News Story of the Day

"New Mexico has the sad distinction of being one of the least protective states in the nation when it comes to victims' rights," Torrez said

By Faith Egbuono

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

Video above: New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez unveiled a plan to amend the Crime Victims' Rights Act on Friday, Oct. 4. Torrez was joined by lawmakers and advocates to announce the plan for the 2025 legislative session. The amended legislation comes after Target 7 Investigations did a report on Patrick Howard. Howard is a former Las Cruces High School teacher who admitted to fondling students. However, a Dona Ana County judge released Howard from his probation years early. His victims were not notified when the judge held a hearing of his release.

By Giselle Wakatama

Father Ron Pickin died in 2015. (Courtesy of Brock Perks, Newcastle Herald/ACM)

In short:

In a landmark NSW court case a judge has found the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle directly and vicariously liable for the childhood sexual abuse of a man known as AA.

The court heard AA was given beer and cigarettes and was sexually assaulted after blacking out in a presbytery.

What's next?

A directions hearing has been scheduled for next week.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/CNA

Catholic News Agency

By Daniel Payne

October 1, 2024

New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan this week said the archdiocese’s longtime insurer is “attempting to evade their legal and moral contractual obligation” to pay out financial claims to sex abuse victims, with the archdiocese launching a lawsuit against the insurer in response.

The prelate said in a letter to the faithful on Tuesday that the archdiocese has already settled more than 500 claims of sex abuse “not covered by insurance.” Yet there remain around 1,400 unresolved abuse allegations, Dolan said. 

“It has always been our wish to expeditiously settle all meritorious claims,” the archbishop said. “However, Chubb, for decades our primary insurance company, even though we have paid them over $2 billion in premiums by today’s standards, is now attempting to evade their legal and moral contractual obligation to settle covered claims which would bring peace and healing to victim-survivors.” ...

In a statement to CNA on Tuesday morning [Chubb] argued that the archdiocese “tolerated, concealed, and covered up rampant child sexual abuse for decades, and despite having substantial financial resources, they still refuse to compensate their victims.” ...

To read the complete article, go here.

The state's only Catholic diocese, which has paid out more than $30 million to survivors over the years, still faces 31 lawsuits related to decades-old claims.

Bishop John J. McDermott: Courtesy of Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington

Seven Days

By Derek Brouwer

Published September 30, 2024

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, a maneuver through which the church will seek to resolve scores of sex abuse claims and preserve its assets.

The state's only Catholic diocese, which has paid out more than $30 million to sex abuse survivors in recent decades, still faces 31 pending civil lawsuits related to decades-old abuse claims, according to the petition filed in federal bankruptcy court in Vermont.

Most of the pending lawsuits were triggered by Vermont lawmakers' 2019 decision to lift the statute of limitations for civil claims related to sexual abuse of children. One of those cases had been scheduled for trial earlier this month but was abruptly canceled without public explanation, VTDigger.org reported.

Dozens of dioceses across the country have turned to bankruptcy court in the face of lawsuits from parishioners or former parishioners who say Catholic priests sexually abused them as children. The history of rampant abuse that church leaders covered up for decades has left dioceses with huge legal bills today.

Read the rest of the article here.

The Siasat Daily

September 28, 2024

In a disturbing incident, a 70-year-old priest has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl inside the Bhagavathi Amman temple in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district.

According to the complaint filed by the girl’s family, the incident took place on September 26 when the accused identified as Thilagar found a few local children playing outside the temple. He lured them inside with promises of sweets and then assaulted one of the girls.

The situation escalated when the victim narrated the harrowing ordeal to her parents, following which locals including relatives of the girl staged a protest outside the temple demanding action against the priest. Fearing for his safety, Thailagar locked himself inside the temple. Local police rushed to the scene and detained him.

France 24, September 27, 2024

Belgium’s prime minister on Friday blasted Pope Francis to his face for the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups in his country, demanding “concrete steps” to come clean with the past and put victims’ interests over those of the church. Alexander De Croo's blistering welcome speech at the start of Francis’ visit was one of the most pointed ever directed at the pope during a foreign trip, where the genteel dictates of diplomatic protocol usually keep outrage out of public remarks. But even King Philippe had strong words for Francis, demanding the church work “incessantly” to atone for the crimes and help victims heal. Their tone underscored just how raw the abuse scandal still is in Belgium, where two decades of revelations of abuse and systematic cover-ups have devastated the hierarchy’s credibility and contributed to an overall decline in Catholicism and the influence of the once-powerful church. Francis applauded at the end of De Croo’s speech and was expected to meet with victims in private later Friday. "This is our shame and humiliation,” he said in an improvised response. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen is joined by Marc Artzrouni, European Coordinator for SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests).

Watch the video here.

New indictment leaves Anthony Odiong facing seven sexual assault charges – all in connection with three women

Anthony Odiong delivers a homily in November 2023. Photograph: YouTube page of St Anthony of Padua church of Luling, Louisiana

A grand jury in Texas has handed up more felony sexual assault charges against a Roman Catholic priest accused of preying on women whom he met while ministering to them in that state as well as in south-east Louisiana, officials said.

FILE - Vatican investigators Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, right, from Spain, and Archbishop Charles Scicluna, from Malta, walk outside of the Nunciatura Apostolica during a break from meeting with people who alleged abuse by the Catholic lay group Sodalitium Christianae Vitae in Lima, Peru, on July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)

By Aubry Killion

Investigative Reporter

A trial for a former New Orleans priest accused of molesting children will not move forward Tuesday after the judge in the case recused himself.

Judge Ben Willard announced in court that the trial against Lawrence Hecker would not move forward and recused himself.

The former leader of the Chicago-area arm of the Passionists order made the promise two years ago after a Sun-Times investigation. Its current leader won’t say why that hasn’t been kept or whether that’s still in the works.

By  Robert Herguth

 

  Sept 20, 2024, 8:00am EDT

Immaculate Conception Church and the Rev. John Baptist Ormechea (inset), who was assigned there from the late 1970s to the late 1980s

Robert Herguth/Sun-Times; Passionists

 

Two years after the Chicago-area arm of the Passionists religious order announced it would establish a sex offender registry of abusive members, the Catholic group hasn’t done so. Its leaders won’t say why or whether that’s still in the works.