PROVIDENCE (RI)
The Providence Journal

September 30, 2020

By Brian Amaral

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 heard more than an hour of arguments on that issue from three priest abuse victims, 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.

“The General Assembly does not want the court to go down the rabbit hole that’s laid out in page after page of the plaintiffs’ brief,” Howard Merten, an attorney for the diocese’s leaders, told Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel in a remote hearing broadcast live on YouTube.

The arguments looked back on some of the darkest chapters in the history of the Providence Diocese. The outcome will determine if that history will continue to be litigated in court: The diocese says the suits, filed by three men who said they were abused as boys by different Rhode Island priests, should be dismissed.

The alleged victims, on the other hand, say the case should go to a jury to decide.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE (NY)
Long Island Catholic

October 1, 2020

http://licatholic.org/diocese-of-rockville-centre-files-for-chapter-11-to-manage-legal-expenses-and-facilitate-settlements-with-abuse-survivors/

he Diocese of Rockville Centre (“DRVC” and “The Diocese”) (www.drvc.org) announced October 1 the filing of a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing is necessary to manage litigation expenses, address disputes with the Diocese’s insurers and facilitate settlements with abuse survivors who brought lawsuits under the Child Victims Act.

Click above for a video message announcing this filing from Rockville Centre Bishop John O. Barres.

The Diocese believes its current and future liquidity will be sufficient to fund operations and ministries during the restructuring process and beyond. Vendors will be paid for all goods and services delivered after the filing, and transactions that occur in the ordinary course of business will continue as before. Employees will be paid their normal wages, and their benefit programs will continue uninterrupted.

MICHIGAN
Catholic News Agency

September 30, 2020

Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel told local news this week that she plans to announce new charges against “a dozen or more” priests in the state, as part of a now two-year long investigation into abuse by Catholic clergy.

Nessel had most recently announced on Sept. 29 charges against a 78-year-old laicized priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Gary Berthiaume, who is accused of abusing a 14-year-old victim.

Nessel announced one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct against Berthiaume, which could lead to a 15-year prison sentence if he's convicted, the Detroit News reported.

LANSING (MI)
WLNS-TV

September 30, 2020

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is telling 6 News tonight she is getting closer to issuing more charges against Catholic priests and others in her continuing probe into sexual abuse in the church.

Almost two years ago the state attorney general launched an investigation into alleged sexual abuse in the Catholic church and she subpoenaed millions of documents from every diocese in the state.

As a result, the Lansing diocese published a list of 17 priests who allegedly were involved in 73 allegations of abuse of 66 boys and 4 girls.

The attorney general is poised to prosecute even more priests, perhaps a dozen or more.

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

September 30, 2020

By Daniel P. Horan

Last week's decision by a Kentucky grand jury to indict only one of three officers involved in a botched police raid that ended in the death of Breonna Taylor was, as so many things are these days, both shocking and yet unsurprising.

The shock hit me, as it did for thousands across the country, as still another plain instance of failed justice. Another person of color, this time, a young Black woman in her 20s sleeping in her own bed, killed by police without anyone found legally culpable for her murder.

The one indictment of a Louisville detective, which contained three charges of wanton endangerment for firing 10 shots through Taylor's apartment and into a neighboring residence where three other people slept, reflect charges that do not directly relate to the actual killing of Taylor. Authorities say that bullets from the gun of Brett Hankison, the indicted detective, did not strike and kill Taylor.

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

September 30, 2020

By Aaron Besecker

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-city-of-buffalo-youth-mentor-gets-2-years-for-sexually-abusing-teen/article_0864e9b0-033b-11eb-a73b-9f7dbbca5b8f.html

A state judge on Wednesday sentenced a former city employee and youth mentor who admitted sexually abusing a teenage boy to two years in prison and 10 years' parole, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said.

Antwan Diggs pleaded guilty to felony sex abuse in February, four months after he was charged with abusing a 17-year-old boy in a downtown hotel. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison, prosecutors said.

State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns also issued an order of protection barring Diggs, 51, from having contact with the victim until Sept. 30, 2040.

MINNESOTA
The Catholic Spirit

September 30, 2020

By Barb Umberger

Filmmaker Hunter Johnson took on a commission of a lifetime when he agreed to make a documentary about restorative justice for clergy abuse victims while honoring his father’s legacy.

Johnson, 31, is the son of the late Tom Johnson, a former Hennepin County attorney and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ first ombudsperson for clergy sexual abuse survivors, for whom he served as an independent advocate.

Not long after his father passed away June 8 after a six-year battle with prostate cancer, Hunter’s mother, Victoria Johnson, also an attorney, succeeded her husband as the ombudsperson.

Victoria Johnson provided feedback as Hunter completed sections of the film. When she saw the final, edited film, she felt overwhelming love for her husband and for her son, whom she said conveyed the story beautifully.

UNITED STATES
Church Executive

September 30, 2020

By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris

Every church — whether it’s multi-campus or a recent plant — deals with insurance coverage.

Ministry leaders tend to gravitate to the least expensive policy options and often lack knowledge about what they should be looking for when securing coverage related to child sexual abuse risk. Unfortunately, this reality is revealed only when an allegation arises.

Clearly, child sexual abuse is a foreseeable risk causing incalculable harm to children, and a ministry’s primary responsibility is to protect children in its care. In addition to implementing an effective safety system (see prior articles in the “Stop Sexual Abuse” Series), simple financial stewardship requires a meaningful evaluation of current insurance relationships, coverages, limits and policy terms.

ROME (ITALY)
The Guardian

September 30, 2020

By Melissa Davey and Angela Giuffrida

Cardinal returned to Vatican on Wednesday despite Australia’s Covid travel ban on ‘official Vatican government business’

Cardinal George Pell returned to Rome from Australia on Wednesday for the first time since being jailed – and then acquitted – on child sexual abuse charges.

The 79-year-old, wearing a face mask, briefly lifted his hand towards a crowd of waiting journalists at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, but said nothing before climbing into a waiting car.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said there was “currently no meeting planned” between the cleric and Pope Francis, who is currently dealing with a financial scandal at the Vatican.

But experts on the workings of the Vatican said a reunion between the head of the Roman Catholic church and the man he once appointed as his trusted anti-corruption tsar was “a given”.

ROME (ITALY)
SkyNews

October 1, 2020

[VIDEO]

Cardinal George Pell has returned to Italy's capital after being exonerated of historic sexual abuse charges but his reasons for returning to Rome, and subsequently the Vatican, are yet to be officially announced.

Australia's highest-ranking Catholic had been on a leave of absence from his position controlling the Vatican's finances.

There were reports the Cardinal had arranged a meeting with Pope Francis.

VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Associated Press via Yahoo News

September 30, 2020

By Georgie Moore

A Victorian sexual abuse survivor has become the first Australian to successfully overturn a "terrible" settlement with the Catholic Church.

The man now plans to sue the church for his horrific abuse at the hands of now-dead Warragul priest Daniel Hourigan between 1977 and 1980.

Victoria's Supreme Court has set aside what it labelled the inadequate $32,500 settlement from the church in 1996.

The survivor, who cannot be identified, wants to use his long-fought victory to encourage others to "step forward and hold the church to account".

AUSTRALIA
Australian Associated Press via Yahoo News

September 30, 2020

By Margaret Scheikowski

An 83-year-old former Marist Brothers headmaster has been spared time behind bars for concealing the child sexual abuse crimes of his Catholic colleagues.

William Wade, known as Brother Christopher, admitted failing to provide information to police in 2014.

They were investigating child abuse claims against Darcy O'Sullivan, known as Brother Dominic, and Francis Cable, known as Brother Romuald, when they were at the Hamilton Marist school in Newcastle in the late 1960 and 1970s.

VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

September 30, 2020

By James Hancock

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.

Hourigan died in 1995.

The victim, referred to as WCB, lost his childhood and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder for more than 40 years, the court was told.

He sued the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sale for "personal injury suffered" in 1996 and settled for $32,500.

But yesterday, a judge set aside the settlement because of recent legal changes and found the case should be reconsidered.

"The settlement embodied in the deed was not a reasonable assessment of the plaintiff's loss and damage in 1996, or adequate compensation by today's standards," the judge found.

AUSTRALIA
NCA Newswire via The Australian

September 30, 2020

By Steve Zemek

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/catholic-headmaster-william-wade-walks-free-despite-concealing-abuse-allegations/news-story/a5178569f274d814988a8bfc4cb44124

A convicted sex offender and former school principal has been spared prison despite failing to disclose to police details of sexual abuse allegations levelled at Catholic colleagues in what’s believed to be a first in Australia.

William Wade was on Wednesday allowed to walk free from Sydney’s Downing Centre despite the leniency of his sentence angering his former victims.

The 84-year-old pleaded guilty in the District Court to seven counts of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person after he omitted key information during a police interview about two teachers who sexually abused students at Hamilton Marist school in Newcastle in the 1970s.

The court heard how seven students came to him claiming they had been abused by Darcy O’Sullivan and Francis Cable - both of whom are serving prison sentences for indecently assaulting multiple boys.

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier

September 30, 2020

By Rochelle Kirkham

A Catholic priest will serve 12 months in prison before he is deported to India after sexually assaulting a parishioner in the Ballarat district.

Alexander Athanas was sentenced at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to multiple acts of sexual assault earlier in September.

Magistrate Ron Saines said Athanas abused his position of trust and took advantage of a vulnerable woman.

Athanas, an ordained Catholic priest, arranged a private mass for a 28-year-old parishioner who had suffered serious health issues.

The victim arrived at the church with family members before Athanas took her alone upstairs to a private room in the presbytery where there was a mattress on the floor.

Mr Saines said Athanas directed the victim to remove her clothing and underwear.

"Despite her queries and timidity, you exploited her nakedness drawing crosses on her skin," he said.

The court heard Athanas touched the victim's breasts, buttocks and vagina for a period of time before she broke free from his embrace.

The victim told her family about the assault and reported it to police.

Athanas had arrived in Australia from India in May 2019 and worked at a number of locations including in the western region.

Mr Saines said Athanas' abuse of his position of trust was a major aggravating feature of the offence.

"Your role as a priest involved a trust held by her and her family as sacred," he said.

["This was a poor disguise of looking at and touching her sexually for your personal gratification." - Magistrate Ron Saines]

Mr Saines said the offending was also aggravated by Athanas' exploitation of the victim's vulnerability as someone who suffered serious health issues.

Mr Saines said Athanas' conduct was contrary to the ethics and teaching of religion but also involved contact with a parishioner which was prohibited due to the pandemic.

"You told her not to tell others... and to say it was a special full-body healing," he said.

Mr Saines said there was a degree of premeditation evidenced by the selection of the location, absence of witnesses and family and the mattress on the floor.

He said he took into account Athanas' early plea of guilty, his expression of remorse, his lack of criminal history, low risk of reoffending and more onerous time in prison due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Mr Saines said he must also take into the account the 'profound' impact on the victim and her family.

"The family describe social and spiritual isolation and wider isolation from their church community," he said.

["The victim's spirituality, faith in priests and the religion she has practised all her life has been shattered, her pre-existing health problems are exacerbated and her psychological health is significantly harmed." - Magistrate Ron Saines]

The court heard Athanas' visa had been cancelled, meaning he will be deported when he is released from prison and the Catholic Church in Victoria had withdrawn his authority to act as a priest.

Athanas was sentenced to 12-months' imprisonment. Mr Saines said the sentence would have been 20-months if he had entered a not guilty plea and then been found guilty.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Jack Fletcher said he would investigate whether a sex offender registration act order in Victoria would have any effect when Athanas' returned to India.

BANGLADESH
UCA News

September 30, 2020

Bishop Rozario pledges that suspended priest will not be reinstated unless he can prove his innocence

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.

“The priest was arrested last evening and he has been produced before the court in Rajshahi after the elder brother of the victim filed a case. Police rescued the victim from a nun’s convent. She will be sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for medical tests,” Rakibul Hasan, officer in charge of Tanore Police Station in Rajshahi, told UCA News on Sept. 30.

Swapan Hasdak, an ethnic Santal Catholic and the complainant, said his family demands justice for the abuse of his sister.

WINSTON SALEM (NC)
Winston Salem Journal

September 22,2020

By Michael Hewlett

https://journalnow.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/a-third-man-sues-the-childrens-home-claiming-a-house-parent-sexually-assaulted-him-when/article_2299a9e4-fcf9-11ea-941e-87c1d299a3be.html

ACaldwell County man is claiming that a house parent sexually assaulted him almost every day, sometimes three to four times a day, for five years in the early 1970s, starting when he was 12, according to a lawsuit recently filed in Mecklenburg Superior Court.

This is the third lawsuit filed against the Children's Home, now known as Crossnore School & Children's Home, in Winston-Salem and the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Conference operated the Children's Home in the 1970s. The lawsuit was filed Sept. 18 in Mecklenburg Superior Court.

All three lawsuits focus on Bruce Jackson "Jack" Biggs and his wife, Beatrice Hatcher Biggs, who worked as house parents at the Anna Haines Cottage, one of 12 at the Children's Home. The lawsuits said that they worked at the Children's Home from 1966 to 1975. The lawsuits allege that they were fired because of "their demented and perverted sexually abusive assaults upon children." They were never criminally charged. Jack Biggs died in 2015, and Beatrice Biggs, 82, lives in a nursing home, according to the lawsuits.

AUSTRALIA
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

September 30, 2020

By Jamie McKinnell

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.

GEORGIA
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

September 29, 2020

By Shelia Poole

A lawsuit filed in state court in Chatham County against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah and its presiding bishop claims that the diocese was aware of and covered up allegations of sexual abuse by one of its priests.

William Fred Baker Jr., the plaintiff in the case, alleges the diocese knew that a priest, Wayland Yoder Brown, who was later defrocked, sexually abused him and others while employed by the diocese. The abuse allegedly began when Baker was 10 years old and a student at St. James Catholic School in Savannah, where his mother still works, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit mistakenly says he was 13.

Attorney Mark Tate, who represents Baker, who is now 42, said his client wanted to be named and lauded his “courage" in coming forward.

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier

September 27, 2020

By Alex Ford

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 they was sexually abused by Ridsdale when they were a teenager.

Ridsdale is currently in prison after being convicted for these crimes, as well as dozens of other child sexual offences.

The plaintiff is suing the Ballarat Catholic Diocese, as well as Catholic Church Insurance Limited and the Office of Professional Standards, also known as Towards Healing, alleging that since Ridsdale was an employee, the Diocese was negligent and liable for Ridsdale's actions.

NEW ZEALAND
Radio New Zealand

September 28, 2020

By Andrew McRae

Warning: This story discusses graphic details of sexual abuse, physical abuse and suicide.

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.

Prison jail cells bars incarceration genericFile photo. Photo: Unsplash / Matthew Ansley
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, he gave evidence to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry sitting in Auckland.

Kerry Johnson was only 7 when he was taken into care because, he says, he was an out of control kid.

He was put into the care of the brothers at St John of God, where three of them sexually abused him and others a number of times.

DETROIT (MI)
Detroit News

September 29, 2020

By Oralandar Brand-Williams

A former Oakland County priest has been charged with sexually abusing a local child, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.

The charges are part of an ongoing investigation into sexual abuse within the state's seven Catholic dioceses.

Gary Berthiaume, 78, is charged with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, which could lead to a 15-year prison sentence if he's convicted, said Nessel.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announces the kick off for the "Be Counted" campaign for the Michigan Census in Pontiac on Monday, February 17, 2020.
The victim, who was 14 at the time of the alleged assault, told authorities the assault took place in August 1977 at the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church' s rectory in Farmington, where Berthiaume was a priest with the Archdiocese of Detroit.

OAKLAND (MI)
Oakland Press

September 29, 2020

By Aileen Wingblad

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/copscourts/former-priest-at-our-lady-of-sorrows-in-farmington-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-young-boy/article_af297260-0274-11eb-877a-f77a89b5a4f3.html

A former Catholic priest who served time in the Oakland County Jail for gross indecency between males is now facing a second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge for allegedly sexually assaulting a young boy at a Farmington church in 1977.

Gary Berthiaume, 78, was arrested at his home in Warrendale, Illinois on Sept. 29 and is facing extradition to Michigan.

The charge stems from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s allegations into sexual abuse within seven Catholic dioceses across the state.

JAMESTOWN (NY)
The Post-Journal

September 23, 2020

By Cameron Hurst

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.

Doe, who is now an individual residing in Erie County and was born in 1984, according to the lawsuit, claims that Attea “engaged in unpermitted, forcible and harmful sexual contact” with him on the church’s premises in 1997, when he was 12 years old.

CANBERRA (AUSTRALIA)
Canberra Times

September 29, 2020

Catholic Cardinal George Pell is returning to Rome six months after he was acquitted of child sexual abuse, according to agency reports.

The former Vatican treasurer, 79, is expected to depart Sydney on Tuesday, after living in the city since his release from a Victorian jail, the Catholic News Agency reported.

"He always intended to return to Rome," Katrina Lee, an adviser to the Archdiocese of Sydney, told Reuters.

Cardinal Pell came back to Australia from Rome in mid-2017 to fight charges related to the sexual assault of two choirboys when he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s

ALBANY (NY)
Albany Times Union

September 23, 2020

By Edward McKinley

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.

The look-back window was extended this summer for another year due to COVID-19, but activists, politicians and alleged survivors of childhood sexual abuse say the law didn’t go far enough and that many who suffered abuse as children are still unable to seek justice.

LANSING (MI)
WLNS-TV

September 29, 2020

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is telling 6 News tonight she is getting closer to issuing more charges against Catholic priests and others in her continuing probe into sexual abuse in the church.

Almost two years ago the state attorney general launched an investigation into alleged sexual abuse in the Catholic church and she subpoenaed millions of documents from every diocese in the state.

As a result, the Lansing diocese published a list of 17 priests who allegedly were involved in 73 allegations of abuse of 66 boys and 4 girls.

The attorney general is poised to prosecute even more priests, perhaps a dozen or more.

LANSING (MI)
WCAX-TV

September 29, 2020

A former priest 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.

78-year-old Gary Berthiaume is charged with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony.

He was arrested on the charge Tuesday at his home in Warrendale, Illinois. He will face extradition to Farmington, Michigan where charges were authorized last week.

The victim, who was 14 at the time, reported the assault took place in August 1977 at the rectory of Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington, where Berthiaume was a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

SAVANNAH (GA)
Associated Press

September 29, 2020

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.

The priest, who died in 2019 while serving a 20-year prison sentence, was convicted of child sex abuse charges in the early 2000s. Pope John Paul II eventually dismissed him from the priesthood, and in 2018, he was convicted of additional sex crimes against children.

UNITED STATES
Christianity Today

September 29, 2020

By Daniel Silliman

Why we report bad news about leaders—even after they have passed away.

Three women have come forward with additional allegations against the late Christian apologist.

Christianity Today is motivated by a deep love for the church. That love is sometimes painful, especially when it means reporting evidence of harmful behavior by ministry leaders. These allegations are hard for us to publish, and they can be hard to read. Over the years, some readers have wondered why we publish evidence of wrongdoing by ministry leaders otherwise doing good in the world. Other readers, who support investigative reporting in general, think it should be aimed outside our particular Christian community. But our commitment to seeking truth transcends our commitment to tribe. And by reporting the truth, we care for our community.

Love compels us to love those hurt by ministry leaders—not just the immediate victims, but countless others who see the fallout from leaders’ sin and abuse and wonder if Christians really care. Deep love for the church also compels us to love erring ministry leaders. They often need disclosure to lead them to repentance.

ROME (ITALY)
The New York Times

September 29, 2020

By Elisabetta Povoledo

The prelate’s return would come five months after Australia’s highest court overturned his conviction for molesting two children. For now, his plans have not been made public.

Three years after leaving for Australia to face sexual abuse accusations, and five months after that country’s highest court overturned his conviction on those charges, Cardinal George Pell was expected to return to the Vatican on Wednesday.

“We understand that he is due to arrive in Rome tomorrow,” said Chiara Porro, the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, adding that she had had no contact with the prelate or his office, so could not comment on the reasons for the trip.

On its home page, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney linked to an article in The Catholic Weekly, the diocesan newspaper, which reported that Cardinal Pell was returning “at the Vatican’s invitation” and that it was “believed that the invitation emanates from Pope Francis.”

A Vatican spokesman said on Tuesday that Cardinal Pell was not scheduled to meet with the pope.

The Australian cardinal’s return follows the unexpected ouster last week of his longtime Vatican rival, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, as the head of the department that creates saints. Cardinal Becciu said at a news conference on Friday that he had been fired by the pope over embezzlement allegations, but maintained that he was innocent.

CINCINNATI (OH)
WCPO-TV

September 28, 2020

By Craig Cheatham

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/i-team/appeals-court-judge-catholic-priest-geoff-drews-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.

Moermond, who has argued Drew's $5 million bond is "excessive," is asking the appeals court to reconsider its September 9 decision to deny his petition for lowering Drew's bond.

ROME (ITALY)
BBC

September 29, 2020

Cardinal George Pell will return to Rome this week for the first time since he was acquitted of child sexual abuse and released from prison in Australia.

The ex-Vatican treasurer, 79, was due to fly out of Sydney on Tuesday, Australian media reported.

He was freed in April after Australia's top court overturned his conviction. He had served more than a year in jail.

The cleric left the Vatican in 2017 to fight the charges in his home state of Victoria.

UNITED STATES
Verdict (blog)

September 29, 2020

By Marci A. Hamilton

I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that the United States Supreme Court may soon be composed of six Catholics (Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, Amy Barrett (if confirmed), one Justice who was raised Catholic but may now attend an Episcopal Church (Neil Gorsuch), and two Jews (Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer).

First, the newly configured Court will reflect less than a quarter of the country’s religious landscape, according to the Pew Research Center, if we include Gorsuch in the Catholic cohort. Catholics make up 20.8% of the American public, while Jews constitute 1.9%, which means as a group the Justices will reflect a mere 22.7% of the country’s faith experience. There are more Evangelical Protestants, 25.4%, and more religiously unaffiliated believers—22.8%—than Catholics and Jews together.

Alternatively, if Gorsuch is counted as a Mainline Protestant, the Court still reflects only 36.4% of the population of the United States. And 2/3 of the Court is one faith, which reflects only 20.8% of the population. To be sure, there was a time when white Protestant males were the sole religious believers on the Court. Yet, that religious hegemony was also unfortunate in light of the religious diversity of the country.

Second, has anyone in Washington noticed that the Catholic Church has been undergoing a scandal of extreme proportions over the last twenty years? To state it as a fact: the Church’s hierarchy is responsible for shielding and empowering child sex predators around the globe. As I have said many times before, I eagerly await one President or one member of the U.S. House or Senate with the guts to utter the phrase, “clergy sex abuse,” let alone hold a hearing or establish a Commission to study the issue. Leading child protection organizations have joined forces under the name “Keep Kids Safe,” and are asking both presidential candidates to embrace such a mission. (Full disclosure: my organization, CHILD USA, is a part of this movement).

UNITED STATES
Reason (blog)

September 27, 2020

By Jacob Sullum

The opinion, which suggests a strong concern about due process, will nevertheless be cited as evidence of the SCOTUS nominee's "uniformly conservative" record.

John and Jane, two students in Purdue University's Navy ROTC program, began dating in the fall of 2015 and had consensual sex 15 to 20 times. According to John, Jane's behavior became increasingly erratic, culminating in a suicide attempt he witnessed that December. They broke up in January 2016, after John tried to get Jane help by reporting her suicide attempt to two resident assistants and an adviser.

Three months later, in the midst of the university's s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Jane alleged that John had sexually assaulted her on two occasions. Those charges ultimately led Purdue, a state university in West Lafayette, Indiana, to suspend John for a year, forcing him to resign from ROTC and ending his plans for a career in the Navy. The process that led to those results, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett concluded in a 2019 opinion for a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, "fell short of what even a high school must provide to a student facing a days-long suspension."

ARGENTINA
Church Militant

September 28, 2020

By Martin Barillas

An Argentine man has accused Pope Francis of covering up allegations of rape and sexual abuse at the hands of a priest.

On Sept. 19, Sergio Decuyper, 42, of Argentina accused a disabled octogenarian priest, who is also his uncle, of raping him at the age of five years. Father José Francisco Decuyper, 85, is facing criminal charges in Argentina for alleged abuse said to have occurred decades ago in the Argentine city of Paraná. Because he currently lives in Spain, accuser Decuyper made his criminal complaint via Skype to Argentine authorities in the province of Entre Ríos, north of Buenos Aires.

According to Decuyper, he was abused by his uncle in 1982 when the latter served at the seminary nearby. Decuyper said that afterward he suffered migraine headaches and later had difficulty with personal relationships. However, he married and became a father. He claimed that his now ex-wife, a physician, diagnosed him as a victim of serious psychological trauma. "I am a homosexual," he told Argentine newspaper Clarin, "and now I can say it. She is now my friend, who supports and accompanies me throughout the process."

NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC

September 28, 2020

By Jayne McCormack

It is a "moral imperative" that some NI institutions and religious orders contribute to compensation for historical abuse victims, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.

Last year, the then-head of the NI civil service David Sterling said state-led institutions and churches would be "pursued" for payments.

Mrs Foster said she wants to hold a meeting with the groups to discuss making progress.

The first payments were awarded in May.

On Monday, Mrs Foster told the NI Assembly that the estimates of the cost of the scheme range from £149m at the lower end, to an upper limit of £668m.

SARNIA (ONTARIO, CANADA)
Sarnia Observer

September 28, 2020

By Paul Morden

Elementary and high school students in the Sarnia area are being encouraged to join others from across Canada in wearing orange shirts Wednesday to honour survivors and victims of residential schools.

Orange Shirt Day is a national event held on Sept. 30 to commemorate the experience of approximately 150,000 Métis, Inuit and First Nations children who were forced to attend residential schools between the 1830s and 1990s, where they experienced harsh discipline and conditions, suppression of their language and culture, and other abuse. It’s estimated 6,000 children died while attending the schools.

Orange Shirt Day originated with the story of Phyllis Webstad who, at age six, had a new orange shirt bought by her grandmother taken away on her first day at residential school in British Columbia.

TORONTO (CANADA)
Catholic News Service via CatholicPhilly.com

September 28, 2020

By Wendy-Ann Clarke

Through a commission to paint murals at three Catholic schools in Red Deer, Alberta, Indigenous artist Ryan Willert has been able to find his own healing and reconciliation with the Catholic community.

The 36-year-old Blackfoot from the Siksika Nation is well-known in Alberta. Based in Red Deer, he has painted murals at several colleges, universities and for various organizations. However, with several relatives, including his father, directly impacted by residential schools, he says working with Catholic institutions was not something he ever saw coming.

“Going into the Catholic schools for the first time brought up a lot of feelings in me that I wasn’t quite sure that I had actually healed from,” said Willert. “You hear the stories from your relatives about the physical and mental and sexual abuse (that happened at residential schools), and you see the problems that arise on the reserves and the poverty, and it’s hard. You build this idea toward an organization and a group of people without actually being around them.”

NEWFOUNDLAND (CANADA)
VOCM-AM

September 28, 2020

A well known local lawyer has come out swinging after the Archdiocese of St. John’s announced it will be seeking to overturn a decision declaring the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation liable for sexual abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1950s.

Lynn Moore, a partner with the law firm Morris Martin Moore, says she’s enraged by that response.

She took to Facebook with a message to practicing Catholics, asking them to withhold their donations to the church, saying that survivors of child sexual abuse should be supported.

VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

September 28, 2020

Pope Francis has named U.S. Archbishop Charles J. Brown as the new nuncio to the Philippines, the Vatican announced Sept. 28.

The New York native, who will turn 61 Oct. 13, has been the Vatican’s diplomatic representative in Albania since March 2017.

In Manila, he succeeds Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, who Pope Francis appointed permanent observer to the United Nations in November 2019.

AUSTRALIA
Associated Press

September 28, 2020

By Rod McGuirk

CANBERRA, Australia -- 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.

Pell will fly back to Rome on Tuesday, CathNews, an information agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said, citing “sources close to” Pell.

Pell’s return follows Francis last week firing one of the cardinal’s most powerful opponents, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, over a financial scandal.

Pell was regarded as the third highest-ranking Vatican official and was attempting to wrestle the Holy See’s opaque finances into order when he returned to his native Australia in 2017 to clear himself of decades-old allegations of child sex abuse.