BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — As bankruptcy proceedings continue for the Diocese of Buffalo, survivors of clergy abuse who are suing the Diocese in state court are celebrating a legal victory in federal court.
Their lawsuits that date back to 2020, can move forward, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Western District of New York, Judge Carl L. Bucki.
Nov 20, 2024
Former Catholic priest Gilbert Gauthe, who was convicted of child sexual abuse, is escorted out of the Lafayette Parish Courthouse after a hearing in 2000.
Seven lawsuits were filed in recent weeks against the Diocese of Lafayette by people alleging they were sexually abused by clergy when they were children, the latest wave of lawsuits since a June court ruling giving abuse victims more time to seek restitution.
Four of the seven lawsuits were filed in November, one on Nov. 12, in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette. Three others were filed Oct. 29.
Worshippers are pictured in a file photo at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, Calif. The Diocese of Oakland filed a formal Chapter 11 reorganization plan Nov. 8 in an effort to settle some 345 claims of sexual abuse. (OSV News/CNS file, Greg Tarczynski)
by Timothy Hale
November 20, 2024
Fr. Stephen M. Kiesle of the Diocese of Oakland, California, was convicted of lewd conduct for tying up and sexually abusing boys and was later sent to prison for abusing a girl. In 2023, he pleaded no contest to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk.
Fr. Mark Kristy of the Diocese of Sacramento was convicted of molesting a girl under 14 for three years and in 2022 was sentenced to a year in jail. For most of the last decade, he lived in Napa County.
Copyright AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File
The policy, which permanently removes priests for a single act of sexual abuse, is currently limited to the US.
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse called on the Vatican on Monday to extend the zero-tolerance policy adopted by the US Catholic Church in 2002 to apply to the global church, insisting that children worldwide deserve protection for predator priests.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior figure, is accused of ‘ignoring’ 11 separate complaints, some involving leading figures in the Church
November 16, 2024
By CAMERON CHARTERS
The Church of England faced further turmoil last night after the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell was urged to resign over his handling of abuse cases.
The demand comes after the CofE’s leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, was forced to quit last week over a cover-up in a child abuse scandal.
Archbishop Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior figure, is accused of ‘ignoring’ 11 separate complaints, some involving leading figures in the Church, including bishops.
November 14, 2024
WHAT: At a news conference in Rome to mark the United Nations’ World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, a diverse group of survivors, advocates and theologians will unveil a landmark zero-tolerance proposal calling for sweeping reforms to Canon Law, aimed at confronting the Catholic Church’s ongoing clergy sexual abuse crisis head-on.
WHEN: Monday, November 18, 2024, at 11:00 AM (local time)
WHERE: Inside the Villa Aurelia, Via Leone XIII, 459, 00165, Rome WHY: Nearly six years after the first Papal Summit on Clerical Sexual Abuse, the Catholic Church has yet to fully implement the measures that were proclaimed at that time to protect children and vulnerable adults, and to hold Church leaders accountable. Pope Francis has repeatedly declared a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, but his intention must be met with meaningful action. Real progress within the Church, on a global level, will only occur through consistent implementation of its own principles. The recent “Annual Report” from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors underscores the urgency for a shift in mentality—from self-defensiveness to accepting legal, moral, and spiritual responsibility. It also highlights the pressing need for proactive, well-resourced safeguarding measures.
WHO: ECA (Ending Clergy Abuse), a global coalition of survivors and human rights advocates from over 25 countries, and IADC (Institute of Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care), a research institute at the Pontifical Gregorian University focused on human rights and safeguarding within the Church, are co-leading this initiative. Also involved are Eckiger Tisch, a German non-profit supporting survivors and advocating for justice, and Bishop Accountability, a U.S.-based watchdog that has been documenting the worldwide Catholic abuse crisis since 2003.
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Lawrence Hecker, 93, self-admitted serial child molester, grapples with Alzheimer’s disease and had trial delayed
November 14, 2024
By Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans
An undated photo of Lawrence Hecker. Photograph: Provided photo
With less than a month to go before his latest scheduled trial date, a self-admitted serial child molester and retired Roman Catholic priest from New Orleans remains competent to proceed with his oft-delayed rape and kidnapping case – albeit marginally, as the 93-year-old grapples with Alzheimer’s disease, according to his most recent medical evaluation.
A pair of doctors who evaluated Lawrence Hecker on 6 November made it a point to note that his illness is “a chronic and progressive disease”, suggesting additional delays beyond several already seen in the case create a risk that the clergyman might decline into a state of legal incompetence, preventing him from ever standing trial given his advanced age.
Hecker is tentatively scheduled to begin being tried on 3 December on charges of child rape, kidnapping and other crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to the counts first filed against him in September 2023. But as many as a dozen witnesses who allege enduring a range of sexually abusive acts by Hecker after he met them during their childhoods between the 1960s and 80s are prepared to testify against him.
To read the entire article, go to this link.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the primate of all England and leader of the Anglican Communion, announced his resignation on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, saying he takes “personal and institutional responsibility” for the mishandling of a number of high-profile abuse cases in the Anglican Church since taking the reigns in 2013. | Credit: Marinella Bandini
CNA Staff, Nov 12, 2024 / 13:45 pm
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he takes “personal and institutional responsibility” for the mishandling of a number of high-profile abuse cases in the Anglican Church since taking the reins in 2013.
The Diocese of Oakland is facing significant pushback over its plan to settle hundreds of lawsuits.
The diocese entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings last year, overwhelmed by lawsuits over sexual abuse.
In a proposal filed Friday, the diocese is offering far less than other similar settlements in California.
"It's a definite message and the message is 'You are not important.' The message is 'We don't care!'" said attorney Rick Simons.
That outrage was directed at the Diocese of Oakland. Simons represents numerous church sex assault survivors.
On Friday, the diocese filed a plan of reorganization with the bankruptcy court.
In a press release, the diocese says it will create a trust for sexual abuse survivors worth between $160 and $198 million to pay out 345 claims.
But court documents show the initial installment is only $65 million.
"First off, it's not a hundred and some odd million dollars worth of cash, it's $60 million in cash and $10 million a year for four years. They keep that money, investing it and making money off of it all that time while inflation eats away of the value to survivors. It is, again, just plain insulting. It is nowhere near what Los Angeles did," Simons said.
Simons is referencing the $880 million that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles settled on recently in their sex abuse cases. The difference there though, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles never filed for bankruptcy.
Dan McNevin is a volunteer with SNAP, which stands for "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests." His thoughts about the proposed monetary figures echo those of Simons.
"I think it's pretty pathetic. It's pretty low. This is a really, really wealthy Diocese and there is a lot of victims. ..."
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