollars in potential claims involving abusive clergy. In northwestern Pennsylvania, the ruling in the case, issued Wednesday (Jul. 21), severely erodes the legal efforts of as many as 30 sexual abuse claimants who were seeking compensation from the Catholic Diocese of Erie.” By Ed Palattella, Erie Times-News
- Justices deal blow to outdated claims of child sexual abuse, By Mark Scolforo, Associated Press
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court reverses decision allowing childhood sex abuse victims to sue for decades old abuse, By Peter Hall, The Morning Call
CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE
Lists of abusive priests remain obscure and incomplete. That much change.
“The Catholic Church’s attempt to repair the damage caused by decades of priestly abuse would be vastly improved by a full, transparent, easy-to-use national list of abusive clerics. And no, that still doesn’t exist. Two years ago, many dioceses — but not all — began publishing lists of priests ‘credibly accused’ of abusive behavior. But these are too often incomplete, as well as difficult to find and use.” By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Male survivors of sexual abuse struggle to find treatment
“The CDC estimates that 1 in 6 men have been sexually victimized at some point. It’s a largely silent epidemic despite revelations of abuse by Catholic priests and Boy Scout leaders. Not confronting this issue only makes recovery harder. Rachel Rock brings us one man’s search for support. Jim Holland says he was raped by a priest when he was 13 years old. He locked his trauma away for 30 years, held it at bay with drinking, drugs and promiscuity. The 2003 Boston Globe Spotlight investigation of priest sexual abuse triggered Holland’s memories.” By Ari Shapiro and Rachel Rock, National Public Radio WWNO-FM New Orleans
Catholics weigh in on abuse scandal 3 years after McCarrick and Pennsylvania report
“Although many Catholics’ memories of the clergy sex abuse scandals that rocked the U.S. church in 2018 have dimmed, a majority of those who recalled the scandals said in a survey they felt more positive about the church’s progress in confronting the issue. Overall, 76% of respondents in the survey, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, said sexual abuse of minors by clergy has hurt the church’s reputation ‘at least somewhat.’ The report, commissioned by America Media, the Jesuit ministry, was released July 19.” By Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service, in National Catholic Reporter
ILLINOIS
Former Oakland County priest faces trial in sex abuse case
“A former priest in Oakland County charged with sexually assaulting a youth decades ago is heading to trial, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday (Jul. 21). Gary Berthiaume was bound over on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony, after a ruling by 47th District Court Judge James Brady, state officials said.” By Mark Hicks, The Detroit News
LOUISIANA
‘Justice will prevail:’ Man alleging sexual abuse at Holy Cross camp sues after filing restrictions lift
“After he says he was molested by a religious brother at a Holy Cross School summer camp decades ago, John Losteau needed medication to control his anxiety and manage what he calls his ‘dumpster fire, train wreck’ of a life. He thought for years that he had forever lost the chance to file a lawsuit seeking damages for his alleged abuse when he turned 28. But a new law went into effect Sunday (Aug. 1) opening a three-year ‘lookback window’ in which survivors could come forward with child molestation claims no matter how old they were, and Lousteau was among the first in line.” By David Hammer, WWL-TV4News
MASSACHUSETTS
Catholic priest at Norwood church, school accused of fondling 11-year-old girl
“The Boston archdiocese has settled a Norton man’s claim that higher-ups in the institution failed to protect him when he was 11 years old and sexually abused by a priest in Norwood. Lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, well-known for representing sexual abuse victims in claims against the archdiocese, said in a news release Wednesday (Jul. 28) that a settlement in the ‘high five figures’ was reached last month.” By Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger
MICHIGAN
Catholic Diocese of Saginaw removes priest from ministry due to sexual misconduct allegations
“The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw has permanently removed one of its priests from duty, years after the priest was accused of sexual misconduct. On Friday, July 23, Bishop Robert Gruss removed the Rev. Ronald J. Dombrowski from ministry, the diocese said in a statement. The diocese had suspended Dombrowski in March 2018 as a ‘precautionary measure’ after someone reported to the agency that Dombrowski sexually abused them as a minor. No criminal charges have been filed against Dombrowski.” By Cole Waterman, MLive.com
Former Michigan priest to face trial for alleged sex abuse of 14-year-old boy
“A former Catholic priest will go to trial for sexual abuse against a minor, officials announced today. An Oakland County judge ruled today, July 21, that there is enough evidence against Gary Berthiaume, 80, to bound him over to circuit court for trial on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), a 15-year felony.” By Justine Lofton, MLive.com
MISSISSIPPI
Man alleging sexual abuse as a child in Mississippi sues Franklin-based Catholic order
“A 32-year-old man who alleges he was sexually abused by a Franciscan brother while in elementary school in Mississippi has sued the Wisconsin-based religious order. In the federal lawsuit filed Monday (Jul. 26), Raphael Love’s attorneys argue the abuse and a campaign to silence him have caused ‘permanent and debilitating damage’ and have negatively influenced the course of his life. ‘It’s typical with abuse victims, and I’ve represented many of them, that the trajectory of a victim’s life is changed completely by the abuse,’ Love’s Seattle-based attorney, Phillip Aaron, told the Journal Sentinel.” By Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
NEW JERSEY
Howell ex-pastor acquitted in sexual abuse case: ‘I pray for the accuser’
“Under the cloud of sexual abuse allegations for almost three years, the former longtime pastor of St. Veronica R.C. Church in Howell walked out of the Monmouth County Courthouse Friday (Jul.23) after a judge acquitted him of the charges, and said he will continue to pray for his accuser. After Superior Court Judge Ellen Torregrossa-O’Connor found the 80-year-old priest not guilty of three counts of sexual assault on a child more than two decades ago, the Rev. Henry Brendan Williams said he was ‘certainly very relieved’’ by the verdict.” By Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press
NEW YORK.
Bishop acknowledges child predators were sent for ‘treatment’
“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany engaged in a decades-long cover-up of chronic child sexual abuse committed by its priests by employing practices described in a recent statement from former Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, who ran the diocese from 1977 to 2014. Hubbard’s statement, issued through his attorney in response to a series of questions from the Times Union, confirmed that the diocese shielded priests and others facing sexual abuse allegations — sending them into private treatment programs rather than contacting law enforcement officials or alerting parishioners. Some of those priests allegedly emerged from treatment and committed more crimes.” By Edward McKinley, Albany Times Union
- Bishop: Catholic Diocese of Albany covered up sexual abuse by priests, By Associated Press in The Guardian
Ogdensburg Catholic diocese named in another child sex abuse case
“New accusations of child sexual abuse have been made public against the Ogdensburg Catholic Diocese under New York’s Child Victims Act. The deadline for people to file a claim of abuse is August 13. An attorney representing victims in New York State says 43 people from priests, teachers, and lay members of Diocese of Ogdensburg have been named in one or more public claims of child sex abuse.” By Celia Clarke, North County Public Radio
Clergy accused of sex abuse made public
“A New York City law firm introduced an updated public database Thursday (Jul. 22) with 13 new alleged perpetrators accused of child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, filed under the Child Victims Act this year as the law’s lookback window nears it closing deadline.” By Kate Lisa, Hudson Valley 360, Johnson Newspaper Corp.
PENNSYLVANIA
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg releases following statement regarding Rev. David Danneker
“Today, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg released the following statement regarding Rev. David Danneker. Rev. Danneker most recently served in the role of vicar general and moderator of the curia. ‘The Diocese of Harrisburg has received allegations of adult misconduct made against Rev. Danneker. While this matter does not involve a child, we are taking the accusations seriously. Accordingly, a full investigation, conducted by an outside third party, has been launched to review the matter.’” By Diocese of Harrisburg
RHODE ISLAND
A R.I. priest was charged with sexual assault, but the case remains in limbo
“State authorities are quietly prosecuting a sexual assault case against a former Diocese of Providence priest. Edward Kelley, 79, had relocated to South Carolina, where he was arrested in mid-May on a warrant out of Rhode Island, according to court records. He was later brought to Rhode Island, where he faces an indictment on three counts of first-degree sexual assault dating to 1983 in North Smithfield.” By Brian Amaral, The Boston Globe
WASHINGTON
Abuse claims involving Sister Delores Crosby settled; she also worked at Edmonds’ Holy Rosary School
“The Archdiocese of Seattle on Friday announced final settlements totaling $165,000 for two separate cases involving allegations of sexual abuse by Sister Dolores Crosby in the 1980s, when she served as principal at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School in Seattle from 1979 to 1992. Crosby also taught at Edmonds’ Holy Rosary School from 1973 to 1978. Crosby, who died in 2007, was also principal at Immaculate Conception School in Everett from 1992 to 1999. In 1999, Crosby surrendered her credentials for teaching and administration when an individual brought forward an allegation of inappropriate contact that took place in the 1980s.” By MyEdmondsNews.com
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin clergy abuse inquiry: AG Kaul provides update
“Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul on Tuesday, July 27, provided an update on the statewide inquiry into clergy and faith leader abuse. The review of such abuse cases was announced in April as the first statewide independent review. Since then, Kaul said the state has received dozens of reports. ‘What we are doing is encouraging survivors to report,’ Kaul said. ‘We have received over 100 reports through this reporting system, many of who are reporting previously reported, but some of the people are reporting for the first time.’” By Christina Van Zeist, FOX-TV6 News Milwaukee
AUSTRALIA
Abuse survivors of now-deceased priest line up to seek compensation
“The first in a series of civil cases seeking compensation for abuse survivors and victims of a now-deceased pedophile priest is expected to begin in the Supreme Court on Monday (Jul. 26). Bryan Coffey was found guilty in 1999 of 14 charges relating to indecent assaults on seven boys and one girl that took place across four Victorian parishes between 1960 and 1975. The complainants are seeking compensation for loss of income, pain and suffering, and medical expenses, and include children who were allegedly abused by Coffey in the south-west Victorian towns of Port Fairy, Terang and Yambuk, as well as Ouyen in the Mallee.” By Matt Neal, ABC South West Victoria
Legal payout brings hope for other victims of pedophile priest
“As the first of Kevin O’Donnell’s victims to report the pedophile priest to police, he paved a courageous path for other abuse survivors to follow. Now, he hopes the $1.375 million he will receive from the Catholic Church will stand as a landmark settlement that assists O’Donnell’s other victims who are seeking compensation. ‘I never let go of the bone. I just kept fighting it. I thought, ‘this is not right,” said BTZ, as he is known in legal files.” By Adam Cooper, The Age
CANADA
Quebec priest sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for sex crimes against minors
“A Quebec priest has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing minors at a Catholic boarding school more than three decades ago. Jean Pilon, 79, was then sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his crimes. Before that, he heard victim impact statements from nine of his victims, including Brian Ford. Ford has been waiting a long time to see Pilon brought to justice.” By Global News
Roman Catholic Church to begin selling off properties to settle abuse claims
“Two properties belonging to the Archdiocese of St. John’s will be going up for sale in the coming weeks, the first of many properties to be put on the market. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s says it is continuing to work to address the abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, for which the NL Court of Appeal held the Church responsible earlier this year. Archbishop Peter Hundt shared a statement on Sunday which was read aloud at masses throughout the diocese.” By VOCM.com
Saskatoon Catholic Diocese releases details on nine sexual assault and misconduct cases
“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon has released details about nine historical cases involving sexual abuse and misconduct that were investigated as part of the Safer Churches, Safer communities Safeguarding Action Plan. The March 2020 commitment by the diocese involves reviewing historical cases of serious misconduct reported over the last 60 years in the diocese. The review released in July only involved complaints for which the investigation of the report had concluded.” By Kelly Skjerven, Global News
- Saskatoon diocese report discloses nine historical cases of sexual abuse, misconduct over 60 years, By Yasmine Ghania, CBC News
- Saskatoon Catholic Church apology ‘misses the mark’ for victim of priest abuse, By Laura Woodward, CTV News
GREAT BRITAIN, SCOTLAND, AND WALES
Former priest speaks out over Cardinal Keith O’Brien abuse
“Brian Devlin was one of four whistleblowers who detailed a litany of allegations against the man who was the Catholic Church’s most senior cleric in Britain, prompting his resignation and admission of sexual misconduct. Eight years on, Devlin has spoken out for the first time about the man he considered a friend, mentor, and teacher, and outlined suggestions for reforms he believes could help end the “silence, secrets and omertà” in the church.” By Martyn McLaughlin, The Scotsman
- Twice a whistleblower: The former priest whose story unleashed a global scandal, By John Ross, The Press and Journal
IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND
Sisters ‘released from shame that had haunted them’ as ex-priest who abused them as children is jailed
“Two sisters have said they have been ‘released from the shame which has haunted then after a former Donegal priest was jailed for 15 months for the horrific sexual abuse he inflicted upon them when they were children. Con Cunningham, now aged 86, pleaded guilty before Letterkenny Circuit Court today to eight counts of indecent assault between 1971 and 1975. Passing sentence Judge John Aylmer said the abuse had had an appalling impact on the lives of victims Margaret and Paula Martin.” By Stephen Maguire, The Independent
Irish Jesuit Order statement regarding Joseph Marmion
“A statement from the Irish Jesuit Order following the publication of some of the contents of an inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse against Father Joseph Marmion during his time as a teacher at Belvedere College in Dublin during the 1970s … ‘After the naming in public of Joseph Marmion SJ last March the Jesuits in Ireland appealed for anyone who had any complaints, concerns or questions to contact our Safeguarding Office.’” By The Irish Times
- Dublin school’s sex abuse cover-up described as ‘shameful’ in priest scandal, By Aakanksha Surve, DublinLive.ie
NEW ZEALAND
Priest accused of abusing a child had links to two Wellington schools
“A priest accused of sexually abusing a child had historic links to two Wellington Anglican schools, with parents at one – Chilton Saint James in Lower Hutt – informed of the links on Monday (Aug. 2). During her testimony to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care two weeks ago, Joanna Oldham accused Reverend Ray Oppenheim of sexually abusing her when she was a young girl. She said that, when she was nine years old, Oppenheim molested her and took indecent photos of her three times before an uncle found out and put a stop to it.” By Tom Hunt, Stuff
Brave witness shares underwhelming experience with the Catholic church
“A brave witness at the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry Pacific Investigation has shared her experience of coming forward to the Catholic Church and police about the abuse her relative suffered by a Catholic priest. The witness known as Ms. CU spoke on behalf of her niece, who was 15-years-old at the time of the abuse. She explained the Tongan society is very hierarchical, saying that ministers, priests and nuns elevate in both status and authority because of the godly factor.” By Sela Jane Hopgood, RNZ Pacific Journalist