News Story of the Day
Archdiocese of Santa Fe publicly names priests accused of molestation
By Andrew Oxford, The New Mexican
In a step toward accountability long demanded by survivors of sexual abuse at the of hands Roman Catholic clergy, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe on Tuesday released a list of 74 priests, deacons and brothers who it says have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct over the last several decades.
57 Years After Young Teacher’s Murder, Former Priest Faces Trial
Erik De La Garza, September 12, 2017, Courthouse News
EDINBURG, Texas (CN) — A state judge on Monday delayed until early October the trial of the former Catholic priest charged with the 1960 murder of a South Texas beauty queen, because of scheduling conflicts with one of his attorneys.
Arkansas inmate files lawsuit after suffering sexual abuse at hands of prison chaplain
By Jeannie Roberts, September 9, 2017, Arkansas Online
The lawyer for a female state prisoner who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a prison chaplain announced Friday that a civil-rights lawsuit has been filed against the Department of Correction, the chaplain and other officials.
Carolyn Arnett, an inmate at the McPherson Unit, said in the lawsuit that department Director Wendy Kelley and other administrators allowed "rampant" institutional failures and a culture of sexual and physical abuse that enabled former prison chaplain Kenneth Dewitt to abuse several female inmates.
Royal commissioner Robert Fitzgerald tells some home truths to a national Anglican synod
7 Sep 2017, New Castle Herald
THE Anglican Church has taken steps to join a Commonwealth redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse only days after a national Anglican synod was warned some clergy and lay people continue to hold on to “long discarded myths” about child sexual abuse.
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald urged the synod in Queensland to join the redress scheme, in a speech that criticised the church for the lack of a coherent national response to survivors.
Ex-Priest Declared Sexually Violent; Fate Yet to Be Decided
The Associated Press, SEPTEMBER 08, 2017, Miami Herald
CHICAGO -- A former Chicago priest was deemed to be a sexually violent person by a Cook County judge on Friday, but whether he will be held indefinitely in a facility for sex offenders will be decided later.
Defrocked former priest from Easton jailed in sex case
By Don Lehman, The Post Star
BALLSTON SPA — A defrocked former Catholic priest who lives at a “retreat” in Washington County was ordered held for lack of bail Tuesday on charges that accuse him of sexually abusing a teenage boy in Saratoga County earlier this year.
Judge to decide if ex-priest who molested boys can be committed indefinitely
By Megan Crepeau, September 5, 2017, Chicago Tribune
Court records show more than two dozen boys and young men have alleged Daniel McCormack molested them in their youth, most notably at St. Agatha Parish on Chicago's Southwest Side, where the young Roman Catholic priest coached basketball, taught algebra and delivered eloquent sermons.
Victoria Police launches new podcast to tackle sexual crime
By David Sparkes, ABC.net.au, September 4, 2017
Victoria Police has launched a new podcast about sexual violence, aiming to convince more victims to report their assault.
The six-part series, called Unspeakable: Understanding Sexual Crime, is part of National Child Protection Week and tells true stories, featuring interviews with investigators, victims and their families.
Inspector Everett Moutsidis from Family Violence Command told ABC Radio Melbourne each episode would provide a glimpse into the work done by Victoria Police's Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCIT).
Active lawsuits accusing Guam priests of sex abuse now top 100
By Steve Limtiaco, Pacific Daily News, September 1, 2017, USA Today
AGÅTÑA, Guam — Two more lawsuits filed Friday in U.S. District Court here bring the number of active suits accusing clergy members and others affiliated with this island’s Catholic Church of sexually abusing children to more than 100.
The two priests named in the lawsuits — the Rev. Louis Brouillard, 96, and Antonio Cruz, now dead — have been named in other suits: Brouillard is accused in 58 cases, Cruz in seven cases although the plaintiff requested an additional one that was filed Monday in federal court be voluntarily dismissedThursday.