Voice of the Faithful Focus, Jun. 11, 2021


TOP STORIES

New Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults, even by laity
“Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority, and to say that laypeople who hold church office can be sanctioned for similar sex crimes. The new provisions, released Tuesday (Jun. 1) after 14 years of study, were contained in the revised criminal law section of the Vatican’s Code of Canon Law, the in-house legal system that covers the 1.3 billion-strong Catholic Church. The most significant changes are contained in two articles, 1395 and 1398, which aim to address major shortcomings in the church’s handling of sexual abuse.” By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, in National Catholic Reporter

Governance report ‘catalyst for conversation’
“Catholic Religious Australia is launching a series of online conversations to explore the 2020 Church governance review report, ‘The Light from the Southern Cross.’ ‘The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia’ report, published in August 2020, has been commended as an important and substantial contribution to the life and mission of the Church in Australia, and a roadmap for the future of the Church. CRA president Br. Peter Carroll FMS said, ‘The report is a valuable resource and in light of the Plenary Council, the timing is right for the People of God to reflect on the themes in the report and discern what those themes mean to them.’ By CathNews.com

Archdiocese of Milwaukee says it won’t participate in AG investigation of clergy sex abuse
“The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is pushing back against a recently announced attorney general investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, calling it a display of ‘anti-Catholic bigotry’ and a violation of the First Amendment. In a letter from the archdiocese’s attorney, Frank LoCoco of the Milwaukee firm Husch Blackwell, contends Attorney General Josh Kaul doesn’t have the authority to investigate the Catholic dioceses of the state and that doing so would go against the U.S. Constitution and state laws.” By Laura Schulte and Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Pope Francis orders review of the Vatican congregation that oversees over 410,000 Catholic priests worldwide
“Pope Francis has asked an Italian bishop, Msgr. Egidio Miragoli, 65, to carry out a visitation of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, which has oversight of the more than 410,000 Catholic priests around the world. Bishop Miragoli broke the news today, June 7, in a letter to the priests of the Diocese of Mondovi, in Italy’s Piedmont region, where he is pastor … He (Miragoli) revealed that on June 3, Francis explained in some detail what he expected him to do when he met the bishop at a private audience in Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where the pope lives. The bishop did not disclose the details of his brief, and the Vatican has not commented on the meeting or a visitation of the congregation.” By Gerard O’Connell, America: The Jesuit Review

Pope Francis refuses resignation of German cardinal, commends his courage
“Although agreeing with him that the clerical abuse crisis is a ‘catastrophe,’ Pope Francis rejected the resignation presented to him by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx as archbishop of the archdiocese of Munich. ‘You tell me that you are going through a moment of crisis, and not only you but also the Church in Germany is going through it,’ Francis wrote in a letter dated June 10. ‘The whole Church is in crisis because of the abuse matter; moreover, the Church today cannot take a step forward without addressing this crisis.’” By Inés San Martín, Cruxnow.com

ACCOUNTABILITY

Vatican punishes Polish churchmen for alleged abuse cover-up
“The Vatican said March 29 that it is punishing a retired Polish archbishop and a bishop for their alleged roles in covering up sexual abuse committed by other clergymen. Former Gdansk Archbishop Slawoj Leszek Glodz and former Bishop Edward Janiak of Kalisz have also been forbidden from living in their former dioceses or participating in any public religious celebrations there. The Vatican Embassy in predominantly Roman Catholic Poland also said each of the two is being required to contribute personal money into a fund helping victims of clerical abuse.” By Associated Press in National Catholic Reporter

Poland’s embattled bishops to meet with Pope Francis
“When Bishop Tadeusz Rakoczy, a retired Polish prelate, was sanctioned by the Vatican in late May for mishandling sexual abuse by his clergy, it was just the latest blow to the once-unsullied image of the country’s Catholic Church. In recent days, there have been reports that the Polish bishops have been specially summoned to Rome in the fall by Pope Francis because of a spate of sexual abuse cases that have rocked the country’s church. Although officials have denied the accuracy of the reports, they nonetheless signal the deep unease now afflicting religious life in Europe’s most Catholic country.” By Jonathan Luxmoore, National Catholic Reporter

Missing residential school records: Vatican won’t release documents, feds destroyed files
“While the Vatican has refused to release residential school records, it isn’t the only body suppressing the racism and abuse experienced within these institutions. The Canadian government destroyed 15 tons of paper documents related to the residential school system between 1936 and 1944, including 200,000 Indian Affairs files. From the age of four, Mike Cachagee attended three separate residential schools in northern Ontario. But there are few records to prove it.” By Omar Sachedina and Brooklyn Neustaeter, CTV News

POPE FRANCIS

A reforming pope’s dilemma: Using the center to deliver decentralization
“Before St. John Paul II, the old joke used to go that being pope meant never having to say you’re sorry. Since John Paul actually apologized for various failures and sins of the church well in excess of 100 times, that bit of papal humor no longer really applied. However, here’s another old papal saw that’s still highly relevant: ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ The thought comes to mind in light of news that the Vatican under Pope Francis, for the very first time in history, is carrying out a financial audit of the Diocese of Rome.” By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com

Pope orders visitation of German archdiocese
“Pope Francis has ordered an apostolic visitation ‘to obtain a comprehensive picture of the complex pastoral situation’ in the Archdiocese of Cologne and to investigate how accusations of clerical sexual abuse were handled, the Vatican nuncio to Germany announced. The pope asked Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm and Dutch Bishop Johannes van den Hende of Rotterdam to carry out the visitation, which include onsite visits in the first half of June, the note said.” By Catholic News Service on UCANews.com

Pope expresses sorrow but no apology for indigenous school deaths in Canada
“Pope Francis expressed sorrow Sunday (Jun. 6) for the gruesome discovery of a mass grave in Canada containing the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children. The remains were found at a boarding school for Indigenous Canadians, operated by Catholic clergy. ‘I join the Canadian Bishops and the whole Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people, who have been traumatized by this shocking news,’ Francis told an audience in St. Peter’s Square, according to a translation of prepared remarks. ‘This sad discovery further heightens awareness of the pain and sufferings of the past.’” By Matthew S. Schwartz, National Public Radio

CARDINALS

Cardinal Marx offers Pope Francis his resignation, citing ‘responsibility for the catastrophe of sexual abuse’
“In a decision that has sent shock waves through the German Catholic Church, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 67, the archbishop of Munich and Freising, revealed that on May 21 he met Pope Francis in the Vatican and handed him his letter of resignation, with a strong plea that the pontiff accept it. He said Francis asked him to continue serving as bishop of the archdiocese until he has made a decision on his request. In a declaration issued today (Jun. 4), Cardinal Marx said: ‘It is important to me to share the responsibility for the catastrophe of the sexual abuse perpetrated by representatives of the church over the past decades.’” By Gerard O’Connell, America: The Jesuit Review

PRIESTS

Pope Francis: The church needs fragile pastors – not ‘superman’ priests
“Pope Francis told a group of priests studying in Rome that if they do not want to be pastors, spending time with the faithful, they should request dismissal from the priesthood and concentrate on academics instead. ‘Be pastors with the scent of your sheep, persons able to live, laugh and cry with your people—in other words, to communicate with them,’ the pope told the priests June 7. The priests, who are studying at pontifical universities in Rome, live at the city’s St. Louis of France residence.” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

Wisconsin priest digs in to refuse bishop’s demand to resign
“The Rev. James Altman calls himself ‘a lowly priest’ serving a blue-collar city in western Wisconsin. But when his bishop demanded his resignation – after a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic – Altman refused to oblige and has since raised more than $640,000 from his conservative supporters to defend himself. While not unprecedented, a Catholic priest’s refusal to abide by a bishop’s call to resign is certainly rare. Altman’s case, which has garnered national attention and made him a celebrity of sorts among conservative Catholics, has further fueled the divide between them and those urging a more progressive, inclusive church.” By Todd Richmond and David Crary, Religion News Service

We need to talk about our Catholic seminaries
“We are looking for our priests to be shepherds; to live among us, to listen to our joys and sorrows, and above all to love us with the heart of Jesus. In my last podcast, I talked with the Rev. Erich Rutten, a white priest who pastors St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, a historically Black Catholic parish in Saint Paul, Minn. He recounted how he prepared for his current assignment at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans, La.” By Gloria Purvis, America: The Jesuit Review

WOMEN’S VOICES

Ambassador welcomes Vatican ‘See change’ on women
“There is ‘definitely’ a change in the Holy See in their approach to women, according to Sally Axworthy, British ambassador to the Holy See. ‘There are more senior appointments now…Sister Natalie Becker is the deputy in charge of synods, there’s a deputy foreign minister who’s a woman…women are increasingly being appointed to positions of real responsibility in the Vatican.’ By Sebastian Milbank, The Tablet

New canon on women’s ordination nothing new, can be changed
“Now it is formally illegal to ordain a woman as a deacon. Or as a priest. Or as a bishop. On June 1, Pope Francis promulgated revisions to the Code of Canon Law detailing crimes and punishments. The new ‘Book VI: Penal Sanctions in the Church’ takes effect Dec. 8. Most of the revisions have to do with crimes of sexual abuse and the responses (or non-responses) of bishops and religious superiors. Some have to do with financial crimes. And then there is the one about women’s ordination: ‘Can. 1379 § 3. Both a person who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive the sacred order, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; a cleric, moreover, may be punished by dismissal from the clerical state.’” By Phyllis Zagano, National Catholic Reporter

VATICAN

Priests testify at Vatican trial on abuse in minor seminary
“Several priests, some of whom were former students at a minor seminary located in the Vatican, testified at the ongoing trial of Fr. Gabriele Martinelli, who is accused of sexually abusing a younger student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary. The priests — Frs. Giuliano Zanotta, Daniele Pinton, Giampaolo Cozzi and Ambrogio Marinoni — described Father Martinelli’s influence at the minor seminary, as well as that of his mentor and former rector of St. Pius X, Msgr. Enrico Radice, and L.G., the victim who is also a former student. Also testifying was Deacon Alessio Primante.” By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, in National Catholic Reporter

CHURCH REFORM

Pope pushes “synodality” dialog to reform Catholic Church
“Using the word ‘synodality’ at the start of an article is enough to turn readers off. Boring! And when they learn it’s about the Roman Catholic Church, many might say they’re interested only in its scandals about sex or money. But the champion of this ‘synodality’ reform drive is Pope Francis, one of the world’s most popular religious leaders. The drive will be either his biggest victory or the worst failure of his papacy. And its success will depend to a large part on how young people react to it.” By Tom Heneghan, News-Decoder.com

Vatican Curia, semper reformanda
“A new papal document reforming the Curia — the Vatican bureaucracy, mostly composed of priests and bishops — will soon be published. I’m sure Pope Francis’ heart is in the right place, but I expect to be disappointed. Attempts to reform the Curia have been going on since the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, each announced with great fanfare, but the effects were only incremental. There is no reason to expect anything better this time.” By Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

CHURCH FINANCES

Perth Catholic priest who denied stealing almost $500,000 from church agrees to pay money back
“A Catholic priest previously accused of stealing almost $500,000 from his Perth parish has settled civil proceedings with the church, acknowledging he used parish money partly for personal use and agreeing to pay it back. Father Joseph Walsh had been facing criminal charges, accused of stealing the funds from St Joseph’s parish in Subiaco by allegedly using church credit cards and cheques to pay for personal expenses between 2014 and 2017.” By Nicolas Perpitch, ABC News

Cathedral fraudster who took £235,000 must pay back £1
“A fraudster who took £235,000 from Norwich’s Catholic Cathedral has been ordered to pay back £1 because he has no money left. Rene Mugenzi siphoned off the cash while volunteering as the treasurer at St John the Baptist from 2016 to 2018. He moved the money, much of which had been donated by the congregation and was designated for charity work, from the Cathedral’s account into his own.” By Tom Bristow, Eastern Daily Press

FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

What new revisions to the Cod of Canon Law mean for safeguarding
“The new series of laws and provisions set out in the revised section on crimes and penalties in the Code of Canon Law will help the Catholic Church in its efforts at safeguarding, said two canon lawyers. And yet, like with every new norm and measure, its success will depend on following through on enforcement, being mindful in interpreting still unclear aspects and working on remaining gaps, they said.” By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service, in The Pilot

VOICES

Church still incapable of saying there is no excuse for a priest abusing a child
“I don’t know whether he or the people around him still regard the institution as more important than the people it is supposed to serve, but sometimes abuses. Or maybe it’s just — and I don’t know the answer to this either — he and those around him think we’re all fools. Whatever the answer to those questions, I don’t believe it is possible to read the most recent changes to canon law — the law of the Catholic Church — without feeling utterly let down by Pope Francis. The Pope who promised so much, but has changed as little as possible.” By Fergus Finlay, Irish Examiner

Crime of abuse is personal failure, not institutional
“A cleric who sexually abuses a child and a bishop or religious superior who covers up that abuse are personally morally at fault, but the Catholic Church as an institution is not, said Cardinal Julián Herranz, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. In a letter published on the front page of the Vatican newspaper, the 91-year-old cardinal said that ‘the errors, sins and sometimes even crimes of her members, including senior members of the hierarchy’ cannot be allowed to ‘cast doubt on the credibility of the church and the salvific value of her mission and her magisterium.’” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service in The Pilot

Abuse laws come 40 years too late for Catholic Church
After thousands of reported cases of sexual abuse, the Vatican has finally updated its canon laws for handling cases within the Church — standards which haven’t been touched since the 1980s. The new canon laws, or a set of laws set by the Roman Catholic Church to be followed by members of the religion, sought to streamline and clarify how to deal with child sexual abuse. The biggest of these changes included requiring all priests and nuns to become mandated reporters, making grooming for sex or child pornography illegal, and enforcing punishment within the Church like defrocking.” By Hayley DeSilva, DePauliaOnline.com

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Here’s what you need to know about the Child Victims Act, a proposed bill to allow survivors to pursue justice after sexual abuse
“A proposed bill that would allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse to hold their abuser accountable is facing an uncertain future in the state Legislature. The Child Victims Act would allow survivors to pursue civil action against their abuser or the organization that employed the person, removing the current limitation that allows a person to pursue action only until they turn 35 years old. The bill, survivors say, would allow them to finally feel a sense of justice, share their stories as adults and hopefully prevent future crimes from taking place.” By Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

The Catholic Church is reinstating priests accused of sexual abuse
“In most of the cases uncovered by VICE News, the Catholic Church has also provided little to no insight into how, exactly, its officials determined that these priests weren’t guilty of sexual assault. And in at least three cases, the Church gave the priests back their jobs but added a glaring asterisk: They had to agree to abide by certain restrictions, such as staying away from kids.” By VICE News

Sex abuse victims want AG to keep convicted priest locked up
“An attorney and victims of sexual abuse by a Chicago Roman Catholic priest on Thursday (Jun.3) urged Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to keep the defrocked priest locked up. Daniel McCormack is committed indefinitely under a state law that allows sex offenders to be held in custody beyond their sentences if a judge finds they are substantially likely to re-offend. ‘Daniel McCormack as a priest is a serial predator and has been incarcerated for some years,’ victims’ advocate and attorney Jeff Anderson said.” By Associated Press

CALIFORNIA

Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Abuse by Former Diocese of San Diego Priest
“A man who alleges a former Catholic priest repeatedly molested him when he was a young boy, then continued to be active at parishes within the Diocese of San Diego for decades, said Tuesday he decided to file a lawsuit to protect children. Beau Potter, now 54 years old, alleges Father Ramon Marrufo molested him in Rialto over the course of several years in the 1970s, beginning when the plaintiff was in second grade. Prior to 1978, the Diocese of San Diego stretched into portions of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.” By Times of San Diego

ILLINOIS

Names sought of all Illinois order priests accused of abuse
“An attorney is calling on Catholic bishops across Illinois to end the ‘dangerous deceit’ and release a full list of religious order priests who face credible sexual abuse accusations. Attorney Jeff Anderson last week made public the identities of 175 priests accused of sex abuse, including 117 who previously worked in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Those names came from lawsuits as well as lists compiled by the religious orders themselves, among other sources, he said.” By Associated Press in The Southern Illinoisan

Pfleger returns to St. Sabina, reflects on ‘painful nightmare’ that followed sex abuse allegations
“The Rev. Michael Pfleger on Sunday Jun. 6) returned to his South Side parish for the first time since he was reinstated last month following an investigation into decades-old allegations of sexual abuse, a process he described as ‘a painful nightmare’ spurred by ‘false accusations.’ ‘It’s good to be home,’ Pfleger told a raucous congregation at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham that included director Spike Lee and acting Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt.” By Tom Schuba, Chicago Sun Times

MASSACHUSETTS

Springfield diocese to expand list of those ‘credibly accused’ of sexually abusing minors
“The Catholic Church in western Massachusetts has announced that it will release an expanded list of those credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor while serving the church. In a letter to parishioners, Bishop William Byrne said the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is expanding its criteria for disclosure of accusations. The diocese will release its updated list in early June, and Byrne said it will include a “considerable addition” by including those who were dead when an allegation surfaced, were members of a religious order or were lay employees of the diocese.” By Dusty Christensen, Athol Daily News

NEW MEXICO

Las Cruces Diocese Says Abuse Records Were Disclosed Voluntarily, Despite New Mexico Attorney General’s Claims
“While New Mexico’s attorney general has taken credit for securing Catholic Church documents on sex abuse by clergy, saying they will be released to the public soon, a spokesperson for the Las Cruces diocese said it provided the documents voluntarily out of a desire to address the “abhorrent crime” of sex abuse, not because of a search warrant or legal obligation.” By Kevin Jones, National Catholic Register

NEW YORK.

Abuse survivors in Rochester Diocese bankruptcy case ask judge to go to trial
“Attorneys for survivors who have filed child sex abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester say mediation has failed. Nearly 500 claims are part of a federal bankruptcy proceeding. Now, in documents filed Tuesday (Jun. 8), some are asking the judge to take a rather unusual step: to allow them to move their cases to a different court.” By WHAM-TV13 News

Former Olean priest among three accused in lawsuit
“Three priests — including one who long served in Olean — have been placed on leave in response to claims in a lawsuit filed last month that they sexually abused a boy in the 1990s, the Diocese of Buffalo announced over the weekend. Bishop Michael Fisher said Saturday (Jun. 5) the priests all ‘deny ever committing any acts of abuse’ but were placed on leave pending an investigation. The diocese also notified the Erie County District Attorney’s Office of the claims, which emerged in a lawsuit last month.” By Olean Times Herald

Priest on leave after his name appears on clergy offender list
“A priest serving in the Albany Diocese is on administrative leave, after his name appeared on a list of clergy offenders in the Springfield Diocese Wednesday (Jun. 2). Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger has placed Rev. Jeffrey L’Arche, a priest of the LaSalette Missionaries and pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Amsterdam and St. Stephen’s Church in Hagaman, on administrative leave, effective immediately. While on leave, Father L’Arche is barred from officiating at sacraments, wearing clerical garb, or presenting himself as a priest.” By WRGB-TV6 News

TENNESSEE

Big trouble in little Knoxville: Misconduct cases bring systemic, cultural weaknesses into sharp focus
“Who shall watch over the Watchers? That is just one of the questions raised by the complex and deeply troubling circumstances of the Diocese of Knoxville, only some of which have been reported. The Catholic Herald has learned significant details regarding several cases of clerical misconduct and mismanagement in Knoxville. The details of one case in particular involve senior Church leaders in the US and abroad, and raise questions regarding oft-cited structural weaknesses in the Church’s new ‘metropolitan’ system for investigating abuse and coverup allegations.” By Christopher R. Altieri, Catholic Herald

AUSTRALIA

Catholic priest’s evidence in abuse trial
“A Catholic priest writing of his unwanted ‘sexual problem’

left something crucial out of the passage, a jury has heard. ‘In my dreams,’ Anthony William Peter Caruana told Sydney’s District Court. ‘When you talk about fondling young boys, is this referring to your dreams or real life?’ the 79-year-old’s barrister Bernard Brassil said on Wednesday (Jun. 10). ‘My dreams,’ Caruana said.” By Greta Stonehouse, 7News.com.au

After 40 years of waiting, Garden Point abuse survivors get justice
“Forty-two survivors of Aboriginal forced removal policies have signed a deal for compensation and apology 40 years after suffering sexual and physical abuse in the Garden Point Catholic Church mission on Melville Island north of Darwin. ‘I’m happy, and I’m sad for the people who have gone already … we had a minute’s silence for them … but it’s been very tiring fighting for this for three years,’ said Maxine Kunde, the leader of a group which took civil action against the church and Commonwealth in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.” By Jane Bardon, ABC News

86-year-old pedophile priest loses Australian court appeal
“An 86-year-old pedophile former Catholic priest came a step closer to deportation to Ireland when a court on Friday (Jun.4) upheld a decision to strip him of his Australian citizenship. Finian Egan has been fighting a five-year legal battle against former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s decision to cancel his citizenship over the defrocked priest’s criminal record. Egan initially won an appeal in 2016 in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, a court that reviews government decisions.” By Rod McGuirk, Associated Press, on Cruxnow.com

CANADA

Sask. Catholic churches delay, reject calls to release internal files on abuser priests
“Joey Basaraba cries randomly while sitting in his Saskatoon apartment, in the shower or out walking. He can’t remember the last time he slept through the night. ‘I take it one day at a time,’ Basaraba said in an interview this week. Basaraba, who says he was sexually abused for years starting at age six by two Prince Albert, Sask., priests, is joining the renewed national calls for church transparency after the discovery of what are believed to be the unmarked graves of 215 children at a Catholic residential school site in Kamloops, B.C.” By Jason Warwick, CBC News

B.C. Catholic archdiocese sued in Gambier Island camp sexual allegations
“A B.C. man is suing the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver and its archbishop alleging a camp counsellor sexually abused him and others at a Bible camp. Vernon Mulvahill, in a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court June 7, alleges a man named only as John Doe exposed his penis to him, touched him in a sexual manner, made other children perform sexual acts on him in the same room and made the plaintiff perform oral sex on him.” By Jeremy Hainsworth, VancouverIsAwesome.com

Catholic Church must take responsibility for the harm done in residential schools
“In reality, these were prisons for children; children who were treated as a looming threat to that so-called civilized society. Children forcibly taken from their parents and then forced to remain in the custody of institutions managed by various Christian denominations and paid to do so by the federal government. This particular ‘school’ was operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Roman Catholic order of priests who were assisted by various orders of Catholic nuns. It was established in 1890 and closed down in 1978.” By Gillian Steward, Toronto Star

CHILE

Chile’s Jesuits confess ‘crimes, negligence and errors’ on sex abuse
“In an internal report made public this week, the Jesuits of Chile acknowledge that based on accusations and investigations that emerged over a fifteen-year period, at least 64 people have been sexually abused by 11 Jesuit priests in the country. Among those victims were 34 minors, both boys and girls. The report compiles investigations carried out by the Jesuits in Chile between 2005 and 2020, meaning, five years before explosive revelations against former priest Fernando Karadima, found guilty of abusing seminarians, including minors, in 2011.” By Inés San Martin, Cruxnow.com

EAST TIMOR

The disgraced priest, the children’s shelter and a fight for justice in East Timor
“The road up to the village of Kutet in East Timor’s western enclave of Oecusse is so rough that most highlanders walk the jungle trail when they need to visit the coast … At Kutet’s centre is a shelter for girls and boys that for many years was run by American Catholic priest and Timorese independence hero Richard Daschbach. There, visitors would witness a serene setting with children playing marbles, with jump ropes and running around apparently as happy as can be … But it was all an illusion.” By Chris Barrett, The Age

GERMANY

German Catholic abuse victims meet papal investigators
“Victims of Catholic Church sex abuse met on Tuesday (Jun. 8) with two senior bishops sent by the Pope to investigate the German archdiosese of Cologne, which has come under increasing pressure after a report found hundreds of historic cases. The Pope’s two envoys are looking at possible mistakes committed by Germany’s largest archdiocese, after an 800-page report in March found more than 200 abusers and more than 300 victims, mainly children, in cases from 1975-2018.” By Reuters

HUNGARY

Catholic bishops’ conference condemns all forms of child abuse
“The Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK) has condemned all forms of child abuse and declared zero tolerance towards it. In a statement issued on Wednesday (Jun.2), MPKP added, however, that manifestations suggesting that there are links between church profession and the propensity to commit abuse ‘fail to serve the interests of society.’ Child abuse is a serious sin and a crime, regardless of whether it is committed in school, at sport clubs, in camps, within family, or in secular or religious institutions, the statement said.” By Hungary Today

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

Up to 7,000 abuse survivors assisted by Catholic Church support service
“Over the past 25 years the Catholic Church in Ireland has provided a counselling service for almost 7,000 survivors of institutional, clerical, and religious abuse, and members of their families. It is free and involves a network of counsellors in Ireland and abroad which provides essential therapy to those who have suffered such abuse, said Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh, Michael Router. He is a director of Towards Healing which, with its forerunner Faoiseamh, provides the counselling service.” By Patsy McGarry, The Irish Times

POLAND

Polish bishop sanctioned in new abuse scandal
“Another Polish bishop has been sanctioned by the Vatican and ordered to withdraw from public life, for covering up sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the predominantly Catholic country. ‘Acting on the basis of Canon Law provisions and Pope Francis’ motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, the Holy See conducted proceedings, following formal reports, into reported negligence by Bishop Tadeusz Rakoczy,’ Poland’s southern Krakow Archdiocese said in a weekend communique.” By Jonathan Luxmore, The tablet