Voice of the Faithful Focus, June 6, 2022

Jun. 10, 2022

TOP STORIES

AP-NORC pool details rift between lay Catholics and bishops
“The stances of many conservative Catholic bishops in the U.S. are not shared by a majority of lay Catholics. Most of them say abortion should be legal, favor greater inclusion of LGBT people, and oppose the denial of Communion for pro-choice politicians, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll, conducted in mid-May, shows a clear gap between the prevalent views of American Catholics, and some recent high-profile actions taken by the church’s leaders.” By David Cray, Associated Press, on Cruxnow.com

U.S. cardinal urges Italian bishops to track, share information about abuse
“As Italian bishops debated how to respond to calls for a nationwide investigation into clerical sexual abuse and the way accusations have been handled, U.S. Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, encouraged them to move forward. ‘You have a unique opportunity to develop an honest and nondefensive dialogue with all those involved, at the national and local levels, who are willing to undertake a constructive process of review, of reform and of reconciliation,’ the cardinal said in a video message played May 25 at the spring meeting of the Italian bishops’ conference.” By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, National Catholic Reporter

RIP Catholic News Service – gone too soon and when we needed you most
“The U.S. Catholic bishops are killing off Catholic News Service, one of their most successful national programs. Founded in 1921, CNS is the AP of Catholic news, providing copy to Catholic publications across the country and around the world. In a 2021 meeting with CNS reporters in Rome, Pope Francis told them that ‘over these past hundred years, Catholic News Service has provided an invaluable contribution to the English-speaking world through its coverage of the church’s mission of proclaiming the gospel and witnessing to the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.’” By Thomas Reese, Relgion News Service

Pope Francis to create 21 new cardinals
“Pope Francis will create 21 new cardinals at the next Consistory, which will take place on Saturday, 27 August. The announcement was made by the Holy Father himself after he recited the Regina Caeli with the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday, 29 May. ‘On Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 August, a meeting will be held of all the Cardinals to reflect on the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, and on Saturday 27 August, I will hold a Consistory for the creation of new cardinals.’” By L’Osservatore Romano

Survivors praised for 20 years of exposing Catholic abuse scandals
“More than 20 years since the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative team exposed the scope of Catholic clergy sexual abuse and institutional cover-up in the Archdiocese of Boston, attorney Mitchell Garabedian said abuse survivors are still teaching the church ‘how to be moral.’ ‘None of this could be done without your strength,’ Garabedian said during a June 4 conference in Quincy, sponsored by several nonprofits that advocate for abuse survivors and accountability in the church.” By Brian Fraga, National Catholic Reporter

ACCOUNTABILITY

The Dallas Charter, 20 years later – Part 1: Widespread abuse comes to light, and bishops respond
“The first six months of 2002 marked a watershed in how sexual abuse of children and the Catholic Church were seen in the United States, as well as an inflection point for how the Church responded to allegations of abuse against priests. With the passage of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in June of that year, the bishops established national norms to hold dioceses accountable for protecting children and ministering to people who had been harmed.” By Michelle Martin, Our Sunday Visitor

FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

Bishop McElroy: Pope Francis and Vatican II give us a road map for the synodal process
“Can synodality become a deeper element of Catholic life in the United States? Our current process may prove this to be so. One of the central sentiments expressed in our diocesan synodal consultations has been that the people of God have at times not been meaningfully heard and responded to in the institutional life of the church, and they fear that the synodal process might be another in a series of moments when hopes are raised only to be frustrated. But the current synod process offers a glimpse of a church yet to come. Hundreds of thousands of Catholics have engaged with the church on their joys, their sorrows and their hopes for what the church can be today and tomorrow.” By Robert W. McElrory, America: The Jesuit Review

Synod team reviews data from listening sessions, online participants
“As the June 11 diocesan pre-synodal gathering nears, the diocesan synod team is reviewing the data collected during in-person listening sessions and by online participants. Parishes and other entities in the eight-county Diocese of Cleveland were invited to send a group of delegates to the daylong June 11 event. At the gathering, they will pray, reflect on their experience with the diocesan synodal process, listen to feedback from the listening sessions, engage in dialogue about the current reality of the Church and discern the Holy Spirit’s call for the diocese on the path of synodality.” By Diocese of Cleveland

POPE FRANCIS

Pope Francis fuels new speculation on future on pontificate
“Pope Francis added fuel to rumors about the future of his pontificate by announcing he would visit the central Italian city of L’Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs who resigned before Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013. Italian and Catholic media have been rife with unsourced speculation that the 85-year-old Francis might be planning to follow in Benedict’s footsteps, given his increased mobility problems that have forced him to use a wheelchair for the last month. Those rumors gained steam last week when Francis announced a consistory to create 21 new cardinals scheduled for Aug. 27. Sixteen of those cardinals are under age 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect Francis’ successor.” By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

CARDINALS

What message is Pope Francis sending with his choice of new cardinals?
“The consistory for the creation of cardinals on Aug. 27 is a ceremony that seems to mark the end of a pontificate — though that end might be long in coming. After praying the Regina Coeli May 29, Pope Francis announced the creation of 16 new cardinals eligible to vote in a future conclave and five over the age of 80. He also summoned all cardinals to take part in another consistory, on Aug. 29-30, to discuss the new Vatican constitution Praedicate evangelium. Such a broad discussion among cardinals hasn’t taken place for seven years.” By Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency, in The Pilot

Claim: Cardinal didn’t prioritize sex abuse survivors”

“Two years before long-standing rumors about Cardinal Theodore McCarrick leapt into headlines worldwide, America’s most outspoken activist on clergy sexual abuse, Richard Sipe, met with his local bishop — San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy. ‘It was clear to me during our last meeting in your office, although cordial, that you had no interest in any further personal contact,’ wrote the now-late Sipe, a former Benedictine priest who then worked for the Seton Psychiatric Institute in Baltimore. While church officials asked him to report to McElroy, ‘your office made it clear that you have no time in your schedule either now or ‘in the foreseeable future’ to have the meeting that they suggested.’” By Terry Mattringly, Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

BISHOPS

Archbishop Nienstedt: an example of how the pope’s abuse law is not working
“Anne Barrett Doyle of the group BishopAccountability.org recently wrote a thoughtful article on how Pope Francis’ major law to hold bishops and religious superiors accountable for abuse they commit or cover-up, Vos Estis Lux Mundi (‘You Are the Light of the World’), is not working. That article caused me to reflect on the long-standing, unsuccessful efforts in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to hold its former archbishop, John Nienstedt, accountable for alleged personal sexual misconduct and a failed cover-up involving abuse by another priest under his supervision.” By Hank Shea, National Catholic Reporter

Here’s hoping Bishop Barron settles in to new job leading a Minnesota diocese
“Last week, my NCR colleague Brian Fraga and freelancer Jenn Morson published an in-depth report about a series of recent resignations at Word on Fire, the Catholic multimedia platform created by Bishop Robert Barron. In a strange coincidence, the next day Pope Francis appointed Barron, formerly an auxiliary bishop for Los Angeles, as the Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. It is always difficult to know what is really going on inside any organization, but when you witness a series of resignations, that is usually not a good sign.” By Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter

WOMEN RELIGIOUS

50 years after a group of Catholic sisters formed Network, the activist group pledges to focus on racial justice
“Two years ago, when George Floyd was murdered by a police officer who knelt on his neck for almost 10 minutes, we were confronted with the persistence of racism in our country. Now, we find ourselves there once more as we mourn the shooting that targeted Black Americans inside a Buffalo grocery store. This most recent attack again raises the urgency of ending white supremacy and racist violence once and for all in the United States. The past few years have been a time of tremendous upheaval, but it would be inaccurate to say that any of these realities are new.” By Joan F. Neal and Mary J. Novak, America: The Jesuit Review

WOMEN’S VOICES

Pelosi vs. Cordileone isn’t only about abortion. It’s about women and bishops.
“In October 2021, Pope Francis initiated a two-year ‘Synod on Synodality,’ aimed at finding out what Catholics and others think about the church. He may get more than he asked for. Preliminary results indicate one thing: Women are fed up. They like Francis well enough, but they are not much interested in what bishops and priests have to say. Why? The latest kerfuffle between San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is at the tip of a very big iceberg.” By Phyllis Zagano, Religion News Service, in National Catholic Reporter

CHILD PROTECTION

Archdiocesan Review Board continues to monitor safe environments for young people
“Reports from the archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection and the Independent Review Board indicate that the archdiocese continues its efforts to educate about safe environments for young people and to screen clergy, employees and volunteers to determine suitability for ministry … Voice of the Faithful, an independent lay watchdog organization that monitors governance in the church, placed the Archdiocese of Baltimore in the top four dioceses in the country in its recent report that measured abuse prevention and safe environment programs as reported online in diocesan policies and practices. By Christopher Gunty, Catholic Review (Click here to read VOTF’s “2022 Report: Measuring Abuse Prevention and Safe Environment Programs as Reported Online in Diocesan Policies and Practices”)

CHURCH REFORM

Pope Francis’ reforms make the heresy-hunting Vatican of John Paul II barely recognizable
“In November 2003, during the high noon of Cardinal Angelo Sodano’s iron-fisted rule as John Paul II’s secretary of state, a Mexican friar wrote for a Chilean journal an article that was passed across the world’s Catholic networks in open-mouthed amazement … ‘To speak of violence in the Church might seem nonsensical,’ began Fr. Camilo Maccise, a Discalced Carmelite who had only recently ended his term as head of the Union of Superiors General, or USG, in Rome … ‘I have had had intimate knowledge of this violence, above all as exercised by a number of Roman dicasteries,’ he wrote … Sodano died in Rome on May 27 at age 94, just days before the implementation on June 5 of Pope Francis’ new constitution for the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium (‘Preach the Gospel’). The constitution consolidates and deepens the reform that Francis has been carrying out these past nine years. It is a reform aimed at nothing less than a conversion of the way power is exercised in and from Rome, and by extension in the global Catholic Church.” By Austen Ivereigh, National Catholic Reporter

New HR office could be real revolution at heart of Pope’s reform
“In March 2020, the Vatican chose a Friday to announce the creation of a new ‘General Directorate for Personnel,’ essentially an HR office, within the Secretariat of State, which was touted as ‘a step of great importance in the path of reform initiated by Pope Francis.’ The next day the Vatican was compelled to issue a correction, saying that, whoops, the new directorate wasn’t actually happening after all, it was just an idea the pope would act upon ‘at the right time.’ This past Sunday (Jun. 5), it would appear the ‘right time’ finally came.” By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com

FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

Catholic Church closures spread in the Northeast and Midwest. Not all are upset.
“COVID has changed the way people worship. A recent study showed even though many churches are now offering in-person services, people aren’t returning to pre-pandemic attendance. Among Catholic churches in Chicago, this is compounding a problem they already had. They’re losing people. Many parishes there have been forced to close or merge. Members are coming to terms with this new normal. From member station WBEZ, Adora Namigadde reports.” By Adora Namigadde, National Public Radio

CHURCH FINANCES

Vatican bank displays financial decline, moral gains after papal reforms
“Pope Francis has been clear about his vision for Catholicism as a ‘poor church for the poor’ and the 2021 annual report of the Vatican bank shows that the pope’s wish is closer than ever to becoming a reality. In the report published on Tuesday (June 7), the bank, officially the Institute for Religious Works, announced that it made a net profit of 18.1 million euros (about $19.3 million) last year, a significant decrease from the 36.4 million euros it netted in 2020, but which Vatican officials defended as an able effort in difficult times.” By Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service

Vatican official describes frenzy to turn London deal around
“A former Vatican official testified May 31 that he was under intense ‘psychological pressure’ to finalize a deal over the Holy See’s troubled investment in a London property, but entered into the negotiations without a lawyer and didn’t realize the deal got the Vatican nothing in return. Fabrizio Tirabassi testified for some seven hours about the frenzied meetings he attended in London Nov. 20-22, 2018 that the Holy See had thought would salvage its 350-million-euro investment in the former Harrod’s warehouse and stem its losses.” By Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press, in National Catholic Reporter

VOICES

Pope Francis is remaking the College of Cardinal – and setting the stage for the eventual election of his successor
“With the appointment of 16 new cardinal electors, Pope Francis continues remaking the College of Cardinals with an emphasis on the person rather than the location of the bishop. Nowhere has that emphasis been more evident than in the United States, where he chose to elevate Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, while once again skipping over more senior bishops in traditionally cardinatial cities such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia. He has also made the electors less Italian and less Eastern European but more Asian and African than they were when he was elected in 2013.” By Thomas Reese, Religion News Service, in America: The Jesuit Review

‘Don’t invite the theologians’: Is Tom Reese right about what ails the Church?
“Tom Reese, SJ, the former editor of America, writes a column for Religion News Service that regularly appears in the National Catholic Reporter. He recently tackled the vexing, if well-worn, question of ‘Why Is the Church Failing in the West?’ He made some shrewd observations but came to dubious conclusions. Reese is a distinguished social scientist … In his column, Reese rehearses the explanations offered by both conservatives and liberals for the Church’s current troubles. ‘The theories can be collected in two major baskets’ he writes, ‘those that blame culture and those that blame the Church itself.’ That dichotomy is familiar enough.” By Paul Baumann, Commonweal

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Employers face new litigation exposure under Adult Survivors Act
“On May 24, 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act, which creates a one-year lookback window, beginning on November 24, 2022, for the revival of otherwise time-barred civil claims arising out of alleged sexual offenses committed against people who were 18-years-old or older at the time of the conduct. More specifically, the ASA establishes a new section in the New York Civil Practice Law & Rules that permits adult victims of sexual abuse to file a lawsuit against their alleged abusers regardless of when the offenses occurred or if the former statute of limitations period has run.” By JDSupra.com, Lippes Mathias Attorneys

CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

Survivors blast limited effort by Italian bishops to document abuse cases
“Barely had Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the new head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) and key Pope Francis ally, wrapped up a Friday (Jun.3) press conference announcing a new study of clerical sexual abuse cases, when survivors of abuse proclaimed they were ‘very unhappy’ and declared the bishops’ initiative ‘useless.’ ‘It’s rather sad. It’s not good; we are very unhappy,’ said Francesco Zanardi, an abuse survivor and head of Rete L’Abuso (‘The Abuse Network’), Italy’s lone survivors’ group.” By Elise Ann Allen, Cruxnow.com

CALIFORNIA

Female janitor describes alleged abuse by priest at Maywood church
“LOS ANGELES – A former janitor at a Catholic church in Maywood who is suing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, alleging she was forced to quit in 2019 after an associate pastor groped her in the rectory and tried to coerce her into his bed, describes the incident in detail in new court papers. The Long Beach woman worked as a custodian at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, the grounds of which include a school and a rectory that housed the living areas and offices of Pastor Dario Miranda and Associate Pastor Primitivo Gonzalez, the suit filed in December of 2020 states.” By City News Service on 2urbangirls.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Diocese of Springfield bans New Spirit Inc. leadership after allegations of inappropriate behavior with children
“The Diocese of Springfield released its findings after allegations of inappropriate behavior with minors by a co-founder of New Spirit Inc. According to Springfield Diocese spokesperson Mark Dupont, in July of 2021 the Diocese of Springfield first learned about a 2018 complaint against Barry Kingston alleging he engaged in inappropriate behavior with minors at New Spirit Inc.’s summer camp weeks at Camp Holy Cross in 2007.” By Ashley Shook, WWLP-TV22 News

Lawsuit: Haverhill priest sexually abused girl in 1990s, 2000s
“An unnamed 28-year-old woman is suing two former Boston Archdiocesan Auxiliary bishops, claiming they neglected to supervise one of All Saints Roman Catholic Church’s now-defrocked priests — the Rev. Kelvin Iguabita-Rodriguez — and allowed him to sexually abuse her for years. The complaint was formally filed last month by Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represents the woman who claims she was sexually abused by Iguabita-Rodriguez when she was between 5 and 7 years old.” By Angelina Berube, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune

The Worcester Diocese sex abuse investigation into Billy Riley has taken three months. Advocates want Boston involved
“William ‘Billy’ Riley, the director of the St. John’s Food for the Poor program, has been on paid administrative leave for nearly three months following claims of sexual abuse and a survivors’ group is calling on the Archdiocese of Boston to get involved. Living in Freedom Together (LIFT), a nonprofit founded by survivors working to end the sex trade, sent a communication to the Archdiocese of Boston about how the Diocese of Worcester is handling the investigation, according to Terrence Donilon, a spokesperson for the archdiocese.” By Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive.com

MISSOURI

News 4 Investigation into priests accused of child sex abuse leads to new police inquiry
“A recent News 4 Investigation into a Jefferson County center where Catholic priests and clergy accused of sexually abusing children are living under the radar has led to a new police inquiry. The center is located in Dittmer, Missouri. It’s called the Vianney Renewal Center and is run by the Servants of the Paraclete, a Catholic religious order founded in 1947. The Servants of the Paraclete’s website claims to “provide care for priests and brothers in need.” Nothing mentions sexual abuse.” By Susan El Khoury, KMOV-TV4 News

OHIO

‘I want accountability’: Father Drew sex abuse survivor says he’s not done with Archdiocese of Cincinnati
“A Greater Cincinnati man who was repeatedly raped as a young altar boy by the music minister at his private Catholic grade school before he became a priest has achieved what many sex abuse victims are still hoping for: some closure when his abuser was convicted. Now, after decades of struggling to deal with being sexually assaulted between the ages of 8 and 10, Paul Neyer is a married father with four children who says he wants to use his experience to try to help other victims. He took his first big step toward that Tuesday (Jun. 7) by going before an Ohio Senate committee, urging lawmakers to reform the state’s child sex abuse laws to extend the statute of limitation for victims to seek the justice he says they deserve.” By WXIX-TV19 News

PENNSYLVANIA

Report: $78 million paid to sex abuse victims in Philadelphia Archdiocese
“The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has paid close to $78.5 million of a total of more than $81 million awarded to 438 victims of sexual abuse by archdiocesan clergy under the Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program, which released its final report June 2. The program was begun by the archdiocese three and a half years ago as a way of offering monetary compensation to victims of past abuse but which would be run independent of archdiocesan influence.” By Matthew Gambino, Our Sunday Visitor

RHODE ISLAND

Former Catholic Diocese of Providence priest indicted for sexual assault
“Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Colonel Darnell S. Weaver announced that the Statewide Grand Jury returned an indictment charging a former priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence with sexually assaulting a juvenile male victim between 1981 and 1982. 

On May 25, 2022, the Statewide Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Kevin Fisette (age 66) of Dayville, Connecticut with one count of first-degree sexual assault.” By GoLocalProv.com

TENNESSEE

Standing for Survivors supports Knoxville clergy sexual abuse victims
“East Tennesseans gathered to stand with survivors of reported clergy abuse outside of St. Mary’s Church in Gatlinburg and at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Sunday (Jun. 5). A priest at St. Mary’s, Father Antony Punnackal, was accused of and admitted to sexual battery by one of the Spanish-speaking congregators, according to court documents obtained by WVLT News. One of the victims, Michael Boyd, said he was abused while serving as an altar boy and hoped that sharing his story would help others know what went on behind closed doors and encourage other victims to come forward.” By Kelly Ann Krueger, WVLT-TV8 News

WISCONSIN

‘They’ve failed us,’ clergy abuse survivors accuse AG of lack of commitment to investigating allegations
“One year after the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office announced a new initiative to investigate clergy abuse, a group of survivors says Attorney General Josh Kaul has failed them. But the AG’s office says they are making progress on prosecuting church leaders. Hope is what Peter Isely, an abuse survivor and Director of Nate’s Mission, felt one year ago as he stood alongside AG Kaul as he announced the new initiative to investigate clergy abuse crimes. ‘I know how difficult it’s going to be for many of you to come forward again. I want you to know this time its different,’ said Isely back in April 2021 as he encouraged survivors to come forward and report abuse to the AG’s office.” By Elizabeth Wadas, WMTV-TV15 News

AUSTRALIA

Abuse victims start Loud Fences campaign in Townsville Diocese
“A former Mount Isa victim of sexual abuse has started a new awareness campaign called ‘Loud Fences’ in the Catholic Diocese of Townsville. Kathleen Walsh said she started the first loud ribbon fence started at the Cathedral Catholic Church in Townsville with similar plans for Mount Isa. ‘Mount Isa was ravaged by child sex abuse especially by pedophile priest Neville Creen with 22 criminal convictions,’ Ms Walsh said.” By Derek Barry, The North West Star

CANADA

Vancouver Island residential school survivor publishes account of abuse and recovery
“Six decades after enduring unthinkable abuse at the hands of priests at Kuper Island Residential School, Raymond Tony Charlie is telling his story. His recently released book, ‘In the Shadow of the Red Brick Building,’ exposes the physical, emotional and sexual abuse, but also carries a message of resilience and recovery. ‘It took me a long time to write this book,’ Charlie explains of his more than eight-year journey to get the book published. ‘There were a lot of stops and starts and sometimes it was very difficult to write.’” By Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News

Indigenous leaders meet with Catholic bishops in Winnipeg to discuss papal apology in Canada
“The wording of a papal apology is top of mind for Indigenous leaders, with less than two months to go before Pope Francis arrives in Canada to apologize to residential school survivors. On Wednesday (Jun. 1), following two days of talks, the National Indian Residential School Circle of Survivors met with Catholic Bishops in Winnipeg. ‘We have a working relationship with the bishops,’ said Ted Quewezance, the appointed interim chair of the group, adding the Pope tasked the Bishops of Canada to work with the survivors in their specific regions.” By Canton Unger, CTV News Winnipeg

CHILE

Former Chilean priest found guilty of sex abuse and rape
“A former priest and top aide to Santiago’s archbishop was found guilty on Wednesday (Jun. 8) of repeated sexual abuse and rape, the result of 2018 scandal that ensnared multiple high-ranking members of the Chilean Catholic Church. The prosecutor’s office said on Twitter that it had secured the conviction of former priest Oscar Munoz, ‘for crimes of repeated rape, sexual abuse and repeated sexual abuse of those who were minor victims.’” By Reuters

GERMANY

Church convicts Catholic ex-priest of abusing boy for years
“A Catholic diocese in Germany said Tuesday (Jun. 7) that a former priest has been convicted in a church trial of sexually abusing a minor over several years almost three decades ago. The man, who wasn’t identified, was ordered to pay 10% of his income to a charitable organization that helps victims of abuse, the diocese of Limburg said. While financial payouts have been included in confidential settlements between the church and victims of abuse, the announcement of a financial penalty against a priest as a result of a canonical investigation is unusual.” By Associated Press

NEW ZEALAND

Church in New Zealand releases new information on reported abuse
“Continuing research has produced further details of where and by whom much of the reported abuse in the Catholic Church in New Zealand was committed. The research is being undertaken by Te Rōpū Tautoko, the group that coordinates the Church’s engagement with New Zealand’s Royal Commission on Abuse in Care. Te Rōpū Tautoko yesterday (Jun. 6) published information expanding on research published in February as part of its ongoing Information Gathering Project.” By CathNews.com

SINGAPORE

Sexual abuse by prominent Catholic figure: Superior did not make police report as victims insisted on keeping matters private
“The two teenage boys who were sexually abused by a prominent member of the local Catholic community ‘refused’ to make police reports after the incidents came to light in 2009, the Catholic Religious Order said in a statement on Sunday (Jun 5). The boys were repeatedly told that they could make a police report and would be accompanied to the police station to do so, but they were insistent in wanting to keep the matter private.” By ChannelNewsAsia.com

THAILAND

Thai Catholic youth discuss clerical sexual abuse
“An online event to inform and raise awareness about protecting minors and vulnerable people from sexual abuse was organized by MAGIS Thailand, a Catholic youth group committed to applying Ignatian spirituality in their daily lives … The focus was the sexual abuse and abuse of power within the Catholic Church, with several participants from Singapore and the Philippines joining their counterparts from Thailand during the Zoom conference. Kittiya Wu, a programmer in her thirties from Bangkok, said: ‘We bear the same cross. Therefore, we must care for and help restore the Church’s credibility among Catholics as well as non-believers.’” By Tanya Leekamnerdthai, UCANews.com