News Story of the Day
Guam archbishop denies allegations of rape, sexual abuse
Catholic News Agency, Jan 21, 2018, Crux
HAGATNA, Guam - An embattled archbishop in Guam has denied an allegation that he raped his nephew nearly 20 years ago, when his accuser was a teen.
Mark Apuron, nephew of Guam’s Archbishop Anthony Apuron, filed a lawsuit Jan. 10, claiming that his uncle raped him in a Church bathroom in 1989 or 1990. This is the fifth lawsuit to accuse the archbishop of sexual abuse of minors during his time as a pastor and bishop.
Sexual abuse case against Mormon Church to begin Friday
By Julie Zauzmer, January 18, 2018, The Washington Post
Michael Jensen preyed on children in the close-knit Mormon community around Martinsburg, W.Va. At least, that’s how law enforcement officials and at least half a dozen families see it now.
Abuse survivor confronts gymnastics doctor: ‘I have been coming for you for a long time’
By Kyle Swenson, January 17, 2017, Washington Post
Two school pictures floated side-by-side on a projection screen in the Michigan courtroom. Both images caught the same small girl — in one, all gawky smile and bangs; the next, braces and long hair — a few years apart. Until this week, the child in the snapshots had been officially identified only as “Victim Z.A.” or “a family friend.”
But on Tuesday, Kyle Stephens, now a young woman, stepped out from the curtain of anonymity to directly address disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar before a judge in Lansing.
Church credibility in focus as Pope heads for Latin America
By Philip Pullella, January 16, 2018, Reuters
Pope's visit to Peru and Chile casts harsh light on handling of sexual abuse cases
By Dan Collyns in Lima and Piotr Kozak in Santiago, January 12, 2018, The Guardian
Criticism that Pope Francis is failing to tackle allegations of abuse, in the wake of scandals in both countries, is likely to overshadow his week-long visit
Pope Francis leaves Rome this weekend for a tour of Chile and Peru amid renewed accusations that he is failing to tackle allegations of clerical sexual abuse after scandals in both countries.
The visit comes as the pope seeks to shore up the Catholic church faith against the loss of followers in two of South America’s most conservative nations.
During the week-long visit, the pope will also travel to the Amazon city of Puerto Maldonado in Peru, where he will meet indigenous leaders and is expected to expand on the environmental message of his 2015 encyclical on climate change.
New London Man Alleging Priest Abuse Receives $900K Settlement
By Andrew Denney, January 12, 2018, Law.com
The Diocese of Norwich, a Catholic church in Groton and a Vermont-based order of priests have agreed to pay a $900,000 settlement to a New London man who says a priest molested him when he was an altar boy at the church in the late 1970s and early 1980s.