Voice of the Faithful Focus, Oct. 9, 2020


TOP STORIES

Report finds flaws in Catholic Church abuse-prevention plans
“Child-protection policies adopted by Roman Catholic leaders to curb clergy sex abuse in the United States are inconsistent and often worryingly incomplete, according to a think tank’s two-year investigation encompassing all 32 of the country’s archdioceses. The analysis by Philadelphia-based CHILD USA said the inconsistencies and gaps suggest a need for more detailed mandatory standards for addressing sexual abuse of children by priests and other church personnel, a problem that has beset the church for decades and resulted in many criminal investigations, thousands of lawsuits and bankruptcy filings by numerous dioceses.” By David Cray, Associated Press, in Martinsville Bulletin

Facing 200 Abuse Claims, Diocese Becomes U.S.’s Largest to Seek Bankruptcy
“Facing more than 200 lawsuits over sexual abuse allegations, the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island said on Thursday (Oct. 1) that it filed for bankruptcy, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the United States to do so. The diocese, which serves about 1.5 million people, said it was seeking financial protection in part because of the passage of New York State’s Child Victims Act, which allows adults who were victims of sexual assault as children to file claims.” By Michael Gold, The New York Times

Vatican envoy’s removal from India brings relief for some Catholics
“Several Catholic groups in India have expressed relief after the Vatican removed its controversial envoy from the country. Pope Francis Aug. 29 suddenly transferred Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, apostolic nuncio to India and Nepal, to Brazil amid accusations of inaction against allegedly corrupt bishops. ‘I saw the nuncio’s transfer as a small moral victory, not something to gloat about, but more a sense of relief,’ Chhotebhai, coordinator of the Indian Catholic Forum and former president of the All India Catholic Union, the largest lay association in the country, told NCR.” By Jose Kavi, National Catholic Reporter

Cardinal Becciu allegations mount as Vatican appoints new prosecutor
“Italian businessman Gianluigi Torzi has provided detailed information to investigators in the ongoing Vatican financial scandal, according to new reports. News of Torzi’s cooperation with prosecutors follows the resignation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu last week, and the announcement that Pope Francis has appointed a new prosecutor to strengthen the case.” By Catholic News Agency

Church says Cardinal Pell returning to Vatican in crisis
“Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ former finance minister, will soon return to the Vatican during an extraordinary economic scandal for the first time since he was cleared of child abuse allegations in Australia five months ago, a church agency said Monday (Sept. 28). Pell will fly back to Rome on Tuesday, CathNews, an information agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said, citing ‘sources close to’ Pell.” By Rod McGuirk, Associated Press

ACCOUNTABILITY

Mincione used former Vatican fund to invest in mafia-linked bond managed by Torzi company
“An investment fund created for the Holy See Secretariat of State to invest Church assets was used to purchase millions in a bond of debt products issued by companies, some with alleged mafia links. Both the investment fund and the bond, which packaged hospital receivables into a debt security, were managed by companies belonging to two businessmen at the center of the ongoing Vatican financial scandal.” By Ed Condon, Catholic News Agency

Gonzaga Scholars Awarded Grant to Host Conference on Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church
“Gonzaga University has been awarded a $40,000 grant to host a four-day research conference in spring 2022 as part of a new interdisciplinary initiative entitled ‘Taking Responsibility.’ The initiative, made possible by a new nearly $1 million grant to Fordham University in New York City, aims to address the crisis in the Catholic Church related to sexual abuse by priests … Other universities awarded grants by the ‘Taking Responsibility’ initiative include Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, and Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each is pursuing a specific project within the effort.” By Gonzaga University News

POPE FRANCIS

Under Pope Francis, ‘accountability’ finally crosses the Tiber
“Although the drama triggered by the sudden fall from grace of Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu is far from over, things nonetheless have reached the stage where it’s also possible to stand back and ponder the bigger picture … Such diversions aside, there is at least one big-picture insight confirmed by the Becciu affair: ‘Accountability,’ in the full American sense of the word, is finally crossing the Tiber in the Pope Francis era.” By John L. Allen Jr., Cruxnow.com

WOMEN IN THE CHURCH

Women in the Catholic Church: An unresolved issue
“This article emerges from two complementary thoughts. The first is essential when reading the pronouncement of some Mexican Catholic female theologians, published on March 9, 2020, in which they join the national women’s strike: ‘To denounce the Kyriocentric hierarchical patriarchy that has appropriated the sacred, the spiritual and leadership under the pretext of a more ‘Christlike’ corporeality, and has denied women recognition of ordained ministries. Because the church has not been a safe place for women, and many have been victims of sexual predators, abuse, threats and harassment by leaders, priests, theologians, and laymen who have participated in these violations against women.’” By José Zepedal and Isabel Corpas De Posada, OpenDemocracy.net

VATICAN

Vatican releases financial figures, promises transparency
“The Vatican released its most detailed-ever financial figures on Thursday (Oct. 1), acknowledging it might have been swindled before but promising the faithful who have been shocked by money scandals that it would become like a ‘glass house’ in its transparency. The Vatican economy minister, Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, said the Vatican’s total net assets in 2019 were about 4 billion euros, which is believed to be the first time any such figure has been given.” By Philip Pullella, Reuters

CHURCH REFORM

New group calls for church reform
“A new group has been formed in Tasmania to promote reform in the Church, calling for it to become more collaborative, accountable and transparent. The Concerned Catholics Tasmania group will be launched in Launceston on Saturday (Oct. 3) with Francis Sullivan, the former chief of the Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council, named as one of the guest speakers. Chairman and retired Burnie lawyer Kim Chen says there is no formal means whereby lay Catholics can converse with Hobart Archbishop Julian Porteous about ‘their hopes, wishes and needs.’” By CathNews.com

CHURCH FINANCES

Camden Latest Catholic Diocese Bankrupted by Clergy Abuse Claims
“The Diocese of Camden in New Jersey filed for bankruptcy, becoming the latest U.S. Catholic Church district to seek court protection from a surge of lawsuits filed by victims of clergy sexual abuse. The Camden diocese filed for protection late Thursday (Oct. 1) in New Jersey, joining at least five other dioceses that have declared bankruptcy this year to deal with sexual abuse claims. One of the largest church districts in the U.S., Long Island’s Diocese of Rockville Centre, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week.” By Josh Saul, Bloomberg

VOICES

Vatican causes chaos by invalidating baptism formula
“Computers are unforgiving, but Christianity is supposed to be forgiving. Computers insist that humans, especially programmers, be exact. A single wrong letter in a line of code can crash a program. But even ordinary users can experience this. Nothing puts us into panic like a computer telling us: ‘Invalid Username or Password.’ The religion of Jesus is supposed to be forgiving. He attacked the Scribes and the Pharisees for their emphasis on the minutiae of the law. Yet, even under Pope Francis, who is all about compassion and forgiveness, the literalists appear to be alive and well in the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.” By Thomas Reese, Religion News Service, in National Catholic Reporter

Analysis: Vatican financial report stops short of questions on Peter’s Pence
“The Vatican on Thursday (Oct. 1) published a 2019 financial report on the Holy See, citing calls for greater transparency in how the Roman Curia has used the money at its disposal. But with a Church-wide collection for the pope’s charity taking place this Sunday, the report leaves open questions about how the Vatican has administered the millions of dollars of donations made to Peter’s Pence in recent years.” By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency

Abuse in the Catholic Church: Meisner’s Truth
“When the abuse scandal of the Catholic Church in Germany reached the public at the beginning of 2010, Joachim Cardinal Meisner was in the Cologne University Clinic. He had to have an operation on his left knee. Meisner later said he had thought of a smear campaign at first. And then it came out that the reports were well-founded: ‘That horrified me, that horrified me!’” By TellerReport.com

Britain’s reckoning with past systemic child abuse is long overdue
“For the past decade, investigations in Ireland have exposed the legacy of the state-funded, religious-run institutions, from industrial schools to Magdalene laundries. Canada and Australia have confronted a similar past of institutional abuse and forced adoption. Now, as abuse inquiries in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to issue final reports, a reckoning is overdue in Britain.” By Caelainn Hogan, The Guardian

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

Podcast: The church still needs to stay on top of the sexual abuse crisis
“In the midst of a global pandemic, an economic recession and renewed unrest around racial injustice, it can feel overwhelming to highlight yet another crisis. But the Catholic Church is only two years removed from the summer of 2018, when the sexual abuse crisis came roaring back after the release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report and the crimes of former Cardinal Theodore McCarick had come to light.” By Jesuitical, America: The Jesuit Review

Many victims fall through the cracks of New York’s Child Victims Act
“More than 4,400 lawsuits have been filed against alleged child abusers under New York’s Child Victims Act, but there are still many victims remain unable to access the court system in order to seek justice. A decade-long political fight preceded the passage of the CVA last year. It expanded the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse and rape cases and opened a look-back window for bringing lawsuits against alleged abusers who had previously been immune from civil liability because of the time that passed.” By Edward McKinley, Times Union

ARIZONA

Lawsuit: Catholic priest abused children in Indigenous, rural communities in Arizona
“A Catholic priest with a history of sexually abusing children was placed in several Arizona schools in Indigenous and rural communities, a lawsuit alleges. The Rev. James Grear worked across Arizona and in other parts of the country and U.S. territories. The lawsuit filed Thursday (Oct. 1) claims the priest sexually abused a teenager, who is a citizen of the Navajo Nation, when Grear worked at Chinle High School in the late 1970s and early 1980s.” By Lauren Castle, Arizona Republic

GEORGIA

Lawsuit: Georgia Diocese covered up sex abuse allegations
“A lawsuit filed against a diocese in Georgia alleges officials knew about and covered up allegations that a Catholic priest sexually abused young students and failed to prevent the crimes more than 30 years ago. The lawsuit was filed last week in Chatham County against the Diocese of Savannah and its current bishop, accusing the Catholic jurisdiction of conspiracy and fraud in mishandling alleged abuse by former priest Wayland Brown in the 80s.” By Associated Press

LOUISIANA

Man says 2 New Orleans priests abused him; church gave him unlimited therapy but no abuse listing
“Retired Catholic priest Luis Fernandez let his answering machine take the journalist’s call last month, but picked up when he heard the reporter mention molestation allegations. Initially, Fernandez said he couldn’t talk about the claims brought against him by one of his former students because ‘he didn’t know anything about it.’ But after hearing the ex-student’s name — Tim Trahan — Fernandez changed his tone.” By David Hammer, WWL-TV4 News

Slidell pastor removed after admitting to sexual abuse of a minor in 2013
“Two local Catholic priests have been removed from active ministry, and one has been criminally charged with obscenity, according to the Archdiocese of New Orleans in a statement released on behalf of Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Thursday (Oct. 1). The two priests are Rev. Patrick Wattigny, pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist in Slidell, and Rev. Travis Clark, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul in Pearl River, have been removed from ministry, effective immediately.” By WWL-TV4 News

MASSACHUSETTS

Springfield Diocese online survey seeks to improve response to clergy sexual abuse claims
“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is seeking input from the public on how it can improve its response to clergy sexual abuse allegations as well as assistance to the claimants through an online survey on its website beginning Thursday (Oct. 8) and running through Oct. 19. A recent report that investigated diocesan practices on how such allegations were handled by the diocese in a case involving sexual abuse claims against the late Bishop Christopher Weldon found the process in that case to be flawed with delays, unexplained missing reports and contradictory communications that left the claimant waiting years for a response.” By Anne-Gerard Flynn, Springfield Republican, on MassLive.com

Diocese, priest named in abuse lawsuit
“Bishop McManus announced that the Diocese of Worcester has been named in a lawsuit, along with Father Thomas E. Mahoney, retired priest of the diocese, for abuse of a minor in the 1970s. The law office of Attorney Carmen Durso is representing “John Doe” as the claimant.
Bishop McManus said, ‘Because of the serious nature of the allegation, and consistent with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Father Mahoney was notified that I have relieved him of his faculties as a priest.’” By CatholicFreePress.com

MICHIGAN

Investigation Leads to Sexual Assault Charge Against Former Catholic Priest with a Criminal Past
“A former Catholic Priest with a past of abuse towards young boys is once again locked up and charged for even more abuse allegations. In the never ending saga of Catholic priests being charged for sexual abuse of children who attended church where the priest was in authority, yet another appears to have come to light after an investigation by the Michigan Attorney Generals Office. A former priest who severed the community in the Farmington area has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel continues to investigate sexual abuse within the seven Catholic dioceses across the state.” By B. Thompson, MIHeadlines.com

MISSOURI

Notice of credible allegation of abuse
“Bishop Johnston and diocesan leaders recognize how difficult it can be for a survivor of clergy sexual abuse to come forward and appreciate the great courage it takes in making a report to the Church. The diocese has received and deemed credible an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by Thomas Reardon. This allegation was deemed credible following the diocesan Policy for Response to Allegations, by the Ombudsman, Independent Review Board and Bishop Johnston. The abuse occurred in 1972 at Camp Little Flower, a diocesan camp for children ages 7-12, at 83rd and Raytown Rd. where Reardon was Camp Director.” By Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New legal protections for sexual assault victims in N.H. take effect this week
“New Hampshire’s protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence were widely expanded this week, after a broad package of reforms pushed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Chris Sununu this summer took effect. House Bill 705, known as the ‘Crime Victims’ Rights Enhancement Act of 2020,’ ushered in significant changes. The statute of limitations for civil actions in sexual assault cases is now eliminated; the rights of victims during court proceedings have been increased; and those who commit sexual assaults against people with disabilities who are unable to consent – or 13- to-16-year-olds – may no longer use marriage as an excuse, among other changes.” By Ethan DeWitt, Concord Monitor

NEW JERSEY

Camden’s Catholic diocese left two-thirds of claims filed with sex abuse victim fund unpaid as it sought bankruptcy protection
“More than two-thirds of the victims who signed up to participate in a fund set up by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden to compensate survivors of clergy sex abuse were left with their claims unresolved and diminished expectations of seeing a payout, according to previously unreleased information included in the diocese’s bankruptcy filings this week. Now, 141 people who were encouraged by Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan to come forward and recount their trauma for fund administrators last year must join a line of other creditors — including banks, independent contractors and lawsuit plaintiffs — to jostle in court over a limited pot of money that will be divided up by the bankruptcy court.” By Jeremy Roebuck The Philadelphia Inquirer

Former NJ Catholic School Chaplain Charged With Endangering Welfare Of Students
“A priest and former chaplain of a North Jersey Catholic school was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of six students, authorities announced Thursday (Oct. 1). Salvatore DiStefano, 61, who most recently resided at Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church New Providence, is charged with engaging in a pattern of behavior that threatened the welfare of six Oratory Preparatory School students, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said.” By Cecilia Levine, Daily Voice

NEW YORK.

Cash-strapped Buffalo Diocese wants to speed up bankruptcy case
“Buffalo Diocese officials, citing a sharp decline in donations and an estimated $4 million per year in bankruptcy costs, are pleading with a federal judge to speed up its reorganization by reducing the time childhood sex abuse victims can file claims and appointing a mediator to negotiate a settlement. Diocese officials told Chief Judge Carl L. Bucki that the diocese is strapped for cash and no longer provides financial support for 19 programs and ministries, including outreach to youth and migrants, lifelong faith formation, evangelization efforts and aid to Catholic elementary schools.” By Jay Tokasz, The Buffalo News

Former Pastor Named In Child Victims Act Suit
“A Child Victims Act lawsuit filed in July names a former Jamestown pastor who died in a 2007 plane crash at Chautauqua County Airport. The lawsuit, filed on July 28 in the state Supreme Court in Erie County, claims that the Rev. Msgr. Antoine Attea abused a male victim while serving at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Jamestown. The 17-page lawsuit list the plaintiff as ‘PB-37 Doe’ and names St. James Roman Catholic Parish Outreach, known currently as St. James Parish, as the defendant.” By Cameron Hurst, The Post-Journal

OHIO

Podcast features survivor of priest sex abuse who is working with Columbus diocese
“Neither priests nor the public really understand what survivors of clergy sexual abuse go through, but they’re beginning to, says survivor Teresa Pitt Green. Co-founder of Spirit Fire, a national “Christ-centered restorative-justice group” that helps Catholic churches reach out to survivors, Pitt Green recounted her personal story of being abused by a priest as a minor on a Sept. 30 episode of the podcast ‘Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church.’” By Danae King, The Columbus Dispatch

Appeals Court Judge: Catholic priest Geoff Drew’s $5 million bond is ‘staggering’ but within lower courts’ ‘discretion’
“Geoff Drew, the Cincinnati Catholic priest charged with raping an altar boy 30 years ago, has no income, sold his condo and car, and will live with his 81-year-old mother if released on bond, according to a court document filed with the Ohio Court of Appeals on September 18 by Drew’s defense attorney, Brandon Moermond. Drew has been held in the Hamilton County Justice Center since his August 2019 arrest.” By Craig Cheatham, WCPO-TV9 News

PENNSYLVANIA

Screwed twice over: victims of abusive NJ Catholic clerics
“Catholic Diocese of Camden in New Jersey, headed by Bishop Dennis J Sullivan, above, was filing for bankruptcy, people immediately began asking where this will leave victims of clerical abuse who were in line for compensation. Well, it looks as if their claims could either go unresolved, or fall well below expectations.” By Barry Duke, Patheos.com

RHODE ISLAND

Ex-altar boy who says R.I. priest sexually abused him on trip to NYC sues in New York
“A man who said he was sexually abused as a minor by a now-deceased North Providence priest is suing Rhode Island’s Catholic diocese — but doing it in New York, which makes it easier to sue over abuse from decades past than Rhode Island does. Philip Edwardo, now 53, said the Rev. Philip Magaldi of St. Anthony Church took him to a Waldorf Astoria hotel room in New York City and sexually assaulted him in 1983. It was one of at least 100 instances of sexual abuse over five years, he said.” By Brian Amaral, Providence Journal

R.I. judge hears arguments over whether Catholic Church leaders can be sued as ‘perpetrators’ of sexual abuse
“When Rhode Island lawmakers in 2019 extended the deadline to file lawsuits over childhood sexual abuse, they said victims could sue even if the clock had already run out under the old law — so long as the victims were suing a ‘perpetrator. What is a perpetrator? A state Superior Court judge on Wednesday (Sept. 30) heard more than an hour of arguments on that issue from three victims of clergy abuse who say the leaders of the Catholic Diocese of Providence could be considered ‘perpetrators’ under the new law even if they didn’t physically carry out the abuse — and from the diocese, which said they cannot.” By Brian Amaral, Providence Journal, on SouthcoastToday.com

VERMONT

Attorney general’s report on Catholic Diocese to be released soon
“It has been 13 months since the Burlington Catholic Diocese released its report on sexual abuse allegations, naming 40 priests. We’re still waiting for the Vermont attorney general’s team to tell us what their investigation found. Now, they say that wait is almost over. Attorney General T.J. Donovan tells us we can expect the report by the end of October or early November. Donovan says he met with many of the survivors as recently as last week and plans on seeing them again Friday (Oct. 2).” By Christina Guessferd, WCAX-TV3 News

AUSTRALIA

‘Perverse’ subpoena costs dispute over Ridsdale abuse
“A decision from a Supreme Court judicial registrar in a civil case involving a victim of paedophile priest Gerard Ridsdale has revealed a push against costs for extensive subpoenas. The plaintiff, whom The Standard has declined to name, alleges he was sexually abused by Ridsdale when he were a teenager. Ridsdale is currently in prison after being convicted for these crimes, as well as dozens of other child sexual offenses.” By Alex Ford, The Courier

Senior Catholic William Wade sentenced for concealing child sex abuse at Marist schools
“The first senior Catholic to plead guilty to concealing child sexual abuse in Australia has escaped jail despite a judge acknowledging his ‘reprehensible’ inaction contributed to ‘terrible consequences.’ William Wade admitted to failing to provide information to police during a 2014 investigation into abuse at Marist schools in the 1970s. Wade’s roles at Marist Brothers schools included headmaster in Canberra, at Hamilton, in Newcastle, and Kogarah, in Sydney alongside convicted child sex offenders Darcy O’Sullivan, known as Brother Dominic, and Francis Cable, known as Brother Romuald.” By Jamie McKinnell, ABC News

Victorian child sex abuse survivor wins second chance to sue Catholic Church in ‘landmark’ case
“A victim of historical child sexual abuse has won what is believed to be a landmark case in Victoria against the Catholic Church, giving him a second shot at suing for compensation. The Supreme Court heard the former altar boy was abused between the ages of 11 and 14 by the late priest Daniel Hourigan in Gippsland from 1977 to 1980. Hourigan died in 1995.” By James Hancock, ABC News

BANGLADESH

Bangladeshi Catholic priest accused of raping minor girl
“Police in northern Bangladesh have arrested a Catholic priest and produced him before a court on allegations of confining a 14-year-old indigenous girl for three days and raping her. Father Prodip Gregory, 41, parish priest of St. John Mary Vianney’s Church in Mundumala, covered by Rajshahi Diocese, was arrested on Sept. 29 evening, a police official confirmed.” By UCANews.com

CANADA

Church seeks to take Mount Cashel abuse ruling to Supreme Court of Canada
“The archdiocese of St. John’s will ask the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn a decision that declared the city’s Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation liable for sexual abuse at the Mount Cashel orphanage in the 1950s. The archdiocese says in a release that its lawyers today petitioned for leave to appeal the July decision from the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal. Geoff Budden, the victims’ lawyer, had said the Appeal Court ruling meant the archdiocese would have to pay about $2 million to four lead plaintiffs in the case.” By The Canadian Press

CHILE

Chilean abuse survivors fear COVID crisis will stop investigations into accused clergy
“Chilean abuse survivors allege that the government is using the COVID-19 pandemic to delay having to deal with South American country’s clerical abuse scandal. ‘The emails of the [Chilean ecclesiastical] Survivors Network are on fire seeing the situation of the allegations in the prosecutor’s office,’ said Eneas Espinoza, a survivor from the Marist Brothers who is still waiting for justice. ‘The expectation grows and there’s much concern over the possibility of the pandemic being the truck of dirt that the Catholic Church needs to cover up its crimes.’” By Inés San Martín, Cruxnow.com

EAST TIMOR

Vatican began looking into ex-priest for child molesting, in 2016
“The Vatican began an investigation into a former U.S. priest accused of child abuse and child pornography in East Timor began in September 2016 but he was only removed from where he allegedly committed the crimes three years later. Documents seen by Lusa show that the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was investigating the case involving former Father Richard Daschbach between September 2016 and October 2018, when it decreed his ‘punishment for life’ and expulsion from the priesthood.” By Macau News Agency

GERMANY

German Catholic Church to offer abuse victims compensation
“The victims of sexual abuse in Germany’s Catholic Church can apply for compensation payments of up to 50,000 euros from next year, the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) said on Thursday. According to a study from 2018 on abuse in the Catholic Church, at least 3,677 minors were victims of sexual violence by at least 1,670 members of the clergy in Germany between 1946 and 2014. Experts, say, however, the number of unreported cases could be as high as 100,000.” By Reuters on WTVB-TV

JAPAN

Japan Catholic Church sued for damages in alleged sex abuse
“A woman has filed a suit against the Roman Catholic Church in Japan alleging that a priest raped her four decades ago, as the church’s unfolding worldwide sexual abuse crisis gradually reaches Japan. The civil lawsuit, filed this week in Sendai District Court, seeks 56.1 million yen ($534,000) in damages. It accuses a priest, who has not been charged or penalized, as well as a bishop who counseled the woman in recent years about the alleged abuse.” By Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press

NEW ZEALAND

Abuse in care: Man who suffered as a child gives evidence
“A man with an intellectual disability who went into care as a young child and was physically and sexually abused has described his childhood as a nightmare. Kerry Johnson, which is a pseudonym, is now 48-years-old. He first spent about one year, 1980, in the Catholic-run St John of God, Marylands School in Christchurch before moving into state-run institutions. On Monday (Sept. 28), he gave evidence to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry sitting in Auckland.” By Andrew McRae, Radio New Zealand