Blog

We went leafleting last night about Fr. Juan Baptiste Ormechea. He and five other admitted or credibly accused US predator priests are living and we fear working here in Rome (or have done so recently). With a little help from a kind volunteer, we had an outreach flyer translated into Italian. It explains who we are and why we were passing out leaflets. People were very polite and accepted our flyers. As all of you know so well, leaflets are an amazing tool and almost always help us to find survivors and warn communities about dangerous predators living nearby.

Another beautiful and sunny day in Rome. Everyone tells us we are lucky as rain is normal this time of year. We are trying to cover as much ground as possible and often split up. 

Monday
Off to the airport! We make the first flight easily and after a mad dash through the Atlanta airport we board the flight to Rome. We know we should sleep but are too excited and nervous! We land and catch the Leonardo Express into the city center. After a quick shower we are off to our first event. Great media coverage! 

Jim Stang is a bankruptcy expert. He’s been involved in nine Catholic institutional bankruptcies-more than any other attorney. In 2010, he was named “Bankruptcy Lawyer of the Year.” He knows this stuff. 

Watch out for papal candidates to start posturing on abuse. On the eve of the last conclave, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made one brief mention, in a highly publicized talk, of “filth” in the church.

“How does he keep a straight face?” That’s the question I often think about the public relations staffers who work for Catholic officials. 

Let’s get specific. What exactly DID Pope Benedict do about the committing and concealing of child sex crimes in the church? LA Times writer Mitchell Lansberg did a good job of summarizing the case made by Benedict’s defenders, who say that he:

I can stomach a lot. But it's very hard for me to read about the Magdalene Laundries.

A journalist recently  suggested to me that DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl was "less dirty" on abuse than the other US prelates who will attende the papal conclave. "Not so fast," I replied.

I read The Dallas Morning News series about abuse and cover up at Parkland Hospital at a bad time: while I was sitting in a hospital. (My 93 year old father-in-law is struggling.) It’s a very disturbing but very important series. I encourage you to read it.